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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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Tuesday Tips #11: Career & Work Tips (Part 2)

Interviews

During a job interview, if offered a glass of water, accept it. That way when you get asked a difficult question you can take a sip for some extra seconds before answering.

In some cases, if you’re asked the salary question, you can try to turn that back around on the interviewer (nicely)!

The only reason to ask this question is if the salary expectations were not listed in the job description. Even with doing your own research, salaries can be hard to judge. In some fields, having almost identical jobs doesn’t equate to identical salaries, and people can be offered with differing salaries +/- 50%. Factors such as expected overtime, benefits, etc. make this difficult to judge as well.

Start with explaining that you have been researching salaries in your field but wanted to know what they felt is a competitive salary for someone with your experience? (If this your first job interview or you’re going for an entry level job that you don’t have experience in, you can always change the part about experience to “this position”). Oftentimes, they will give you the number that they are expecting to pay for that position.

This also helps you compare what they’re willing to pay vs whether that salary is worth the job. AND you don’t run the risk of under selling yourself!

Note: Do your research, know your worth and what the worth of the position is. If the company lowballs you, ask for more if you feel comfortable. Salaries are often part of a negotiation, and if you know you deserve more then advocate for it.

If you must answer the salary question, here are some steps to keep in mind

1: Qualify (show that you have done your research about salaries in the field)

Ex: I consider many factors in regard to salaried compensation. Benefits, expected overtime and other factors of the job are always taken into account.

2: support (support your salary proposal BEFORE proposing if you had a similar position at your previous job; you can do this by stating your previous salary)

Ex: At my previous company I had x, y, z benefits and x amount of average overtime per week. I was earning xxxxxx in salary.

3: state your salary proposal and provide additional support.

Ex: Moving forward I would expect a salary in the range of xxxxxx+y as I have left on good terms and feel that my professional growth and goals justify this increase. That said, I will not be willing to negotiate until I fully understand the responsibilities of the position.

Whatever you discuss in the initial interview should not be anything finalized. Give them a ballpark figure so they know if they can afford you or not. That is all that they require at this phase of hiring.

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Every Tuesday, my blog features at least one tip relevant to the studyblr community in some way, whether that’s covering productivity, studying, school, or even planning and bullet journaling. The tips that are submitted by others will be credited with their name, otherwise the tips are my own. You can submit tips here.

To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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Tuesday Tips #10: Career and Work Tips

Resumes

When submitting an application online, add the businesses’ phone number to your contacts.

This will help you be more prepared to sound enthusiastic and professional when they call to set up an interview. As a bonus for those who never answer their phone for unknown numbers it will prevent having to wait for a voicemail to be left to find out who it is and give you some extra points with your potential interviewer.

When you apply to a company that hires a third party to carry out a background check to you, keep an eye to your email, especially to junk and spam folder.

Many Backgound check companies like Intelius, Accurate, Checkr, Truthfinder, TrueScreen or CheckMate send an invite link to the email address provided by the hiring company to engage the candidate in the exchange of information needed to start the screening. It usually includes, but it is not limited to:

SSN number

Addresses in the last 7 to 10 years

Education and employment contacts

Since those links are detected as dangerous by many servers, those emails are frequently sent to spam/junk. It is not a standard, but usually, between 5 to 10 days after the link is sent, it stops working and a new background check has to be requested, delaying the whole process.

Here are some tips on how to interact with a third party screening company:

Be **absolutely** sure that you provided the right email to the hiring company.

Remember to check the “preferred name” and “legal name”. These two are often confused.

If you are a STUDENT, please make sure to check your .edu email if you provided it, and be sure to check the spam/junk folder because there is a higher incidence in missing emails for students because the algorithms in .edu servers are more strict with outside links in emails.

If you already work for the company you are applying for (renewals, upgrades, vertical movements) and they need a new screening, do not use you corporate email.

If you encounter a question that you do not know how to fill, or the options in the dropdown do not apply to you, reach out to the recruiter. They have direct communication with the department in charge of the screening and will be able to provide guidance. Do not guess on your background check.

