The Study Samurai Podcast: Recent Episodes

Rocky Biasi

5 Keys To Personal Best Academic Performance

When it comes to learning you get either how to learn or wellbeing and mindset topics to get you in the best state to learn and perform at your best. The Study Samurai Library is a unique blend of both areas. Dr Prue Salter is a world class Study Skills expert and Rocky Biasi who specialises in Mindset and Wellbeing bring you tips from the Study Samurai Library of resources.

TIME MANAGEMENT: The ONE Thing

“Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus”.

The truth is that things don’t matter equally and success is found in doing what matters most. Sometimes it’s the first thing you do. Sometimes it’s the only thing you do. Regardless, doing the most important thing is always the most important thing.

Go Small: Don’t focus on being busy, rather focus on being productive. Allow what matters most to drive our day.
Go Extreme: Once you’ve figured out what actually matters, keep asking what matters most until there is only one thing left. That core activity goes to the top of your success list.

The Focusing Question

Is a double duty question. It comes in two forms: big picture and small focus. One thing is about finding the right direction in life and the other is about finding the right action.

The Big Picture Question: “What’s my ONE thing?” Use it to develop a vision for your life and the direction of your career or final year; it’s your strategic compass.

The Small - Focus Question: “What’s my ONE thing right now?” Use this when you first wake up and throughout the day. It keeps you focused on your most important work.

PREPARING FOR SENIOR STUDIES

As many senior students prepare to leave school at the end of this year and embark on further education or a new career, a whole batch of students are preparing to join the ranks of the senior students next year.

As students approach the senior years, they are expected to start taking more responsibility for their own learning. For many students part of this is a realisation that they need to do their schoolwork for their own sake, to keep options open for their own future – so they start to work for themselves, not just because their teacher or parent says they have to. Other students come to realize that in order to cope with the increased workload in the senior years, they need to work more efficiently at home and in the classroom, small changes like changing who students sit next to can make a big difference to how much work is completed in class.

So for students who are commencing their senior studies next year, the final term this year is important in taking stock of your approach to school and your studies. Do you work well in the classroom? Who do you sit next to? What are your listening and research skills like? Do you have systems in place to manage your homework and assignments? Do you know how to study effectively and have you tried different study techniques?

It seems many students think they will wake up Day 1 of their senior studies and suddenly have become a ‘super student’ overnight. This does not happen! Habits take at least a month to change – sometimes longer if they are deeply ingrained.

So for those students commencing their senior studies next year, use the last weeks of school this year to:

Reflect on how you approach your studies. What do you do well, and what do you need to work on changing? Perhaps choose the top 5 areas to work on and write these on a card and place it somewhere at home where you will see it regularly and be reminded.
Watch as many of the videos as you can on www.studysamurai.com. This site can help you work out where your areas of weakness are and teach you new skills to try in these areas. In particular, click on the Study Skills Handbook link and do the unit ‘Becoming a Senior Student’. There is a great quiz in this unit that helps you see how ready you are for senior studies This is also a great way to work out where your areas of weakness lie.

You can learn more and find grids and planners to help you at www.studysamurai.com

Strategies For A Growth Mindset

Having Growth Mindset means you believe you can improve not only because you look for help but also due to your effort and practice.

A growth mindset helps you:

Focus on learning rather than worry about results.
Value the importance of effort rather than believing in “natural intelligence”.
Work harder after experiencing setbacks rather than giving up.

3 Growth Mindset Strategies:

Self–Talk: Use the word YET when you catch yourself saying, “ I can’t do it…yet!” Surround yourself with other people who have more growth mindset beliefs
Feedback: Seek feedback and welcome set-backs and mistakes as information about how to improve.
Results: Focus on the process (the actions you need to take) rather than the result. In other words, focus on what you need to do to improve rather than what grade you achieved.

You can learn more about this at www.studysamurai.com

For many students, a block of examinations can be daunting. Some students have no idea where to start and what they should work on.

The first thing to do with examinations approaching is to find out what topics will be tested. Even a simple question to teachers can get you started such as ‘are we being tested on the whole year’s work or just this semester?’. Once you know what topics will be covered, organize all of your learning materials and make sure nothing is missing and you have everything you need to review those topics.

The next step is to make study notes on these topics if you haven’t been doing this throughout the year (hopefully you have!). You can visit the SUMMARISING unit to learn more about making effective study notes.

Next it is time to start learning the notes (testing yourself on them over and over) and doing practice questions to make sure you can apply your knowledge to different types of questions. The ACTIVE STUDYING unit will give you lotsof ideas on different study techniques to help you achieve your personal academic best.

If you have a number of weeks prior to the examinations, it is a good idea to make a plan in your diary or phone or on a whiteboard of what subjects you will study when. Try and allocate each subject once or twice each week, depending on the number of examinations you have. The PREPARING FOR EXAM BLOCKS unit explains in more detail how you put together a study plan for exams.

You can learn more and find grids and planners to help you at www.studysamurai.com

The ABC of Negative Thinking

We all have negative thoughts – I call them stories.

Rather than the imagined “stories” in your mind, come to see reality as it is.

When you do, your thinking becomes more realistic. Your language becomes more precise and you replace should and must words with could or when.

The table below illustrates how to use the ABC of Thinking to challenge and change negative thoughts.

You can learn more about this at www.studysamurai.com

Students sometimes ask ‘what is the best way to study?’. The answer, there is no best way.

An important lesson for students to learn is that everyone learns in different ways, everyone has different approaches and preferences, and what works well for one person may not work well for another. This truth applies to all aspects of effective learning – time management, research skills, writing skills and so on. There are certainly good techniques and strategies available in all of these areas, and also approaches that work well for the majority of students. However it is essential that all students try different techniques to see what works best for them.

Preferences could also change over time, so it makes sense to at least once a year stop and reflect on approaches to schoolwork. What did you do, what worked, what didn’t, what should you change, what should you keep, and what new things could you try. This is what ‘metacognition’ is all about. It means taking the time to try and understand more about the process of learning and your role as a learner. Students who take a metacognitive approach to their learning are much more likely to improve their results. How can you find out different study techniques to try? Talk to the people around you – friends, siblings, parents – ask them what techniques they have used. Also ask your teachers what they would recommend for their subject.

You can also visit the unit on the Study Skills Handbook that covers how to study for tests and exams. Just remember – there is a worst way to study – just reading your notes over and over and hoping the information stays in your head!

You can learn more and find lots of new study techniques to try at www.studysamurai.com

3 Steps To Senior School Success

Having a vision and purpose about what you want to experience and achieve will give you direction and energy to make it happen.

Step 1 – Where are you?

Assess where you are at in the Senior School Journey. Do you “get it” and feel you understand what’s required of you? Check in with yourself. Rate your attitude and work ethic and contribution to the life of the school. Is it where it needs to be or does it need to change?

Step 2 – Where do you want to go?

Create a compelling vision for your final years. Taking the time to write and plan your goals creates a vision of where you want to go. Have a big enough “WHY” to motivate you – have BIG reasons to drive you forward to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals.

Step 3 – What’s holding you back?

You have your vision (step 2). Is there anything holding you back? It’s time to break through any barriers preventing you from achieving your vision! If you are not improving right now it’s bound to be your negative associations (thoughts, feelings, actions) towards one or all of the following that is holding you back:

1) Having the success / Being Successful

2) The process involved in becoming successful; and/or

3) Your own (perceived lack of) ability or deservedness to achieving it.

