Eating the Elephant: How to stay motivated and plan your time effectively

Time Management

Learn the concept...

During midterm season, lots of students start feeling burnt out or have a hard time staying focused. One quick tip for improving motivation and concentration is called “eating the elephant.

How to create manageable goals

If you find that you have trouble getting started or are easily distracted, you might consider setting smaller more manageable goals for yourself.

Try breaking down large projects and assignments into simple straightforward tasks that you can reasonably complete in under 30 minutes. Then give yourself an hour to complete those 30-minute tasks.

Once completed, give yourself a reward to celebrate. Hopefully, this approach will allow you to eat an entire elephant “one bite at a time.”

We are here to support your learning!

Contact one of the Learning Strategists to support you in your learning. They can help provide resources such as: developing best practices for studying online, adopting test taking strategies, building productivity as a student and refining literacy skills.

If you are needing additional support, UVic has several virtual services for students offered through University of Victoria Student Support Services.

We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the University of Victoria stands, and the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.