If the screening company required printed documents with “wet signature” to be uploaded, be sure to take a clean shot of the whole page, never bend or take partial pictures.

Keep a separate master resume with ALL previous work experience. When sending out a resume for application, duplicate the file and remove anything that may be irrelevant to the position. You never know when some past experience might become relevant again, and you don’t want to forget about it.

Disclaimer: every field does things a little bit differently, but this is what’s worked for me as a soon-to-be college grad, with little truly significant work experience, and wanting to go into education. Most American employers/career help centers I’ve met with suggest keeping it to about a page because employers won’t go over every resume with a fine-toothed comb right away. Anything you find interesting but maybe less important could be brought up in an interview as an aside, perhaps.

I’ve never had two people or websites give the same advice about resumes. Everyone’s going to want it different. *Generally* In the US, the physical resume could afford to be shorter because it leaves room for conversation if called for an interview.

Save your resume as a PDF before sending it out. This guarantees the layout, structure, typography to be 100% consistent for all viewers, and no one will have issues opening it.

If you’ve ever struggled with layout consistency between .word, .docx, .txt, and Google Docs, this is for you.

Disclaimer: there are always outliers, and some industries are more specific than others with resume formatting, however, this is a good approach when there aren’t distinct guidelines.

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To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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Tuesday Tips #9: Tips for Using Technology Productively (Part 6)

Scanning, Printing, and PDFs:

When trying to convert your PDF file to an editable word document, you can upload it to Google Drive first then open it using Google Docs. It converts the file with great accuracy and is 100% free.

iPhones come with a built-in scanner. Just hit the camera icon in your Notes app, hold your phone over the page and scan away!

This is especially good if you need to email a quick PDF to fellow students/coworkers for projects and/or don’t own a scanner at home. It’s accurate, binds all your pages together, and even comes with black & white or photo modes.

You can convert handwritten text to word document using Google Drive

Upload a picture of the hand written text to Google Drive. Right click the image in drive and select “Open With” and then choose Google Docs. It will open the document containing the image followed by text from image.

Password locked editing on a PDF? Just print it as a PDF and try again

If you have a PDF that is viewable but password locked for editing, you can use microsoft print to PDF to remove it.

I have been able to edit / redact PDF files that are password protected this way.

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To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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The Undead Perfectionist: How Perfectionists are Zombies

They’re coming…

It’s no use denying it anymore. You’ve seen the signs. You know, the one kid in your first period that never seems quite all there. The coworker that randomly growls and snarls at things. The friend that has a weird obsession with dissection videos on YouTube?

…No?

Okay, then. Maybe you’re oblivious. Regardless, you need to be ready for when the dead start walking. Don’t let your mental blocks be the reason you succumb to the undead. Keep scrolling for the Perfectionist’s Guide to the Apocalypse.

The Outbreak

The apocalypse typically starts with some idiot scientist messing with something they shouldn’t have, right? Perfectionism kind of starts the same way. A person (typically a child) is living their life, and then some Outside Force (typically society or well-meaning parents) comes along and essentially tells the person they’re not good enough.

They mess with something that didn’t necessarily need to be messed with.

Here are some ways perfectionist tendencies are formed.

Braaaaaaainnnss…

Basic knowledge: you take a zombie out with a head shot. Unfortunately, dealing with perfectionism isn’t that easy. Part of understanding it is getting into a perfectionist’s head, though; more specifically, understanding their way of thinking.

Here is a guide to understanding some of the underlying cognitive tendencies of perfectionists.

Adapt and Overcome

I can think of several zombie movies that feature a protagonist that seemingly (or even overtly) live by a set of rules that keep them alive in the apocalypse. Since they typically aren’t dead by the end of the movie, they must be following some pretty decent guidelines, right? So, let’s take a few of them and use them for our perfectionism.

Rule 1: Cardio. Between hacking at zombies, climbing hard-to-reach places, and sprinting to escape a horde, surviving in an apocalypse means you have to be in shape to some degree. Stay at least healthy enough to be able to run faster than the slowest person. Likewise, part of the battle with staying on top of perfectionism is not letting it catch up to you (i.e. not letting it get in the way of taking care of yourself). Your body is the temple that houses your greatest weapon. That mean you take showers, you remember to eat, you get more than two hours of sleep, and you set aside time to relax every now and then.