Release and let go negative associations to improving or achieving your personal best.

You can learn more about this at www.studysamurai.com

Some students are naturally able to find a good balance between all the facets of their life: schoolwork, sports, activities, friends, family, technology and all of the other aspects of life that keep us busy from when we wake to when we sleep.

Other students struggle to fit their schoolwork in during the evenings and weekend. Some students come home after school and just sort of ‘wait’ until they feel like working. And what happens is that they never feel like it so they just don’t get started!

Some students start work not long after they get home, but they drag their work out over the whole night doing work in front of the TV, or the computer or their phone. It takes them the whole night, but they hardly get any work done and they don’t feel like they have had a break at all.

A much more effective way to approach home study each evening is to keep your school work and your personal life separate. Don’t do your work in front of the TV, don’t do it while on social network sites or while using messenger apps, instead work in 20-30 minute blocks of time and during this time make the conscious choice to actually remove or turn off things that are going to distract you. As it is only for a short block of time, it is bearable. Train yourself to have breaks from your distractions for

the blocks of time when you do schoolwork.

By doing this you will learn to really focus and concentrate on what you are doing for a block of time. You will be amazed at how much work you get done and how productive you are during this time. Then at the end of that half hour period you have a proper break and really enjoy your free time.

You can find special software for blocking distractions on computers and phones at www.studysamurai.com

MINDSET: The Power of Failure

To Learn, Problem Solve and Achieve Excellence

All too often in our schools the fear of failure paralyses performance. Worse than that, far too many students see “failure” in a result as a reflection of themselves.

It usually sounds like this, “I’m not smart enough”.

When you believe you’re a failure from of a result or feedback you received or from a setback, you seek to avoid that experience again.

As a result the opportunity to learn and grow from your experience becomes limited. Rather than internalising “failure” use it to grow and learn.

How to use “Failure” to grow and learn:

Redefine Failure – Change the meaning you give to a setback or “failure”. Is it really a failure or learning experience? If you learn and grow from the experience it’s not a failure but more a learning experience.
Embrace mistakes and imperfections – Rather than avoid mistakes and imperfections – embrace them because you grow and become better.
Learn from mistakes – If you receive feedback around your writing (to add depth and sophistication) as an example, be sure to learn and practice what that involves. Making the same mistake is not learning from it!
Apply your new learning for greater accomplishments, to solve problems and break through with new thinking and innovation.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

Sometimes students think that ‘study skills‘ is just something you need to be concerned with when

you are at school. This is not the case at all. For example, most jobs will require learning and training,

certification and assessment. Planning, managing workload and good time management skills will

also be essential when students leave school.

One of the many ways our school supports the development of independent learning skills is through

providing access to the online study skills and well-being site: www.studysamurai.com. It is a good

idea for students to choose different units to work on over time (maybe try a new unit each fortnight?)

so they can develop their understanding of these important skills and reflect on the areas they need to

work on. This specialist resource complements the skill development that takes place in our

classrooms.

The study skills tip for this month is taken from the unit that looks at the reflection process after a test

is returned to students. One of the concepts outlined in this unit is that of ‘kaizen’. The word Kaizen

itself is derived from two different Japanese words, ‘kai’ and ‘zen’. KAI, meaning: to change or modify;

and ZEN, meaning: to improve. Small constant changes can make a huge difference to students’

results. Only by reflecting on the way they learn and making changes can students improve the way

they approach their work for school. The Study Samurai Library is a great tool to assist in this

process.

MINDSET: Focus

Recent studies reveal:

 People who focus, have self – control and delay gratification have better quality lives regardless of

social or economic backgrounds.

 The ability to focus helps you learn faster.

 Being able to switch your focus on and off when needed makes you happier.

Distraction and how to refocus

1. Distraction

There are two main varieties of distractions – sensory and emotional.

Sensory distraction is just that, background noise, sounds, shapes, colours, tastes, smells, etc. The

brain has become good at being able to tune out these types of sensory distractions.

Emotional distraction is harder to tune out from. This can be any type of stress, upset, relationship issues

etc. Those who focus best are relatively immune to emotional turbulence, more able to stay unflappable in

a crisis and to keep on an even keel despite life’s emotional waves.

2. Five ways to help you refocus

Admit you are off task.
Remind yourself of the original task and why it’s important.
Eliminate distractions.
Refocus by choosing a starting point. E.g. a marker of where you are reading.
Pay attention to small details to narrow your focus to the task at hand.

Overload and switching off

Tightly focused attention gets fatigued – much like an overworked muscle – when we push to the point of

mental exhaustion. The signs of mental fatigue, such as a drop in effectiveness and the rise of

distractedness and irritability, signify that the mental effort needed to sustain focus has depleted the

glucose that feeds neural energy.

To restore our mental energy we need to switch from effortful attention, where the mind needs to

suppress distractions, to letting go and allowing our attention to be captured by whatever presents itself.

Disengagement is the first step. Fully focusing on something relaxing where we use the sensory systems

(walking in the park, playing and having fun, nothing that requires effortful focus). I call this “changing

channels”.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

Do you ever find yourself procrastinating?

You mean to start work on an assignment, but you just keep putting it off until it ends up being a mad rush the night before it is due. The Overcoming Procrastination topic looks at the reasons why students procrastinate and what techniques they can try to overcome this common problem.

Setting work targets with rewards at the end of each completed step is a well-known strategy, but an example of a less commonly known technique is the ‘two-fer’ concept. For this technique you have two tasks, one you don’t mind doing and one you have been procrastinating about.

Decide on a set period of time that you will work for. During this time, if you have any trouble working on one task or reach a point where you have a bit of a mental blank, you should then switch to the other task and alternate between them. Of course it is better to focus solely on one task but if this isn’t working by alternating between two tasks at least you are being productive for the whole period of time and forcing yourself to do some work on the less favoured task.

Mental Mindset of Champions

3 Mindset Success Strategies

Studies have revealed a common trait among successful people – champions in their field.

Attitude and mindset is a critical ingredient to the success of champions.

 Knowing how to change your mindset is a critical factor in achieving the goals you set.

 Having a success mindset helps you focus and refocus more easily.

 A success mindset helps you cope and manage difficulties in life.

1) Opportunity Radar. Successful people see opportunities where most other people don’t. They

recognise that opportunities don’t always come gift – wrapped. More often than not they come

wrapped in a problem or an idea everyone else has simply missed. The skill to see opportunity

where others are unable serves you well. Focusing on what you learned and how to improve

rather than the problem or mistakes helps you seize opportunities that others may ignore.

2) Goal Laser. Successful people have developed the part of their brain that is like a goal laser. It

helps you take aim at what you want out of life without allowing the static of distractions and

stressors to interfere. It gives you the patience to delay gratification without getting side

tracked along the way. Studies show people who have highly focused goal lasers out perform

their less self-directed peers because they intentionally and deliberately take steps to

accomplish the things that are important to them. They are able to translate goals into actions.

3) Effort Accelerator. Successful people also had a strong effort accelerator. This helps them rollover obstacles and sidestep distractions as they march steadily toward personal best.Successful people are NOT always pumped up and motivated to do what they have to do, but they do it nonetheless. Specifically they bring consistency, reliability, and steadiness.

Developing your Effort accelerator means you have persistence and are able to perform well even when tasks are boring.

You can learn more about this and other topics at www.studysamurai.com

What do you do when you get a disappointing assignment mark?

