Keeping focused

This motivation step considers things to think about when you settle down to learn – and the extreme importance of setting yourself realistic targets.

As you start getting 'fired up' to do things it is all too easy to allow your enthusiasm run away with you. But it's important to concentrate only on the work that you have set yourself for that particular study session and keep your focus on the immediate task at hand.

For example:

"In this session I'll complete 10 questions from Study Module 2, referencing and researching the answers using the Knowledge Booster worksheets."

It is important that you stay 'in the present', thinking only about the task you wish to accomplish at that moment. This could be answering a particular question, marking a particular question, or gaining more understanding by researching a specific topic in one of the textbooks or on the internet.

You might like to think of it as every question answered being one step further on your road to successfully becoming a driving instructor. The only thing that matters, at that moment in time, is taking the next step.

Beware of the trap of 'trying to do too much at once'. If you set unrealistic study targets you will lose concentration, lose focus and eventually, lose motivation.

Next: Having realised that 'Rome wasn't built in a day', your next step (Step 10) is to learn how to fully involve yourself in the study in order to get the maximum benefit from each session.