It might also literally mean getting your cardio exercise in. A study by Herring and colleagues (2012) found that those with Major Depressive Disorder who exercised regularly received as much benefit as they would from medications. Furthermore, women with Generalized Anxiety Disorder who did 2 weeks of resistance training or cardio decreased their worrying symptoms by 60%. If exercise can benefit those who have a diagnosis, then surely it also benefits those of us with perfectionist tendencies.

Rule 2: When in doubt, know your way out. Obviously, when the zombies arrive, it’s smart to know your escape routes in any and all situations. It’s also smart to be able to talk yourself out of a mental rut so you don’t get “stuck” in an unhealthy thought pattern.

Recognize when you’re being overly critical of yourself or others, and replace your perfectionist thoughts with more realistic and helpful ones. Channel your inner Hanna Montana: “Nobody’s perfect,” and “everybody makes mistakes.” As cheesy as pre-2012 Cyrus lyrics were, they actually are reflective of reality. In the end, you’re only human. You know. Until you get bitten.

Rule 3: Don’t be a lone hero. In an apocalypse, the chances of surviving by yourself are pretty small. Don’t be your own worst enemy by being the loner that’s afraid of dragging down your friends and family. The burden isn’t all on you to save the world. You need other people on your quest to find the antidote that will cure humanity, so don’t be afraid to trust people, and allow them to help you when you’re struggling. It’s okay if you’re not pleasant all the time; it’s okay if you mess up, and it’s okay if you’re not perfect. You can at least increase your chances of thriving during the apocalypse (i.e. thriving in spite of your perfectionism) by surrounding yourself with people who show you support AND people that you can support. If you’re distancing yourself from friends and family in an apocalypse, you’re also unable to protect them if trouble comes their way. Likewise, you may not realize how many of those around you also suffer from perfectionism. Perhaps the burden would be more bearable if you reached out for help. Keep that in mind, and your’re well on your way to becoming the ultimate undead survivor.

Keep From Going Stir Crazy

Surviving in an apocalypse isn’t all just killing zombies and finding food, you know. Remember in Train to Busan when the protagonist learns to thrive by building relationships with the people on the train? Escaping the zombies and surviving wasn’t the only thing consuming his mine anymore; instead, he was learning to thrive by building meaningful relationships with the other people on the train. There’s a difference between surviving and thriving, and that’s where these handy little things called “coping mechanisms” come in.

Like the zombie virus, perfectionism isn’t something that just goes away. You find ways to live around it, so it’s not the only thing consuming your thoughts, day after day. Here are a few coping mechanisms:

Habits with Habitica: Habitica is an online role-playing game that can help the wayward perfectionist fight procrastination and provide incentives to get things done. Level up and go on quests while keeping your life together!

The art of Zentangle: Zentangles are a form of art therapy. They’re basically swirly masses of lines, shapes,and doodles, typically drawn in black and white. You don’t have to be an “art person” to do Zentangle; the whole idea is to destress with mindless squiggles and doodles.

Alter the way you think: a large part of managing perfectionism is simply altering your mindset. Alongside the rules above, this page should also provide more concrete ways to change your mindset. It may be hard, but I promise you can do it.

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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Tuesday Tips #8: Tips for Using Technology Productively (Part 5)

Research and Learning Tips:

If you want to research for academic materials, type “Google Scholar” on your search bar and only results of scholarly documents will appear on screen, preventing yourself from wasting time browsing many other websites.

If you want to learn a new language, figure out the 100 most frequently used words and start with them. Those words make up about 50% of everyday speech, and should be a very solid basis.

When browsing en.wikipedia.org, you can replace “en” with “simple” to bring up simple English wikipedia, where everything is explained like you’re five.

Simple.wikipedia.org

Librarians aren’t just random people who work at libraries; they are professional researchers there to help you find a place to start researching on any topic

You can access most MIT courses for free online: https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

They have high quality courses on everything from business to computer science, complete with notes and video lectures, FOR FREE.

