A Humble Guide for Improved Self Confidence

If you have ever watched one of those reality shows on television, you will notice that most participants are talented at what they do but the judges often compare them based on some X factor. Simon says, “Hmm…Janie is good but she’s missing that X factor.” And, next thing you know…Janie is going home.

Simon says many things. But when Simon says X factor, it’s often confusing to young children and even teenagers as to what that means. It is certainly not mere self-confidence but a package of several traits. It is perhaps hard to define it with a word, which is why everyone keeps calling it the X factor.

Nowadays, with increased competition, even schools and employers have started looking for this X factor. Everyone’s getting similar high grades, similar degrees and similar qualifications. So, the ones with this X factor get picked everywhere.

But, before you go chasing this X factor and develop your personality, you need to check if you have got the foundation right. Irrespective of how tall a building is, it needs strong foundation so that the building can stand for ages to come. In terms of personality development, self-confidence is the foundation. Even for this X factor we talked about, self-confidence is a pre-requisite.

This blog post is to provide a brief guide on how can young students develop sustainable self-confidence without using fancy techniques or tools. It’s a simplistic approach that can help yield long lasting self-confidence that comes from within.

Appreciate your Positives

We often fall into a spiral thinking where we give more attention to things we did not get right. We dwell on our shortcomings and often replay those moments in our minds. This, more than anything else, hurts your self-confidence. Plus, it’s a crooked image of you. While you should acknowledge your faults, do not let them ruminate in your head so often.

Sit down with yourself every now and then to think about all the good things you did recently. It would great if this could become a weekly exercise for you. You can surely make a note of those things to look back when you are having a bad day.

Distance away from Debbie Downers

You know who they are and you know how they make you feel after talking to them. If you often spend time with people who put you down and make you feel low, ask yourself if their proximity to you is going you any good or not. As we understand, often such people are quite close to us and it is heart-breaking to see how they make us feel.

Try gradually spending less time around such people and pursue stronger relationships with people who make you feel your best. It is easier said than done, but this process is very personal and we believe you can decide how you would like to go about this.

Witness the Magic in Spontaneity

The best moments are often unplanned. On a journey to improved self-confidence, the only plan you need is to not stick too hard to the plans. Allow things to happen in the spur of the moment.

Go for a walk that you didn’t schedule.

Watch a movie that you just discovered while scrolling.

Call a friend just like that.

Head out for a coffee (alone or with friends) because you feel like it now.

You get the gist!

To be honest, there are endless roads to your destination i.e., self-confidence. Choose the one that feels right and we hope our advice has been useful to you. We’ll catch up with you with a new post next week. Have a great week!

How to be Organized while Studying - Joy Studies

Guest Post by Joy Studies

Hello everyone! I am Joy and I am known as @Joysstudiess on Instagram! Recently, I started revising for my exams and I realized that the key to successful studying and revising sessions is organization. This is the reason why I decided to write an article about how to stay organized while studying and, as a result, succeed! So, without a further ado, let's start!

First of all, I believe that you all know how important folders are for a student. You can use them in various ways to store documents, practice sheets, tests, handouts etc. But, even when using folders, a student can be messy. The best way to use folders is to name them and use one for every different thing you need to store. For instance, name a folder "Practice Sheets" and use it only to store practice sheets. A better way is color coding. For example, use a red folder for handouts, a green for tests etc. What is more, you can organize your documents based on the subject each one is about and use a different color for each subject.

The color-coding method can be applied to your notebooks as well. An extra tip is to use the same color for both the folder and the notebook and the folder, e.g. pink notebook and pink folder for Chemistry. This will make it easier for you to stay organized and separate your stuff. Moreover, you will save a lot of time while studying, because it will be easier to find the notebook or the folder you need each time. No more lost time in searching, more time for studying!

Have you ever thought of using a desk organizer? At first, I thought of it as something useless, but then one of my classmates gifted me one for my birthday. All I have to say is that it is a life saver, especially if you are so messy that you tend to lose things! By using a desk organizer, all your studying tools are in display and are so easy to store, save and grab when you need them! However, if you share your room and don't want your things to be broken or ruined (the struggle of little siblings is real!) a good solution is to keep your things in a box. Transparent boxes which are already separated on the inside are ideal!

This one is for the stationery hoarders. I find myself guilty of this as well! If you have a lot of stationery items, you know that there are many times when you can't find that specific highlighter you are looking for. A way to solve this problem is to separate your stationery by category. In other words, use a different cup for your pens, another for your pencils, another for your highlighters etc. This will also help you find what you need while studying, without losing any time or focus.

That's a wrap! I hope you guys enjoyed my article and found valuable information! Thanks a lot to Tutor Science for collaborating with me and letting express my ideas and opinions, helping lots of students at the same time.

Love always,

Joy

Time Management: A Student Guide

Students are one of the busiest people in this world. We get you.

We mention about their hectic schedules in many of our articles but it’s a fact that needs to be emphasised often. With the increasing amount of competition for grades, placements and jobs, students from a very young age are being exposed to severe stress.

Everyone has only 24 hours in a day. So, do these young students. Yet, they must tackle homework, extracurriculars, exam prep sessions, tuitions, chores and what not. With their schedule filled up to the brim, they are in serious need of time management skills. While we cannot magically impart this skill onto students such as you, we will try to provide some useful tips and advice tailored for them in this article.

1) Priority-oriented Schedule

Before you even begin doing anything, we highly recommend that you create a to-do list that is is ordered according to priority. DO NOT use your brain to remember the tasks, you will need it for other crucial things. Just use any other medium that you like for the list i.e., on paper or in an app. When you have decided what needs to be done urgently and what can be put on the back burner, you are off to a good start.

2) Not hours, use blocks.

We came across this tip on Jordan Page’s blog and we think it can be very useful not just for moms but also for students. Her advice is to think of a day not in terms of hours but in terms of blocks. Divide your day in couple of blocks and use a particular block only for certain tasks. We recommend that you watch her video on this to see how you could adapt this technique.

3) Breaks are Mandatory

No matter how much you need to accomplish in a day, never skip breaks. Because if you do, your mind then uses procrastination as a form of defence to step away from the tasks. As a result, you are behind schedule anyway and you have to deal with the guilt. So, it’s best to take voluntary short breaks between tasks or blocks (if you choose to use block scheduling). Not only can you return to your tasks with a refreshed mind but also enjoy the break without guilt while it lasts.

4) Timer for Distractions

Yep, we know your phone is screeching “check me, please. You need to see this!!”. You want to see who is texting you, who uploaded a new post on Instagram etc. Its fine, go ahead and use your phone. But….time yourself. Otherwise, before you realise, you have been scrolling for an hour and your tasks are still pending. Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes before you start using your phone and when time runs out, you should (absolutely should) get back to work.

In addition to the above tips, it’s a must that you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Only if you do justice to your body and mind, it can do justice back to you when you need it. Eat right, sleep well and relax from time to time.

Stay tuned for more such posts on productivity tips for students and drop us an email (info@tutor-science.co.uk) if you have any suggestions for us.