What did I learn from "The Portrait of A Super Student" ?

      Well as you people know, I am an avid reader and a 13 year old student so this book which tells us how best to perform in studies, sports and co-curricular activities turned out to be good for me. So I decided to note down what I found worth noting down and also to share that valuable knowledge with you all in one go (I even modified some lines to suit me, so if you feel the same, be sure that you and I have a very similar mindset). So to all the parents and students out there, please comment if you find these tips helpful.

I] Why to Study ? :-

                           If you have a why, the how will come by.

                                                      One dangerous idea is to study for marks. This will put you in  a purely competitive line and you'll judge your progress solely by your marks (not good). One of the reasons is to study for a career, a degree which ensures you have sufficient knowledge to operate your business. In this world, sadly, you are not judged by your qualities but by your achievements. If you are a bright student, (almost) everyone wants to be friends with you. The impression you cast is amazing.

                           According to me, study for knowledge, for the pure worship of knowledge. Education builds up your character and refines your soul. To know the true value of education, ask someone who's illiterate and you'll realise the immense worth of something you have been taking for granted.

II]  Importance of Good Presentation:-

                                It is a true and sad fact that in today's world 'people do judge by looks' and it is the same with our exam papers especially the boards because the examiners cannot afford to spend more than a few minutes on a paper and only god can help us if he/she is in a bad mood. This increases the importance of presenting your paper a neat and clean way. This also creates a favorable impact. Your handwriting needs to be not only legible but also neat. Sentences should be properly constructed.

                    Just like a dress can make you stand out, good presentation is a great way to be outstanding.

III] Rich Breakfast:-

                       Have a breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. According to this line, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The science and logic behind it can be easily obtained by searching it on Google, but what I am saying is your breakfast must be nutritious, healthy and contain atleast one smart food. That being said, there are many people who do not even have a breakfast! It is not at all recommended as the body after sleeping for 7-8 hours needs something ( healthy ) to eat. The best breakfast is the traditional one of idli, dosa and parathas. So make sure you have a nutritious breakfast everyday.
* NO junk foods during exams

IV] Write An Examiner Friendly Paper:-

                                        Did you know that the very board exam you study for an entire year gets corrected in a few minutes and that those minutes decide your future lives ? Of course you knew, I told that to you at the II point. So, we have to make our answers as easy as possible for the examiner to read. One way is to box your answers in Physics and Mathematics for immediate identification. Also don't do silly things like writing answers out of order and start new questions on new pages. As a paper moves smooth, the examiner get's into a positive mood.

V] Belief In Yourself:-

                       You are what you think you are. Ask yourself, what do you think you are ? What are you capable of achieving ? What are your highest limits and greatest potentials?

                         An important trait of winners is that they belief they can win. They create beliefs. Beliefs are made through experiences. When you have a certain experience you form a certain belief. Once a belief is formed, subsequent experiences will be more or less fitting into that mould. These are called references, the stronger they are the stronger your beliefs are.

                           Examine your beliefs and you'll see that there are many incorrect ones you need to replace. The simplest way to break a belief is to question it. Once you make changes you'll get new references. Remember, belief and you can do it!

   VI] Take Initiative:-

                           Realise that you are living your life NOW! This is the time to change. It is the best possible time. If you don't change now, when will you take your first step. Wake up! Grab the initiative. If you don't want to change, even God can't help you. And if you want to, you do not need anybody's help.

                  It's high time you start doing, not just thinking and planning. Go for it, or as Nike puts it, Just do it!

VII] Ambition - The Guiding Force:-

                                       Ultimately if you go on to see, you are studying for a good career. Now if the cause itself is not attractive enough, how will the effort be strong ? 

                                        Reframe your ambition today, aim to be the best. If you want to be a singer, aim to make each of your album a hit. If you want to be a footballer, try to win FIFA's Best Player Award. Aim for the moon, if you miss, you'll land among the stars. All our choices are guided by circumstances, rather than our own decisions, change them.