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To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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Tuesday Tips #7: Tips for Using Technology Productively (Part 4)

A list of shortcuts that cut down on time when writing essays or working on a project on the computer:

If you accidentally press the spacebar and scroll down the page, you can press Shift+Space and go back to where you were

Shift reverses actions

Shift+ctr+t reopens recently closed tab in chrome

Ctrl + Backspace deletes word by word, rather than letter by letter

If Word crashes or shuts down and your document didn’t save, search “.asd” in the file Explorer under “This/My PC”. It should be there.

That, or you obsessively press ctrl+s every 5 seconds.

With every period ctrl+s.

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To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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Tuesday Tips #6: Tips for Using Technology Productively (Part 3)

A List of open source (i.e. free) software and programs that substitute for pricey programs like Photoshop or Microsoft Office:

One of the tips of last week's Tuesday Tips discussed searching "open source" instead of "free" to find programs that don't cost you. This week, here is a list of open source programs that substitute for popular pricey programs:

>Photoshop = GIMP

>Lightroom = Darktable

>Adobe Illustrator = Inkscape

>Video Editor/3D modeler = Blender

>Video Editor = Kdenlive

>Media Player = VLC (find a video format it can't play, I dare you!)

>Streaming/recording software = OBS

>Microsoft Office = LibreOffice

>Minecraft = [actually a thing](https://minecraft.net/en-us/edition/pi/)

>Unzipping program = 7Zip

>Java = OpenJDK (though Oracle Java might be open source anyway)

>Virtualization = there are a few choices, but for non-commercial use, VirtualBox would be the way to go.

>Browser = Chromium (not chrome) or Firefox.

My favourite iTunes alternative is Foobar2000, but I don't believe it's open source. I've heard good things about Audacious, which is open source.

Please remember to support open source software you like with donations if you can swing it - the developers deserve a kickback!⭒☆━━━━━━☆⭒☆━━━━━━☆⭒

To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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Tuesday Tips #5: Tips for Using Technology Productively (Part 2)

Finding Reliable and Free Software Programs (Including Substitutes to Photoshop and Microsoft Office)

If ever you need a program you want for free (for example a video/photo editor) don't search for "free", search for "open source" to avoid limited trial versions, adverts and malware

The reasoning being if you type "free", generally you will be advertised to or get the LITE version which will only have some of the functionality and then will be up-sold to. Open source does what it says on the tin - the code is open for anyone to examine and even adapt and is usually available in-full for free, occasionally accepting donations if you are so inclined.

This has the added bonus of ensuring there are no nasties like crapware or reporting your user history back to their servers etc. because open-source equates to peer-reviewed and open to be examined by anyone.

Disclaimer: being open source doesn't MEAN that a program is virus-free, but it is a substantially lower risk than closed-source software. Either way, you would be better off with open-source in general. I am assuming you will be excising a modest amount of caution with what you download by checking it against trusted reviewers/communities.

Also, yes, I know you can torrent a paid-for application, but this is the ethical way to access a program that you want without paying for it.

For a list of open-source programs that act as substitutes to expensive programs, follow my blog for next week's Tuesday Tips.

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To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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bujopapercreationz · 4 years

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30 Ways to Be Successful in School

1. Rely on systems, not motivation

Students who do well in school don’t wait until they’re in the mood to do a focused study session before they get down to work.Neither do they wait until they feel motivated before they start preparing for an exam.Instead, successful students rely on systems to ensure that they get the work done, even when they don’t feel like it.

(Keep on reading to find out what some of these systems are.)

2. Review any new information you’ve learned on the same day

This daily review won’t take long to complete, but it’s a vital step that ensures you stay on top of the material. Applying this tip will also help you to move the information to your long-term memory more quickly.

3. Write everything down

To be an effective student, write everything down.This includes homework to be completed, test and exam dates, project deadlines, competition dates, school and family events, etc.Don’t assume that you’ll be able to remember anything; write it all down to stay organised.This tip might sound extreme, but life only gets busier as you get older. So this tip will serve you well for the rest of your life.

