"I am so pumped for a night in; I've been waiting to get stuck into this course work all week" said nobody, ever.

Studying is a little like exercise; you know you should get off your behind and do it… But you can usually think of something better to do. It's time to sell yourself the positive aspects of a hard study session. As the old adage goes, if you don't put in, you won't get out. And a good education will reward you tenfold.

Most of us don't need to be sold on the benefits of education. We know that TAFE can help secure a better future, broaden career prospects and help you specialise in a trade. We also know that there aren't many people who enjoy studying, even if they love learning. So what to do when your brain doesn't seem ready to cooperate with your good intentions?

Use these tricks to get yourself in ‘information absorption mode':

Bribe Yourself

Itching to get your hands on a Bluesfest ticket or be first in line for the iPhone 7 release? Dish yourself a cold bowl of tough love! Make a deal with yourself that you need to score a credit mark or higher before rewarding yourself with something you really want.

Create a dedicated study Zone

So much of your ability to concentrate depends on your immediate surroundings. If you know you'll be distracted by a fridge full of food and your comfy bed & endless stream of Netflix at home, study at your local library instead.

Understand your learning style

You may be the type of student that can get lost in a text books for hours at a time, or you find yourself daydreaming 10 minutes in. Either way, getting to know how you retain information is the key to your success. Use a tool like Education Planner to work out what type of learner you are. For example, if you're an auditory learner switch up your study session by recording important information from your textbook and play it back to help you recall more information.

Remind yourself why you started studying

Why did you make the decision to enrol in TAFE? Did you want to be your own boss? Work for a cutting edge company? Build a house? Learn a trade? Let your purpose inspire your study session. A great way to stay focused on your goal is to create a mood board or if that's not your thing, write yourself a note on your study journal.

Most of all, stick with it, studying is hard… For everyone. Your lightbulb moment will come and it will all be worth it on graduation day.

How do you motivate yourself to study? Share your tips in the comments below