What is «Vær god mot deg selv»?
It’s a website with lots of research based tips and advice intended to give you a slightly better every day life during the pandemic.
In Autumn 2020, the University of Bergen initiated the project to help students and young people get through a challenging period. Covid-19 has affected our everyday life. We socialize less. We are not getting to know new people, we are homesick or bothered with «corona shame,» and struggle with feelings of missing out on the best of student life. This may have both physical and psychological consequences, and some even give up on their studies. The benefit of being a big university is that it encompasses enormous amounts of knowledge on how to master everyday life in all its facets. That’s why all the tips and advice are rooted in research and science originating from UiB itself.
Focus
Keep your focus during the final stretch
Tips #1
Visualising success
If you struggle to motivate yourself to study, imagine something that you value, such as a future job or achieving a degree.
Tips #2
Weekly and hourly timetables
Divide overall goals into smaller, more manageable sub-goals. You can divide a full syllabus into chapters and themes. Make sure it’s doable.
Tips #3
Body and soul
Eat relatively healthily. Stay active and make sure you get regular sleep.
Tips #4
Rituals
Create some daily rituals for yourself. These could be meal, a walk, a coffee break or some time for reading. Clean your desk free of study material when you are finished for the day.
Tips #5
Be forgiving
Don’t punish yourself if you give in to temptation or feel like you have exercised poor self-control. Instead, be forgiving of yourself and give yourself another chance to take on the task at hand.
Clear and short-term goals make it easier to stay motivated.
New study routines include fewer fixed reference points for the students. Lectures, meetings, and study group sessions all occur within the same four walls where you eat and sleep. That’s why it’s vital to establish new habits that can provide structure to your daily study routine.
Self-control
Resisting temptation is all about self-control. Research shows that people with high self-control are people who are good at structuring their daily lives. Giving in to temptation is normal. But removing distractions and establishing good study habits will give you more impetus to focus on your work.
Motivation and achievement
A typical challenge faced by students is having to manage long deadlines and a considerable amount of freedom to plan their own time. This makes it difficult to tackle the necessary work tasks. By breaking down long-term goals into manageable sub-goals it becomes easier to see what tasks you need to do every day.
Research shows that those who stay motivated throughout their studies focus on how to reach their goal instead of only focusing on one ultimate goal. To stay focused on your work tasks, you can boost your own motivation by reminding yourself why it’s important for you to study.
Source:
Åge Diseth
Professor at the Department of Education, Faculty of Psychology at UiB
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