Motivation Vs Inspiration: Why Both Are Needed To Achieve Your Goals

We have all heard the saying, “Actions speak louder than words”. But what does it really mean? We know that it is important to take action if you want to achieve your dreams and success. Often, a short term action is taken and the person attempts to continue to just use their words to carry them through. But words alone are not enough – it’s action that truly matters. And long term success is about getting in the mindset to achieve sustained long term action.

Despite all of the motivational posters, sport clothing, and tough talk you’ll find today that speak of persistence, this is a quality not found in many people. In fact, those few who do practice persistence have earned it through hard work and consistency – another rare attribute. Gaining skills that will push you to the front of the line in any aspect of your life are completely dependent on your ability to learn these traits, and if you want to earn them yourself, you will first and foremost need to learn to control the emotional highs and lows to which we are all susceptible. Of course, many of us are cursed with more lows than we are highs. However, our mental disposition is what will truly determine where we end up on our journey toward success.

We have all felt what it is like to get that sudden rush of motivation and turn that feeling into energy. This influx of motivation and energy can develop into great progress toward our goal or action, but the problem with that rush is that it’s usually fleeting. Motivation is like a sound wave; it flows up and drops down, often in line with our emotions. When we are feeling happy we are more likely to have the energy to follow through, but when we are facing setbacks and feeling down, that energy is suddenly sucked away. This intrusion of varying emotions can impact our motivation and therefore results.

Whether or not we are going through a rough patch, if our bodies are in good shape (plenty of sleep, physical activity, good nutrition, healthy relationships, etc.), we tend to feel pretty resilient overall. And, when we enjoy a good return on our investments – whether we are invested in school and are earning good grades, getting praise from our bosses, or whatever the case may be, our energy toward these activities remain consistent overall.

However, when the opposite happens, you are aren’t eating right so you are hungry, you aren’t sleeping well so you are tired, you aren’t staying active so you feel run down and unhealthy, and you are not staying in touch with your friends or family, you will begin to feel the down part of the upswing. With all of these emotions and physical issues going on it will be likely you won’t be able to focus on your studies and you may start to get poor grades or negative feedback from your teachers. This will only further push you down in your already unhappy state and you may begin feeling depressed and like you want to give up.

One of the most important keys to success in life and in your schooling is to learn how to turn short term action into sustained long term repeated actions. We all know that to achieve big things you need to drill things down into the steps necessary to get there. When you know your big picture and you have a road map, the formula to reach your destination is just one step per day. How do you get from one side of the country to the other side? Simple – one mile at a time. Don’t you? You have a big picture goal and lots of little achievements are necessary to get there. You don’t take one step and all of a sudden you’ve made it! Sustained action executing the right techniques, which follow the right strategy, leads you to achieving your vision. The only remaining roadblock to your success is you.

Enter inspiration, your spiritual guide. While motivation can come in bursts, be harnessed, and become sustained, inspiration comes from some place deeper inside of you. It is something greater and more powerful than you; and it lives inside of each one of us. You can find your inspiration with your desire for change. While motivation is a very powerful tool, it is often tied to a time frame or certain circumstances. It is more of a physical presence rather than an internal entity.

Motivation is a battle; inspiration is the war. It is the difference between taking a quick job at a fast food joint to get a pay check, and taking an internship that will earn us favor in a career that we want to enter into in order to change the world. Both of these goals require ambition to a certain degree, yet it is clear which of the two goals would both require more prolonged action, and end in a bigger, more satisfying payoff. Inspiration will carry you through the tough times – it would carry the student through the internship during moments when the lack of a bigger pay check could really invite some tough times.

Now is your time. You can create the dreams that you desire for yourself and make them into a reality. You can do things you have never considered or thought possible before. You can get into the college of your choice and get the job you have always wanted. You can create something that could help thousands or even millions of people around the world. These dreams require you, your motivation, and your inspiration. They require your sustained long term action with just one step at a time. No matter your current circumstance, you can change it! Only you have that power. Your potential is limitless. What you want and what you believe in is all that truly matters. The only thing you have left to do is ask yourself, what do you believe is possible?

HelpMeToStudy.org is the leading online resource for learning new study skills, changing your studying habits and discovering the best study tips available. We will help you change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study | Motivate Me To Study

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Motivation Vs Inspiration: Why Both Are Needed To Achieve Your Goals



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From Study Stress To Study Success: 14 Tips That Will Take You To The Top

You don’t have to let things get you down. You don’t have to allow life to beat you down and stop you from doing everything you want to do. Don’t worry if you’re feeling overcome, anxious and exhausted. Why? Because today’s the day for you to turn your troubles into motivation and your doubts into inspiration!

Below is a list of 14 tips that will turn your study stress into study success in 5 minutes or less!

1. Create goals for yourself. Write down your goals and include everything you want to achieve this year and all the years that follow. Then look at your goals every day so that you know them off by heart. If you don’t know what you want you will never be motivated to take action!

2. Identify obstacles that stand in your path. Figure out those things that are preventing you from achieving your goals – and then remove them from the picture. Don’t allow time-wasters (like video games) and energy-suckers (like hopeless friends) to steer you off on a path you don’t want. Know what you want.