We all have times when we think we have done brilliantly then get an assignment

back and are really disappointed instead. You could just feel really bad, or you could

try these steps:

REVIEW AND UNDERSTAND

The first step is to work through the feedback and work out what went wrong.

– Did you not meet the criteria?

– What feedback were you given from the teacher?

– Do you understand the feedback?

– Can you work out why you got the mark you did?

If you don’t understand why you got the mark you did, it is ESSENTIAL you ask your

teacher for further clarification. Otherwise you will keep making the same mistakes.

CHALLENGE OR ACCEPT

Once you understand what the issue was, you can either accept it, or challenge it.

ACCEPT: If you feel now that the mark was actually fair enough, then it is time to

move on. There is no point beating yourself up anymore about your disappointing

mark.

Instead you need to treat this as a learning process, the people who are most

successful in life don’t let their mistakes get them down, they see them as a learning

opportunity where they can improve and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

However, if you really think your mark was unfair and you had met all of the criteria,

you can talk to your teacher and politely explain your point of view and ask if they

would reconsider your mark.

LEARN AND CHANGE

The only way to improve, is to work out what you did wrong, then try and fix it.

It is actually a really good idea to re-do part of the work and re-submit. Not everyone

has the commitment to do this, but if you do – then wow – you will really see the

benefit in your results. It might just be a case of re-doing a section of the assignment

and asking your teacher to review it.

But if you don’t have another go, you won’t know whether or not you have really

taken the feedback on board. Some students let a bad mark get them down and start

to think they are not capable of succeeding, so they don’t try to address the issue,

make similar mistakes again and just feel worse. Don’t be that sort of person! Learn

from what you have done and have another try.

Another good thing you can do is to ask to see other students’ work who received

top grades for their assignments – to evaluate what was missing in yours or how you

could improve yours next time.

It would also be a great idea for your next assignment to show your teacher a plan,

or a draft early on, explaining how you think you’ve met the criteria, and seek

feedback well BEFORE handing it in.

Finish this sentence, “If you ask bad questions, you’ll get? Yes, bad answers!

Asking the right type of questions to solve a problem or a challenge will help you discover what I call “your next best step”.

At times there may not be a solution to a problem or challenge, at least not one you like or prefer.

It’s important you don’t give up and look to find what I call “your next best step”.

Asking good questions will help move you in the right direction to improve the problem.

It’s not as easy asking good questions unless you are in the right emotional state and pay attention to what’s going on around you.

The Problem Solving Process has 3 steps:

Get into a resourceful state. If you are feeling upset or angry do something to be in a more positive state start with a relaxation exercise, go for a walk, listen to music, be in nature, spend time with positive friends are some ideas.

2A) Act – Nothing changes unless you take some action.

B) Notice – What you are doing.

C) Adapt – Change what you are doing if it’s not working.

D) Model – Find others who have achieved what you want and model what they did. Not only their actions and their attitudes and ask for help.

3) Ask Good Questions. Here are some examples:

What could be something good about this problem?
What is not perfect yet?
What am I willing to do to make it the way I want it?
What am I willing to no longer do in order to make it the way I want it?
How can I enjoy the process while I do what is necessary to make it the way I want it?

Should you listen to music when studying? In an ideal world we would probably say no music while doing schoolwork except classical baroque / instrumental music which actually can help your memory by getting the brain into a relaxed state. But a good compromise is as follows. If the work is not very difficult, and fairly routine, then you can have whatever music you like on. It will make you feel relaxed, it will make you feel like the time is going faster and help you stick to completing the work you need to do. But if the work requires higher order thinking skills, i.e. studying for a test, trying to understand something difficult, doing an essay plan, trying to learn or remember anything – then switch the music off. Otherwise it will end up taking you much longer to complete the task and to retain what you are learning (even though you are convinced it is not affecting you!). Just get in the habit of stopping and asking yourself each time before you start work whether it is the type of work that requires you to really focus and concentrate and if it is – switch the music off for awhile. The same approach goes for doing work in front of the TV.

When you change your negative thinking you look for the good in your life more so. Your communication becomes more positive and your focus is on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. In a better positive state not only do you learn quicker and easier but your relationships and other areas of your life improve.

Common Myths Around Negative Thinking

Here are some common myths about negative thinking that are not very helpful:

You can stop your negative

You will notice that thoughts happen and then you are aware of them. That means we can’t “stop” them because the negative thought/s happens first. When we become aware (if we become aware) then you have a choice – do I keep focusing on that or do I focus on something more positive. The key is to become aware so you can limit the time you are running negative thoughts (stories) in your mind.

“Just change a negative thought to a positive thought”.

That can work if you believe the positive thought. That’s the common myth “just change it to positive”, however if you don’t believe the positive thought it can become a reminder and deepen the negative thought.

2 Ideas For A More Positive Mindset1. Balance Your Mental Diet

It’s impossible to escape the overwhelming negative images in news, film, online, gaming etc. That’s why it’s important to limit the negative, distressing, violent external sources and increase your exposure to positive stories and images.

Identify Your Positive Circle of Influence

You become the average of the 5 closest people around you! You know when you are around positive people because you walk away feeling uplifted and inspired rather than drained and exhausted. Take a moment to write down the 5 most positive people who influence you.

You can learn more about this and other topics at www.studysamurai.com

Some students take a long time to realise that there are actually two types of work in secondary school. There is the obvious work, the work your teacher specifically tells you to do and that is compulsory: homework, working on assignments, preparing for tests and assessments. But students who get good results in school take a larger measure of responsibility for their learning. This means that the nights where they do not have much compulsory work, they also do independent learning. These are the additional things you do, if you have no other schoolwork to do that night, to improve your understanding of your subjects. It is what students who get good marks are doing, they are just not talking about it to their friends!

Examples of independent learning:

Reading
Reviewing what you have been learning at school that week
Extra practise on questions you find hard
Research on an area you are interested in learning more about
Making a mind map about what you have been learning
Making study notes on a topic
Improving your touch typing skills
Reading ahead in your textbook
Improving your study skills (you can complete units on studyskillshandbook.com.au)
Doing work from a different textbook or study guide for one of your subjects (check the school library, local library and bookshops).

Some nights you will not have time to do any independent learning. Other nights you will have no homework and will spend the whole time allocated to schoolwork for that night working on independent learning tasks. Your teacher may even give you a sheet that has suggestions of independent learning work for that subject. If you are unsure, you can always ask. This means in secondary school you can never say ‘I have nothing to do’ – this really just means ‘I have nothing compulsory to do at the moment!’.

Discovering your WHY – your reason for achieving your personal best.

All too often when I speak with students, particuarly senior students there is a negativity toward the senior years of school.

There is often the cultural message that the final year of school and corresponding exams and assessments “will set you up for future success”. This is what tens of thousands of students have told me.

In the early years of high school some students can find it difficult to be motivated to attend because they don’t feel that school is relevant to them.

Having a core reason, identifying your WHY as Simon Sinek refers to it can help transform not only a person’s individual motivation but also that of a school or workplace.

Often we are caught up in what we need to do and how we need to do it. Both what and how questions are important. However, to discover your purpose, your belief, your inner motivation you need to ask “Why is this important”?

When you discover your WHY (your reason/s) for why school or a subject is important – those anwers increase your inner motivation and drive. So rather than waking in the morning and dreading going to school you wake in the morning and remind yourself why this is important to you and other.

Once you have your WHY (your reason) you can set small goals using the WOOP method below.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

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Once you start setting your goals for the year, compare them to the checklist below to make sure they are SMARTIES.

