For our readers who want to become top students, here is some advice. You can do it! You can develop master study skills and techniques that will help you to become an A student. The real secret is to keep a positive attitude while putting forth massive, well-focused effort. Here are a couple of bite-size articles to get you pointed in the right direction.
Get That A in Class - Five Ways to Use Your Imagination
If you are a student, an effective way to become a top performer in school is to practice using your imagination. We often visualize on a sub-conscious level before we complete tasks. You can bring this mental skill to the conscious level to use as an effective study tool.
When we set out to accomplish things, we do it twice - once in our imaginations followed by the actual achievement in the physical world. By consciously using visualization to practice performing tasks successfully, you can increase your chance of excelling in the physical world. The key to this approach is to set aside practice time for your imaginary performance. Then, follow your visualization with a diligent effort to duplicate in the real world what you visualized.
Here are five ways you can use your imagination to get better grades:
• Before you begin a course and often while taking it, envision yourself receiving an A. Imagine the professor or teacher catching you at the end of a class to compliment you on how well you are doing and encouraging you to keep up the great work. Imagine on another occasion seeing the instructor telling the rest of the class that one of your comments in class shows great insight or that it was an excellent one. Everyone respects your opinion and you understand the material thoroughly because you have read a lot, studied a lot and thought a lot about it. Imagine the great feeling of victory and pride that you have because you have aced this one and made it to the top!
• Before you tackle a new school assignment, dedicate a few minutes to visualizing yourself doing a fantastic job. For example, before you write a paper, imagine yourself writing a creative, well thought-out piece that will surpass your greatest expectations. If it is a reading assignment, imagine alertly reading, asking questions, and making connections with other material that you have read. Imagine yourself taking clear notes and making additional mental notes of the key points. Visualize yourself identifying items for further research and items that might need clarification. See yourself as a student-tiger willing to explore deeper and willing to work harder to gain a better understanding. Imagine the smile on your face when the assignment is completed and when you realize that you have simply out-done yourself.
• On your way to class or just before class, picture yourself sitting in class fully prepared. You have done your reading and assignments. You have worked hard and are ready to participate. See yourself raising your hand and offering insightful answers or asking great questions. See the impressed look of others in your class who realize that you understand the topic well and have really done a lot of work. See the instructor praising you. Picture the confidence that you have. Also picture yourself taking great notes and making personal notes of things to investigate to gain even more understanding. You are a star!
• When studying for a test, use your imagination to get that A. See yourself reviewing your notes, reviewing key text, asking and answering questions about the material, identifying the main points and key details that will distinguish the "pretenders" from you -- the "real deal". See yourself remembering everything and making all the right connections between various points in the material. See yourself having great insights and being very confident. There is an A out there for you and you are going to get it. When you are done with this exercise, you are ready to attack your test preparation.
• On the morning of the test, see yourself getting that A for which you just finished preparing. In your imagination, see yourself moving quickly, alertly and confidently through each part of the test. You are a tiger and nothing gets pass you. You have answers that are focused, well thought-out - even brilliant. You have surpassed even your own expectations and you leave the class with a confident smile on your face - because you know that you have knocked another one down, another A.
Remember, as you visualize, see yourself giving your maximum effort. When you imagine yourself working hard, it will become easier later to duplicate that effort in the real world.
These applications are only a few of the many uses you can make of your imagination to achieve above-average results. This skill can be used in every phase of your studies. The key is to practice the technique often and stay very positive. No matter what you think of your abilities or your chances of success, your imagination is the one place where you can be the best, the brightest, the top performer---and of course, the tiger.
Naturally, you will not realize your goal of raising your grades without backing it up with effort. To get the most from this technique you must exert massive effort to duplicate in the physical world what you just imagined. Try this technique diligently for one month. I am confident that you will notice a big improvement.
You Deserve an A in Class - Go For It!
Are you turning in sub-par grades in school and reaching the point of despair? Stop beating yourself up and take action. While no one likes to fail, failure can lead to success if you act upon it. The key is to learn from your poor performance and use that knowledge to rise to the top.
Poor academic performance can result from any of these factors: 1) failing to devote enough time to studying; 2) poor study skills; 3) poor time-management skills 4) lack of enthusiasm for the subjects or a negative attitude; 5) difficulty in understanding the material; or 6) generally poor mental or physical health. Any one or combination of these shortcomings can lead to poor grades.
