Vic.

DRINKS

drink plenty of water - take a bottle to school and refill throughout the day. Keep a jug and a glass on your desk and drink it all!💧

add stuff to your water if you get bored - lemon, cucumber etc

drink green tea, herbal teas, milk for a change. ☕️

Avoid too much coffee + alcohol! 🍷

FOOD

eat proper meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner 🍴

eat enough fruit and veg - add a couple of portions to every meal 🍅

avoid sugary snacks - or only have them with something healthy e.g strawberries dipped in nutella  🍓

healthy snack ideas - nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, bread sticks or carrot sticks with hummus, rice cakes, yogurt, sugar-free cereal, apple or veg crisps, coconut chunks, piece of fruit 🍎🍍🍉

LIFESTYLE

get enough sleep - go to bed earlier, get into a good sleeping pattern before exams start. Avoid all-nighters.  💤

exercise frequently - at least a few times a week if you can, if you don’t have time then do a 5 min workout on youtube, everybody can spare 5 minutes. Take the stairs instead of the lift, walk instead of the bus etc.

get enough rest - take breaks when you need them, do stuff you enjoy, spend time with friends and family, watch your favourite tv, read books other than textbooks. Keep your life balanced and your mind clear.

TIPS

Look after yourself - mind and body.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

Know when enough is enough.

If you’re hungry and want a snack, have a glass of water first. You may just be thirsty.

Health is a greater priority than grades. Remember that.

Avoid buying unhealthy food in the first place, if if’s not in the fridge you can’t eat it. Remove the temptation.

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it. This is the real secret of life – to be completely engaged with what you are doing. And instead of calling it work, realize it as a play. Thereby they said, “Work without love is slavery”. As you to know, it has been a month since I started working for my Internship. Some of my days are stormy but the experience and  the wisdom I gained out from it are well compensated. I learned new things and realized ideas which you can’t get by just roaming around on the hallowed walls of school. In fact, I have lost my motivational factor during the first week but then, I’m happy that I cope up to the smell and ambiance of my new atmosphere. I even came to realized that laziness may look inviting, but only work gives you true satisfaction. And it really was. So here are the few  things I have observed during my first month. 

1.  Coffee and internet is your only best friend. Expect that “chismis time” will no longer exist well when you’re working (Unless relevant to your work or during lunch break). You will feel so sleepy and bored because you have no one to talk to. All you did the whole day is just sit and do paper and computer works. Your muscles will start to contrast and ache, so you need to grab a cup of coffee, check some social media’s update and stand for a while. This will help you to survive an 8-hours-duty. 

2. You’ll probably experience the sweet 80’s and early 90’s vibe. Radio is the only one that creates sound in the office so you can’t get the fact that some old music will play. Anyhow, it’s cute that I could hear some of the songs my grand mom used to play on the stereo before. 

3. Have at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Do it regularly, office work has no vacant and recess. You have to gear up well yourself before going to the battle. This means that you have to give up some of you midnight-thing-activity and wake up early in the morning to prepare. Why? Because if you won’t have one you might get sick and I’m sure it doesn’t sounds good to everyone’s ears. Right? 

4. Time is gold. Workers especially new ones have a strict bio metrics. You have to log in and out on time or earlier than that. Or else you supervisor might give you bad impression. Remember, whatever your issues at home regardless of its importance still, your work doesn’t care about it. 

 5. Be pleasing and diligent. Change your attitude. Start to possess professionalism. As to code of conducts promulgate, clients should be treated well no matter how stressing they are and you have to do everything you can just to address their needs. 

6. Mind your own business. I know this one sounds cliche, but it’s real. In order for your office mate to respect you, do not interrupt with their personal lives. 

7. Skipping meals is not good. Badly reminder. You’re working hard and your exerting effort and strength. Since most of your tasks requires your brain to function a lot, you should be well feed. 

8. Beware, you might gain weight. In addition to #7 DO NOT OVEREAT. You just sit the whole day and your metabolism slows down, so if you keep on eating and buy foods every time someone will comes in to your office, surely, you’ll get big. I know you don’t like to lose your shapes. *high five to that* 

9. Mouthwash is also a need. Studies says, if you will not speak for 2 hours it will cause you a bad breath. It sounds nasty guise so better pack your mouthwash and put it on your bag. 

10. Expectation and reality about your work sucks. There are a lot of factors you will be facing when you comes out in the real world. What our teachers teaches to us are just an overview to a more complex globalized context. Expect some of your office mates are unfair when it comes to number of works to do, some are “sipsip”, some are backstabbers and will pull you down, some are weird, and some are great. Whoever and whatever they are still, you have to be open-minded and flexible in dealing with them. Be friendly always, have the power to touch their lives. Why? They are your family too, no matter how big your indifference are. 