VIII] Handwriting - A Mirror of Your Personality:-

                                                           The only link between you and your examiner (the one who will decide your destiny) is your answer paper, and they are written in your handwriting. Your handwriting is what a gift wrapper is to a gift- a medium to put your message across. A good handwriting gives a pleasing effect, and gets pleasing marks

                                      

                                         

IX] Goal Setting:-

                     This is a very important point according to me, please FOCUS and READ.

                              A goal is a dream attached with a deadline. If you look at people on the road, you'll see that those who have a definite destination will move faster. Look at how you would like to be around 15 years from now. List down the various goals without any hesitation. The categories of goals would be personal - related to learning and doing, financial earning and owning, contribution- helping and spiritual. Now divide these 15 year goals into 1 and 5 year goals. List the most important ones from them and put them as statements, without negatives and with a date. Now glance at these goals twice a day. Every time you have a choice, do the one which will take you closer to your goal!

X] Chart Your Progress:-

                          Consistency gets results, but how do you know if you are doing things consistently ?

The easiest way is that everyday before sleeping, make a note of how did you spend your day. And every Sunday examine closely the week's activities and make the changes required.

                          After a few weeks you'll be able to make a schedule as to how should your day go and see what are the differences between the schedule made and your actual note.

XI] Importance of Meditation:-

                                  The ultimate challenge is to make your mind calm and the ultimate solution is meditation. The simplest method is to focus on your breathing. You will see that your mind tends to wander a lot, but try to bring it back on breathing. You will see how hard it initially is, but over continuous practice it can be mastered.

                                     Calm mind, better health, focus and concentration are the obvious benefits. Even the 'mood' problem can be taken care of by this. 

XII] Learn from the Best:-

                                 Although you don't need tuitions most of the time, there comes a point when most of us need this support in crucial years (12th,10th). Here you must pick the best in each subject. They may charge high, but quality pays in the long run. Check with past students, check the credentials of the teacher, experience also counts. Most importantly, check his/her attitude, how they solve a problem or explains the concept.

XIII] Cardboard Technique:-

                       This method is very usefull to prevent distractions from studies. Psychologists say that if you delay this urge by even a few seconds, you will have time to regain control. This time can be easily gained by this method. On the object of distraction like a TV, display a board so you can read it before you indulge in it and stay in control.

eg- A board saying 'No TV Till Final Exams Are Over' when placed above a TV will reduce the watching time by atleast half an hour a day.

IVX] Law Of Nature:-

                         What has nature got to do with studies ? Lots, dear student.

          Can you go without sleep for a month and then hibernate for 10 days ? The law is simple, long term effects can't come from short term fixes. This entire post has methods that will help you modify your study strategies, but remember there is absolutely no substitute for hardwork and nor for regularity. As they say, 'Hardwork can beat talent when talent does not work hard' . Study is a slow process that requires daily input. You can't make up for missed time. General study strategies are to be carefree in the starting and panic during exams. This method will give results, but not true knowledge. Learn to think long term, you can't live your life as a crisis

*One method is to punish yourself on the day you don't study. It must not be violent, but has to make you study.

XV] Brain Exercises:-

                          Count from 1 to 99 and back to 1. Then from 2 to 98 and back to 2. Keep increasing the gaps till 9. A1 B2 C3 till Z26. Z1 Y2 X3 till A26. A,C,E till Y and B,D,F till Z. Z,X,V till B and Y,W,U till A. 2,4,8,16....2048,4096 etc.

XVI] Using the Net:-

                           Research every lesson in every subject on the net. There are many sites which give details about how to study effectively. Universities have online libraries too.         

eg: howtostudy.com, 'Educational sites' search on Google, 'Effective Studies' search on Google, 'Counselling Sites' search on Google, 

There is a mistake in the post, done purposely. Read attentively and try to find it out. If found, please comment. Let's see who are the smart folks out there. :-)