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How to be calm and not stress - 8 tips not only for students
All students know it, not only high school and university students, but also anyone who wanted a driver's license or had to supplement their education as part of their job. Tests and exams. And with them also an important question - how to be calm and not stress.
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A brilliant guide to learning better and faster
Is there a universal trick to learn something quickly and painlessly? So we don't know yet. We know that our Focus will help you learn by increasing the productivity of your brain. But we also discovered some remarkable learning methods that are surprisingly effective. And of course we can't keep you to ourselves. Read on for what else will help you learn besides smart pills: Visualization Imagination for better memory "Imagination is more important than knowledge. The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” (Albert Einstein) In schools of various types, one of the effective teaching methods is the so-called experiential learning . Students perform an experiment directly in the laboratory and see how particles interact with each other during Brownian motion. Thus, they will understand the basics of diffusion and entropy. But not only that. A complex image is formed in the brain. It includes the present classmates, what they are currently wearing, a strange joke that the teacher cracks at the beginning of the lesson, and the antenna that sticks out of her coat pocket, and no one knows why. The entire image becomes part of the memory, with which information about Brownian motion is written into long-term memory. What you experience and what you see with your own eyes, you understand better and remember it more easily. This proven method can be transformed by imagination when learning at home . When you read about the heroic battles of Prokop Holý on the Lipan field, imagine that you are there with him. It is you, protected by a tin cuirass, who experiences all his thrusts, it is you who find yourself in orbit together with the satellite and see the conical curvature of Earth's space-time. You are currently living in Ghana and harvesting cassava on a sun-drenched plantation, you are preparing a party for your classmates in the garden and you need to calculate whether a table can fit between the chairs... Come up with your own examples in which you can use a specific mathematical formula, a chemical property of a material or other information, imagine yourself in the situations you are learning about. Imagination facilitates the reproduction of memorized content . The described association method uses the advantages of contextual learning, specific information is connected and subsequently better recalled. If your problem is deeper in understanding the issue, YouTube, Netflix and other channels will help you with visualization - find a document that deals with the problem you are having a hard time with. Imagination is better remembered and may get you further on the road to success than honesty. Reflective testing and feedback Try yourself! Take time for reflective testing. For each paragraph you learn, write a question or two as you study. When you are done learning, go through the list of questions and answer them. Just by writing down the questions, you increase your chances of memorizing them. Come back for your "test" tomorrow and again in a week. Test feedback will boost your memory. Discussions with friends and classmates will also serve a similar purpose . Call, write and discuss topics. SRS – split repetition system in the app Not everything needs to be repeated SRS (spaced repetition system) is a memory algorithm based on the so-called phased repetition . It is used with high success when teaching vocabulary and facts that you cannot derive logically. According to the Ebbinghaus curve of forgetting, we supposedly forget 50-80% of information within a few days. If we do not return to them, the brain does not consider them important and sorts them out as waste. But if we repeat them, we will convince the brain that they are more important to us, and it will retain them. How to consciously support this process? This is exactly what the SRS method is designed for. It allows ideas to be efficiently stored from short-term memory to long-term memory by "backing up" at smart time intervals . The moment we barely remember the name or the year, we remember it again. So we actually spread our memory over time. You may know another learning method - flashcards. We write the questions on one side of the cards and the correct answers on the other. We then test ourselves using the cards. The SRS method is something similar, but the testing is done in a smart way. The algorithm returns us a second time only to what we still haven't remembered. And with what we remember, we don't waste time again. SRS thus optimizes learning time . Vocabulary, dates, states, patterns, names... we don't learn them all again. Their list gets shorter with each repetition. In addition, the inventor of the algorithm, Piotr A. Wozniak, ingeniously set the intervals for re-backing up the information, which makes the method even more effective, as confirmed by a number of studies - the long-term retention of learned knowledge improves by up to 200%. Perhaps the best thing about this method is that today you can use it to the fullest thanks to apps with the built-in SuperMemo algorithm . The most popular of these is Anki , available in both Android and iOS versions. Based on your answers, the app predicts what will give you the most trouble, and this forces you to repeat more thoroughly. It is free and the tutorial is also available in Czech . It enjoys considerable popularity among university students – enthusiastic users claim to learn up to 20x faster with it. It is most often used in the teaching of foreign languages. If you want to do without the app, create test cards (flashcards), put away the cards with questions you can't answer yet, and come back to them every 7 and 20 days. "When you can learn something, you can figure out how." (Terry Pratchett) Feynman technique "Now try to explain that to someone!" Do you have a scapegoat at home to test how well you've learned something? The famous physicist Richard Feynman's method is mainly suitable for abstract subjects such as physics or mathematics. If you want to remember examples and specific phenomena in these sciences well, you need to understand them. But the method is not lost in other subjects either. You can easily find out if you have understood the subject well by trying to explain it to someone yourself. Interleaving Defense against brain burnout Do you also find it difficult