How to Find Motivation for Writing a Research Paper

Motivation, sometimes it is necessary to dig deep to find the motivation necessary to write the research paper that your professor assigned. You might struggle with finding the motivation because you are not interested in the subject matter or you have other things that you prefer to devote your time to, other than research papers.

How can you do that? How can you find the motivation to do the research and writing of a paper on a topic you abhor or a class you simply cannot stand? If you find the motivation to start the process how do you maintain that motivation so you can complete your research paper on time and done to acceptable standards.

Motivation Tips

Here are some tips that can help you with that research paper you have no desire to write. Some of these tips may work better than others do for each individual. Find the ones that work for you and stick with them. This will allow you to get your research done and that paper written.

  • Find something useful or relatable in the topic: This might sound impossible. If you look close enough at the research topic you might find that it is relevant to something in your life or helps you better understand the course.
  • Look for something you understand: There may be something buried in the material or topic that you will research that you understand. Use that as a place to start.
  • Seek out help or advice: If you find nothing of interest in the topic and material, seek out the advice of your professor. It is possible the professor can point you in the direction of a topic that you can take an interest in, which in turn will allow you to do the research paper.
  • Create personal deadlines: Your professor may have a deadline for an outline or even your first draft. Even if he or she does not, establish your own deadlines based around the due date of the final draft of your research paper. By setting small goals, this will help keep you focused and motivated.
  • Get a motivation buddy: A motivation buddy can be a fellow classmate doing the exact same research paper. They can keep you on track by asking you about your progress on a regular basis. It is even possible to have a form of competition between each other to see who can meet your small deadlines first.
  • Avoid Distractions: It can be incredibly easy to get distracted from writing a research paper when you struggle to get the motivation to write it in the first place. If feeling unmotivated your mind can wander and even doing things like the dishes, washing the car, or doing your laundry will become things you want to do. Avoid these distractions by establishing times for working on your paper. Set a timer for an hour, or two hours. When the time goes off get up and move around. Take a break from what you are doing and refresh yourself. Use the breaks to do those other tasks you wanted to do.

Finding the motivation you need to write your research paper can be as easy or as hard as you make it. Look for someone to keep you on track by helping to motivate him or her to get his or her paper done. Look for something interesting or something you understand about the material to help ignite your motivational fire. One last trick, that might help, not mentioned above, reward yourself each time you complete the tasks you set for your different personal deadlines, all of these things can help with your motivation to write.