Managing Your Study Time

Prepare a Weekly Schedule

Before the beginning of a school week, it is best to prepare a weekly schedule. In it you should set aside time to:

• Review your class notes for the upcoming lessons in the week

• Complete your homework and assignments

• Work on projects

• Study for tests.

These times may be even during the school day, right after school, and on weekends. Do keep it a point to update your schedule as the week goes on.

Remember: The number of hours in a day are fixed, but you can decide how to best use them!

Setting Goals For Yourself

So, what is a goal?

It is essentially something you desire to achieve. There are two types of goals, short- term and long- term.

A short-term goal is something you want to achieve very soon. An example of a short term goal is passing this week’s Maths test.

A long-term goal is something you want to achieve at a later point in life. An example of a long term goal is getting an A in the year end examinations for test.

Where do I start?

Often your parents and teachers will set goals for you. If you do not like the idea, then, set your own goals for yourself.

Bear in mind that the goals that you set for yourself MUST be specific. Write down what you wish to achieve, otherwise, you will evetually lose the direction and your focus.

Each goal that you have set should state WHAT you will do and WHEN you will accomplish it.

Set a goal and plan to achieve that goal. If you fail to plan, well, you have basically planned to fail.

3 Reading Styles You Must Know

There are many types of reading styles. The most common 3 used by students are Study, Skim and Scan.

Study - read at a rate that is slower than your normal reading rate so as to to understand the material.

Skim - most useful when you have to read a large amount of material in a short amount of time, looking for main points in each paragraph.

Scan - used to locate a specific piece of information within reading material.

So, which one?

Before you begin, it is best that you identify the purpose of your reading. Ask yourself if you are reading for a high level of comprehension, trying to get a general idea or looking for specific information. Most importantly, choose a reading style that best suit you and serves your objectives.

Improving Your Self Esteem

The higher your self-esteem, the higher will be your achievement.

Self-esteem reflects a person’s overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. A high level of self esteem will allow you to have the confidence in your ability to learn.

How can I improve on my self esteem?

• Start with the basics. Be positive about yourself. It’s much healthier to give yourself compliments rather than think negatively.

• Do not compare yourself with others. Asian societies are often guilty of this.

• Get involved in activities that you enjoy when the pressure heightens. This will help keep your spirits up.

• Attack your weaknesses by proving to yourself that “you can do it!”

• Help others. You will really feel good about yourself when you do.

Follow the simple tips given above and see yourself transform to becoming someone with more self confidence and having a greater edge in your learning.

3 Simple Study Habits to Help You Achieve Success

1. Ask your friends not to call you.

When your friend calls you, two things will happen. One, your revision is interrupted. Two, your friends will start talking about other things. All of which only serves to distract you from your goals. We recommend that you turn off your cell phone, at least during your revision times.

2. Start studying as planned.

Do not delay your schedule unnecessarily. Stick to your revision schedule. Once you get into the habit of delaying, you will soon find it difficult to get anything done especially the difficult topics.

3. Take short breaks.

Taking short breaks is not a waste of time. Instead, it will restore your mental energy. If you study without taking breaks, you will find that your absorption rate will slow down. This will eventually lead to a case of frustration and hopelessness. So, space the work you have to do over shorter periods of time.

Thats all folks. Just 3 simple study habits for you to start practising with.

Have a Proper Study system

Students often study without having a proper system. This will eventually result in a haphazard revision style. One of these study systems has the interesting title and acronym of “M.U.R.D.E.R.” which stands for:

M- mood
U- understand
R- recall
D- digest
E- expand
R- review

Firstly, you must choose the right environment to study in. A playful or noisy one will be a waste of your time. Secondly, mark what you don’t understand in your textbooks or papers and ask those that do know. The whole idea of revision is so that you can recall the information.

Take your time to slowly look over the information that you do not understand so that you can digest it. If you still have problems, try looking the information up the internet or guide books. Use these resources to your advantage. Finally, review the materials that you have at hand.

Success is in your hands

“Never believe what the lines of your hand predict about your future because people who don’t have hands also have a future. Believe in yourself!”

“It’s not what you are going to do, but it’s what you’re doing now that counts.”

“Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.”

“If you have goal or ambition, don’t just think of it, don’t just wish for it; jump in it, go all for it, Do it! Never give up!”

” If you miss an opportunity, don’t close your eyes with tears; keep your vision clear so that you will not miss the next one.”

” If we fight, we may not always win but if we don’t fight, we will surely lose!”

Motivational Quotes for Students

Here are some motivational quotes that might inspire you as a student to reach for greater heights. Enjoy reading them but most importantly, try to understand the meaning of each quote and reflect on how they can be made relevant to your own life. Sometime, it really does pay to set aside some time to reflect on what you have done and whether it has helped you to become a better student.

Dr. James G. Bilkey:
You never will be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life.

George Bernard Shaw:
You see things; and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”

Dexter Yager:
You will never leave where you are, until you decide where you’d rather be.

Samuel Johnson:
Your aspirations are your possibilities.

Les Brown:
Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.

Louis Aragon:
Your imagination, my dear fellow, is worth more than you imagine.

Thomas Fuller, M. D.:
Zeal without knowledge is fire without light.

Walt Disney:
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

Joe Paterno:
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.

Eddie Robinson:
The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

Harold Wilkins:
The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist.

Ralph Waldo Emerson:
The years teach much which the days never knew.

Andre Gide:
There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your truth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself. “It all depends on me.”

Colin Powell:
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.

Unknown Author:
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

John Adams:
There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.

Author unknown:
There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.

Robert Schuller:
Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.

Joshua J. Marine:
Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

Helen Keller:
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Sir Winston Churchill:
Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

Winston Churchill:
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Arthur Koestler:
Creative activity could be described as a type of learning process where teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.