You can reverse poor performance by evaluating each of these major areas and assessing your strength or weakness in each one. Here are some thoughts:
Study Time: It takes time and effort to get great grades. As a rule of thumb, most educators recommend that serious students - those who want superior results - devout at least 2.5 - 3 hours of study time per course for each hour spent in class each week. If you are an aspiring top performer, that commitment could work out to around 35 - 45 hours of study per week, in addition to the time spent in class - a full time job!
Study Skills: Good study skills cut the completion time for assignments while significantly improving retention. As you assess your study skills, focus on these key areas:
• Effective reading - are you pre-reading; deep-reading for important concepts and information; and reviewing what you have read?
• Quality note taking - do you take good notes in class and during your deep-reading? Notes should succinctly reflect key ideas, relationships, important developments, key people, key dates, etc.
• Writing essays - are you able to identify engaging topics, prepare a useful essay outline, stay on point with great insights and deliver a persuasive conclusion?
• Problem solving - have you learned to quickly identify the problem? Starting with the information/situation that is given, are you able to develop alternative solutions and choose the best one?
• Prioritizing assignments: do you prioritize assignments? Large assignments should be broken into smaller parts. Work on assignments should be scheduled such that all assignments are completed ahead of time and reviewed.
• Studying for tests: do you review your notes, develop and answer key questions, make a hit-list of important concepts, people, developments, dates, and use pre-test visualization to perform well?
Time management: This is really a misnomer. The goal of time management is to manage yourself so as to make better use of time. Skills such as goal setting, prioritizing, shutting down distractions and interruptions, delegating, and blocking out work time are all important time management skills.
Lack of enthusiasm: It is difficult to learn with a negative mind-set. Even if a subject is not your 'cup of tea', in the grand scheme of things it may be one of the stepping stones to your ultimate success. Work at staying positive. Quickly dispose of any negative thoughts. Keep your larger goal of performing well in mind.
Difficulty in understanding material: Get to know your instructors - they can be tremendous resources. Let them know that you are interested in their classes. If you are having trouble understanding things covered in class or in your reading, call or visit your instructor. Sometimes schools have tutoring services - if this will help, sign up. Another great resource is other students. They may understand a concept or point better than you.
Poor physical or mental health: Poor health of any kind can be an obstacle to learning. In this case, the best defense is a good offense. Make sure you eat properly and that you incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine. Most educators are quick to emphasis the importance of these two areas of health. If you have a physical or mental health concern, see a physician - you may be able to clip your problem in the bud and get back on track.
TV psychologist, Dr. Phil, once quipped that "insanity is when you do the same things over and over again, hoping for a different outcome". Don't let that happen to you. You can move from being a failure to being a success. By accepting and committing yourself to gleaning helpful information from your failure, you can use this information to get back on track. Be active.
Look closely at incorrect answers on tests or quizzes. Find out why any papers/essays are considered poor. Then make sure that you identify and understand the correct answers or shortcomings. Evaluate your study skills and look for ways to improve them. Lastly, top performance requires massive effort combined with a positive attitude. If you want great grades, make sure that you are willing to make some sacrifices.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Guarding Against Spam
Spam is a persistent problem for most of us. As beneficial as email is, spam is the 'Dark Lord' of email that we all serve. Below are two bite-size guides for curtailing spam:
How To Stop Spam Dead In Its Tracks
By: Geoff White
Email spammers. Don't you just hate them? So just how to stop spam from arriving?
In an ideal world, there would be no spam. Trouble is, the whole game is based around numbers. Since it costs almost nothing to send email (especially if you use software that hijacks other people's internet connections) then it doesn't matter to the spammer if almost no-one responds to their unsolicited messages. One person in a thousand responding would send a spammer's heartbeat racing. It's likely a much lower response than that - and still the swines send out all those darned emails to you without asking whether or not you want to enlarge parts of your anatomy or whatever else it is they want to sell you today.
