This is the first in a two part series on midwifery essay writing. Part Two, which is on how to actually write your essay, can be found here.

This post is on getting your motivation together to start your midwifery essay writing.

On one of the Facebook groups I'm part of students were discussing using midwifery essay writing companies.

I got fantastically cross when I heard this, as these companies target tired, vulnerable students struggling to keep up with their courses and can charge up to £500 per essay! Aside from the cost, it's actually a professional offence to use such companies. Even if you're pre-registration you can be (at least in theory) be hauled up in front of a Fitness to Practice Hearing. Gulp.

It's also really sad to use these companies in my opinion. Essay writing can be brilliant fun and a great way to consolidate your learning.. I want to pass this enthusiasm on to you.

I've also been frustrated and knackered as a busy and sleep deprived student midwife, and wanted to throw my laptop out of the window while I was writing my dissertation. And possibly follow it with myself. But even if you're in the depths of despair during your midwifery essay writing, chin up, this will help.

Getting Your Motivation Together

Try These Midwifery Essay Writing Motivational Tips:

1. Know that we've all been slow to start our midwifery essay writing! It's not just you and it doesn't make you a failure or a sloth!
2. Treat yourself to a nice coffee or other drink you like during a long research or reading session. Try and do the research bit (at least) somewhere quiet. Try in the library, at your desk at home if you won't get interrupted, while the kids are at school, etc.
3. Time yourself ten minutes work to begin with, and if it's too awful, promise yourself you'll stop after that. Almost always you will find it's not that bad and you'll want to keep going.
4. Most students take around 10-15 hours to write a 3000 word midwifery essay start to finish, with researching and proofreading included. Assign this time by putting it into your diary. If you haven't planned when you're going to write, you're not taking yourself seriously enough, and it won't happen. Give yourself the time to do your midwifery essay writing and prioritise, you deserve it.
5. If you can't get your motivation together, be honest with your student colleagues who are writing the same essay. It just makes you feel rubbish if you say to someone 'it's going fantastically' when really you haven't opened a book. The odds are they'll give you some support or you can support each other.
6. Make a start! However small that first step is, get it done! Write when you're going to start reading in your diary. Have a look at the Wikipedia page of your topic. Do a Google Scholar search. Whatever it is, the first step will be the hardest. To quote  author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys: 'Start Small… but Do Start'. That midwifery essay is not going to write itself, but it won't be nearly as bad as you think once you get going!
7.  If it's too scary to begin your essay, read Part Two of this essay series! Hopefully it will take the fear away as you'll have a plan 🙂 If this doesn't work, try this controversial technique: start to read about your subject and make some notes with some music in the background or the telly on. You should be comforted by the familiar noise and eventually be able to turn it off when you're immersed in your subject. I know one lady who wrote all her midwifery essays with the TV on in the background and she got a 1st class degree, so this can be a really helpful technique for some!

I hope that was helpful and I'd love to hear your motivational techniques if they're not on this list. Basically, as Nike would say:

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