On my last post, I wrote about how to use a powernap. It can solve your problems, help you handle big problems. But the question which rises is of course: How to powernap. I’ve been testing this a lot (because I like naps) and I think I’ve found the perfect way.How to powernap

• Feeling tired? You are going to consider taking a powernap. Well thought! You will feel more awake, sleepiness is in the past with a powernap!
• Grab a cup of coffee. Before you are going to nap. Drink a cup of coffee. This is not what your mom told (no coffee after 9pm), but you don’t need a long sleep now. Only a short nap. The caffeine will start to work after around 20 minutes, the right amount of sleep you need when you powernap! So when you are asleep, the coffee will start to work and you wake up after 20 minutes.
• Set your alarm 30 minutes ahead. You won’t fall asleep instantly, so you need a little bit of time to sleep.
• Drink the coffee.
• Sleep. The most obvious step. Get into bed, but don’t undress! Keep your clothes on, it will make getting up easier. Close your curtains, turn of the light and get into bed. Get 20 minutes of sleep!
• Wake up. When your alarm goes, get out of bed, open the curtains and walk around. Your hart rate will rise and you will start to get awake. Throw a little bit of water at your face, and be awake.
• Enjoy. Congratulations, you powernapped! You should feel more alive/awake now! Try to get productive right away.

I love taking powernaps when you are heading towards a problem. And I think powernapping should be something bosses advocate. Let me know what you think of it!This is a post by Stefan Knapen from StudySuccessful.com, a blog about how to study. Stefan is a med school student from the Netherlands who likes to experiment with study tactics and with everything what comes with studying!

I’ve just finished packing for university and for the first time in 6 years, my things are all in boxes. I moved around a lot as a kid, but for the first time ever, I’ll be moving alone.  I’m off to the University of Waterloo to major in Honours Environment and Business. (Told ya’ I’d make it in!) I’d be lying to you if I said I was particularly sad about that- I was hardly happy with my childhood home life. But I do feel an odd nostalgia about leaving behind the town and friends and teachers that I’ve come to know and love. I’ve never lived anywhere for as long as I lived in Burlington and now that I’m about to leave I can finally see why it’s considered one of the best cities in Canada to raise a family. Granted, the suburbia-ness of it all made me want to rip my hair out at times, and I kept hoping to see a Stepford wife pop open her chest to re-oil her robotic innards…but I seem to have made it out OK and I will actually miss this place.

So, I sat down the other day and came up with a list of things I need to do before move-in day. And I’m sharing it with ya’ll because I know for a fact that I’m not the only one who is currently feeling slightly bummed about suddenly having to be a grown up when being a kid was kinda-sorta-really-awesome. This isn’t actually my personal list that currently in my purse. I added a few experiences and generalized people’s high school experiences a bit. And it’s also based on the assumption that you didn’t hate every single second of high school. You should of course edit this list as you see fit, but the spirit of things is to tie up loose ends to allow yourself a fresh start.