3. Identify the actions you need to take. It’s one thing to write out your goals. It’s another things altogether to understand what it will take to make them happen. Figure out what the actions are that make up your goals. What will take you from where you are now to where you want to go?

4. Give your actions a priority. Now that you know what you need to do to get what you want it’s time to give those actions a priority. Which actions need to happen straight away? Which ones can you hold off on for a week or a month? Whatever you do, make sure you are taking action. The difference between success and failure is more times than not simply take some action. So do something!

5. Visualize your achievements. The best part about visualization is that you can do it any time. You can do it during class, you can do it on the train, you can do it lying in bed, or you can do it at your weekend job. Imagine what you are going to achieve and how it will happen. Do this every day.

6. Create some affirmations and constantly read them. Make sure you have your affirmations written down so that you can look at them at any time. Never forget what you stand for and what you want.

7. Stretch and breathe. Don’t just breathe to live, breathe to relax! Deep breaths are great for keeping your cool and getting the energy flowing. Stretching is great for getting the blood flowing and getting your muscles active. So breathe deeply whenever you think of it and stretch like a madman whenever you have a chance!

8. Read and watch. Find someone (or many people!) you want to be like. Then read their books and watch their YouTube videos. Engage with them in any way you can. Listen to them. Do what they do. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to be a success, just do as successful people do. That’s being smart.

9. Love every minute. There is no point “existing”. You need to “live”. What does it mean to live? It means loving what you’re doing – at all times. Now, it’s hard to get excited about school or work each day, there is no question about that, but your life is short and you need to enjoy it. You need to make each day count. Love your life.

10. Associate with those that succeed. If you spend time with blobs you will become a blob too. You need to surround yourself with people that want more from life. Surround yourself with people that have big dreams and even bigger motivation levels. They will drag you with them and help take you where you really want to go.

11. Become a water drinker. Our brains are 75% water. You can only survive a few days without water before you will die. Waters rids our bodies of disease. Water converts food to energy. Water protects you from sickness. 90% of your blood is water. Water is truly a potent weapon! So start drinking lots of it – every day! It’s not that hard.

12. Eat smaller meals more often. If you eat trash you’ll feel like trash. If you eat well, you’ll feel well. It’s not rocket science. But what you may not know is that having several smaller meals a day reduces your chances of being overweight or obese. Stop eating things that are killing you and start eating delicious and nutritious food. But you already know that one don’t you? But do you do it?

13. Reduce your consumption of the four fatal stimulants. Coffee, cigarettes, alcohol and sugar are a perfect storm – for illness and disease! If you want to die a young and painful death then knock yourself out. Most people don’t really want that – but it doesn’t mean they don’t consume dangerous things. You wouldn’t give cigarettes, coffee, alcohol or loads of sugar to your pet, so why do you consume them? Do you have more respect for your pet than yourself? Weird.

14. Tense and relax. When you tense all the muscles in your body and then let it go it really helps the body to unwind and remain calm. So start using this whenever you’re feeling anxious or stressed. Tense and relax. Tense and relax. Ah! Feels good doesn’t it?

The reality is that you – and you alone – have the ability to determine your future. You can decide to do nothing and change nothing and get the same results you’ve always gotten. Or you can change a few little things up and make a big difference to your results. Learn the strategies and take massive action every day. Nothing else is required. Good luck!

HelpMeToStudy.org is the leading online resource for learning new study skills, transforming your study habits and discovering the best study tips available. We will help you change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | Motivate Me To Study

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How To Get Better Grades – Motivate Me To Study

Lack of motivation is the most common reason that things don’t get done. If you’ve ever lacked the motivation to do something you know the feeling I’m talking about. The loss of interest, the tiredness, the boredom – it’s all related to the feeling that you have “no motivation”. But worse still is the feeling that you also don’t know what to do about it. But there’s no need to fret, it happens to everyone at some point!

Whilst a lack of motivation may not be your biggest challenge personally, it is one of the biggest challenges that students face as they try to find the strength of character to push through high school and College.

If motivation is not present in the individual, simple uncomplicated tasks have a nasty habit of becoming huge complicated problems – ones that can end up being avoided for days (and sometimes weeks or months!) So how does this happen?

Well, when you feel ‘motivated’, it’s easy to stay focused over a long period of time and work diligently towards your goal. However, when you are not feeling ‘motivated’ you will have virtually zero focus and the chances you will even start the task are minuscule. Either that or it will require someone threatening you with something before you’ll get started on your work (like a parent taking away your iPad or a teacher removing you from the class). That’s not a great way to get motivated!

Generally, motivation comes in the form of fear. As in, what will happen if I don’t complete this task? What will happen if I don’t hand in my paper on time? What will happen if I don’t do what my parents say? What will happen if I don’t go to school? It’s the fear of negative consequences that really motivates us as a human race. It’s the way we are conditioned to behave. Why? Because it creates order.

If there were no consequence for not doing your homework, or not doing exercise, or not following the laws – what would happen? It would create chaos wouldn’t it? Why would anyone do anything they didn’t “feel like doing”?