Will Durant:
Cultivate your garden. Do not depend upon teachers to educate you… follow your own bent, pursue your curiosity bravely, express yourself, make your own harmony.

George E. Woodberry:
Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.

William Jennings Bryan:
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

William Ellery Channing:
Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.

If you would like to read more meaningful quotes, do go to this link.

Power up through Positive Thinking

Have you caught yourself speaking to yourself in negative terms? Did you realize that it had an adverse effect on your emotions? Those negative emotions could have translated to negative actions which would inadvertently invite more negativity into your life. As such, be very careful about what you think and how you think about it. In other words, control the thoughts in your mind. Don’t let the bad thoughts overcome you.

One of the things that you need to do is to learn the words for success. with positive thinking, coupled with positive talk, you could actually be setting the foundation for a better and more fulfilling future. Positive self talk and ultimately success in life goes together.

Below are 9 ways to help you to discipline your mind and something that can help to empower you once again.

1. Daily Thankful Notes. Keep a diary if you can of all the good things that happened everyday in your life and how it has made your life wonderful. This simple act of writing down at least 7 things that have affected you some way or other positively would make you a person that appreciates life more. When you give thanks to all the good things that have come your way, you are actually opening the doors to better things in the future. So work at finding and addressing the good things in life. It will lighten your burdens and take away your stresses. Go on. Try it.

2. Put on a smiley happy face. A happy face that always care to smile at others is definitely going to be appreciated by those around that individual. Smiling exudes a certain kind of positivism in you that others can detect quite easily. When you smile, others too will smile at you and it somehow will brighten up you day.

3. Look for the good in other people. When you present to others good words, it is something that is going to brighten their day. That carves in people’s mind that you are someone that loves to spread joy and is someone that they should in return speak nicely of. This reciprocation is what makes giving good words a simple yet powerful way to gain goodwill from others without even asking.

4. Set clear goals to achieve your dreams. Set achievable goals for yourself and set it within several time frames. You might want to set short term goals that span a few weeks or months to mid term and longer term ones that span years. It is also important that you set realistic goals and you can also change the goals as you proceed in life or when certain goals have been achieved. With clear directions of what you want from your future, you current actions will be more steady and would make you a more focused person that is ready to take on every day with pure energy.

5. Think of yourself positively. Before you expect anyone else to think positively of you, you yourself need to thin positively of yourself. See yourself in the most favorable light. See yourself as someone whom is continuously improving in all aspects of of your life. Think of yourself as a winner and see yourself winning and taking the necessary steps to be a winner. Believe in it, take steps towards it and you increase the chances that you will be a winner.

6. Seek knowledge and learn from others that have more experience than you or have undergone tribulations and challenges and yet still coming out a winner. Listen to these people speak and read their books. Take a tip or two from them and practice it in your life. Most importantly, be open minded and seek to learn from others mistakes and failures instead of committing one yourself. That way, you can utilize and preserve your available resources to achieve greater heights.

7. Plan your day and plan to do positive things. Send a simple thank you card to someone. Bake a cake and give it to your neighbor. It is when you plan your day to do things for your own fulfillment and others that you bring out the inner energy in you. The positive side of you that when acted upon will bring out the positive energy required for you to forge forward. Every single day should be treated as a blessing and should never be wasted. A plan will help you to achieve that and ensure that you do not spend too much time doing just one particular thing. You need balance in your life and a well laid out plan might just be the answer.

8. Reward yourself. If you have achieved something in your life, however small it is, it is a good idea to reward yourself. You don’t have to break the bank to do this. Give yourself a treat. Eat some food that you really love. Watch a movie or even go and visit your favorite Auntie. Whatever it is, celebrate your every victory and give yourself some space to enjoy the wins in your life. Live your life positively and prime yourself for more success when you take the time and space to really appreciate your own achievements.

9. Surround yourself with like minded positive thinking individuals. be very careful when someone with negativity comes approaching. It might just spill over onto you. Hence, find like minded positive people to socialize with. They might have a bad day or two but generally positive minded people get out of the rut faster than you can say go! It is just wired in them. When two or more positive minded people get wired up together, they’re just going to have a blast. No pun intended.

Understand and practice the 9 steps above. It might just be the ingredients that will help you move forward towards becoming a winning student and achieving beyond your wildest dreams.

Colour up your Life!

Color up your Life!

This may take a little bit longer but it will work. Writing in color will help you retain 50% more of the information without reading it a second time. So, when you are taking notes or revising your textbook, use different colored pen/ highlighter!

Don’t miss lessons (even if you hate the subject or teacher)!
The most important advice we can give to you is to make sure you attend your classes.

But you may ask “Why should I”? Our response is simple, even if you hate the subject or teacher, you can use this time to brush up on your note-taking skills.

How to improve my grades, without spending money!

We highly recommend that you follow these steps to increase your chances of improving your grades:

1. Read all textbook material relevant to the topic being covered prior to attending class, even though you do not understand some of the terms. This may be a daunting task but it will give you an idea of what to expect during the upcoming lessons.

2. Do take notes in your classes; otherwise you will forget it within the next few hours!

3. Always ask! Ask your teachers if you do not understand what was taught. If you still do not understand, ask your friends! You have got nothing to lose!

Using Group Notes
Is your teacher going at a supersonic pace? Are you struggling to keep up?

Our advice…

Simple, just form a group with some of your reliable and trusted classmates and take turns taking class notes. Concentrate on what is being said in class when it’s not your day to be the note-taker.

Instead of photocopying the notes from your classmates, we recommend that you copy them over by hand while picturing in your mind what was taught previously.

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