1. Go back to the place you had your first  real, proper kiss that made you “get” what those romance movies talk about. Chill there for a bit. Review the event, moment-by-moment, savouring the crazy mix of touch, sight, sound, taste and smell. Remember the butterflies in your stomach and the pounding of your heart and the way your mind kept flipping back and forth between “OMG!” and “Am I doing this right?” and how afterwards you felt “that-much” older, slightly sexier and oh-so ready for more. Savour the memory.
2. Go back to your elementary school. Marvel at how, no, the buildings didn’t get smaller, you just got taller. Say hi to your old teachers, and say goodbye to the swing-sets and baseball diamonds. While there, go back to the spot where your first scrapped your knee, then move on to the plot of grass where someone first stood up for you and you then became instant friends. Walk down the hallway where you first saw your grade 3 crush and how cute their smile was the first time you got up the nerve to say hi. Go back to the cafeteria and remember how you used to trade Twinkies for Jo Louis’ with your best friend. Go back to the bathroom where you ran to cry when you found out the horrible news, and then out to the field where you learned to play four square, then go back to the spot where James told Claire to tell Morgan to tell Josh to tell Casey to tell you that Adam thinks you’re really great.
3.  Go back to your old high school and tell your teachers thank you. Then go to all the lockers you had over the course of the 4 years and leave a good luck note in each of them for whomever gets them next. Go back to the classroom where you had your first high school class, and the one where you had your last. Sit in your desk in each one for a few moments and appreciate how much you learned within those walls and during the time that lapsed between them. Go out to the spot where you parked your car the first time you drove it to school, and then go over to the spot where you accidentally backed into the teacher’s car. Run around the field one more time, then go stand in the gym where the school dances where held, and where you learned how to both slow dance, and grind your hips into those of the opposite sex as your first, fully clothed foray into teen seks.
4. (If possible) go back to where you had your first serious make out session and/or dropped your v-card. Relive those moments…if they were pleasant. If not, move on.
5. Log onto Facebook and tell your childhood crushes that you had crushes on them. Then let the feelings lay there, and be glad with the knowledge that your heart is now empty and ready for The Next Great Love Interest in your life story.
6. Sit in front of the teevee and drink hot chocolate while watching re-runs of Arthur, Dragon Tales, Power Rangers, Sesame Street and all the other shows you used to watch as a kid. Marvel at how Muffy on Arthur now has a cell phone and how Sesame Street is still totally awesome and how it still sucks that Reading Rainbow is over. (But don’t take my word for it!) And finally, thank the Higher Powers that you have YouTube now, so you don’t ever have to go without Mr. Rogers and the puppet people again. Brought to you by the letter A. For Awesome!
7. Get on a bus in the morning and spend the day riding around town, appreciating the physical world that has surrounded you all these years. Notice the signpost that told you that home was right around the corner after a long night out. Notice the trail you jogged along every evening. Notice the coffee shop where you had your first date, and appreciate how it’s still privately owned and terribly delicious. Get off and walk into the book store where you’d go with your friends to pass the time till your parents came to pick you up from the mall. Salute the City Hall for making things work. Toss some bread at a pigeon in the park. Kiss the tree that shaded you while you read all those novels over all those summers.
8. Go back to where you had your first menial minimum wage job. If possible, toss some change into the tip jar of the brave soul who now does what you did.
9.  Watch the sunset one more time.
10. Wake up early and watch the sun rise one last time.

Let’s not sully the wonder of the new by getting all sad about the old. But it is still important to at least appreciate where you’ve been, even if you don’t necessarily like it. For better or for worse, it’s the past that got you to where you are today, and it’s where you are today that’ll get you to where you want to be tomorrow. And with that, I leave you with Emily Dickinson, and hope that you will take home in your heart wherever you go:

Where thou art, that is home.

Image source

In the spirit of the conversation here for the last few weeks (and given the fact that the summer is almost over) I thought it would be timely to post a few more ideas about how to spend your time in between semesters. Granted, my perspective is probably a little bit different – but this is a good thing. Like all of you, school isn’t the only thing I do; I also work full time, and I’m a husband and father. That being said, my academic life is very important to me – that’s why I’ve started writing here. I’m spending my summer preparing for my first semester of graduate studies. I’ve essentially broken this prep-work down into four categories that are useful no matter what your circumstances: administrative, financial, physical, and mental.

• Administrative Preparation:
  By administrative preparation, I’m referring mostly to paperwork: immunization records, registration records, transcripts, resume updates, etc. These are all things that my new school will require and since schoolwork isn’t occupying most of my spare time the summer is a great time to pull all these things together. For me this is mostly a matter of locating everything and making sure it is up to date and checking with my school to make sure all the required paperwork is submitted. Taking care of things like this now can prevent a lot of headaches when the semester starts and will allow you to keep your focus where it belongs – on your work.
• Financial Preparation:
  Taking a little time away from the beach, road trips, or whatever other plans you may have to make sure all of your financial aid paperwork is in order is sure to save you lots of hassle once things pick up and tuition bills are due. This is also a good time to review your finances overall and make the big decisions that will dictate your school year (will I have to work? How much do I have saved? Etc.). I’ve pulled a free copy of my credit report from each of the credit reporting agencies (start at annualcreditreport.com) and am in the process of reviewing these for inaccuracies and reporting any discrepancies. The summer is also a great time to earn money and/or valuable work experience. Work to save spending money, or even look for volunteer opportunities in an industry that you’re interested in. Either way, future employers will see this in a positive light as it shows that you have initiative and are responsible.
• Physical Preparation:
  Moonlighting as a student isn’t always the easiest thing. Sometimes after a full day of work the very last thing I want to do is sit in class for several hours and cap off the evening with a drive home and some reading… but I don’t really have much choice. My circumstances require this so I deal with it. One way to make the burden a bit easier to shoulder is to maintain my health. The stress from school and other commitments, the long hours, the mental work involved – these are all easier to handle when your body is equipped. I’m using the summer to refine a fitness routine so by the time the semester starts I’ll be in tip-top shape.
• Mental Preparation:
  Finally, I am preparing myself mentally for an enhanced workload and dramatic change in lifestyle. There are lots of ways to do this; I’m focusing mostly on organization. Most of you are probably familiar with GTD, I’m spending the summer re-reading the book and fine-tuning my organization system (things to explore in future posts). I’m also getting in some leisure reading (something I rarely have the time for when class is in session) and generally relaxing in order to rest up for what’s ahead. It’s just as important to keep your brain fit as it is to keep your body fit. This will keep you from getting burned out but allow you to stay sharp and focused once classes start up again. By honing my organization and workflow system I’m gaining not only time and efficiency, but the confidence that comes along with being prepared. Doing this now ensures that I’ll have a good system in place when the semester starts and it will only be a matter of enveloping some new responsibilities to make sure that it serves me well.

