Making Better Study Habits

Watch Where You Sit. Sitting in the front does have its benefits such as: better view of the board, making eye contact with the professor, and less distractions. Julie Masterine states in a USA Today College article that sitting in the front may not guarantee an "A" grade, it does however, "improve class engagement" and build student-teacher rapport. Active engagement and a positive student-teacher rapport are two ingredients for a better class period. If the front appears intimidating at first, start in the middle of the class and work your way up.

Finding the time. Begin by making a list of your school activities/responsibilities. From the list you created, select which are priorities. Scheduling large projects and assigning deadlines on a calendar will create a simple vision of how your semester will unfold. Plan out your week and find where you can fit in adequate study hours. Note that priorities can change and personal life events will occur therefore, having the ability to be flexible is beneficial.

Select an appropriate place. Allot a specific amount of study time for each class followed by reserving an area free of distractions. Keep in mind finding the ideal place is half the battle. Shutting off the phone, refraining from social media, and closing your email (personal and work) are actions you can take to create the ideal study environment.

Establish proper eating habits. Have you ever wondered why it is difficult to focus after a large lunch? Essentially, the brain and digestive system are competing for adequate blood supply to complete their "tasks." After you've consumed a large quantity of food, the digestive system then works on breaking down the food into the nutrients that your body can use as fuel. The nutrients are then transported by the blood to other parts of the body. Eating small healthy snacks are highly recommended around study times providing sufficient fuel for the body yet not overcoming. For nutrition tips and meal planning see Making Time for Nutrition.

Maintaining a positive attitude. Texas A&M University gives some excellent tips on how to remain motivated. From their article, "Self Help-Basic Study Techniques" they suggest the following:

1. Encourage yourself to study through rational thinking.
2. Recognize your irrational ideas about studying and replace them with more helpful ideas. For example, "There's not time for both study and fun" can be changed to "There's plenty of time for both study and fun when I use my time effectively."
3. Eliminate thinking that results in procrastination. For example, Statement like "I have plenty of time to do my project" often result in putting the project off until the last minute.

Develop a positive attitude toward schoolwork.

1. View school work as helping you achieve your long range goals.
2. Look for points of interest and practical application in each subject.
3. Get to know each of your professors. Knowing your profs will help you become more positive about your courses, and it will make it easier to seek help from them in you need it.

For more study help visit the BYUI Academic Support website: http://www.byui.edu/academic-support-centers/study-skills/study-tips



Resources:
Mastrine, J.. Where you sit in class says a lot about you | USA TODAY College. Untitled Document. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/does-where-you-sit-in-class-say-a-lot-about-you

3 Do's and Don'ts for Healthy Studying in College - US News and World Report. US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and more. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/01/26/3-dos-and-donts-for-healthy-studying-in-college?page=2

Self Help-Basic Study Techniques | Student Counseling Service. Student Counseling Service | Division of Student Affairs. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from http://scs.tamu.edu/?q=node/74

10 Simple Dates In Rexburg

1. Adopt a Dog for a Day
     Visit the Rexburg Animal Shelter located 490 W 4th N and walk
     the dogs. Open Fridays 12pm-1pm, 3pm-6pm

2. Miniature Golf
     Play miniature golf indoors with a children’s plastic golf set
     around campus on the weekend.

3. D.I. and Picture Scavenger Hunt Challenge
     Buy your date an outfit from D.I. and go on a picture scavenger
     hunt. Great for double dates.
     Here are some ideas to start you off:
         - Human pyramid.
         - Arm wrestling competition with another couple.
         - Shaking a man's hand that has a beard.
         - Filling up a person's car with gas and washing their
           windshield.
  
4. Romney Planetarium
     Look for the man in the moon, constellations, and planets. Visit the BYUI website
     http://www.byui.edu/planetarium/calendar for hours and public shows.

5. Dinner Scramble
     Blind fold your date and have them pick 3 food items, from the store or from your cabinet. Make
     dinner from the items chosen.

6. Media Night
     Make a movie together. Find odd props around the house, then come up with a creative plot to act
     out.

7. Designer  Tee Shirts
     Design a t-shirt for each other from a plain shirt and wear it to dinner, an intramural game, or
     movie.

8. Ice Cream Sculptures
     Create sculptures out of ice cream. Use toppings to add character.

9. Italian Dinner
     Make home-made pizzas and bread sticks over candle light.

10. Lost City Laser Tag at The Craze
     Open Fri-Sat 12pm-midnight
     $5 per game

http://www.niftydateideas.com/Pages/Indoor-Date-Ideas.html
http://www.byuidating.com/rexburg-date-ideas-that-are-fun/

Creativity: A Spiritual Process

As a child growing up on Long Island, New York, Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles learned many lessons from his parents. He particularly recalls one experience when his father taught him about establishing the proper atmosphere for creativity.

