Many months have passed since the beloved day of August 19th, when the 2015-2016 Academic Year commenced. We were fresh off the summer sun (depending where you spent summer) and everyone was overly eager to move up within the high school hierarchy and reunite with people they have to spend the rest of the year with. But that fresh beginning is long gone and now the long awaited day for summer sits at the back of our minds. Staying motivated and pumped to work is a crucial habit we need in order to have a positively general outlook on work, even the ones that aren’t that enjoyable and also any activity we may have the opportunity to do.

Even TIME.com agrees that we need motivation to keep our energy levels flowing, allowing us to conquer more tasks with enthusiasm, so you can at least convince yourselves it was worth the time invested. Even though you don’t have to do every single thing you read online (not including this article), I will try and put it into context for you.

Let’s say you’re an artsy kind of person, a rebellious upfront controversial artist who does everything they feel is the opposite of “cool” and only befriends peculiar people. Or, you’re artsy because you have fun creating things and can name a bunch of artists. The rambling ideas that crawl inside your brain are hard to capture and pursue. So when you’re in the MYP system or in the two-year course of the IB diploma, taking a required science or math or maybe a humanities subject is not your piece of cake. You may have an IA due next week or that project you still have to start but it does not make you want to spend the next three hours working on it. Just tell yourself, it will only be a couple hours, play music you like to distract you, or work with a group of people that are fun yet efficient, so you’re surrounded by good company but still get stuff done. Better yet, try and look at it from an artist’s perspective, if you can add your own twist or creative way to demonstrate your learning.

On the other hand, arts is not your calling. You don’t like the idea of melodic noises or getting clay stuck in your finger nails. But reading theories and articles about the universe or history or solving tough problem stories thrills your mind. You would rather be alone to focus and then end up explaining your theories to people later. You can try to get out of your head a little! Times get boring by yourself and it’s going to be crucial in the future to work with others and in more sociable settings. So sit outside to work or in a busy place like a nice cafe or restaurant, try somewhere simple like Joma! Also, try interacting with classmates and set up study dates. That way everyone knows the agenda and expectations of working with a group. If you feel like that is too much effort or you don’t want to do that then try working in the library, it is an environment filled with people in a quieter setting where people would also be working too.

The only way to truly motivate yourself, no matter what sort of character you are is to have balance. It is crucial to have enough creativity and freedom to do things you enjoy too but to try and stay focused and consistent with your weaker sides, you can balance them out in the end to be just as strong. So keep those juices flowing so the next time your sigh at your Chemistry lab, you can sit down and get it done with a positive outlook in mind.

Drawing by Elisabeth Nagle, Tenth Grade