SPECIFIC: Make goals as detailed and specific as possible. Don’t make broad wishy-washy goals like ‘I want to do better in Maths’, make them very detailed and specific. Exactly what do you want to achieve?

MEASUREABLE: You want to be able to know when you have achieved your goal so make sure there is some way to measure your success.

Action-Oriented: Your short-term goals should really be the action steps you need to take to achieve the medium and longer term goals.

(Another version of SMARTIES has Aspirational instead of action-oriented, i.e. your goals should inspire you and stretch and challenge you beyond your comfort level.)

Relevant & Realistic: Goals change, so if your goal is no longer relevant, you need to change it too. Although your goals should stretch you beyond your comfort zone, they need to be in some sense realistic. Create challenging goals by all means, but not totally unrealistic ones.

Time-Based: Your goals need to have a ‘to complete by’ date to give you something to aim for.

Interesting: Make your goals about things that you find interesting and worthwhile.

Emotional: Use powerful language to express the emotion behind the goals.

Success oriented: Express your goals in a positive and success focused way.

Why we quit easily and lack motivation.

Perhaps you’re “naturally academically gifted” or perhaps like me you have to work hard at school to achieve good results and even then “good results” may not be that great. Many students believe the reason they don’t get good results is because they are not smart. As a result they give up easily and lack motivation. Why bother working hard on a task if it is only going to end up making you feel disappointed or worse a failure.

What successful people have that most people don’t have.

Successful people believe that failure is good! Yes, you read that right. Michael Jordon says, “I’ve failed over and over in my life and that is why I succeed”. Some people see failure as a guide, clue, message, and information about what to improve so they can achieve their goal (they have a growth mindset). On the other hand, people who quit easily at the slightest hint of difficulty believe that failure is a reflection of who they are (fixed mindset).

What are fixed and growth mindsets?1. Fixed

Many students believe that intelligence is fixed, that each person has a certain amount and that’s it. This has been described as a fixed mindset. Students with this mindset worry about how much of this fixed intelligence they possess. A fixed mindset makes challenges threatening for students (because they believe that their fixed ability may not be up to the task) and it makes mistakes and failures upsetting (because they believe that such setbacks reflect badly on their level of fixed intelligence).

2. Growth Mindset.

Other students believe that intelligence is something that can be cultivated through effort and education. They don’t necessarily believe that everyone has the same abilities or that anyone can be as smart as Einstein, but they do believe that everyone can improve their abilities. And they understand that even Einstein wasn’t Einstein until he put in years of focused hard work. Students with this growth mindset believe that intelligence is a potential that can be developed through learning. As a result, confronting challenges, learning from mistakes, and persevering in the face of setbacks become ways of getting smarter.

Develop A Growth Mindset.

What you think, your self-talk, in other words what you say to yourself matters! Here are ten Growth Mindset statements.

You can learn more about this and other topics at www.studysamurai.com

Every year students are encouraged to set goals for the year. But we don’t always explain why setting goals is important.

Research has shown that people who set goals (and use them effectively) not only perform better, but suffer from less stress and anxiety and are happier and more satisfied with life.

In 1953 a Harvard Uni study showed that 3% of the students graduating that year wrote down their specific career goals.

Twenty years later, a team of researchers interviewed the class and found that the 3% who had written down their goals were worth more financially than the other 97% combined!

In 1953 a Harvard Uni study showed that 3% of the students graduating that year wrote down their specific career goals. Twenty years later, a team of researchers interviewed the class and found that the 3% who had written down their goals were not only happier, but were worth more financially than the other 97% combined.

Here are some more reasons why you might like to set some goals for the year:

Setting goals gets you to think about possibilities.
Goals give you a direction to work towards.
Goals give you a clear picture of where you want to go.
Goals help you to push yourself just that little bit more.
Goals help you have a more fun and fulfilled life.
Goals can give you motivation and focus.
Setting goals helps you do all the things you want to do in life!

You have probably set many goals already without even realising it – not every goal has to be written down but it certainly helps you to stay on track if you do write it out. You can set goals for all the different aspects of your life.

Remember, if you don’t set goals you’ll find that life just sort of ‘happens’ to you rather than you actually deciding what you want out of life then making what you really want happen! So get in the driver’s seat of your life and take control with your goals this year.

Why the stories you tell yourself, about yourself can change your life!

Stories we tell ourselves? Yes, if you pay attention you’ll notice that every human being runs mental stories about the world, other people, the weather, the list goes on and on. This “self- talk” can be around gratitude or appreciation of the good things in your life and it can also be about YOU.

The problem is when we start labelling ourselves with negative stories. I’m sure you’ve heard other people say things like, “I’m not smart enough”, “I’m ugly”, “I’m not motivated”, and if you take note you’ll also see that you have a range of negative stories you tell yourself.

We call these Identity Beliefs and they can be summed up like this:

“I’m not [Fill in the blank] enough”!

The diagram below illustrates how all this works.

We have these negative identity beliefs around “I’m not [fill in the blank] enough.” They fuel our thoughts and perceptions.

These negative thoughts have an effect on our emotions and how we feel drives what we do – our actions.

The following quotes also show how powerful Identity Beliefs are:

“The strongest need in the human personality is to remain consistent with how we have defined ourselves.” Robert Cialdini

“You cannot perform consistently in a manner which is inconsistent with how you see yourself.” Zig Ziglar

The challenge is to help people to change these negative Identity Beliefs because when we hear someone say something negative about themselves we can tend to rush in and say, “No you are smart” and the typical reply is “No I’m not!”

Interrupting the Negative Identity Belief Pattern

To change negative Identity Beliefs use your imagination and pretend that for one day you don’t have those negative thoughts and if you do you just don’t believe them:

How would you think different?
How would you feel different?
How would you act different?

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

Over the Christmas break it is easy to put all thoughts of school out of your mind and just enjoy the holidays. This is not a bad thing, it is important to have a good break and clear your mind. However when you start back at school again you will probably have forgotten what you were doing well at school and what you need to change in order to improve your results.

So before school ends this term, it is important to take some time and evaluate your approach in these key areas, writing down the changes you will make when you return to school so you don’t forget them.

USE OF CLASSTIME

How well did you use your time in class? Who did you sit next to? Did you work well together? Did you listen to teachers and fellow students when they were speaking? Did you participate and contribute in your lessons? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

ASKING FOR HELP

If you didn’t understand something in class did you ask a question about it? If you were unsure about an assignment or assessment did you check in with your teacher? If you were struggling with a topic did you ask for help? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

TIME MANAGEMENT

Did you do enough schoolwork each afternoon? Did you plan out a timeline to do the work for your assessments? When you were working at home did you remove all distractions so you could focus? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

PREPARING FOR TESTS

Did you ensure that you were always clear on what you were being tested on? Did you make study notes along the way so you had them ready for test time? Did you test yourself on the content as you were learning it to see if it was in your memory? Did you do lots of questions to practice the skills of the subject? What are the main changes you need to make in this area?

9 Strategies to help you achieve your personal best

What’s your definition of a winner?

People or teams that consistently achieve their personal best because they are always looking to improve – that’s my definition of a “winner”.

Unfortunately there is a myth that “winners” achieve results easily – that they have something special or are natural at it. What’s truer is that “winners” have attitudes and strategies that give them the edge.

Here is a summary of the nine strategies to help you achieve your personal best.