“Father was a commercial artist for a large advertising agency in New York City,” Elder Hales explains. “On one occasion he was under tremendous stress to produce an advertising campaign. He had come home on a Friday evening and worked most of the night. Saturday morning, after a few hours working in the yard, he retired to his studio to create an advertising campaign for a new product.

“My sister and I found great delight in chasing each other round and round the dining room table, which was situated in a room directly over his head. He had told us to please stop at least twice, but to no avail. This time he came bounding up the steps and collared me. He sat me down and taught a great lesson. He did not yell or strike me even though he was very annoyed.

“He explained the creative process, the spiritual process, if you will, and the need for quiet pondering and getting close to the Spirit for his creativity to function. Because he took time to explain and help me understand, I learned a lesson that has been put to use almost daily in my life.”

Steps for Increasing Creativity

Elder Hales says: “The process of creative thinking reminds me time and again of the work we used to do on my uncle’s ranch. The steps used in growing crops offer a good guideline:

“Prepare the soil. Start with prayer to clear your mind and set the proper atmosphere. Research the problem thoroughly. Develop a positive attitude that a solution can be found. Establish an atmosphere of trust in yourself and in others.

“Plant the seeds. Investigate what you can do to help. Determine where you may need help. Ask for counsel when you are ready to act on the advice given to you, but don’t ask someone else to make the decision for you.

“Let the seeds grow. Don’t uproot your idea before it has a chance to grow. Back off and give the idea time to develop. But you must be willing to face failure with a willingness to try again.

“Examine your crops. Weed out ideas that don’t belong. Through obedience to the Lord, you are entitled to inspiration. Review D&C 9:7–9. Inspiration comes when we ask if we have made a correct decision.

“Harvest. The most productive farmers in the world would be unsuccessful if they didn’t harvest their crops. Do something about your ideas. Take the initiative to share your thoughts with others and to take action on your own.”

Content for this article came from: lds.org

Making Time for Nutrition

How can you eat a nutritious diet with a hectic schedule? Running from place to place doesn’t leave a lot of time to think about eating healthy. We set out to discover innovative ways to eat healthy on a busy schedule.

Stock your house with only healthy foods. When you are busy and have junk food lying around, it is easy to pick up and run out the door while munching. Replace all these foods with fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, cottage cheese and yogurt.  If you do not have access to unhealthy foods, it will be impossible to eat them.
 
Plan ahead. Prepare food ahead of time. Separate food into easy to grab bags. This can help you control your portion sizes as well. Below is a list of examples of healthy snacks that are good for sticking in your bag on the way out the door on a demanding day.

• Almonds
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Peppers
• Sandwiches
• Granola bars
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Applesauce
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Pretzels
• Dried fruit

• Baked chips
• Trail-mix
• Wraps
• Cereal
• Granola
• Low-fat beef jerky
• Oranges
• Pistachios
• Pita chips
• Veggies and dressing
• Popcorn
• Snap peas
• Cranberries
• Oatmeal

Buy frozen fruit and vegetables. In the winter months when fresh fruits and vegetables are not in season, buy them frozen. They last longer and are cheaper than fresh options during those months.

Freeze your leftovers. Another great option for to-go food is frozen meals. Freeze individual portions of leftovers when you make large meals. This often is healthier than store bought or fast food options. If you know there will be a microwave available to you then this is an option for hot meals. Since these meals were originally frozen then they are able to keep themselves cold for some time until you are able to eat them.

Creative and Convenient Meals

Pack a potato. One creative option is to pack a raw potato. Potatoes are easily microwaved but be sure to poke holes in the potato with a fork so steam can be released. Many microwaves have a potato cooking function to simplify this process. Add toppings to make it a flavorful meal.

Add frozen fruit to your yogurt. If you add frozen fruit such as mixed berries to plain yogurt, then the frozen fruit will keep the yogurt cold for a few hours until it can be eaten.

Instant Avocado Dip. Mash a ripe avocado in the peel with a fork and season with lime or lemon juice, and salt. Then you can use it as a dip for raw veggies or crackers.

Make and freeze smoothies in advance. If you stick them in your lunch bag pre-frozen then they can be used as an icepack for the rest of your food. By the time you eat it then it will be unthawed enough to drink it.

Pre-made salads. Salads can be prepared ahead of time as long as you wait to add salad dressing. You can stick a separate container with dressing in your bag and you are good to go.