“Bagong taon ay magbagong buhay!”
It’s the New Year, Iskolars! We at Tinta know that New Years are for new beginnings and naturally we start making our own New Year’s resolutions. Thus, we made up a list of the most common New Year’s resolutions and some tips on how to achieve them. Check ‘em out!
1. Good Study Habits
Who wants to be bothered by INCs and removal exams and, well, retaking courses? Nobody, that's who. So yes, as Iskolars, we always want to try stopping all the binging (food, movies, uh… internet and gaming?) and develop better, more effective study habits. Pero, how?
One way to achieve this is to find a place conducive for productivity and associate it with doing your academic toil. Make this place your holy ground of academics. If your room only makes you long for sleep or internet, then transfer somewhere else and root your productivity there. This place will then be associated with working so whenever you’re in there, you would probably work better.
Premack’s principle is also one technique an Iskolar can use to develop better study habits. According to this, a person will want to work towards a desirable behavior (example, internet surfing) but to achieve this, that person must overcome an undesirable behavior (i.e., studying?). In short, for you to feel the rewards of 15 minutes of internet, you must set yourself to do at least 30 minutes of studying. Then repeat the whole process until you finished your quota.
These are just easy exercises you can try to improve your study habits. Try them out and you might be surprised by the power of psychology’s classical and operant conditioning.
2. Save money
Ah, money. Money is a precious commodity for college students not just because it pays for our tuition fees and living expenses but also due to the fact that without it, our hangouts with friends, movie dates and personal caprices would be impossible. Whether you are like Chris D’Amico in KissAss whose superpower is that he has plenty of money or not, there are a lot of perks in learning the value of saving.
Here are some of the tips shared by Kristel Cuenta on BusinessTips.ph that might help you along the way:
- Aside from books and tuition fee, set a budget for your expenses categories like rent, food, entertainment and so on.
- Buy second hand books. Probably you will discover much cheaper price at surplus bookstore. Avoid purchasing new ones as much as possible.
- Consider a temporary job provided that it does not obstruct your studies.
- You don’t need going out always; invite some friend to your apartment habitually to save cash.
- It’s easy to get lost in a jungle of clothes racks, shoes and come out with more purchased items than what you had in mind. In order to avoid this, list all of the things that you need to buy before going out into the stores and stick to that list.
3. Exercise
No more PE subjects. Exams week. No time to hit the gym or even go to Abellana for a run and it actually makes you feel like your joints are rusting. Maybe you need exercise to help you feel alive again, eh?
Exercising can be a really hard task but in the long run it will reap you with a lot health benefits that will make every drop of sweat worth it. To start with getting fit, here are some advice to help you.
One way to get a little bit of exercise in our daily routines is to change some parts of your routine. If you live near UP but still ride the jeep because you always wake up late, try waking up earlier and taking a walk to school. Also, it can be a good thing that UP has no elevators since taking the stairs gets you moving.
According to an article in WebMD, an effective fitness program has to have five components: a warm-up, a cardiovascular workout, strength-building exercises, flexibility moves and a cooldown. So start with this information and google a fitness program that is appropriate for your fitness level. Just keep in mind that if you’re a newbie to this exercise thing, you should not attempt those high intensity workouts.
Or, you can try to take BuzzFeed’s Get Fit Challenge which you can find if you click this link http://www.buzzfeed.com/sallytamarkin/get-fit-challenge. It is a four-week exercise plan and the workouts are no longer than 30 minutes. Perfect for a college kid, right? It also doesn’t require gym membership so you save a couple of pesos.
So what are you waiting for? Get those lazy asses of the couch and start moving!
4. Lose Weight
“‘Tis the season to be chubby” - our battlecry when it comes to the holidays. Then, we fret ‘cause after all the satisfying lechon, mango float and crabs, we become a few kilos heavier than our last weigh-in. And like what has been repeated by a lot of people, “mas dali magpa-tambok kaysa magpaniwang”.
Well, losing weight is one of the most popular New Year resolutions and yet it is also one of those that are very hard to achieve. First of all, let’s just be clear, losing weight doesn’t mean depriving yourself. Many people think deprivation is the key but it’s not, it should be eating a healthy and well-balanced diet coupled with exercise. Also, always keep in mind that the weight-loss process can be painful.