to learn a topic because it is too monotonous? For example, the Thirty Years' War. It lasted thirty years, but perhaps every day something happened that you, at least according to historians, must know. Interleaving means "interleaving" and it's actually mixing different areas . You don't learn the same thing over and over again, but specific data makes more sense thanks to connections. The so-called contextual interference makes the information easier to remember and you can then use it better. What does interleaving look like in practice? If you have to learn about the Thirty Years' War, for example, look at what you have in the curriculum about America from that time. Learn about what's going on in Europe for a while and America for a while. Put things in context, and from the overall picture, individual information suddenly emerges with greater certainty and is often more interesting. In mathematics, do not focus on one type of problem, but try to use three different procedures that you have mastered during the year to solve a practical problem. Tutoring and collective simulation You don't have to do everything yourself If something really sticks in your head, there's no shame in hiring your own instructor. Everyone does it in the gym, so why not in math? Choose an active personality with whom learning will be fun. Someone who will give you immediate feedback. Learning is easier with your own teacher, and it is also harder to procrastinate with him. If for some reason you don't want to spend hours with another "professor", try to agree with your classmates and from time to time simulate tests or exams with each other. Consult and support yourself. Put together a funny math problem or your own knowledge test together. Learning efficiency is also affected by what you eat, how you sleep or how you clean your house. Discover more tips to make learning easier !
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9 tips for better sleep in hot summer weather
Almost everyone knows it, it's time to go to bed, but it's still well over 20 degrees outside and the temperature inside doesn't differ much. You lie down, roll over, sweat, can't sleep. It is logical, because the ideal temperature for sleep is 18 - 19 °C. We have several tips for you to make sleeping in the summer heat at least a little more pleasant, whether it is how to expel hot air from your home or how to cool your body for better sleep. We divided them into three blocks. Air cooling 1. The most effective and, at the same time, the most expensive way to get rid of the tedious ones. temperatures in the house, is the air conditioning . However, it is often a complex solution. In addition to classic wall-mounted air conditioners, mobile air conditioners are popular, but they also have their pitfalls in the form of warm air extraction and a smaller air-conditioned area. If you decide on air conditioning, be sure to pay attention to its location. The flowing air should not have obstacles and should not be directed directly at you. The difference between the indoor and outdoor temperature should range between 5-6 °C max. 2. Probably the most common way of cooling (even though it doesn't actually cool anything) in our homes is a fan . There are an incredible number of variants available. You can have a ceiling fan, a free-standing fan or just a small one that you put on your bedside table. Their disadvantage is noise. If you are thinking about buying a fan, the most important thing is its performance, i.e. how quickly it can change the air in the room. If you have small children or pets, also focus on safety features. 3. A more pleasant temperature in the room is also induced by an air humidifier , which is a great helper all year round. The correct air humidity in an apartment or house should be between 40-60%. Body cooling 4. Although a cold shower before bed might seem like a solution, avoid it. If you are not an experienced hardener and you suddenly expose your body to the cold, it will start to balance the temperature quickly and you will just feel warmer. Therefore, it is recommended to take a lukewarm shower and drink a glass of lukewarm water before going to bed. A regular drinking regimen throughout the day is ideal . 5. Instead of a shower, you can take a thermos bottle with cold water and ice to bed. Alternatively, apply a bottle or a cold compress to places such as the knees, wrists and neck, which help us cool down. Socks that you soak in cold water can also help, just wring them out well before putting them on. If you need a duvet to fall asleep, do not cover your legs , mainly through them our body cools. Another option is to use a sheet or the duvet cover itself instead of a classic blanket, following the example of our colleagues in the south , which is much weaker and will be less hot under it. 6. A perhaps unconventional tip for some is to put the sheets in the fridge or freezer a few minutes before going to bed (be careful, don't put them there "just like that", but wrapped in plastic). In the summer, you should mainly use the classic cotton, which is breathable, or the bamboo fiber, which is very popular today. Definitely choose natural materials and avoid synthetic ones. The same goes for clothes. It is not recommended to sleep completely naked, but to have at least underwear or a longer T-shirt. 7. Use glycine. This amino acid is a good helper for better sleep in the heat. As is well known, the onset of sleep is accompanied by a decrease in body temperature, and glycine is the substance that slightly lowers the body's core temperature. Three to five grams of glycine 30 minutes before bed is guaranteed to help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. Bonus: The Sleep product will help you sleep even better. These fifteen substances with scientifically proven effects help you fall asleep faster and sleep better, thanks to effects that affect GABA A receptors in the brain. These receptors play one of the main roles in the support and quality of sleep. You can be absolutely sure that you will have quality sleep even in hot weather. What not to do before bed 8. Ventilate. They say that for better sleep you should ventilate your bedroom before going to bed , in times of great heat you should just let warm air in. It is best to ventilate in the morning when the air is even cooler. Alternatively, if you wake up during the night, open the window now that it's a bit cooler. If you have the option, keep the blinds/blinds closed in the bedroom during the day , or blackout curtains . 9. If you are a sports lover, it is recommended to exercise in the morning on warm summer days, because exercise warms up the body. It is not recommended to do sports just before going to bed because of the awakening of the organism.