Fear of negative consequences has its place in the world. It’s important in its own way – however it should absolutely not be the ultimate reason for you to do whatever it is you do each day. It should not dictate your behavior. That’s not living. That’s just “existing”.

Whilst “existing” may work for you for a period of time (and for many people it works for their entire lives) it doesn’t both work and lead to a positive approach to life. The motivation we seek to promote is one where you want to complete the tasks you do for positive reasons.

Real motivation is borne out of a possibility. A possibility of what may happen from taking a certain action. The possibility of what can be created. For example, when you ask a girl or guy you like for their phone number, you are living into a possibility. The possibility you may get to go out on a date with them! Sure, you may not succeed. You may get shut down. But so what? The power of living into a possibility drove you to take that action. If you act out of fear, you probably won’t ask for the number or take any action and you’ll just feel regret. Why? Because fear of negative consequences (like being embarrassed or laughed at) won the day. By living in fear you don’t really live. By living in fear you don’t feel the amazing power of real motivation.

So the next time you are doing something (anything) ask yourself “Am I acting out of fear, or out of possibility?” You may be very surprised by the answer.

HelpMeToStudy.org is the premier resource for learning new study skills, changing your studying habits and finding the best study tips available. We will help you change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | Motivate Me To Study

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How To Get Better Grades – Motivate Me To Study



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Learn How To Get Better Grades: Tips For Test Takers

Can’t live with them, can’t graduate without them. We’re talking tests here. Like it or not (and most would say not!), tests are an important academic assessment tool. Your performance on tests demonstrates how well you understand material, your ability to accomplish tasks, and how you absorb and interpret information. Knowing the material is key, but often that’s not enough to ace an exam. Also essential is good preparation, which gets your brain ready and clears the way for calm and confidence. Here, are some tips to prep you for any test.

Studying for a test can be nerve-wracking for many students. Often they feel as if they are reading the material for the first time and begin to panic. An easy way to avoid this is note taking. It may seem like a simple solution, but it has powerful results. During class or directly after you should take notes of what you have just learned. This could be something as straightforward as page numbers to reread later or more complex ideas on the material. It is important to review these notes at the end of the day. When it comes time to study for the test, recalling these items will be easier and faster than trying to learn something that seems new. Studying these notes throughout the course and calling upon them during testing time will make the whole experience less time consuming and less nerve-wracking.

Where you study is important. Find a quiet, comfortable (but not too comfortable!) location where distractions and interruptions are minimal. A popular place for most students to study is at home. However, for some, home can be too distracting as it’s easy to get side tracked. What may help is if you study in a place that’s similar to the place where you’re going to take the test. When you study, you might associate certain topics with the environment. So if you take the test in a similar environment, you can more easily retrieve these associations. For example, if you’re going to write a test in a lecture room, it may help to study in a lecture room (if at all possible!)

Some people study well in a group since they can get help from others in areas in which they are lacking. They may also gain valuable insight from others on what they have overlooked and which critical areas to focus on for the test. On the other hand, some people study well alone. They already know what they have to study and find a group can be distracting (especially when they engage in off-topic conversation or try to do absolutely everything but study!) You’re the one who knows yourself the best, so determine what works best for you and get to it!

There are various methods you can use when studying. For example, when studying for a test you may like to read through your textbook, read through course notes, answer textbook questions, re-do past assignments, review previous tests, research online, or just talk to friends or teachers about the topic. You can also use memory-improving techniques like mnemonics, visualization, and association to recall everything you need. Trying a combination of these different studying methods(and then tracking your results) will really assist you in doing well. When you study a large body of information, you should study from concept to detail, not the other way around. It will, in fact, be much easier to learn the details if you take the time to learn the concept and theory first. The least efficient approach to studying is to attempt to memorize your notes from beginning to end. It’s not the words which are important – it’s the ideas.

A method that works well for most people is studying in small pieces instead of large chunks of time. Studying in large chunks of time increases the chance that you will overwhelm your brain with information and start forgetting things. If you study in small pieces of time, you aren’t absorbing all of this information at once and it gives you a chance to rest. Furthermore, you should rehearse what you study and do it in expanding time intervals. For example, if you study ten digits of PI, you could attempt to rehearse the ten digits in one minute, then two minutes, then four minutes, and so on.

HelpMeToStudy.org is the best online resource for learning new study skills, transforming your study habits and discovering the best study tips available. We will help change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | Learn How To Get Better Grades

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Time Management Tools: 5 Tips To Manage Your Study Time Better

If you struggle to manage your time then you have come to the right place. One of the most difficult things to control and use effectively is your time – because it just keeps ticking away no matter how quickly you work or how much you want it to slow down.

But giving up is not the solution. Instead, let’s look at some easy to implement strategies and time management tools that will help you make the most of the time you already have available and also create some more free time for you.