So, a quick recap: spend some time this summer relaxing, but don’t let the time slip idly by. Make sure you’re ready for the school year, focus on your goals, and do what you can to move them forward. Advance preparation will save lots of time and trouble down the road.

Recently, I returned from a trip overseas to Russia, where I took only a carry-on bag. As such, I bought four of those little 3-oz. travel size bottles for my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion. When I returned home, I decided to just use up what was in those bottles before going back to using the products from the original bottles.

Lo and behold, I discovered that I use significantly less of each product when I use it from the smaller bottle!

My theory is that it is some kind of rationing technique that my brain developed; it sees that I only have a small bottle of the product so I feel compelled to use less of it than if I were pouring it out from the big bottle. It still performs just as well with less, so that isn’t an issue at all.

So if you’re looking to save a little bit of money and use less resources, try moving your things (beauty products, toiletries, even try some foodstuff!) to smaller containers. You might also trick your brain into using less! Also, the smaller containers take up significantly less room in the shower!

When planning revision, it’s a good idea to plan things out in advance. A tip for you all is try and make a list of what you need to get done in preparation for each exam paper, that is specific actions that will help improve your grade.

When you come to planning what you are doing for the week (a habit I will talk more about at a later date), I certainly find it far easier to plan everything out on paper. Once you have done this first step, that is a large amount of the preparation out of the way; it is now simply a process of slotting the actions into your schedule. I find it best to work on paper - the source for my calendar templates? I print weekly schedule calendars off the following site:

 http://www.printablecalendar.ca/

There is a whole range of different calendar templates available for use, and can be a great help for planning. The half hour blocks weekly calendar is the one I use. It lets you look ahead long enough to plan properly but with short enough times you can schedule effectively.

Try making (and sticking to) a plan and see if you work more effectively.

Around here, March is one of the craziest months of the year weather-wise. This week alone, our temperatures have ranged between 20 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit! That’s quite a spread. However, it seems several of my peers do not check the weather before heading out, and wind up either wearing an overcoat and winter boots when it’s 70 degrees out or a t-shirt and shorts when the temperature plummeted from 70 to 30 over night.

My advice to you is to always check the weather before leaving your room. This way you will be prepared by dressing appropriately and having the right weather-related gear (such as an umbrella) - even if it’s just in case!

There are several ways to constantly have weather updates. Personally, I use Weather Underground and follow a couple of local news stations on Twitter. If you have a television, there is always the Weather Station (around here, it’s Channel 99). Another good weather website is Weather.com.

No matter how you receive your weather information, be sure to stay up to date to always be prepared!

Image via WikipediaI’m nearing the end of the first semester of my last year of high school, and the other day I had an existential crisis, which is just business as usual for me. That particular nonsense is over now, but it did give me an opportunity to look back on the past few months, and reflect on what I’ve learned. The big secret key to high school success still stands. You must balance your life to be truly happy. Work some, play some. Study some, watch cartoons some. But there’s a little more to add to the list of overall “Things to keep in mind to retain your sanity.” In fact, I have 10 more things to add to the list! This is everything I wish someone had sat me down to tell me way back in September, exactly how I wish they would have told me. This isn’t another how to guide. It’s a literary pick-me-up.

Know thyself.  This is the “big picture” stuff- all the questions you never stop answering. But it will help you one thousand-fold if you at least have a vague idea. What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want out of your life? Why do you want it? What is your definition of happiness? What is your definition of success? What are your values and principles? What do you refuse to compromise on? (Your integrity, hopefully!) In fact, knowing what you don’t want can actually be just as helpful as knowing what you do want, because it can help you figure out what to avoid. And if you avoid all the “icky” stuff, you can often land right in the good stuff! Is knowing thyself easy? Most certainly not. But the fun part of life is figuring it out!

Your accomplishments mean nothing if you’re too sleep deprived to enjoy them. This goes back to the Big Secret Key. Balance my friends, balance. If you’re really, truly honest with yourself, are you a) only taking on as much as you can handle and b) using your time wisely? No? Well then that’s a chance to improve! The amount of information out on the Internet on how to improve your personal productivity is exhaustive. But they all basically say the same 3 things. 1) Slow down. 2) Relax. 3) Only do what’s essential, ie focus. Am I simplifying it by huge amounts? Yes. But that’s because I’m only saying the essential!

