Help - started new course and have lost motivation already

[webwiz]

I'm currently studying a Psychology Masters with the OU and have been really enjoying it but I have completely lost any motivation. I have just finished one course and took an exam at the beginning of May and then have gone straight onto the next course and have ground to a complete halt at week 3. I know its the lack of a break that causing the problem but the qualification is going to be withdrawn so the timing of courses has been forced on me a bit (and to be honest I thought it would be fine). I don't know whether to just put the books away for a week or force myself to get on with it even though I really don't want to do it. Sigh - any advice?

Get the books out for 30 minutes tonight. Do the same the next night and the next. Take it in very small chunks and don't put any pressure on yourself. For example in 30 minutes you could read one chapter of a text book and make brief notes. alternatively you could make a detailed plan of how you're going to cover the work for the next month. By doing this you will be learning the headline content of the course and what it entails. All this should provide some motivation to carry on.

i'm doing two courses at once cos they overlapped (one finishes next month thank god!). in my books i have stuck sticky notes with the date where i should be up to by when, eg, stuck to the beginning of chapter 5 in my book is today's date. at chapter 7 is 28/5/11. i then break it down into four sections, monday, tuesday, thursday and Friday. (i work mon-thurs) so Friday always has more to do that day. i used to do studying everynight but i soon lost motivation. by breaking it down into smaller pieces like this it works for me. sometimes it only takes me an hour, sometimes it takes me longer but i know once that section's done i don't have to do any more if i dont want to, sometimes i start on the next night's work if i am in the mood but its not that often!

I contact other students on course by email. Don't know if they do this in OU world. I'm doing part-time course in Autism and last module was online. They had weekly tutorial chat online which helped. Are you able to speak to your tutor about it? Like others suggest, break it up into manageable chunks for yourself. What fits in best with your life?

Well thanks to crystalglasses I've just done 30 minutes of notes from the course text book and am now having as a reward. I'll have a go at breaking the work down for next week countydurhamlass as I could just see a blur of studying ahead till the end of September.

creatovator everyone else seems mad keen as its the beginning of the course - there are lots of online exercises to contribute to and the fact that I haven't managed to is making me feel even worse. I think I need a rethink about how I approach this course as what has worked up till now obviously needs changing.