You can learn more about this by exploring www.studysamurai.com

FIND OUT FAST: Be very clear what you need to learn and what will be tested. It is impossible to start your study until you are sure what you have to know. Find out as much as you can too about the exam format and the style of questions. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher. For each subject write a list of exactly what topics and areas you need to review.
GATHER MATERIALS: Do you have notes, materials, textbooks on everything you need to learn? If not, is there a friend who will let you photocopy the work you have misplaced? Is there an online portal where material from classes is stored? Can you borrow from the library additional books or textbooks on the topics you need to learn? Are past examination papers available?
MAKE A PLAN: You only have limited time left so you need to make the most of it. Draw up a grid that shows how much time you have left before your exams to study. Decide if you will spend equal time on each subject or if certain subjects need more time. Allocate subjects to the timeslots you have then decide exactly what you will do to prepare for each subject. For each subject make a list of what sort of study you should do to prepare for that subject. Brainstorm your ideas on how to prepare, ask your parents and teachers for feedback and share ideas with your friends.
CREATE STUDY NOTES: Target your notes to what will be tested. It is best for learning and memory to make your study notes yourself, but if you have run out of time there are options. See if any of your class materials or textbooks have summarised the sections you need, see if there are study guides available in the library on the topics to learn or make targeted notes yourself on the key areas you have to memorise. You could also see if there is a friend where you could split the topics between yourself and share the notes you make. Don’t spend too long on this stage, it needs to be completed as quickly as possible.
STUDY! What does study actually mean? It means memorising the material you need to know so you can recall it in the exams, and practising the skills of the subject so you know how to do the types of questions you will have in the exam. To memorise your notes you need to test yourself over and over on them. You could read a section, see what you can write down without looking then check. Then review the things you didn’t know again. Or you could do the same approach reading things out loud then seeing what you can repeat out loud. Doing questions, practise essays, past exam questions will also help you understand what you know, and what you need to spend more time on.

The key is to get started. No more procrastination, no more excuses. Start today!

When you feel stressed where do you feel that? Most people respond with, “I feel stress in my back or my shoulders or chest. As with any emotion we experience stress in our bodies and that’s why remedial massage can help reduce stress.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is another easy body relaxation exercise to reduce stress when you most need it. Practice relaxing and tensing your muscles with slow breathing. This exercise will go through your entire body, one section at a time. You will tense your muscles for five counts and release for 10 counts. When you have released your muscles, use soothing words in your mental self-talk, such as “relax”, “I am now relaxed and calm”, “I am calm”, or “I am relaxed”. Begin this relaxing exercise in the following sequence:

Tense your forearm. Make a fist with you right hand and tense your forearm steadily for five counts, then release for 10 counts. Repeat on your left
Tense your upper arm. Tense the muscles in your biceps and triceps without the use of your forearm, bringing your right forearm up to your shoulder making a muscle. Hold for a count of five. Release it and relax for a count of 10. Repeat on your left
Tense your face. Raise your eyebrows as high as they will go, hold for a count of 5 and release for a count of 10. Next, close your eyes and squeeze your eyes tightly holding for a count of 5 and releasing for a count of 10. Lastly, open your mouth as wide as you can as if you were going to yawn, holding for a count of 5 and releasing for a count of
Tense your neck. A lot of tension is stored in your neck, sometimes leading to a stiff neck or even tension headaches. Be careful when tensing the muscles of your neck, as this is a sensitive area to stress buildup. Face forward and pull your head back slowly as if you are looking up to the ceiling. Hold this position for a count of five and release for a count of 10.
Tense your shoulders. Tense the muscles in your shoulders as you bring your shoulders up to your ears and push your shoulder blades back. Hold for five counts and release for 10 counts.
Tense your chest and stomach. Breathe in deeply. Fill your lungs and chest with as much air as possible, squeezing your hip and buttocks muscles. Hold for a count of five and relax for a count of
Tense your upper leg. Tighten your right thigh. Hold for a count of five and release for 10 counts. Next, tense your lower right leg. This should be done carefully to avoid leg cramps, pulling your toes toward your calf muscles. Hold for five counts and release for 10 counts. Lastly, curl the toes of your right foot and hold for a count of five and release for a count of 10. Repeat on your left

Practicing this technique of tensing and relaxing helps your body recognise what it feels like to be tense and what it feels like to be relaxed. Each time that you experience a stressful moment, practice this technique. With continued practice you will be able to notice when you are stressed just by the change in the feel of your body. This will give you the power to control stress, instead of having stress control you.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

There are many things students can do to develop their own critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is your ability to think clearly and rationally, reflecting and developing your thoughts. Sometimes we can get a bit lazy with our thinking and we only consider things at a superficial level. Here are some things you can do to enhance your critical thinking.

CLARIFY YOUR THOUGHTS: The best way to clarify your thoughts is to try and explain your thinking to someone else. Even if you are talking to an imaginary person, you will find that explaining your thinking out loud helps you to see the flaws in your argument.
QUESTION ASSUMPTIONS: Don’t take your thoughts for granted, every now and then think about why you believe a certain thought or how you know things to be true. Get in the habit of pausing and looking at what you are thinking and questioning what thoughts underlie your assumptions. Don’t just conform and accept a view because it is the popular one, instead pause and reflect on the arguments for and against that viewpoint and the strengths of each argument.
LOOK FOR OTHER PERSPECTIVES: When you are presenting an argument, imagine yourself in a debate and think about what the opposing side might say. What would someone with a completely opposite view to you believe? Can you understand why they might think that way? Can you see some validity in their viewpoint?
KEEP AN OPEN MIND: In order to look for other perspectives keep an open mind. If you immediately dismiss any thought that does not fit into the way you see the world, you will never be able to expand and develop your viewpoints, you will have a very fixed and limited view of the world.
BE CURIOUS: Start to look outside the things you normally read and watch and think about. Learn more about things you know nothing about and were not previously interested in. Listen more to what people say, we learn so much more when we really listen rather than spend time planning what we will say next.
MAKE INFORMED JUDGEMENTS: It is ok to not have an opinion about something because you don’t have enough information yet. Avoid rushing to judgements, take your time to gather information and evidence and assess it before making a decision. Try not to let yourself be swayed by emotion as this can affect your ability to assess information intellectually.

We are all different in the way we prefer to learn. Some students like to work in groups, and others prefer to work alone. Some students like to discuss things over Skype or messenger and some like to work together in person. There is a reason why we have the saying ‘two heads are better than one’, so let’s see how this applies to different types of students.

If you think you always prefer to work alone:

It is great that you are very self-sufficient. Students who prefer to work alone are often confident in their own abilities. However sometimes these students make it more difficult for themselves by not asking for help when they need it. So if you are this type of student, don’t struggle on alone when you get into difficulties or don’t understand something. Being able to ask for help when you need it is an important skill for academic success. Just become more aware that you don’t always ask for help and instead try reaching out a little more when you need help.
The other area to consider is that when you talk about things with other people it can often help you to see things from a different perspective. By discussing ideas with another person, you also may find you clarify your own thoughts. By not being open to collaboration, you might not develop your ideas as well as you could or you might not see potential issues that a fresh pair of eyes and ears might discover. If you haven’t done much collaboration, give it a try and you might find yourself surprised at how valuable you find the experience.

