5 Little Victories That Will Give You a Happy Glow When Studying
Michael Yi
The Harvard Business school recently discovered what’s called the “progress of principles” or the small wins theory – the most important thing when working is to be making continuous, notable progress. Here are a few mood-boosting wins to help you stay motivated while studying.
So what exactly are small wins?
Small victories are the little things that are happening in our lives that we don’t always recognise as being successful because we’re focused on big wins rather than little wins. Teresa Amabile of the Harvard Business school found that productivity increases when we recognise and track achievements on a daily basis, and that the psychology of small wins. You’ll feel better and therefore work better if you recognise the importance of little wins.
1. Did you set some small goals for the day?
Congrats! This means that you’ve already set yourself up with a little win – you’ve gotten organised for the day. Bonus points if you wrote it in a diary entry or notebook. This sets you up in your day to day life to avoid all those little annoyances. If you know you want to visit someone at the hospital, you know you’ll need to change the car park and can avoid a parking ticket.
By setting out what you want to achieve with the day you can schedule more efficiently and get more study done, as well as working better by avoiding the little problems that get in the way of clear-headed study.
2. Did you pull up your duvet cover and plump your cushions to make your bed?
Studies show that making your bed in the morning helps you feel like you’re starting the day right, and gives you a good mood to carry throughout the day. If you’ve already made your bed, you’re on your way to a day filled with that constant glass half-full feeling.
3. Have you got a playlist ready to go, filled with favourite songs?
Music can be a brilliant way to block out distractions, and if you’ve got a favourite playlist with your most motivational music set up, you provide yourself with the perfect work environment to get study and assignments done. Music can help you by stopping little distractions that lead to big distractions like online games or social media.
4. You’ve gotten closer to achieving long-term goals
No matter how much study you’ve actually achieved today, whether it was just answering an important email or two or doing an entire assignment, whatever you’ve done it’s helped you get closer to your larger scale goals. Sometimes it’s easy to feel miserable because you haven’t learned a new skill or finished your course, but remember that everything you’re doing gets you a little bit closer!
5. You’ve earned some downtime
If you’ve had a long day of studying and you’re not feeling the small victories, here’s a big one – you’ve earned your rest! Good performance makes your brain tired – it’s why we can’t study or work for hours and hours at a time. This means that, not only will you sleep well, but you’ll also have more time to enjoy the good weather and fun moments… or curling up in bed with Netflix and a few chocolate bars. You can rest easy knowing that you’ve done some work.
How to celebrate little wins
Find out what makes you happy but doesn’t reduce productivity.
You may love going out until 3am with your friends, but that’s going to knock you out for the next day, and you probably won’t get much done. Plus, little wins call for little rewards. Instead of having a big night out, head to the bus stop with exact change for your favourite hot chocolate from down the road, or to the local pub with a friend for a parma. Alternatively, stay home and have a few happiness top ups in the form of a few chapters of your favourite book or watch a movie.
However, you celebrate and whatever you’re trying to achieve setting yourself small goals that allow you to get that happy glow is one of the best ways you can motivate yourself.
Reward yourself for the small wins, take time to reflect on them and watch your productivity flow!
Browse Results
Diploma in Management & Team Leadership
Show you’re management material. Get an accredited Diploma in Management to prove your competency! While many managers are promoted because of their excellent personal performance, this change in role requires the development of new skills to ach…
Administration Pathway Program – Business Administration
Give your admin career a real boost. It’s one of the most highly awarded Administration courses that you could take. This program is for those working in or seeking a Business Administration role. You’ll complete the Certificate in Business Administrat…
Introduction to Bookkeeping
Ready, set, learn! Understand bookkeeping basics 101, like the types and structures of businesses, what external factors may influence a business, how to calculate GST, and how to use financial statements to understand and convey your position. Become…
Bookkeeping Business Pathway
Launch your bookkeeping business with the option to freelance, subcontract or start your own bookkeeping business. Complete our Certificate in Bookkeeping and then our Start your Own Business Program….
Certificate in Personnel Management and Human Resources
Use Your Exceptional People Skills To Upgrade Your Life People who know people are a special breed. If you are looking for HR courses for working professionals or human resources distance learning opportunities, The Career Academy offers a comprehensiv…
Certificate in Project Management
Learn how to execute projects from end to end Project management is a critical function of any organisation. Delays not only cause frustration, they cost valuable time and money. Therefore, a good project manager is critical to the running of any compa…
Certificate in Dog & Pet Grooming
Discover what it takes to enter the pet & dog grooming industry Begin our dog grooming courses for pet owners and learn about the business of grooming, how to care for the coat and skin of domestic pets, and what tasks are involved when providing a…
Certificate in Digital Marketing
Discover smart ways to get noticed Explore the nature and scope of online digital marketing with a digital marketing course that covers strategic website design, the psychology of online marketing, how to convert the customers you capture, and differen…
Hospitality & Tourism Diploma
Take a trip to your true potential Including the Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management, this Diploma in Hospitality & Tourism is a launchpad for a career in an exciting industry. Explore the option of working as a travel agent, bartende…
Diploma in Dog Grooming
Learn about professional dog grooming techniques This online dog grooming course comprises two certificates covering dog and pet grooming – and caring for dogs. Learn what equipment you might need to handle animals during grooming, various grooming tec…
Business Administration Diploma
Take the next step towards a management role! Whether you’re looking to hone your skills, or to progress to a more senior role, our accredited online course will teach you everything you need to know to advance your administration career. You’ll learn…
Certificate in Reception & Office Support
From the front desk to the world Turn office support into an art form. Reception & office support roles play a pivotal role in the running of many businesses. This Certificate in Reception & Office Support ticks all the boxes for putting your b…
Diploma in Child & Youth Counselling
How to change people’s lives for the better. This is a course where you can make a world of difference for children and young people. It’s a fascinating and highly detailed course where you’ll learn about theories of childhood development that include…
Certificate in Accounting
This is a course that ticks all the boxes. The Career Academy Certificate in Accounting will provide you with all the necessary skills to work in an accounting environment. There’s no prior experience needed to do the course. And once you finish, you’l…
Accounting Pathway Program
Become a Qualified Accounting Technician and member of AAT! Fast track your accounting career with The Career Academy. This Program is unique to The Career Academy and specifically designed for those working or who have worked in an entry through to in…
Psychology & Counselling Diploma
Understand the human mind and the counselling process with this internationally recognised qualification. You’ll learn the theory behind the skills and techniques used to successfully help people work through their problems and issues with counselling….
Certificate in Bookkeeping
Learn to balance the books with our accredited course. You’ll be able to prepare GST returns, liaise with the Inland Revenue on behalf of a taxpayer and keep business accounts, as well as learning to analyse and interpret a profit and loss statem…
Certificate in Business Administration
Get that job or promotion with this certificate which is supported by the AdmiNZ. This online course will help you gain practical skills to prepare you for an administration role. The course will give you the immediate knowledge to work confidently in…
Accounts Administration & Payroll Certificate plus Xero and MYOB
Up your practical knowledge and stand out from the crowd with our intermediate online course. You’ll gain skills in accounting, GST, Xero, payroll, Microsoft Excel and much more….
Accounting Diploma
Once you qualify, your job prospects will soar. If you’re eager to enhance your accounting skills, and pursue a career in accounting, finance or business, then this course is a must. It’s an advanced qualification that builds on the practical accountin…
Want to read more?