4. Create a rough weekly schedule

It’s impossible to follow a schedule down to the minute, but it’s still helpful to create a schedule.Write down your rough weekly schedule based on your recurring commitments, e.g. school, extracurricular actitivies, family and social events, religious activities.Then block out regular time each week for homework and studying.

For example, your rough weekly schedule might state that you’ll do work on:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 7pm to 9:30pm

Tuesday and Thursday: 4pm to 7pm

Saturday and Sunday: 2pm to 5pm

5. Get rid of distractions before they become distractions

The biggest obstacle to doing well in school is distractions.To overcome distractions, you can’t depend on willpower. Few of us have the willpower necessary to fight off all the distractions that surround us in this digital era.Here are some ways to eliminate distractions before they become distractions:

Turn off notifications on your phone/tablet

Delete all the apps that distract you

Put your phone/tablet in another room before you start work

Set a really, really long password to unlock your phone/tablet

Restrict your Internet access

Have only one tab open in your browser at any one time

Find an accountability partner as you make these changes

6. Develop good posture

Good posture improves your mood, and also enhances your memory and learning. So sit up straight, pull your shoulders back, and lift up your chin – and you’ll perform better in school. For more tips on improving your posture, check out this detailed article.

7. Don’t multitask when it isn’t effective

There are times when multitasking is effective, like:

Listening to that informative podcast while you torture yourself on a run.

Riding your bike while conjuring up dinner ideas for the week.

Listening to a speech you’re trying to memorize while you’re in the shower

In these instances, multitasking actually serves to maximize your time and, in many cases, improve your performance. The key is that the tasks are complementary rather than competitive, requiring the same cognitive effort or type of focus.

There are times when multitasking has dire effects on your productivity, like:

Watching TV while writing an essay

Browsing social media while listening or watching an educational film

Texting a friend while reading or studying

In these instances, the two tasks both require your attention and cognitive effort, but one requires significantly more effort and focus, making the tasks competitive tasks.

8. Cultivate the belief that intelligence isn’t a fixed trait

Research suggests that students who believe that they can become smarter actually do become smarter. Belief is that powerful. In other words, intelligence is a trait that you can develop over time. Don’t ever label yourself as “dumb” or “not academically inclined”, because with the right mindset you can become more intelligent.

9. Work in short blocks of time

I’ve found that most students can’t maintain a high level of focus for more than 45 minutes at a go. As such, I generally recommend working in 30- to 45-minute blocks, followed by a 5- to 10-minute break. Working in shorter blocks of time is more effective for the majority of students, rather than struggling to focus for a couple of hours straight.

10. Exercise regularly

Regular exercise helps you to remember information better, enhances your concentration, and makes you more creative.This is in addition to the other health benefits of exercise.What does this mean for students who want to be successful in school?Make exercise a fixed part of your weekly routine. Exercise three to four times a week, for at least 20 to 30 minutes each time.

11. Be organized

Students who aren’t organized end up wasting precious time looking for items or notes, or doing last-minute work they forgot about.Here are some ways to become more organised:

Set a daily reminder to check if there’s any homework due the following day

Set reminders to start preparing for tests and exams

Use the MyStudyLife app

Use a planner or Google Calendar

Clear your desk at the end of every day

Use an app like Google Keep to do a “brain dump”

Or if you’re like me and prefer the old fashioned pen and paper, use a bullet journal (I actually use both my bullet journal and an Outlook calendar since my school .edu account can automatically save dates from emails from professors and administration, then I transfer those dates to my bullet journal. Sometimes I also work the other way around and when I know I have a due date coming up but a really busy day, I type a reminder into my Outlook calendar app with an alert to remind me to start on a task since I’m not always looking at my bullet journal and those alerts can be helpful when I lose track of time on a certain task)

12. Break big tasks into smaller ones

Big tasks seem complicated and overwhelming, which is why many students procrastinate. Break every big task down into smaller tasks. For instance, instead of deciding to work on your history paper, you might break the task down into the following smaller tasks:

Read Chapter 3 (notes)

Read Chapter 3 (textbook)

Do online research (5 to 10 articles)

Develop thesis statement

Write outline

Write introduction

Write main paragraph #1

Write main paragraph #2

Write main paragraph #3

Write main paragraph #4

Write main paragraph #5

Write conclusion

Proofread and edit

When you work on the history paper, focus on completing one task at a time. This will make it less likely that you’ll procrastinate.

13. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night

Students who perform well are effective learners. As the research shows that sleep is a vital part of becoming an effective learner. Sleep boosts memory and enhances learning. So go to bed at roughly the same time every day, and make it a priority to get 8 hours of sleep a night. If you do this, I’m sure you’ll see an improvement in your academic performance.

14. Create a conducive studying environment

Here are some tips to do this:

Tidy your desk daily

Ensure that you have all the stationery, notebooks, etc. that you need

Ensure that the lighting in the room is suitable

Use ear plugs to block out noise if necessary

Put up one or two motivational quotes at your study area

Get a comfortable chair

Remove all distractions from the room

15. Take notes during class

I’m always surprised by how many students tell me that they don’t take notes in class.It’s important to take notes in class, because it helps you to pay attention and to learn the concepts better.I prefer taking notes in a linear, sequential manner. But there are several other note-taking systems that you can learn about here.

16. Ask a lot of questions

Asking your friends and teachers questions about what you’re learning is a great way to stay engaged. It also ensures that you understand the new material.

Don’t be afraid of asking silly questions. Besides, if you pay attention in class, your questions will likely be logical and insightful.

17. Eat healthily

Research shows that the better your nutrition, the better your brain function.

And the better your brain function, the better your performance in school.

Here are some basic tips to eat more healthily:

Eat vegetables and fruit

Eat meat and fish

Eat eggs

Eat nuts

Avoid processed foods

Avoid sugar

Avoid trans fats

Avoid artificial sweeteners

Drink plenty of water

Avoid sugary beverages

18. Manage your thoughts and emotions

Students who lose focus or motivation are typically discouraged. They’re often discouraged because they feel as if they won’t do well academically, so they lose hope.

How should you become more successful in school?

Manage your thoughts and emotions effectively – especially when faced with disappointment.

To do so, take a step back and ask yourself the following questions:

Are these thoughts true?

Are these thoughts helpful?

Am I taking things too personally?

How can I view the situation more positively?

Do I need to forgive the other person?

Do I need to forgive myself?

How can I be more compassionate toward myself?

What productive actions can I take to improve the situation?

Through answering these questions, you’ll adopt a more positive and resilient mindset.

19. Take a few minutes to prepare for each class

As Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Preparing for class is something I encourage every student to do.

Every night, think about the classes that you’ll be having the following day in school.

Take a few minutes to skim the textbook or notes, so that you’ll be familiar with what your teacher will cover the next day.

In addition, do a quick recap of the previous topic, because the new topic will likely build on what you’ve already learned.

This process won’t take long, but it will pay off in the long run.

20. Have a specific plan or objective for each study session

In the studyblr community and at my college, I hear many students saying that their goal is to “study hard”. This might sound good, but it actually means that they don’t have a specific objective or plan.This isn’t the way effective students approach academics.For each study session, set a clear objective as to what you intend to achieve. This might be to read through a set of notes thoroughly or complete 30 multiple-choice questions.

21. Use memory techniques

Memory techniques are powerful ways to learn information more quickly.

Here are some of the most useful ones I’ve come across:

Acronyms

Visualization

Chunking

Association

22. Test yourself periodically

Don’t assume that just because you’ve read the notes and looked through some examples that you understand the material well.

For all you know, you might have been daydreaming during those study sessions.

What else should you do?

Test yourself periodically. Do plenty of practice questions and keep a list of the mistakes you’ve made so that you won’t repeat those mistakes in the exam. If you have a hard time testing yourself, what you can do is write down things you find confusing when you do your daily review (see #2 above) and come back to those things you found confusing and try to explain them out loud without looking at your notes. If your textbooks have a short quiz after each chapter, this can also be a great way to test yourself. Alternatively, you can always ask your professor for some practice questions.