If you already love working with other people:

Make sure that you always contribute equally and don’t expect other people to do all the work for you.
Collaboration doesn’t mean cheating. For example, it is ok to discuss an assignment and what you think it is about and how you might approach it, but it is not ok to write the assignment together and hand in similar pieces of work.
Collaboration also doesn’t mean wasting time. If you are working with other people make sure you are staying on task and not getting distracted.
Every now and then you have to do things on your own. If you always do your Maths homework with your friends, you might not really know what you can and can’t do on your own. The first time you find this out could be a test which could be a big issue. Always ask yourself if the work you are doing is going to be enhanced by collaboration or if it is more appropriate to try the work on your own.
It is important each night to have a certain amount of homework time on your own. If you want to collaborate when you are working at home, make specific times to do this. Don’t skype the entire night with your friends. Instead have set times for collaboration and set times for independent work.

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor is based on his work as a lecturer at Harvard and his expertise in Positive Psychology.

Shawn discovered that when students started at Harvard their anxiety levels rose significantly particularly for students who felt they were “not as smart” as other students.

To compensate some of the students who felt anxious neglected their wellbeing, their activities and experiences that made them feel happy and joyful and as a result their academic performance suffered!

In his research Shawn has discovered that when we are well, when we are happier, more joyful, peaceful etc. dopamine is released in the brain. Dopamine not only makes us happier but also turns on all the “learning centres” in our brains.

The Happiness Advantage brings significant advantages:

When you are more happy and positive you overcome obstacles, and reverse bad
The more happy you are the more you become more efficient and productive, and make the most of
The happier you are the more you conquer your most ambitious goals, and reach your fullest potential.

The good news is that research from Positive Psychology shows us that happiness in not in the future but more in the present. These proven activities increase your wellbeing and happiness levels:

Meditate

Studies show that in the minutes right after meditating we experience feelings of calm and contentment as well as heightened awareness and empathy. Also research has shown that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress and improve immune function.

Look forward to something

Studies found that people who just thought about watching their favourite movie actually raised their endorphin levels by 27%. Often, the most enjoyable part of an activity is the anticipation.

Infuse Positivity

Your physical environment can have an enormous impact on your mindset and sense of wellbeing. You may not have complete control of your surroundings but you can make specific efforts to infuse them with positivity. Photos of loved ones around your room is an example. Making time to go outside on a nice day also delivers a huge advantage; one study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only boosted positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory.

Exercise

The benefits of exercise are:

Boosting mood and enhancing work performance.
Improving motivation and feelings of
Reducing stress and anxiety.
Helping you get into that state of

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

The second semester often heralds blocks of examinations or assessments for students. Some students cope well with the pressure and stress while others find it overwhelming. Of course, the more prepared students are, the less stress they are likely to experience. Encourage students to start their preparation for examinations and assessments early, in particular their study notes. If your student has examination blocks this semester, these tips will help you provide the support they need.

Lifestyle makes a big difference to results: healthy eating, lots of water, lots of sleep, exercise and time for relaxation are essential. Make sure students are eating as healthily as possible. Provide healthy snacks and drinks and healthy meals. It is important that students look after their health during this period as stress can take a huge toll on the body. A nutritious diet and a bit of exercise not only help students think more effectively, but will help them deal with stress as well. Some students will try and sacrifice sleep during this time, remind them that the last stage of memory takes place while students are sleeping.
Ask students what they need from you and what you can do. Offer to help with revision, to go and buy any books or stationery needed. Be their personal assistant and help with exam timetables, preparation, lunches etc. Many students find it helpful if their parent tests them on the material they need to memorise.
Focus on a positive outlook and personal best: encourage students to be proud of their successes and what they achieve and constantly assure them that all you want is for them to do the best they can and walk away feeling proud of their efforts this year. Praise the effort they put into their study. Avoid criticism and negativity. Remember there are always multiple paths in life for your student to get to where they want to go.
Keep communication lines open. Listen. See if you can have a weekly meeting to give students a chance to talk through where they are with each subject and what is going on and if they are having any difficulties. Remember that you are the convenient target for anger (that isn’t really directed at you) but you also might be a good shoulder to cry on. Seek professional help if you feel your student is not coping and needs it.
If students are stressed or worried, first let them vent, then talk together ways they could approach their issues. Who could they talk to at school on ways to improve or ways to manage their stress? What outside resources do they have? What is it they feel most anxious about? Is there specific help they need? What can parents do to help?

New Research in the fields of psychology, education and neuroscience shows teaching meditation in schools is having positive effects on students’ well-being, social skills and academic skills.

Mindfulness Meditation

“Mindfulness” meditation is one of the more popular practices being taught at schools. It involves a three-step mental process where students are asked to:

Focus your attention on a particular target (for example your own breathing, a sound, a sensation).
Notice when your attention has wandered away from the target.
1. Bring your attention back to the target.

Students are asked to do this without being judgmental and with a curiosity that allows them to identify patterns in their thoughts and feelings. This leads to a clearer mind and a more peaceful outlook.

There are many different forms of mindfulness meditation. The process below outlines Awareness Meditation.

When you first meditate, your mind might be like a hyper active child, undisciplined and always wanting its own way. So to start give the mind lots to focus on; as you improve your meditation and relaxation skills you give it fewer and simpler objects of focus. This first stage of meditation is called “present moment awareness.” Simply turn your attention to:

Sounds.

First focus on the most obvious sounds and as your concentration gets sharper, notice more subtle sounds, such as bird calls and distant traffic. Just allow those sounds to wash over you, letting go of the sounds that have just passed by and being present to the sounds that arise now.

Bodily sensations.

Feel your arms resting on your lap, your legs on the chair. Feel your clothes against your skin. Notice any pains, muscle tightness, fluttering in your stomach or anxious feelings, the very things you were trying to avoid. Watch how these sensations shift and change, letting go of them and becoming present to those that arise.

Thoughts.

Watch your thoughts arise and pass, without getting caught up in them or feeling that you have to act on them. Some thoughts are nonsense; others are so compelling that you follow them. With demanding thoughts, observe them, label them and let them go. For example, if you are thinking: “I’m upset over that insult,” you might label it “hurt” and let it go, ready for the next thought to arise. It’s like watching clouds passing in the sky and you are progressing towards a “blue sky mind” where storm clouds pass and the mind is clear, calm and alert.

Breathing.

Watch the natural changes in your breathing as you become more relaxed. You might notice that your breath starts shallow and fast, but becomes deeper and more regular as you relax more profoundly.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

Many parents feel powerless to help when their child is stressed and overwhelmed about their schoolwork. It is not just senior students who experience this level of stress, research indicates that for some students this starts as early as Year 7.

If your child is experiencing stress and anxiety related to their schoolwork, here are some strategies you can try.

FIND OUT MORE: Try and discover what it is that is causing the most anxiety. Does your student feel anxious about tests or assignments? Are they struggling to plan and manage their workload? Are they finding a particular subject difficult? It is very difficult to address the issue until you really uncover what the issue is. If they do not want to discuss with mum and dad, you may find asking a teacher who they like and respect to talk to them may lead to a better outcome.
LET THE SCHOOL KNOW: Next talk to your child’s tutor or a teacher that is responsible for your child’s year group. You can either ask the school to investigate further and even take action to address the issue, or you can ask them to keep it confidential as you are just wanting to make them aware of the issue.
DECIDE STRATEGIES: Once the problem is clear, next step is to decide what strategies to try (and you may need to try multiple strategies over time). You may have some ideas of things your child could try, you may find some ideas on the Study Skills Handbook site, or you may need to talk to teachers to learn from their expertise.
DON’T GIVE UP: If a strategy doesn’t work, then try something different. Different people will have different suggestions so google or talk to lots of teachers or other parents about the issue and see if they have other ideas you could try.
CONSIDER EXTRA SUPPORT: Your child may need additional support. For example from a school counsellor, or a psychologist or a tutor. Make sure you are clear about the issue so you can find the right person to provide the additional support your child needs.

