How to catch up if you need to and maintaining motivation

Back to all news

Posted:

06 Feb 2024

Nearly all students fall behind with work at some point – it’s quite normal so don’t panic! As soon as you realise this could be the case, ask for some support or seek out information and tools for yourself.

There are many sources of support here at Cambridge, these include:

College Tutor
DoS
Supervisor/s
Trinity Hall Student Wellbeing
Student Support Services
Student Advice Service
Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre
Peers/fellow students
You can also seek support from friends and family.

If you do fall behind, take time to:

review your key deadlines.
review your commitments and plan how you might meet those deadlines.
consider where you can compromise and identify what’s preventing you from keeping on top of study.

There are lots of good study support material and ideas online, including practical tips on time management and procrastination (see Resources). Some people find it helpful to enlist the help of friends, in sharing what works for them and forming study buddy groups.

Once you’re back on track, it can sometimes be difficult to stay motivated if you don’t have a clear sense of purpose or direction. If you feel like your motivation is slipping, try taking a step back and remind yourself of why you’re pursuing your degree in the first place. It can be helpful to identify the end goal of your education. For example, maybe you wanted to increase your earning potential so that you could travel the world or support your family. Maybe you wanted to learn skills that you could use to serve others and change the world for the better. Maybe you simply wanted to challenge yourself.

No matter what your vision might be, keeping sight of the bigger picture can help maintain the motivation to push through challenging periods.

The University Counselling Service (UCS) also run Workshops on Time Well Spent and Understanding and Managing Procrastination which you might find helpful.

And remember, if you are experiencing any difficulties that are impacting on your Wellbeing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing wellbeing@trinhall.cam.ac.uk

Study Skills Resources

Study Skills Resources – Study Skills – LibGuides at University of Cambridge Subject Libraries
Wolfson College Academic Skills
Self-study Toolkit (learning style, time management, organisation and planning, autonomy, reflexivity)https://lcitc.langcen.cam.ac.uk/english/elo/toolkit/index.html
Study Block, Perfectionism and Procrastination https://lcitc.langcen.cam.ac.uk/english/elo/study-block/index.html
Oxford Brookes Study Skills Online resources – Oxford Brookes University
For Postgraduates – The Wellbeing Thesis https://thewellbeingthesis.org.uk/
Time management – Oxford Brookes University
Making the most of your study time | University of Oxford
Why People Procrastinate: The Psychology and Causes of Procrastination – Solving Procrastination
How to Stop Procrastinating: Tips and Techniques for Overcoming Procrastination – Solving Procrastination
10 ways to generate study motivation | Students – UCL – University College London
Feeling overwhelmed? Tips from Dr Olivia Remes #ReachOutCambridge (youtube.com)