23. Take practice exams under exam conditions

In my psychology research methods course, we read about a study that found that students who took a practice exam under exam conditions performed better on the actual exam than students who took a practice exam without exam conditions (in this case listening to music). Both groups performed better than students who did not take a practice exam. I don’t recall the specific researchers who published this study, but it is covered in the book Research in Psychology: Methods and Design by Goodwin and Goodwin (2013).

It isn’t practical to do too many practice exams under exam conditions, because it’s time-consuming.

But before every exam, I recommend that you do at least two to three practice exams under exam conditions.

This will help you to prepare adequately, and will train you to deal with the time pressure of the exam too.

24. Hang out with people who are motivated and focused

No matter how much we’d like to think that we’re immune to peer pressure, we’re most definitely not.

Peer pressure affects people of all ages. This means that we must be intentional about the people we surround ourselves with.

Do you hang out with people who are pessimistic?

Are they always complaining?

Do they pursue excellence, or do they try to find shortcuts?

Spend time with people who are positive, motivated, focused, kind, generous and hardworking. You’ll find yourself developing those traits as the days and weeks go by.

25. Analyze the mistakes you make in tests and exams

It might not be a pleasant experience, but I encourage you to go through every mistake you make in tests and exams.

Analyse why you made each mistake. Ask yourself questions such as:

Was the mistake due to carelessness?

Did I forget a key fact?

Did I have a poor understanding of a certain concept?

How can I make certain that I won’t repeat the mistake?

What do I need to do to be better prepared for future tests?

This analysis will help you to make continual progress in your academics.

26. Pre-commit to specific behaviors and habits

Pre-commitment is a strategy in which you commit in advance to certain desirable behaviors. This way, you won’t be tempted to do otherwise in the future.

Here are some examples:

Use the StayFocusd Chrome extension to restrict the amount of time you spend on certain websites

Ask your parents to change the password on your tablet, so that every time you want to use your tablet you need them to unlock it

Tell a friend that you’ll delete all your social media apps on your phone by the end of the day – if not, you’ll give your friend $100

Schedule a study session with a friend on Friday (or any day, really) and if there’s a party on Friday, you won’t be tempted to go since it would be rude to cancel on your friend last minute (this example works when you have motivated and focused friends, see #24)

You can even get more serious about pre-commitment by using a site such as StickK, which lets you set a goal with specific dates or thresholds, and if you don’t meet those deadlines or thresholds, they will charge a certain amount (which you choose) on your credit card. There’s been some research done on this site that suggests that loss aversion plays a role in keeping people accountable and explains why this site has been successful in helping people reach their goals.

Pre-commitment is a powerful strategy that all good students use.

More pre-commitment research studies can be found in chapter 9 of Pierce and Cheney’s (2013) Behavior Analysis and Learning book.

27. Keep a “done” list

Just as important as keeping a to-do list is keeping a “done” list.

Write down all the things you’ve accomplished at the end of each day. This will help to remind you that you’ve indeed been productive, even if you don’t feel so.

In the long run, keeping a “done” list will help you to stay positive and motivated.

28. Make time to relax

Doing well in school isn’t about getting good grades and outperforming your classmates. It’s about leading a balanced life that’s focused on contributing to others.

To lead a balanced life, it’s important to set aside time for relaxation.

Block out time for relaxation in your weekly schedule to ensure that you don’t burn out.

29. Challenge yourself

Taking it one step further, don’t just do the assigned homework.

Challenge yourself and do extra questions that require deep thinking. Look for online resources. Learn information that’s outside the syllabus by watching a related video or reading a popular press article related to the topic.

This will help you to see the wonder and beauty in all that you’re learning. You’ll also be reminded that getting better is its own reward.

30. Manage your stress and mental health

Students who don’t manage their stress well are more likely to experience performance anxiety and get worse grades.

To manage your stress levels:

Perform deep breathing exercises

Listen to music

Spend time with friends on a regular basis

Exercise

Read a book

Keep a gratitude journal

Take a few minutes to reflect at the end of each day

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To see older tips, click the hashtag #mytuesdaytips on my blog to see all my previous Tuesday Tips.

Follow my blog for more helpful tips every Tuesday.

Best Wishes, Bujo Paper Creations

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