Seven daily essential mental activities to optimise brain matter and create well-being.

The Healthy Mind Platter has seven daily essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health. These essential mental activities strengthen your brain’s internal connections and your connections with other people and the world around you.

The idea around The Healthy Mind Platter is to become aware of the full range of essential mental activities, and as with essential nutrients, make sure that at least every day we are bringing the right ingredients into our mental diet, even if for just a bit of time.

One way to use the platter idea is to map out an average day and see what amounts of time you spend in each essential mental activity.

Like a balanced diet, there are many combinations that can work well. Here is a list of the 7 essential mental activities.

SLEEP TIME: When we give the brains the rest it needs to consolidate learning and recover from experiences of the
PHYSICAL TIME: When we move our bodies, aerobically if possible, which strengthens our brain and contributes to our
FOCUS TIME: When we focus closely on tasks in a goal-oriented way minimizing
CONNECTION TIME: When we connect with other people, ideally in person, or take time to appreciate the natural world around us. This activates the brain’s relational
PLAYTIME: When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, enjoying new experiences which helps make new connections in the
DOWNTIME: When we are not focused. Without a specific goal in mind and let our mind wander or rest, which helps the brain
TIME-IN: When we quietly reflect on our inner-world of thoughts, feelings, images helps better integrate the brain and bring clam and

How much time each day do you give to these essential mental activities?

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

Throughout the year you will have been receiving feedback from your teachers about your assessments. But are you making the most of this feedback? Many students are too focused on what mark they received and neglect to make the most of the feedback they are given.

It’s not just about what you did wrong either! The feedback is a chance to celebrate what you did right, what you understood and the skills and learning you demonstrated.

However it is also a chance to address areas you found difficult or did not perform as well in.

Below are some questions you can ask yourself when an assessment is returned to make the most of the feedback you are given.

When a test or exam is returned:

What specific feedback did your teacher give you and how should you use that feedback?
Will you be tested on these topics again or are they important for overall understanding in this subject?
Which areas do you need to ask for help on as you still don’t understand?
Which questions from your test paper should you re-do? Re-do them!
Should you re-write any questions or essays and re-submit?
Was there any revision work you did not complete before the test?
What topic areas do you need to review and revise, what should you do to address these?
Are there topics you still need to finalise study notes on?
Are there sections of your study notes that you need to re-do?
Did you plan ahead to give yourself enough time to revise?
What changes do you need to make in the way you study for that subject next time?
Are there students who did really well that you can talk with to find what they did differently?

For other types of assessments:

What parts of the assessment did you do really well?
What did you enjoy about the assessment?
What can you learn from the feedback you were given?
Is there any part of the feedback you don’t understand that you need to discuss with your teacher?
Can you ask a student who did really well if you can look at their assessment so you can see what is needed to get top marks?
What could you have done differently?
Do you understand what you need to do to improve or do you need to ask your teacher for more guidance?

If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes to determine the proper questions to ask. Albert Einstein.

What colour is your house?

You thought about the colour of your house right? Here are more fun questions.

What are you proud of? What makes you most happy? Take a moment, think about that.

When you ask yourself a question your brain is focused on that question. In fact it works to answer the question.

Questions are a powerful way to focus your mind. When you hear a question it momentarily hijacks your thought process on the question.

You didn’t consciously tell your brain to think about the question and answer it just did so automatically.

Questions are powerful. Not only does hearing a question affect what our brains do in that instant it can also shape our future behaviours.

Questions trigger a mental reflex known as “instinctive elaboration.” When a question is posed, it takes over the brain’s thought process and when your brain is thinking about the answer to a question, it can’t focus on anything else.

If you are solving a problem asking, “why is this happening to me?” may not be the best question to ask.

Perhaps a better question could be, “what do I need to make this situation better”?

3 Powerful Focus Questions.

Here are three questions to help focus your mind on solutions rather than problems.

The first question is about Vision or the Outcome you want.

What do you want? (What are your goals?)

The second question is about purpose and reinforces your focus on the first question.

Why do you want that? (Why is it important to you)?

The third question is about action.

How will you get what you want? What’s your plan?

I have found these three broad based questions very helpful in refocusing my mind away from over thinking problems and more on what’s required to help me take the next best step toward a solution.

Have these questions or others you may come up with on a poster in your room or perhaps on your computer.

Have a visual prompt of powerful questions that steer your focus and attention toward feeling better and toward positive actions.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

Some of the most common arguments at home (related to schoolwork!) lead to statements like this:

“Stop playing computer games and do your homework.”
“I told you, get off your phone, I can see you are on Facebook.”
“Why haven’t you started your homework yet?”
“What do you mean you have no schoolwork to do?”

If these are common refrains in your household there are some simple steps that can be taken to deal with this.

Step 1: Family meeting. Both students and parents get a chance to explain what is bugging them.

Step 2: Agree on how much time will be allocated to schoolwork per day or per week.

Step 3: Agree that during this time homework will be the first priority, then assessments and any remaining time should be spent on independent learning (e.g. reviewing difficult work, making summaries).

Step 4: Allocate set times for schoolwork and write these out and put them on the fridge e.g. Monday 4-5pm, 6-6.30pm.

Step 5: Agree that in these blocks of time, there will be no personal technology use (preferably phones switched off and put out of sight).

Step 6: Decide on rewards and consequences if the agreement is not honoured.

I believe one of the most important skills you can learn is emotional resilience.

Emotional resilience is not about suppressing or pushing down or away “negative” emotions but more how you manage your emotional and mental state.

Are you feeling sadness, fear, doubt and worry?

Or are you feeling more “positive” emotions like joy, love, happiness or peace?

All emotions serve a purpose and the ability to access powerful emotional states and manage debilitating emotions is crucial to living a purposeful life.

Managing Your Emotional State

If you are feeling stressed or anxious you know when you are on top of feeling that way or if those emotions are controlling you.

The way to tell is to ask yourself three questions:

How intense is this? Give yourself a number from zero to
How often am I feeling this way?
How long does this feeling stay around before I begin feeling a little better?

You can know you are managing difficult emotions if the intensity, frequency and duration of that emotional state is getting better or worse.

3 ways to manage your emotional state

Here are 3 simple tips that can help you “interrupt the pattern” of a difficult emotional state.

Story – This is the story you are telling yourself about yourself or the situation or circumstance you are
State – This is the mental and emotional state you experience with this problem.
Strategy – This is the actions and behaviours you use with this

Create a breakthrough

Have you noticed that you can’t change or control people and events?

Often other people and events are out of our control. However, despite being on the receiving end of what other people or events bring to you – changing either your story, state and strategy are within your control.

Now that we are clear about that let’s focus on what you can do. What’s one breakthrough or change you want to make in your life? Now identify ONE new:

Strategy you can implement. What can you do differently?
Story you can tell yourself that changes the meaning you are putting on this
State you can bring to this

One of the most powerful, simple and fast ways to change your emotional state is to change your physiology.

Do you notice when someone is sad or upset they tend to look down and speak more quietly and softly and most of all their upper body is hunched over compared to when you see someone happy.

They tend to look up and speak louder and faster and their upper body is upright and straight.

To feel better be sure to move your body the way you do when you are experiencing positive happy emotions.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

Are you a ‘carrot’ or a ‘stick’ person?