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What (not) to do 1-6 hours before bed?
Quality sleep is important for our health. During it, the body creates melatonin (the so-called sleep hormone), which controls the hormonal and biological functions of the body. It is an important antioxidant and protects the body from stress . There is also a slowing down of breathing, a decrease in temperature and blood pressure, and thus also a rest of the whole body. The brain also indulges in relaxation, which processes the stimuli it received during the day during sleep. A lack of sleep can thus lead to psychological problems (nervousness, depression, irritability, concentration disorders), but also to a higher risk of various health problems (obesity, diabetes). If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, read the do's and don'ts 1-6 hours before bed. 6 hours before bed At least 6 hours before bed, stop drinking drinks with a high caffeine content , i.e. coffee, black tea and energy drinks. ☕ Attention, caffeine is also found in Coca Cola, cocoa beans (and chocolate) and some food supplements. Thanks to caffeine, the body produces adrenaline , the heart rate increases and we feel excited. This effect usually lasts 15-45 minutes after consumption, but caffeine leaves the bloodstream for 4-6 hours . 3 hours before bed No food, alcoholic beverages and cigarettes 3 hours before bedtime . Many diet tips and articles advise not to eat after 5 p.m. That's bullshit. However, go to bed with a full stomach as well. Most foods take 4 hours or less to digest (poultry, cooked meat, baked goods, vegetables, dairy products, rice, …) and sleeping during the digestion process is a bad idea. There is a risk of difficulty falling asleep and waking up during the night. Foods that take even longer to decompose should ideally be avoided at dinner (smoked fish, cheeses, mushrooms, legumes, fatty meats and sausages). As for alcohol, someone has a habit of having a drink in the evening to fall asleep, or while watching TV. It is partially true that alcohol can help you fall asleep more easily, but it also results in early awakening and a reduction in total sleep time . 🍷 And then we have cigarettes. Nicotine has a stimulating effect on the body , making it difficult to fall asleep, waking up at night and falling asleep. Therefore, ideally, do not smoke at least 3 hours before going to bed. 2 hours before bedtime Exercise, stress and anything else that raises adrenaline is on the " not to do list " 2 hours before sleep. Turn off notifications on your mobile, don't do anything for work and don't even check email. Ideally, avoid all blue light , which is mainly emitted by the monitors of mobile phones, laptops, televisions and other electronic devices. The blue light spectrum contains sunlight, the body then thinks it is daytime and reduces the production of melatonin . We don't want to sleep then. Also avoid greater physical activity or tasks that require more thinking. What can you do instead? Go for a walk with the dog, play music, read a book, do yoga or meditate. 🧘♀ 1 hour before bedtime Set up rituals that you will follow regularly before going to sleep and that will send a signal to your body that you are getting ready for bed. It helps a lot to go to bed at the same time every day . ⏰ Ventilate your bedroom ideally for at least 15 minutes, this will change the air and also lower the temperature in the room (at least most of the year). A suitable temperature for falling asleep is 19-21 °C . Conversely, do not leave the heating on at night, which dries out the air. Brush your teeth, use night creams and don't forget to visit the toilet just before going to bed. It's not nice to have your sleep interrupted after a few hours for a pee "break". Take magnesium . Magnesium Threonate has a calming effect on the brain and nervous system, reduces stress and anxiety . You can also try Mindflow Sleep , which contains not only magnesium, but also a number of other substances that help you fall asleep better, have better and deeper sleep, and support the production of melatonin.