Anyhow, my time going to the real world are only numbered. This Internship opened my eyes to the path I’ll be walking months soon. I didn’t wrote this to demotivate you instead, to cheer you up that you can survive all the sharks that will bite on your career. So the only advice I like to give you, or to anybody who read this, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you’re sitting around trying to dream up a great idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else that you reject  ill push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that’s almost never the case. As to what Donald Trump said, “Get going. Move forward. Aim High. Plan a takeoff. Don’t just sit on the runway and hope someone will come along and push the airplane. It simply won’t happen. Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you’ll love it up here”.

- Take study breaks. At least 10 minutes for every hour of studying. When you’re flustered or over stressed, take a break and do something you enjoy. Additionally, try not to isolate yourself too much!

- Make a study schedule. Plan out which classes you have to study for, when you will study, and for how long.

- Get enough sleep!!! Even if you feel like you haven’t studied enough, you still need to sleep. You can even take naps throughout the day if needed. (I usually take naps in 30,60 or 90 minute intervals)

- Stay hydrated. And I’m not talking about soda or juice! Have a water bottle or big cup of water by your study area if you’re planning on studying for a long time. There are apps that can remind you to drink water!

- Remember to eat! Your body cannot function properly without fuel. It’s always good to eat breakfast (even if you aren’t hungry). Additionally, try not to eat too much junk food while studying. Try some healthy snacks like fruit, granola bars, or nuts. There are apps that can remind you when it’s time to eat!

- Remember to take your medicine! In such stressful times, it’s easy to forget to take your meds. There are apps to remind you to take them!

- Try stress reduction strategies. Different things work for different people. Take time to do things you enjoy, practice self care (like taking a nice bath or shower).

- Remember, it’s ok to ask for help! Teachers will usually make time to help students out. Professors have office hours so students can visit and get the help they need. There is NOTHING wrong with asking questions and needing extra help.

- Don’t forget, finals don’t dictate what you will achieve later in life! In a few years, the things you’re stressing over will be completely irrelevant! Don’t let a bad grade or hard course discourage you! You can do it! You’re wonderful! :)

1. learning is better than knowing. you don’t need to be a genius to do well in school, only dedicated enough to actively pursue your education. 

2. straight A’s =/= intelligence. don’t let your grades define you; test grades can’t capture the passion in your eyes and the resilience in your bones.

3.  friendships change, but sometimes that's a good thing. some relationships are bested by time, and people grow apart. in the absence of others, you may find that you’ve been missing out on what’s been right in front of you the entire time. 

4. rest is important. your health is always more important than school. while stress is inevitable, never be afraid to take a day off, or talk to a trusted adult. Mental health is just as valid as physical health.

Enhance your productivity

A Pomodoro timer: this can simply be a timer, or your phone or you laptop with the Pomodoro app installed. This is going to help you be free of distractions and focus on learning during the 25 minutes study time.

Your study plan: placing your study plan on your desk/wall can act as a visual reminder for you. You may also cross out things that you have studied so that you can visually envisage your progress. It also helps you to plan.

Motivational quotes and pictures: studying can be very stressful, especially with all the deadlines and exams. Keeping a positive mindset is the most important long-term strategy. A great way to instill positivity is by sticking some motivational quotes and pictures on the wall, whether it be a picture of your dream school, or of your family.

Create a comfortable learning environment

Adequate lighting: lighting is essential since it can directly affect your performance. I personally would prefer natural lighting – because it feels more energizing, and that you will have the motivation to complete everything before the evening. Another tip, you may want to place your desk in a way so that the source of light should come from your left hand side if you are right-handed. This way the light won’t be blocked by your writing hand.

Scents: scent can do wonders, and you can alter the scents to suit your needs. For example,

pine, lavender, jasmine can alleviate stress

citrus can make you feel more energized

peppermint, lemon can boost concentration

rosemary can improve memory retention

Snacks: Some people may find it easier to concentrate when they snack while studying. Snacking on brain food, like almonds and nuts, may even boost memory and have a lot of health benefits.

Water: Similarly, water can boost concentration. Try adding lemon to your water, it not only detox body and skin but also boosts energy and mood.

Music: If you are the kind of person who loves studying with music, you may want to get a speaker and play some classical or piano tracks. One thing I love to do is to go on 8tracks and search for study playlists.

Plants: air quality can affect your productivity, too. While some may prefer having an air purifier in your study space, plants are definitely a good and cheaper alternative. Investing in a low-maintenance household plant may be a good choice.

Click here to read the article, which includes some special study techniques utilizing the study space and my DIY planner board!