mr mama

Before the lecture

• prepare for lectures - find out what is in the books on the subject
  so that you are aware of what you do not need to note in the lecture
• form an opinion about the subject of the lecture
• set yourself questions and leave spaces to have these answered during
  the lecture

During the lecture

• listen to 'make sense' rather than to make notes
• listen for 'signposts' about what is coming next or for summaries of
  key points
• listen for answers to questions you set in advance
  write yourself
  questions so you can trace answers and information after the lecture
• make brief notes of essential points

After the lecture

• read your notes and fill in any gaps
  
• discuss the lecture with other people
  
• consider how the lecture changed or
  developed your opinions of the subject
• label and file your notes
  

1. Eliminate as many sources of stress as you can. For example, if crowds bother you, go to the supermarket when you know the lines won’t be too long. Try renting videotapes rather than going to crowded movie theaters. Clear up the clutter in your life by giving away or throwing away the things that get in your way. A garage sale is one effective way to do this.

2. If you are always running late, sit down with a pencil and paper and see how you are actually allotting your time. Say it takes you 40 minutes to get to work. Are you leaving your house on time? You may be able to solve your problem (and de-stress your life a bit) just by being realistic. If you can’t find the time for all the activities that are important to you, maybe you are trying to do too much. Again, make a list of what you do during the day and how much each activity takes. Then cut back.

3. Avoid predictably stressful situations. If a certain sport or game makes you tense (whether it’s tennis or bridge), decline the invitation to play. After all, the point of these activities is to have a good time. If you know you won’t, there’s no reason to play.

4. If you can’t remove the stress, remove yourself. Slip away once in a while for some private time. These quiet moments may give you a fresh perspective on your problems. Avoid stressful people. For example, if you don’t get along with your father-in-law but you don’t want to make an issue of it, invite other in-laws at the same time you invite him. Having other people around will absorb some of the pressure you would normally feel.

5. Competing with others, whether in accomplishments, appearance, or possessions, is an avoidable source of stress. You might know people who do all they can to provoke envy in others. While it may seem easy to say you should be satisfied with what you have, it’s the truth. Stress from this kind of jealousy is self-inflicted.

• Organize Your Health: Fitsugar’s post      on organizing your health is a good place to start when you are just      getting into the exciting planning stages for your new health      program.  Use the tools described in      the post and you’ll be organized from the start.  Easily design and keep track of your      diet and fitness plans, from outlining weekly preparations down to      ensuring that you drink those all-important eight glasses of water per      day.
• Avoid      Common Fitness Pitfalls: This post identifies and warns      against 10 of the most common exercise pitfalls.  If you can recognize and avoid hazards      such as setting unrealistic goals, over-exercising, and fixating on the      scale, you will be able to develop an effective fitness routine that you      will be able to sustain for years rather than days.
• 10 Foods      for Better Health: Power foods like olive oil, nuts, tea,      and salmon can help you kick-start a healthy diet.  Follow the advice in this post by      incorporating these ten foods into your diet and you will soon be merging      into the fast lane on the road to good health
• Finding      Time to Exercise: One of the biggest challenges in starting      any new health regimen is fitting time to exercise into your hectic      schedule.  This post presents 5      shrewd fitness tips that will help you incorporate mini-workouts into your      busy day.
• 10 More      Tips for Your Wellness Journey: This post advocated ten      simple tips that will help you improve your health in all areas of your      life.  Follow these tips and you      will be able to maintain your mental and emotional fitness as well as your      physique.