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9 tips to stop procrastination
You know how you're supposed to do SOMETHING and suddenly you see so many other tasks that you endlessly put off that "something"? Up to the very edge of possible postponement. But then the deadline is knocking on the door, so there is no point. For example, you have to write an article about procrastination, and in the meantime you have to rent out the whole apartment, you must play with the cat and, above all, sort the t-shirts in the closet by color. So that's PROCRASTINATION. But there's no need to make a scarecrow out of her, in the following lines we'll look at her "to the teeth" and I'll tell you some tips on how to play with her. A little theory about procrastination The word procrastination comes from Latin (procrastinatus) and came into Czech from the English procrastinate. – The Addiction Clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of the UK describes procrastination as follows: Procrastination ... is the morbid postponement of tasks and decisions, which is accompanied by unpleasant feelings, most often anxiety. ... We talk about procrastination when there is a disproportionately large time delay between the intention or determination to start working on a task (or finish it) and the actual start (or completion) of work. – Lingea online dictionary defines procrastination as procrastination and putting off. ATTENTION! Procrastination is not laziness, although it may appear that way at first glance. A procrastinator does not put his feet up. He will do a lot of work, just not the work he should at the time. Why do we procrastinate? Procrastination has several causes: – we find the task boring or unpleasant – we cannot set priorities and organize work – we fear successful completion because we think it will lead to a flood of more and more tasks - perfectionism - we prefer to avoid the task because we believe that we do not have sufficient abilities and the result might not be according to our (often exaggerated) expectations Tips The basis is to admit that procrastination is also your "diagnosis". It's as simple as slapping. Do you put off important, unpleasant, any tasks until later = when the deadline is burning in your ass? Then you are a procrastinator. Admit it, forgive yourself, and do something about it. Here are some tips on how to catch a tipper. Tip 1: Manage your time Track the time when you work best, are most efficient, and find it easy to complete tasks. Our brains are naturally cyclical with highs and lows. Use it to maximize your performance. Work during the peak, rest during the downturn. Tip 2: Minimize distractions Mute e-mail, social media and phone ringtones. Do not turn on TV and radio with news. Do not listen to the conversations of colleagues in the office or the hum of the fluorescent light in the ceiling. There is only you and your task. My tip: You can support concentration and productivity with 2 Mindflow Focus capsules . Tip 3: Get a kick out of the music Find a song that energizes you and play it when you want to jump on something "put off". The brain loves these triggers and after a while, once it hears the song, it kicks into “focus on the task” mode. My tip: Don't stop me now - Queen, Poppa Joe - Sweet Tip 4: Lists are great for more than just shopping Become a master planner. Don't know where to start? Do there seem to be so many tasks that you end up with decision paralysis and end up doing nothing? Write a list and gradually tick off completed tasks. Just delete the ones you don't really need to do. And write the most important one at the top with a red marker. And get into it. Brown. Tip 5: Do the worst first The knowledge that nothing worse awaits you that day is intoxicating and very motivating. Imagine to yourself what it will be like when you complete that procrastinating task. How do you feel? Great huh? Tip 6: Set a reminder Have you found a time when you are efficient and effective (see Tip 1)? Cool. Set a reminder (e.g. on your phone) at the beginning of this time that it's time not to waste time and work hard. My tip: Write a quote that inspires you as a reminder. For example: "One day is not a day of the week." -- Janet Dailey "The only way to really start is to stop talking and act instead." -- Walt Disney Tip 7: Sugar and whip An old but effective strategy. Did you complete the task on time? Appreciate yourself and reward yourself for it. Cake, good coffee, a new plant for your jungle? Enjoy the good feeling about yourself. Tip 8: Treat yourself to silence every day Most of the day we are surrounded by the "noise" of the digital world. It is overwhelming and stressful for our body and mind. Take at least 15 minutes of silence each day to reconnect with yourself. My tip: Try meditation where you only focus on your breath. Don't push yourself, it's not easy at first and you'll only need 5-7 minutes. Add one every day and above all persevere. Tip 9: The magic of 21 days Procrastination doesn't happen overnight. That's why it also takes time to defeat her. Replace procrastinating behavior patterns with new habits. Here's a recipe for creating a new habit: 1. Read tips 1-8. 2. Start using them. 3. Repeat for at least 21 days. 4. Congratulations, you've created a new habit. 5. Hang in there and enjoy feeling good about yourself.
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5 tips to fight fatigue
Autumn, cold weather, less sunshine. The first coffee within five minutes of waking up, the next within an hour. And regularly add caffeine, so that it somehow lasts until the evening. Do you think it has to go the other way? We agree!
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How to master exam and state papers - 3rd part
In this article we will focus on life balance because studying is not a sprint but a marathon and for the best exam results you need to be rested and mentally fit.
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How to handle exam and state papers - 2nd part
From the first article, you already know how to set up a positive approach to learning. This article is about learning itself, how to study, what works best for memorization and other tips that will help you pass exams and state papers calmly and with a smile.
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How to pass graduation
Graduation, like everything new to us, can be scary and also raise questions about how to learn best and how to manage stress. That's why we bring you tried and tested advice and tips on how to study and how to prepare as best as possible.
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