Knowing whether you are motivated by avoiding pain and the pressure of consequences or by achieving pleasure and rewards can help you (and your parents) work out the best way for you to be motivated to do your work for school.

The concept comes from the idea that to make a donkey move forward you can either tempt it with a carrot (a reward) or threaten it with a stick (a punishment).

Now we are not saying that you are a donkey! But we are saying that different things motivate different people.

You are likely to be more of a ‘carrot’ person if you:

tend to be focused on achieving goals
make lots of plans and lists for yourself
find the concepts of rewards and prizes very motivating
often have a clear picture of what you want to achieve

You are likely to be more of a ‘stick’ person if you:

tend to leave things to the last minute
put off unpleasant tasks
prefer to do things when you ‘feel’ like it rather than when you plan it
like the idea of rewards but aren’t keen on doing the work to achieve them

If you are a ‘carrot’ person, you can get yourself motivated to do the work by breaking down the task, setting targets and goals and making plans. The thought of getting a good mark or achieving a prize is very motivating for you. Your parents can motivate you further by offering rewards for achievements!

If you are a ‘stick’ person, you find it harder to get yourself motivated to do the work. You are more likely to work when you focus on the consequences of NOT working. When you are putting things off, spend a minute or so brainstorming all of the outcomes if you do not get started on the work. Then decide the first 3 most important things for you to do. Don’t worry about the rest at this stage, just focus on the top 3.

For parents of ‘stick’ children, these students may often require more micro-management. Students may need help in determining what they are going to work on, and parents may need to then check in every half hour or so to ensure students are staying on task. These students will be more motivated by negative consequences such as removal of technology or other privileges if outlined working conditions are not met. However it is a good idea to always balance the introduction of consequences for not doing the work with rewards for doing it! This may not be the driving force for their motivation, but positive reinforcement for doing the right thing can lead to really good outcomes.

For students who get frustrated with themselves being ‘stick’ people and leaving things until the last minute, you can start to move towards becoming more of a ‘carrot’ person. Identify some of your ‘carrot’ friends, and start to model their behaviour. Ask if you can plan the work together and check in regularly with each so you stay on track. It is possible to switch from one modality to another! However no-one can make you do it, you need to want to change and then you need to work towards switching your mindset.

How many times have you said or perhaps have heard, “I’m just not motivated to (fill in the blank)”.

I’ve come to discover that motivation is overrated!

Sure we need it, especially to start a task or a project or a new wellbeing habit like exercise.

Often we know what we need to do, we know that it will be helpful and beneficial but we don’t do it and the excuse is often, “I’m not motivated enough”.

When I ask students what happens when they receive an assignment they usually tell me that they leave it to the last moment.

They say, “I only ever get motivated at the last minute, the night before”. My response is that they are confusing motivation with desperation!

The point is that even last minute desperate actions to complete an assignment are not filled with enthusiastic motivation.

You can, “not be motivated” and despite your feelings still take action.

That’s because as human beings we are driven by the need to avoid pain and gain pleasure. The night before flurry of activity, is not motivation but more an attempt to avoid pain.

So rather than relying on whether you feel motivated to take positive action, build a positive habit instead.

The 3 Things – Cue, Reward and Routine, That Help You Program A Habit

First it takes 66 days to create a habit. The first 21days can be the most difficult. To persevere until you create your positive habit you need to:

Identify the habit. Routine

What could be one simple thing you could do every day to make life, more fun, happy, fulfilling, hopeful and peaceful etc.

Why did you choose that? Write down 3 reasons why this habit will make a positive difference in your life.
Give yourself a reward for following through and taking action to build your positive habit each
What’s your trigger? How will you know it’s time to take action on that positive habit?

Here you need to identify a Cue. A cue can be anyone of the following:

Person
Place
Thing
Environment

A cue is like a trigger, a signal that it’s time to take positive action.

To summarise, use motivation to start creating a positive habit in your life. Habits are automatic and don’t require motivation after you have it programmed.

To remove negative habits in your life, create more positive habits. The more positive habits in your life the more negative habits tend to fall away.

You can learn more about this and much more at www.studysamurai.com

BUILDING CONCENTRATION SKILLS

Many students find it difficult to concentrate and stay focused when they are doing their schoolwork at home. So what can we do to improve concentration levels? Try these top tips:

IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT: Have a good hard look at the environment you are trying to concentrate in. Is it noisy? Are there more exciting things happening around you? Is it too hot? Too cold? Are you uncomfortable? Too comfortable? What can you do to make the space more conducive to concentration?
BLOCKS OF TIME: If you are someone who finds it difficult to concentrate at home don’t try and study for too long at a time. Instead tell yourself you will work for 20-30 minutes then you can have a break. If you know it is only 20-30 minutes it is much easier to concentrate than if it was for an indefinite period of time.
ANCHOR TO THE PRESENT: Create a focus word that brings you back on task. We all daydream. The key is to start to pay more attention to when you are doing it and then immediately take action. If your key word for example was ‘orange’ when you notice you are day-dreaming say ‘orange orange orange’ to refocus your attention to your work.
RESET THE BRAIN: Sometimes you just need a time-out from what you are doing in order to be able to concentrate again. If your attention is constantly wandering, then get up and have a drink, walk outside, kick a ball – just take 5 to 10 minutes to clear your head so you can come back fresh to your work.
WORK OUT PEAK TIMES: Start to pay attention to what time of the day you are most focused. That’s when you need to do the harder work or the work that requires greatest concentration. If you know you get tired after dinner don’t leave the difficult work until then.
CARROT AND STICK: Some people are motivated by working towards rewards, others by avoiding punishments. Give yourself a target time to focus with a little reward at the end if you achieve it – or maybe a little punishment if you don’t!

STARTING YOUR DAY FOR SUCCESS

No one knows what tomorrow will bring.

We can’t control every event or circumstance we experience and respond each day.

However the happiest most successful people on the planet Design their Day!

Why The Morning Is So Important

Your mornings are the most important part of the day.

Say YES to your day. Create positive routines and habits in your mornings.

The way you start your day has a massive impact on how you experience the rest of the day.

When you wake up tired and exhausted, when your mornings are rushed and chaotic, when you say NO to your day, your day goes from “bad to worse”!

Start your day with the direction and experience you desire. Focus on that direction and don’t engage in things that take you away from that.

5 Tips To Get You Out Of Bed And Awake In The Mornings

1.Set your intention when your head hits the pillow to get the quality of sleep you need.

Move the alarm to the other side of the room so you need to get out of bed to stop it.
Brush your teeth.
Drink water and hydrate.
Dress or shower.

5 Tips To Start Your Day On A Positive Note

Silence: Start every morning with a period of purposeful silence. If this is new to you start with 3 to 5 minutes of sitting in silence.

Close your eyes, relax your body, and focus on your breath. It’s one of the best ways to reduce stress.

Affirmations: create new positive stories or affirmations about what you want and more importantly who you are!
Visualise:what you want to experience in your day, what you need to do and the person you need to be.
Exercise:helps you lift your mood, boosts not just your physical but also your mental state.
Read: something inspiring, that develops you personally.

Add to this list!

Music is also a great way to start your day well. What else can you add?

Score Your Mornings

1 = Your mornings are not great 10= Your mornings are really positive.

Give yourself a number.

Now ask yourself, “What’s one small simple thing that could move me up one number?

You can learn more about this at www.studysamurai.com in the WELLBEING MODULE – Topic 4: Starting Your Day For Success