Thread: Motivating Yourself?!

Do you guys ever plan to study for a while, but find yourself distracted and unable to actually sit down and do any work? If so, how do you overcome this?

I have a Russian course starting on Monday, and yet I can

We just забиваем на всё!

Take yourself and a few Russian textbooks to your local cafe and study there!

Think about all the money you're wasting on a course you're not going to prepare for.

yup хороший совет

maybe you find motivation hard because your approach is disorganised or your study plan is vague?

[quote=GabCNesbitt]Do you guys ever plan to study for a while, but find yourself distracted and unable to actually sit down and do any work? If so, how do you overcome this?

I have a Russian course starting on Monday, and yet I can

Originally Posted by Lt. Columbo

maybe you find motivation hard because your approach is disorganised or your study plan is vague?

Naw!!! Nothing so easy, as your logical conclusion, Columbo!

GabCNesbitt, I apologize for being 'flippant' in my previous post. I was trying to inject some humor... this helps very much when studying a foreign language. Try to take in some humor, and this will help your movitation.

Motivation = reason why. So, GabCNesbitt, what is your 'reason' for studying Russian?

This is the important question. The '#1' thing... remember?... remember from the film "City Slickers"?

For me, it was because of Tarkovsky's films. (Don't worry, guys, I won't re-hash old history ). But, his films touched my soul, and they keep me in perpetual thought. .

And the song, "Я спросил у ясена...". First Russian song I learned. Big motivator for me... this song pleases me very much.

Originally Posted by Dobry

Originally Posted by Lt. Columbo

maybe you find motivation hard because your approach is disorganised or your study plan is vague?

Naw!!! Nothing so easy, as your logical conclusion, Columbo!

GabCNesbitt, I apologize for being 'flippant' in my previous post. I was trying to inject some humor... this helps very much when studying a foreign language. Try to take in some humor, and this will help your movitation.

Motivation = reason why. So, GabCNesbitt, what is your 'reason' for studying Russian?

This is the important question. The '#1' thing... remember?... remember from the film "City Slickers"?

For me, it was because of Tarkovsky's films. (Don't worry, guys, I won't re-hash old history ). But, his films touched my soul, and they keep me in perpetual thought. .

And the song, "Я спросил у ясена...". First Russian song I learned. Big motivator for me... this song pleases me very much.

I

You must have DISCIPLINE. If you find yourself slacking off punch yourself in the face. The taste of blood in your mouth will serve as a deterrent.

Motivation is key. If you are top motivated, you will kick more ass than Chuck Norris after 10 double-espressos!

[quote=GabCNesbitt] However, I

Just get New Penguin Russian Course and go through chapter to chapter and don't move on tp the next chapter until you have memorized at least 80% of the vocabulary for that chapter. Keep a copy of vocab list next to the toilet! Very important!

I bribe myself.

Seriously, if I get an "A" in my Russian course I'm buying myself the Lord of the Rings on CD. Or something similar, I may change my mind by December. It also helps that I'm trying to bump up my GPA for law school admissions (every little point helps.)

For short-term study solutions, I use a stopwatch or other concrete measurement. I "earn" 10 minutes of guilt free fun for every 20 that I study; if I do well answering questions in class this afternoon I can listen to pop music on my MP3 player instead of my Russian files on the bus ride back to my car. That sort of thing. When gearing up for my university course I promised myself a steak dinner for completing a short list of prepatory activities. I'm going to get pizza for lunch tomorrow as a reward for having gotten all of my vocabulary for tomorrow's test memorized. If I have enough cash I'll let myself spend $20 at Half Price Books if I'm well prepared for the next test after that. If I get a good score on my oral quiz next week, I'll go kayaking with my sister for my birthday. Etc.

Originally Posted by Dobry

...And the song, "Я спросил у ясена...". First Russian song I learned. Big motivator for me... this song pleases me very much.

Я спросил у ясеня

Песня Никитиных

Я спросил у ясеня:
"Где моя любимая?"
Ясень не ответил
мне, качая
головой.

Я спросил у тополя:
"Где моя любимая?"
Тополь забросал
меня осеннею
листвой.

Я спросил у осени:
"Где моя любимая?"
Осень мне ответила
проливным дождём.

У дождя я
спрашивал: "Где
моя любимая?"
Долго дождик слёзы
лил за моим окном.

Я спросил у месяца:
"Где моя любимая?"
Месяц скрылся в
облаке, не ответив
мне.

Я спросил у облака:
"Где моя любимая?"
Облако расстаяло в
небесной синеве.

"Друг ты мой
единственный, где
моя любимая.
Ты скажи где
скрылася. Знаешь,
где она?"

Друг ответил
преданный, друг
ответил искренне:
"Была тебе любимая,
была тебе любимая,
была тебе любимая,
а стала мне жена".

Я спросил у ясеня,
Я спросил у тополя,
Я спросил у осени...

Originally Posted by DDT

. Keep a copy of vocab list next to the toilet! Very important!

Just think that even though it's dull drudgery at first, it gets easier with each day. And the reward is the enjoyment you'll get when you reach your goal whatever that is. Many, many times i've thought of quitting or asked myself why the hell am I doing this, it's not FUN. But finally I'm getting to where I can understand the flow of a movie or read something without puzzling over every grammatical point or looking up every other word. It's been almost two years of daily study to get to this but it's worth it. I've studied alot of languages and Russian is not only the most difficult, it is far and away the most difficult, so it's also a feeling of accomplishment (of course that may not appeal to most!) I

Originally Posted by DDT

Just get New Penguin Russian Course and go through chapter to chapter and don't move on tp the next chapter until you have memorized at least 80% of the vocabulary for that chapter. Keep a copy of vocab list next to the toilet! Very important!

That