You may have started strong this semester, especially if it is your first. But as you enter the midway point, some of you may be finding it harder to put in the same amount of time and effort on your homework and studies. You have accumulated seven-weeks’ worth of knowledge and habits, so you shouldn’t be struggling. It shouldn’t feel like your goal of finishing the semester strong is getting further away. 

Something has changed, but what?

One factor could be your drive, your motivation.

And there is a reason for that.

 

THE NATURE OF MOTIVATION

The Friction in Our Goals

You are not alone when facing motivation problems. Consider, for instance, the goal most people engage in, the New Year’s resolution. According to Joseph J. Luciani, clinical psychologist and author of the Self-Coaching series, 80% of those who set those resolutions fail to complete them.   

For most people, setting goals is easier than sticking with them. 

Luciani explains that this is in part due to the “emotional friction” or stress rooted in change. As we resist that stress, that can lead to self-sabotage of our goals.

For some reason, though, I find the midway point worse than many stages. It’s the graveyard of my ambitions. You may find it the same. 

Shifting Reference Points to Our Goals

Researchers Andrea Bonezzi, C. Miguel Brendl, and Matteo De Angelis believe in three factors affecting goal progress. The first concerns the changing value we place on progress, the second involves the shift in “reference [points] to monitor progress,” and the third deals with “diminishing sensitivity” to the goal as we move away from a reference point (608).

When we move toward goals, we tend to use reference points. In the beginning, we use our progress thus far or the “to-date” frame of mind. Such as, in a weight loss goal, losing the first five pounds of a twenty pound goal. We perceive we are making good progress since we are within sight of the first reference point (Bonezzi et al. 608-9).

Later in our goal journey, we start using the progress remaining or the “to-go” frame of mind. Such as, five pounds left to lose out of twenty. Again, we perceive we are making good progress since we are within sight of another reference point, the last (Bonezzi et al. 608-9).

The problem is, as Bonezzi points out in a news release on the study, when we are “roughly halfway toward the goal […] both the initial state and the end state are distant.”  When that happens, our progress “does not seem to get us anywhere. As a consequence, we might lose motivation to keep working toward that goal” (New York University). Such as when a person has lost ten pounds but still has ten to go. The pound lost may be the same, but the motivational value of our progress has changed. 

That makes sense. If you can no longer see the start or finish line, it’s hard to stay focused and confident in moving forward. You feel a bit stranded.

GETTING YOUR MOTIVATION UNSTUCK

You can see what that research means for college students during a semester. Focusing on what you have accomplished can keep you on track during the early stages of your goal. Focusing on how much is left in the final few weeks can do the same near the end of your goal.  

But what about the middle?

Creating Temporary Reference Points

Awareness helps. If you know the danger of a mid-semester slump exists, you can make plans to get through it. Since you are caught between switching reference points and different values of progress, one solution would be to create an additional goal just for the middle weeks of the term.

For example, you may have a long-term goal of earning a B in your math class. You have created steps to reach it, but at this point in the semester, you are having a harder time believing in your process and staying motivated to stick with the plan. You can create a smaller, separate goal of studying math for one hour a day for the next three weeks.

This way, you have easy reference points that are never long out of sight. They take some of the strain off completing the long-term goal while at the same time moving you toward it. By completing this short-term goal, you have safely traversed the slump and now have the original end point in sight to see you through until break.

Taking Small Steps Forward

Another suggestion is to think of goals as Luciani does. He believes the self-discipline necessary to keep us progressing through our goals is like a muscle. “You need to develop [. . . it] one challenge at a time.” Don’t give in!

In our math example above, you can decide to review your class notes. This small, easy step builds your confidence and helps motivate you to continue setting goals for your math course.  The point is to make use of small steps on your semester goal that you can complete no matter what.

A string of these successes will move you forward and help you gain confidence to believe “what I say to myself is what I do” (Luciani).

Challenging Yourself to Think Positive and Build up Mental Muscle

Other advice by Luciani includes challenging yourself throughout the day to build up self-confidence and self-discipline “muscles.”

Do this for any task unrelated to your semester goal. This builds the habit of being goal-minded, which you can use to stick with your main goal when the going gets rough. An example would be if you have been putting off emailing someone because “you don’t have the time.” Set the goal and send that email. Then set some more challenges for that day to develop the proper mindset toward completing tasks instead of postponing them until “tomorrow.” 

Finally, Luciani suggests that you should build a habit of focusing on positives, not negatives in your journey, no matter how “loud” the negatives may be. But in doing so, you should be honest with yourself and assess your automatic, bad habits that can slow your progress.

For example, you have set a goal of studying an entire chapter in your math textbook, but you only made it halfway. Focus on the progress made and then look at what held you back from achieving your entire goal. Were there too many distractions? Was it more than you could complete in the time allowed? Use this review of what happened to adjust your goal for next time.

Conclusion

These tips, combined with the knowledge of how motivation works, can help you at any stage of your goal journey. They can help you when you are stuck in the middle, so the next eight weeks will more closely resemble the first.

 

Works Cited

Bonezzi, Andrea, C. Miguel Brendl, and Matteo De Angelis. “Stuck in the Middle: The Psychophysics of Goal Pursuit.” Psychological Science, vol. 22, no. 5, May 2011, pp. 607-12, www.researchgate.net/publication/51034111_Stuck_in_the_Middle_The_Psychophysics_of_Goal_Pursuit.

Luciani, Joseph. “Why 80 Percent of New Year’s Resolutions Fail.” US News & World Report, 29 Dec. 2015, health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail.

New York University. “Stern Study Examines Why Motivation Comes and Goes.” News release. NYU. 3 January 2013.