You can take these simple steps to reduce the amount of unsolicited commercial email (the posh name for spam) that you get:
1. Don't publish your email address in forums
Most forums and discussion groups know this, so they take steps to make sure you don't disclose your email address. Because as soon as your address is publicly available on the internet, spammers can use robots to grab it and send you those unwanted messages.
2. Don't use an "obvious" name as your email address
Especially if you use services like Hotmail and Yahoo Mail. If you use the format first name surname (plus maybe a number) @ wherever then all the spammer needs is a list of common first names and common surnames. Software will take care of guessing the rest. They don't care how many bounce either - this is a numbers game, remember - so if 50 guesses are wrong and 250 are right, you've got a happy spammer and an unhappy you.
3. Don't use the unsubscribe link unless it's an email you've asked to receive and are now bored with
Legitimate email services always offer a way to stop receiving messages. So if you once subscribed to a service telling you how to breed cheerful pit bull terriers but now no longer need the information, there is bound to be a link to stop future emails. These are fine. But if you get an email offering your free naked pictures of people or a year's supply of pills to [http://www.squidoo.com/lastinglongerinbed]improve your performance in bed, it's less likely you asked for that. So don't use the unsubscribe link if you didn't subscribe in the first place. It just tells the spammer that you're a real person and to send you more junk.
4. Be selective about who gets your email address
Reserve your main email account for close friends and family. Use a throwaway or free email address when you sign up to forums and email lists. Hotmail and Yahoo Mail work great for these and also offer extra filters to help make sure you only get the stuff you've signed up for.
5. Use software to help filter your inbox
Computers are good at sending spam. But they're also good at spotting it and filing it out of harm's way. Use a good software program to reduce the burden on yourself.
Get more ways to [http://www.squidoo.com/getridofspam]stop spam and start to [http://www.squidoo.com/getridofspam]get rid of spam from your life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_White http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Stop-Spam-Dead-In-Its-Tracks&id=963223
Features And Benefits Of Anti-Spam Software
By: A Singh
The best anti-spam software is the one that gives you your privacy. Ideally, an anti-spam device should be the one that delivers only the emails you want, and blocks 100 percent of the emails you do not want. This, though, is never going to be possible. Spammers are always one step ahead, and the manufacturers of anti-spam filter tries to catch up.
Most anti-spam solution can be customized to your needs, and only the approved emails come into your inbox. Such software always presumes that all the incoming emails are spam, and only allow those, from the people you know, to come in.
Benefits of Anti Spam Software
Let us look at some of the benefits and features of anti-spam software:
Blocking Spam - Certain anti-spam solutions not only block specific email addresses, but also look for subject lines and text in the email messages. You can arrange to block incoming emails based on senders, and also if your email address is not in the recipient field.
Automatic Filter Updates - Most software programs for filtering Spam come with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of filters built in. In addition, companies offering these software release new anti-spam filters regularly. This ensures that your anti-spam software is always up-to-date.
Creating Custom Filters - Some anti-spam programs allow you to create your own filters, depending on the spam you receive.
Quarantining Spam - Anti-spam filters automatically quarantine the spam emails, ensuring your inbox is spam free. Such quarantined emails are held for a fixed number of days, say 30 days or so, and then dumped. The delay allows you to check and recover any legitimate email that may have been quarantined.
Your Personal Whitelist - A feature in certain anti-spam software allows you to maintain a 'friendly' list of people whose emails you wish to accept. These emails are never mistaken for spam as against the blacklist of spammers. You can always update your 'whitelist,' as and when you wish to.
Monitoring Multiple Accounts - Other than deleting spam from your email account, this feature allows you to monitor and filter your email from multiple accounts. It allows you to filter your home email from work, and vice versa.
Reporting Spam - There is an option in certain anti-spam software to report back to the company supplying the program. This allows the companies to develop new filters based on the analysis of the reported spam.
Some anti-spam software allow you to block attachments. Certain executable attachments could damage your computer.
Emails have become a very popular way of advertising, and it is time that you start filtering your emails, to avoid spam. Most software available can be customized to suit your requirements, whether they are the home or the business versions. Get a Spam Filter now to block spam mails.
Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Anti Spyware, Window Cleaner and Anti Spam Filter. Learn how [http://www.pcmantra.com/Content/Features-And-Benefits-Of-Anti-Spam-Software.htm]Anti Spam filter helps in securing online privacy. Visit our [http://www.pcmantra.com]Home page or [http://www.pcmantra.com/resourcecenter.aspx]Resource Center to read more about products and download free trial of a range of security and performance enhancing software like
Windows Registry Cleaner
Anti Spyware and Anti Adware
Windows and Internet Cleaner
Anti Spam Filter for MS Outlook
Anti Spam Filter for Outlook Express
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Singh http://EzineArticles.com/?Features-And-Benefits-Of-Anti-Spam-Software&id=295757
How To Stop Spam Dead In Its Tracks
By: Geoff White
Email spammers. Don't you just hate them? So just how to stop spam from arriving?
In an ideal world, there would be no spam. Trouble is, the whole game is based around numbers. Since it costs almost nothing to send email (especially if you use software that hijacks other people's internet connections) then it doesn't matter to the spammer if almost no-one responds to their unsolicited messages. One person in a thousand responding would send a spammer's heartbeat racing. It's likely a much lower response than that - and still the swines send out all those darned emails to you without asking whether or not you want to enlarge parts of your anatomy or whatever else it is they want to sell you today.
You can take these simple steps to reduce the amount of unsolicited commercial email (the posh name for spam) that you get:
1. Don't publish your email address in forums
Most forums and discussion groups know this, so they take steps to make sure you don't disclose your email address. Because as soon as your address is publicly available on the internet, spammers can use robots to grab it and send you those unwanted messages.
2. Don't use an "obvious" name as your email address
Especially if you use services like Hotmail and Yahoo Mail. If you use the format first name surname (plus maybe a number) @ wherever then all the spammer needs is a list of common first names and common surnames. Software will take care of guessing the rest. They don't care how many bounce either - this is a numbers game, remember - so if 50 guesses are wrong and 250 are right, you've got a happy spammer and an unhappy you.
3. Don't use the unsubscribe link unless it's an email you've asked to receive and are now bored with
Legitimate email services always offer a way to stop receiving messages. So if you once subscribed to a service telling you how to breed cheerful pit bull terriers but now no longer need the information, there is bound to be a link to stop future emails. These are fine. But if you get an email offering your free naked pictures of people or a year's supply of pills to [http://www.squidoo.com/lastinglongerinbed]improve your performance in bed, it's less likely you asked for that. So don't use the unsubscribe link if you didn't subscribe in the first place. It just tells the spammer that you're a real person and to send you more junk.
4. Be selective about who gets your email address
Reserve your main email account for close friends and family. Use a throwaway or free email address when you sign up to forums and email lists. Hotmail and Yahoo Mail work great for these and also offer extra filters to help make sure you only get the stuff you've signed up for.
5. Use software to help filter your inbox
Computers are good at sending spam. But they're also good at spotting it and filing it out of harm's way. Use a good software program to reduce the burden on yourself.
Get more ways to [http://www.squidoo.com/getridofspam]stop spam and start to [http://www.squidoo.com/getridofspam]get rid of spam from your life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_White http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Stop-Spam-Dead-In-Its-Tracks&id=963223
Features And Benefits Of Anti-Spam Software
By: A Singh
The best anti-spam software is the one that gives you your privacy. Ideally, an anti-spam device should be the one that delivers only the emails you want, and blocks 100 percent of the emails you do not want. This, though, is never going to be possible. Spammers are always one step ahead, and the manufacturers of anti-spam filter tries to catch up.
Most anti-spam solution can be customized to your needs, and only the approved emails come into your inbox. Such software always presumes that all the incoming emails are spam, and only allow those, from the people you know, to come in.
Benefits of Anti Spam Software
Let us look at some of the benefits and features of anti-spam software:
Blocking Spam - Certain anti-spam solutions not only block specific email addresses, but also look for subject lines and text in the email messages. You can arrange to block incoming emails based on senders, and also if your email address is not in the recipient field.
Automatic Filter Updates - Most software programs for filtering Spam come with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of filters built in. In addition, companies offering these software release new anti-spam filters regularly. This ensures that your anti-spam software is always up-to-date.
Creating Custom Filters - Some anti-spam programs allow you to create your own filters, depending on the spam you receive.