Tip number one – to-do lists are your friend. If you want to know what you need to get done, then you need to actually write it down and assign a priority to it. So write down all the things that you want to complete and start putting them in order of their importance. People love listing items and then ticking them off as they go. It’s very satisfying! It’s also important that your to-do items are specific and it’s easy to understand when you have completed it. Don’t create items like “make a start on my history paper” because “making a start” is too vague. Instead, break the tasks down into simple tasks like “write the first sentence of my history paper.” Makes sense doesn’t it?

Tip number two – create some goals. It’s very easy to overlook creating goals and instead just get started on things. But working towards something specific helps create a direction for you. For example, if you make a goal that you will have your “Science homework completed no later than 8 pm tonight” then you have something specific you are working towards. If you have no goal in mind then you might end up drifting along until 9 pm without even completing the Science homework at all. So start listing all the things you want to achieve and when you want to achieve them by. This will help you easily see which activities are a total waste of your time and which are going to help you reach your ambitions.

Tip number three – set your study goals. What are you trying to achieve anyway? Do you even know what your goals are? And if you don’t know what you want how will you know when you’ve achieved it? Seriously, how will you know? Will you just get a vibe or something? When creating a goal you must be specific, measurable, achievable and time-based – otherwise it’s not a goal, it’s just an idea. For example, “I will have a B average in Maths by the end of First Semester” is a lot better than “I will improve in Maths”. When you know what you want you can easily identify those things that are going to help you get there – and those things that are a total waste of your time (i.e. pretty much everything!)

Tip number four – do what counts. A major trap we all fall into is trying to do everything that’s assigned. But that’s actually a waste of your time. You should do only what you know counts towards your final grades. If a paper is worth 50% then spend lots and lots of time on it. If your homework is not worth grades but must be handed in – then make sure you hand it in – but don’t spend as much time on it as anything that counts towards your final grade. Find out what counts the most and give that the most time. Worrying about everything will only drive you nuts!

Tip number five – schedule your work for when you are in your study Zen state. We all have different time clocks inside us that dictate when we have the most energy. Yours may be in the morning or it may be late at night. Whatever it is, schedule your work around this time. There is no point trying to push a horse up a hill – so just study at the times you feel super switched on and you will find it far easier to get the work done.

HelpMeToStudy.org is the number one resource for learning new study skills, changing your study habits and finding the best studying tips available. We provide free access to the world’s best and most engaging study resources and strategies that will help change the way you think about study – and even better – we show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | Time Management Tools

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Time Management Tools: 5 Tips To Manage Your Study Time Better



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How To Get Better Grades – How To Quickly Achieve Your Goals

Question without notice: What and why are you trying to accomplish in your life? Just think about it for a moment. What and why. This is a really key question for all of us. The first step in achieving an ambition is establishing what the ambition is and also understanding why you want to achieve it. Often we know what we want to achieve (like get better grades – especially in Math – or lose some weight) but we don’t have the right reason to back it up. So, what is your goal and why do you want to achieve it?

Once you have created a goal you want to achieve and understand you can move to the next level. The next level asks you to ponder the following questions: who do you need to become in order to achieve your goals? What do you need to do in order to achieve your goals? Are you being brutally honest about whether you are working diligently towards your goal or are you really just hoping that by some miracle your goal will be achieved?

Let’s look at this another way. What actions do you take each and every day in order to progress your skills and attitude to the point where your goal can become a reality? Are you taking any actions? Or are you just doing what you normally do but hoping that because you “set a goal” that something amazing will happen?

Achieving a goal is a process not an event. The problem is that people don’t like processes – we like events! You see, we like to get an A+ on our Maths test, but we don’t want to do the study and homework required (i.e. the process) to get the A+, we just want the event – the great score! We like the idea of looking fit and healthy but we don’t like part where we have to eat well and exercise constantly. Do we? It all makes sense when you understand that we don’t like the process – we just like the events.

The same goes for our education. We all want to be smart and learned (I hope!) But going through each grade and passing each test and handing in each assignment and doing all our homework and getting good grades is really hard work.

The process of passing school is hard, the process of being an A+ student is even harder. However, the events along the way, such as getting a good grade on a test, or getting a good report card, or getting into the College of your choice, are the enjoyable “events” (i.e. the rewards) for going through the process.

So what does this mean to us in terms of goal setting and goal achievement? Given that we now know that we don’t like processes and we do like events, it makes a lot of sense that we may enjoy setting goals such as “I want an A average in all of my subjects” but we don’t like doing the hard work to make sure that the goals actually happen. The process is hard and can be boring and tedious. We want the event (A average for every subject) not the hard work!

So, if you are going to set a goal, you really need to understand what process you are going to have to go through to achieve it and make sure you are committed to it. The event is secondary; the process is what you are really committing yourself to. You must ask yourself, “What actions will I have to take every day to go through the process? Who will I need to be to go through the process?” If you can’t answer that, you won’t be able to achieve the goal you have set.

Goals don’t just happen. They are clearly defined and then deliberately worked towards. You create an event (an A+ in Maths) and then you have to go through the process to get there. Focus on the process and the event will happen. Focus on the event (like everyone wants to) and nothing will happen. The choice is yours!