If you want to lose weight, first you must set your goal and it must be realistic. According to Dr. Hensrud in an article for health.com, the goal you set must be "specific, measurable, realistic, and trackable” such as having a 15-minute jog every other day.
It also helps that you alter some parts of your lifestyle. If you want to lose weight then you need to give up unhealthy habits such as snacking on junk foods. Also, you need to watch what you eat!
These tips are just to help you get started on your weight-loss, the real power is in your hands.
5. Acads over everything else
Did a lot of partying and forgot to study? Watch a whole season of that television series instead of the documentary assigned for Soc Sci 5? We know how it is to prioritize any other activity except for the academic ones so let’s get you some tips and tricks to hopefully help you finish that 5-page reading on Asian history first before that last Heroes of Olympus book. Besides, the first reason you get into college is to graduate with a degree, right?
One way to prioritize acads is to learn how to manage your time. Know how many hours or minutes you put into an activity every day for one week so that you have an idea which activity can you cut back or add some time. If you want to study, a nifty guide from academictips.org might help organize how much time to put into one subject: study two hours per hour in class for an easy class, three hours per hour in class for an average class, and four hours per hour in class for a difficult class.
Another helpful tip? Learn to say “no”. If you plan to study every Wednesday night and your bestfriend asks you out to see a newly-released movie that you're not really interested in watching, decline the offer politely. Better yet, ask your BFFL to study with you! Always try to stick to your study schedule as much as possible. However, take casual breaks in order to refresh your mind. Besides, all work and no play makes an Iskolar a dull person!
But wait, there’s more. We included some extra resolutions that would be fun (unless they prove to be a burden) to add on your lists.
Think more of others
A selfish life can be easily lead. Although a lot of people may choose to tread a life of selfishness (which may not be so bad when taken in moderation), some would want to venture into a more empathic way of life. Well, even if you are selfish, you might still find that being able to empathize with others can help you reach goals. But naturally warm people do not find this difficult.
The benefits of thinking more about others is the heightened sensitivity towards their feelings.Thus, being able to make decisions that would not just benefit you but also those “other people”.
For selfish people, one way to start thinking more of others is to consider them as you - only different and probably quite cooler. Try to see your own beautiful presence in their own and you might be surprised how easy it is to think of their good.
For the common population, the things you can do easily to consider others as your kapwa is to offer sincere compliments (“Oh, your hair looks exquisitely good today!”). Don’t make it seem like you’re kissing their ass, though. Just a short appreciation of someone’s existence will surely make them feel better!
Smile, smile, smile! Not only does it use less face muscles, as smile is also the best manifestation of warmth and openness. A smile a day keeps a wrinkle away. So yes, smile to other people (not in a creepy, pervy way), your friends and your enemies and let them wonder why you’re happy.
Be more honest
May it be being more honest towards yourself or others, honesty may help you avoid misinterpretations that might lead to misunderstandings. If you want to rid yourself of troubles concerning these, try working towards honesty.
To do just this, you must first feel a little less apologetic. Learn to have your own face and own up to your decisions and mistakes. If you feel too sorry to tell your friend that the dress may be too short for her, then you might push her to spending her money on an unworthy buy. This is not easy especially with our culture here in the Perlas ng Silanganan. Disclaimer: this is not saying that you just blurt out truth bombs, drop them gently. But either way, the explosion can still go intense.
Have a sense of acceptance of your flaws and of the world’s. Do not bubble yourself with “Pink ponies, happy skies” (Shrek, The Musical) because most truths come in storms or earthquakes. The point of this attempt at metaphor is to see yourself as naturally flawed but learning to accept that as an avenue to improve yourself. Being more honest to yourself is caring a little less about what other’s think you are which can lead you to form yourself into their liking. Being more honest to yourself is being able to admit and embrace insecurities and to work on your improvement for yourself.
Well, you now know some of the popular New Year resolutions. You’ve read some tips on how to achieve them. Now, all you need to do is take action!
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This article fro Beyond Bluebook is written by Fraulein Roa, Jennifer Ebdani and Tara Prieto
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