Get involved. To a certain point. You are much more useful to others, and at peace with yourself if you are really good at one thing, rather than sort of okay/mediocre at fifty things. Quality over quantity.

Volunteer outside of school. Why? Because volunteering is good for your health, and it’s important to give back. I don’t really need to explain the importance of community service, do I? It’s just good citizenship! Giving back is a way to renew yourself, or “Sharpen the saw” as Stephen Covey would say.

Know your priorities. This is a lot like know thyself, but a little more focused. What is most important to you? Figure that out, and drop the unimportant stuff. Life’s too short to waste it on nonsense that means nothing to you. Yes, you will disappoint some people, but you know what? At the end of the day, it’s your life we’re talking about here. You know-the one you only get one of? If you don’t enjoy it because you were so busy worrying about others that you forgot about yourself, what good have you really done? The alternative to prioritizing and focusing on your goals (and possibly disappointing a few people) is not prioritizing, failing, and then disappointing everyone. There is a serious opportunity cost in trying to do it all. And that opportunity cost is your happiness.

Keep your room clean. As above, so below. Your surroundings are a reflection of what’s going on inside your head. It’s much less stressful to walk into a clean, tidy and well organized room than it is to walk into a dirty, smelly room. This is especially important if your bedroom is your primary place of study. An organized study space is crucial if you want to maximize your ability to focus on your work. Vacuum. Swifer. Dust. Open a window and get a little air circulating. In fact, just making your bed in the morning is often enough to be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Your worries are not unique. Don’t feel so alone. Everyone else is just as confused as you are. Everyone else is worrying about whether or not they’ve made the right decisions as well. Everyone else is worrying about whether or not they’re good enough too. Everyone else is trying to know themselves, sort out their priorities, and find time to clean their rooms. You are not alone. You are unique, but your worries are not. Everyone else is going through life as well, it’s just that some people are better at hiding the worry lines better than others. Take a deep breath. We’re all in this together. Go hug someone.

 Don’t forget to smile. I don’t know if I’ve said this enough already, but enjoy yourself. Smile dammit. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, do it anyway. Fake your joy till you make it. Smile at the sky, your friends, your professors, your teachers, the lady who handed you your coffee at Starbucks this morning. But most of all, smile at yourself. You’re okay. You are enough. You have enough. You’re good enough…

You’re going to be OK. I promise.

So, I really hope this at least brightened someone’s day. This advice wasn’t meant to be as practical as it was meant to be calming, and hopefully inspiring. But tell me now, what do you wish someone had told you before you embarked upon life?

As students, we’re constantly brainstorming. Paper topics. Key terms. Cool costumes for parties. You know what I mean.

For me, my first idea is rarely my best one. I come up with something atrociously awful, and have to just hope someone tells me it’s a terrible idea. Eventually, after tons of failures, I often happen upon something better.

Even still, I don’t always come up with the best idea. I find that I frequently get about a B+ idea, and then settle with that. It would take too much effort to get the best one. The best idea might be out there, but I sometimes need an extra push to find it.

One great extra push is what some people call “a List of 100“.

A List of 100 is exactly what it sounds like- a list of 100 ideas for a particular topic. No more, no less. You can’t stop until you hit 100 items on the list.

The point of such a high number is to force out ideas. I tend to write about 20, then hit a road block. Push through that, and keep writing. Ideas might be terrible, but that’s okay. Just keep writing ideas down, keep your brain flowing, and ideas will continue to come out.

Don’t stop until you hit 100. Odds are, somewhere between about 85-100, you’re going to hit on a goldmine. Often, just getting through that initial stage of awful ideas is all you need to start reeling off good ideas.

To pull this off, there are a couple of criteria: Write everything down, no matter how terrible. You can’t stop until you hit 100.

You also have to make the list in one sitting, either alone or in a group. There are no bad ideas. Don’t pass judgment on any idea until you hit 100.

I do this a lot for paper topics, blog posts, headlines for newspaper articles, etc. I find it to be a really useful tool for me, to get the best ideas onto paper, out from the doldrums of my brain where they’re hidden behind random quotes from The Office, sports statistics and knowledge of past iPhone models.

Next time you need an idea, regardless of what it’s for, try coming up with 100. I’ll bet one of those is the perfect one.

How do you brainstorm? Do you have any particular ways you coax good ideas out of yourself? Share them with us in the comments.