HelpMeToStudy.org is the best online resource for learning new study skills, transforming your study habits and discovering the best studying tips available. We will help you change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | How To Set Goals

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The Six Habits Of Highly Successful Students

Power Studying

Let’s face it, no-one really loves studying (unless you enjoy school and good on you if you do!) We just want to get the work done pronto right? That’s where this article can help you. Studying + Power = Power Studying = Less time studying = Good times for all.

Well we want to get you excited about studying. We want you to look forward to studying. We want you to maximize every minute spent studying and as a result maximize every minute you don’t have to study! That’s right; we actually want you to study less. What the? Study less? We want you to study less by learning how to power study – to study with maximum efficiency and effectiveness thereby drastically cutting the amount of time spent studying. You have to study anyway, so why not learn how to learn more in less time with twice the results? Sound like a plan Jan? You bet it does!

So what are we waiting for? Let’s get cracking on the new habits you are going to introduce and start putting into practise from today. Here they come – are you ready for them?

Successful students always engage in:

Never Over-Study

As soon as you spend too much time studying you will quickly lose focus and the time spent studying will become ‘junk time’. This is when you think you’re studying but you’re just sitting there re-reading the same sentence about 1000 times. You’re ‘studying’, but you’re not getting anywhere with your work. You’re just a mouse on the wheel. Round and round you go! Instead of this, take regular breaks. We suggest a 15 minute break for every 30 minutes of work completed. Sound good? For every hour you spend studying you get 30 minutes off! Why do this? Well, taking breaks will restore your energy and refresh your mind – plus it will give your mind some time to take in what you have been doing. But don’t spend your time thinking about what you’ve been doing. No, no, no, instead you should allow your mind to rest by doing something completely different – like dance around the room to that lame song you like. Finally, don’t study for more than 45 minutes in any one sitting. Why? Your brain will switch off at around about the 45 minute mark. So if you keep studying after that you’re just playing ball in junk time again.

Plan Their Study

Top students don’t just randomly sit down and complete work. They actually plan what they are going to do. They literally plan the time they will study and they set goals for what will be achieved. For example, your new habit could be saying ‘I will study from 6 pm to 7.15 pm with a 15 minute break at 6.30 pm. At the completion of this time I will have done all my fractions worksheets and my sociology homework. I will then go online and throw sheep at people’. Think we’re kidding? We’re not. If you want to be successful, do as successful people do. Set a plan and set a goal and stick to it. If you don’t achieve the goal, set a new one. By having set times for doing work each day it will create a routine and a routine is the first step towards developing a habit. We love affirmative habits, affirmative habits are good. When you know that you have committed to work at a specific time each day you will be mentally prepared for it. You will know 6 pm is ‘go time on study’. You will know it’s coming and be ready for it. Just like you know 7 pm is dinner time. What’s for dinner mother dearest? The goal setting part of planning is also very important. If you sit down with little idea about what you’re trying to complete you will just aimlessly go along not knowing if you’ve ‘done enough work or not’. Set a target and direct your energy towards it. Accomplish what you set out to accomplish. Build the confidence. Don’t just let the carrot dangle in front of you, bite the freaking thing (a carrot represents your ambitions and dreams in case you weren’t aware and thought we actually wanted you to eat a carrot. You didn’t think that did you?)

Front Up To The Toughest Work First

Many of us like to do the easy things first to build our confidence. That’s fair enough. Gets the blood pumping when you’re ticking items off your to-do list. BANG! 1st item ticked off. BANG! Double tick that item – now I’m rolling. DOUBLE BANG! Triple tick that item – list completed and life is good. The only challenge with this approach is that you use up your prime energy at the start of any study session and so if you are tackling the easy parts with your prime energy your batteries will be low when it comes time to tackle the hard part. So what happens then? You get tired, impatient, flustered and just give up. We all do it. We really shouldn’t though. So get in the habit of giving your prime energy to the hard tasks and completing the easy stuff last.

Get Off Social Networking Sites, Your Phone, The Latest Game You Like and Turn Off TV (Music Might Be OK)

This one is self explanatory. Just turn them off for an hour and we promise the world will still be there when you log back in to Facebook! (if it wasn’t that would be pretty weird huh?) Don’t text your friends, don’t Instant Message that girl or boy you have a crush on whilst also doing your homework, don’t make phone calls because your’e bored, just focus on what you’re doing! Even if you focus on work for 15 minutes followed by 5 mins of sending texts to everyone on earth, it’s better than 30 minutes of work whilst also sending texts at the same time. It’s a good idea to reward yourself for any study completed, but you really should do some work to earn that reward. You agree right?

P.S. Music can be great as a nice soothing background noise when studying – and even helpful for study in some instances, but techno music cranking so loud your walls shake isn’t the best idea you’ve ever had. There is simply no way you can focus when you do that.

Actually Ask For Help

Um – what the heck is the teacher talking about? Ever say that to yourself in class? If you don’t understand the topic you’re doing just ask someone – a teacher, parent, friend, sibling, the bus driver. Seriously, asking anyone is better than asking no-one. Don’t feel embarrassed or stupid – the most important thing is getting the task completed isn’t it? What difference does it make if you have to ask for help? Wouldn’t you rather do a good job? If you don’t ask, you won’t know. Frustration can be easily avoided, but sometimes we have to suck up the ego and ask for help.

Clean Up Their Act

Seriously, do your work in a neat and tidy place. Don’t study in a cesspool of your own rubbish. Work on a table or a desk – not on that pile of clothes in the corner that smells better than the other piles in your room. Organize all your books and materials. It’s not cool to not be able to see your bed because there are mountains of junk all over your room (although it is fun to wonder ‘where will I sleep tonight – can’t find my bed again!’) A clean environment makes a happy little bee out of you and me. Sorry that’s lame I apologize. Good luck!

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The Six Habits Of Highly Successful Students



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Study Smart By Understanding The 80/20 Rule

First of all, the 80/20 rule is not about economics or maths (even though it may sound like it), so let’s get that straight from the start! However, this rule does apply to your life (and everyone else’s life) so it’s very important that you are aware of it and can start manipulating it for your own benefit (in the way you study or in any other field you choose).

The 80/20 rule tells us that 80% of what we achieve in life is a direct result of only 20% of all the actions we take. Now the ratio may not be exactly 80/20 – it may even be 99/1 – but the rule makes it clear that a small number of our actions are actually having a big impact.

This rule applies to more than just our “actions”; it actually applies to everything (according to Pareto). So let’s have a look at some very straightforward examples to help demonstrate this. I’m willing to bet that you spend 80% or more of your social time with 20% or less of the people you know (friends, family, acquaintances). What about 80% or more of the time you spend online is on 20% or less of all the websites you’ve ever visited? What about 80% or more of the phone calls you make are to 20% or less of all the contacts in your phone? Seriously, you can apply it to anything.

The first major thing to take away from the 80/20 rule is to understand that there is no point focusing on the 80% of things you do each day that are creating only 20% of your results. You need to do the opposite! Forget the 80% that is impacting 20% of your results, you want to focus only on the 20% that is impacting 80% of your results! Are you following? Clear as mud?

Why? Well there is obviously no point focusing on the 80% of activities that is impacting only 20% of your results. That wouldn’t make sense would it? That’s totally backwards! Instead, you must address all the small areas that have the biggest impact and will maximize your performance. Do what counts. Don’t worry about everything, just focus on those things that create the biggest results for you. So, what are the things that create the biggest results I hear you ask?

Regrettably, this is not always easy to answer as many things can have a big impact on your results and everyone is different. However, there are always common denominators that seem to impact everyone in one way or another and we can safely assume they are impacting you as well. So what are they?

The biggest 20% area that undoubtedly creates and influences your outcomes are your habits. With poor habits come poor results. There is no doubt about it. You may not even realize it but your habits are impacting you right now. Change your habits and you will change your outcomes.

The next 20% area is motivation – an often misunderstood action driver. If you don’t “feel” motivated then there is a very good chance that you will take very little action (or take no action at all!) But how do you “get motivated”? The key here is that you must have something that calls you into action. You must have something that you want to work towards (notice that it’s about what you want – not anyone else). If you have no motivation you will do nothing. If you do nothing you will get some pretty poor outcomes. Again, this is just one small area that has a huge impact.

The next area is memory recall. If you can’t remember data and information very well then unfortunately you are going to struggle to get top marks. Tests and exams become far less daunting when you have honed your memory recall ability – and they are terrifying when you haven’t! You must be able to recall mountains of information in order to be successful because education tests memory as much as it tests knowledge. You would think they would have a subject called “memory” given how much focus there is on your memory recall ability! So again, we can see that a small area (your 20%) is impacting a huge part of your outcomes (your 80%).

Clearly, there are many areas that impact your results in schooling and your results in life for that matter. But by figuring out which areas are having the biggest impact you will be able to quickly change your results. Identify your personal 20% areas that are having a big influence on your outcomes and do something about them today. If you do, your grades will shoot up quickly. If you don’t, you should expect more of the same. Good luck!

HelpMeToStudy.org is the best resource for learning new study skills, changing your studying habits and discovering the best study tips available. We will help you change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: Learn The 80/20 Rule | How To Study Effectively

Study Smart By Understanding The 80/20 Rule



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Studying Tips: 5 Steps To Goal Setting Success

Life without order can be chaotic, and the best way to create order is to set goals. Goal setting can be the key to having success and happiness in your life. Everyone already knows how to set a goal, most people do it every year with News Years Resolutions, however it is sticking to and achieving the goal that can become difficult. In order to attain the goals you set you must know exactly what you want out of it, be passionate about it, and have a solid plan of action. While you may find yourself facing many obstacles along the path to your goal, you can use these 5 tried and true methods to help you achieve the success you want and deserve.

1. Know exactly what your goal is. Your first job is to discover exactly what your goal is. What will achieving that goal really look like? Be as specific as possible about exactly what your desired end result is. Your success will be a measure of your clarity – since an achievable goal plan cannot be created around a vague “dream.”

Do you want to make $10,000 profit in your business this year? Do you want to save up $5,000 each year to buy a new Mercedes? Do you want to pay off your mortgage within the next 3 years? The more specific you are with your goals, the easier it is to target them and make them work for you. Simply dreaming that “one day” you will pay off your mortgage, buy a flashy new Mercedes, or make some profit on your business, will not help you in envisioning and achieving your goals. Sometimes, success for a person may be the feeling of being able to achieve these goals, not necessarily the object itself. That’s perfectly fine – it doesn’t matter what your goals are, as long as you, the goal setter, are mentally clear about what it is you want, because then that’s the only way you can focus and make it work.

2. Be willing to pay the “entry fee”. Success takes dedicated planning and effort. In a way it’s like building a house. In the beginning all you have is a rough concept. Then you develop a complete set of plans – and you immediately move closer to success. The same is true of creating a better lifestyle, or to get better grades. But there’s always an “entry fee” to be paid for success.

If your goal is paying off your mortgage in 3 years, then that means having to forego having dinner out every weekend. If your goal is to top your guitar class, it means spending more time practicing and less time socializing. This is the “full glass” concept – if you have a set routine and a set number of activities in your life which are keeping you busy, then there’s no room for anything more. Make the time for yourself so that you can achieve your goals.

3. Focus on your goal. In order to achieve your goal you must make it a priority to focus on it every day. I am sure you have heard the phrase, “old habits die hard”, and it is said for good reason. Old mental habits are hard to break and without constant and clear mental focus on your goal they can easily overwhelm and take over. If you find yourself about to fall into your old habits, stop and make a clear mental note of what you want, how what you are about to do does not help your goal, make the correct action, and move on. With this daily repetitive action and focus, you will be that much closer to breaking your old habits and making room for the new goals in your life.

It’s understandable that in the daily grind of life, our goals can sometimes take a back seat. But in order to truly achieve a goal, you must make a conscious effort for life to not get in the way! Always prioritize your goals and your success!

4. Be passionate. Studies have shown that passion can be a key tool in your success. This is because intense desire and passion for reaching your goal can easily override the old “failure messages” we are all used to that are stored in our brain. With firm objectives and passion you can overcome these messages and create new ones. What’s more, having passion for your goal will tie into all aspects of your life and success. Your passion will carry you through any obstacles in your way and will help you stay focused every day.

5. Take consistent action. In many ways, actually taking action can be the most difficult step. Successful goal achievement is built by taking one small action after another. So the word of today is action! If you commit to take at least one small action each day, your actions will add up and make a difference. So avoid sitting back waiting for that time when everything will just “magically happen.”

Remember, life is simply what you make of it. You can create the life you desire, provided you know what it is that you want and focus on it with passion. This intense passion and focus can only bear fruit if you take action. Don’t just dream about it, do it!

HelpMeToStudy.org is the best online resource for learning new study skills, changing your studying habits and finding the best study tips available. We will help you change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Achieve Goals | Motivate Me To Study

Studying Tips: 5 Steps To Goal Setting Success



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How To Get Better Grades: Five Tips To Stop Stress

Whether you realize it or not, stress is part of everyday life. And as we become busier and more time poor stress is only likely to rise. But stress isn’t always bad. In fact some stress can be quite helpful. Stress helps to keep us alert and on the go, and is quite often required in order for you to achieve your best.

However, medical research has also determined that prolonged stress is very bad for the body, and can block the body’s natural ability to repair, regenerate and protect itself. It’s interesting to note that over 90% of disease is caused by stress. Stress can be both a physical and psychological response. It can lead to chronic disease, obesity, insomnia, deteriorating relationships, depression, and more.

Stress is such a powerful and harmful force that it is vital that you learn effective stress management techniques. Why? To make sure it doesn’t take control of you of course! Life is short and it’s about time you lived a successful, happy, and healthy life!

We should point out that everyone experiences stress. Your body naturally reacts to situations and things that cause stress (such as being told you have a pop quiz today!) So you don’t need to get stressed about being stressed! It’s a natural reaction after all. What is most important is how to deal with your stress. By learning the most effective ways to tackle stress you can be calm and relaxed in no time. Below are five tips to help you stop stress.

Tip 1 – Identify what makes you stressful and uneasy. Making a list of your stressful experiences is useful. When you immediately deal with the issues that you can change (for instance waking up earlier for work in the morning, not leaving things until the last minute, and delegating tasks when you are taking responsibility for everything) you can deal with them more easily. Forget about the issues that you cannot influence like being stuck in a traffic jam or not getting into the elevator because there is no room for you.

Tip 2 – Step back and chill out. When you feel yourself getting stressed it’s time for a time-out – from yourself! Remove yourself (or excuse yourself) from the situation and take a few minutes to breathe slowly and take yourself back to a calm state of mind. If you are tense find a way to release that tension (stretching or walking around can often be very helpful). The worst thing you can do it stay exactly as you are allow the stress to take full control of you.

Tip 3 – Your stress will disappear sooner or later. It’s important that you keep reminding yourself that stressful events and stressful things eventually go away. The stress will end. So when that happens, will you have continued to push ahead or did you freeze completely and shut down? If you continue to focus on what you need to do even though you feel stressed you will inevitably get more done.

Tip 4 – Get to know yourself. Are there things that are constantly causing you stress? And if so, what are you doing about them? Is there some way you can change your environment to make life easier or less stressful? There is no need to beat your head against the wall. If something is causing you stress on a regular basis then it’s time to start thinking about a way around it (or through it faster!)

Tip 5 – Create a relaxation response. When you feel stress building it’s important to tackle it with a repetitive response. This could be saying specific words (such as “I’m super peaceful right now”), stretching, walking or some other movement, but he most important thing is it brings you relief and you do it every time you feel stress. This will quickly become a habit that occurs in response to stress. So make sure you create a positive habit that helps you feel relaxed and calm.

Stress cannot be prevented because it occurs every day and is a natural response to almost all situations and events. But what you can control is how you respond to stress. So to change how stress impacts you (or to stop it from impacting you at all) all you need to do is change how you respond to it!

If you constantly focus on stress and how it makes you feel you are bound to create more of it. Why? Well, we give energy to those things that we think about. So stop thinking about stress and start thinking about being calm and relaxed at all times.

Ultimately, stress is a choice. You can either continue to react in the same stressful way, or you could choose to improve your life by changing your attitude and becoming relaxed. There’s no other way around it and no better time to start than now. Good luck!

Read the full article here: No More Stress | Motivate Me To Study HelpMeToStudy.org is the number one resource for learning new study skills, changing your study habits and discovering the best study tips available. We will help change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | How To Get Better Grades

How To Get Better Grades: Five Tips To Stop Stress



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Studying Tips – How To Ace Your Test First Time Every Time

How easy would a test or exam be if you already knew the questions? Yes I know it would be even easier if you knew the answers but if you know the questions you should know the answers shouldn’t you?

A really effective way to prepare for your tests and exams is to become a test psychic and start predicting (with great accuracy) what the questions will be! A simple enough idea – but you’re probably thinking it would be pretty hard to execute right? Well, the answer is actually yes and no. Let’s take a look at the strategy of test question prediction.

Part 1 – Zero In on the Right Data

There is no point studying anything that isn’t on the test – but how do you know what will be on the test? Well, it’s all about common sense. What do you think will definitely be on the test? What do you think might be on the test? What do you think probably won’t be on the test? What do you think definitely won’t be on the test? This process of questioning will help you identify that which you need not spend any time worrying about and also that which you should focus on.

Next, simply ask yourself where the questions are going to be coming from. The following is a list of obvious sources for any test or exam:

1. Any chapters or areas of the text that have been looked at extensively during class time will no doubt be on the test. Conversely, anything you covered very quickly during class should be ignored.

2. Any handouts/worksheets/homework assignments that your teacher provides to you that does not form part of the textbook.

3. Any questions that your teacher asks the class to answer or raises in class to be individually answered could be a good indicator of a likely test question. Why would you waste precious class time on subjects the teacher knows aren’t important? The answer is that you wouldn’t – so pay attention.

Part 2 – Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

Making friends with the teacher is one your biggest weapons – if executed correctly. Teachers will always reward those who try hard and give their best effort – and also those who are respectful towards them. It is human nature – and teachers are humans remember! (We think)

1. If you’ve made friends with the teacher then all you have to do is start asking leading questions. “I am really going to focus on this area or that area – what do you think about that?” If the teacher likes you they will help you rather than ignore you.

2. Find out what format the test will be in and allocate your study time based on that. A long answer test means you need to understand the broad details and to be ready to write – a lot. A short answer test means you need to know all the facts, figures and specific details of who, what, where and when.

3. Ask the teacher for previous test or exam papers or source these for yourselves. If you can get hold of previous tests that your actual teacher has given to previous classes before, it may give you many clues as to the probable structure and difficulty of the upcoming tests you will be receiving.

Part 3 – Your Review Habits

1. Create a workbook (or staple a few blank sheets together) that is used solely for noting likely test and exam questions. You will often come across topics and questions in class that will make you think to yourself, “that is definitely going to be on the test” and you need somewhere specific to write it down so you can find it easily later. This way, when you look at the workbook later it will help jog your memory.

2. Skim through your texts and underline or highlight the information you believe is the most important to the subject. Ignore anything you do not believe to be important. By doing this, you will have already chosen and highlighted the most important bits to re-read or re-examine later.

3. Grab a group of the brainiest kids you can find and form a study group. Note: I did not say get together with your friends and gossip for half the day! This is serious! Or is it? Yes, it is. By gathering some smart cookies together you will be able to bounce ideas around and share thoughts. Often other people think of things we never even consider. This means that they are opening our minds and hopefully they are making our notes better than ever! Sharing ideas, notes and study techniques with each other is a super way to become a test psychic.

Predicting what will be on your next test will be incredibly easy if you put these practices into place. Becoming a test psychic is easy once you know what to do. So hop to it!

HelpMeToStudy.org is the leading resource for learning new study skills, changing your study habits and discovering the best study tips available. We will help change the way you think about study – and even better – we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | Studying Tips

Studying Tips – How To Ace Your Test First Time Every Time



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