Quarantining Spam - Anti-spam filters automatically quarantine the spam emails, ensuring your inbox is spam free. Such quarantined emails are held for a fixed number of days, say 30 days or so, and then dumped. The delay allows you to check and recover any legitimate email that may have been quarantined.
Your Personal Whitelist - A feature in certain anti-spam software allows you to maintain a 'friendly' list of people whose emails you wish to accept. These emails are never mistaken for spam as against the blacklist of spammers. You can always update your 'whitelist,' as and when you wish to.
Monitoring Multiple Accounts - Other than deleting spam from your email account, this feature allows you to monitor and filter your email from multiple accounts. It allows you to filter your home email from work, and vice versa.
Reporting Spam - There is an option in certain anti-spam software to report back to the company supplying the program. This allows the companies to develop new filters based on the analysis of the reported spam.
Some anti-spam software allow you to block attachments. Certain executable attachments could damage your computer.
Emails have become a very popular way of advertising, and it is time that you start filtering your emails, to avoid spam. Most software available can be customized to suit your requirements, whether they are the home or the business versions. Get a Spam Filter now to block spam mails.
Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Anti Spyware, Window Cleaner and Anti Spam Filter. Learn how [http://www.pcmantra.com/Content/Features-And-Benefits-Of-Anti-Spam-Software.htm]Anti Spam filter helps in securing online privacy. Visit our [http://www.pcmantra.com]Home page or [http://www.pcmantra.com/resourcecenter.aspx]Resource Center to read more about products and download free trial of a range of security and performance enhancing software like
Windows Registry Cleaner
Anti Spyware and Anti Adware
Windows and Internet Cleaner
Anti Spam Filter for MS Outlook
Anti Spam Filter for Outlook Express
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Singh http://EzineArticles.com/?Features-And-Benefits-Of-Anti-Spam-Software&id=295757
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Bite-size Equipment Leasing
To jumpstart our blog, let me start by offering a guide for business owners interested in acquiring needed equipment for their businesses. While some owners will choose to buy their equipment outright, others should consider conserving their internal funds for working capital. A good option for most businesses is to consider leasing their equipment. Leasing helps businesses conserve cash, leverage their equity funds, manage working capital, and bring in the productive equipment that they need to compete (see "Using Equipment Leasing as a Competitive Weapon").
A good guide to finding the best lease deal can be found at "Insider's Guide to Snaring the Best Lease Deal". Once you have an idea of how to get the best leasing arrangement, you can fine-tune your search by arming yourself with more insider information. Go to this site to find a wealth of information: "George Parker's Leasing Articles". If you would like an even larger sampling of leasing topics, I invite you to read more articles by practitioners in the field at "Ezinearticles.com: Equipment Financing".
A good guide to finding the best lease deal can be found at "Insider's Guide to Snaring the Best Lease Deal". Once you have an idea of how to get the best leasing arrangement, you can fine-tune your search by arming yourself with more insider information. Go to this site to find a wealth of information: "George Parker's Leasing Articles". If you would like an even larger sampling of leasing topics, I invite you to read more articles by practitioners in the field at "Ezinearticles.com: Equipment Financing".
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Welcome to Bite-Size Guides
This blog is designed for readers interested in short high-quality guides on various topics. If you have an area of expertise and have developed a short guide -- one with less than twenty pages -- please submit it. Your guide will be reviewed and if the quality is judged good, it will be posted here. All that we ask is that the content be original, written by you with your permission to publish the same here. We can link directly to your site or the site where the guide is published.
By submitting a guide for publication, you agree that you have given Bite-Size Guides the right to publish your guide, the right to discuss and or summarize for its readers the content of your guide, and the right to publish comments and questions from our staff and readers concerning your quide. You agree that these rights will be extended to Bite-Size Guides without monetary consideration.
You are encouraged to participate in discussions that result from the exposure that your guide receives at this site and to take advantage of this forum for promoting your ideas, products and or services that may be of interest to our readers.
Bite-Size Guides makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, originality, usefulness or integrity of the content of any of the guides offered at this site.
By submitting a guide for publication, you agree that you have given Bite-Size Guides the right to publish your guide, the right to discuss and or summarize for its readers the content of your guide, and the right to publish comments and questions from our staff and readers concerning your quide. You agree that these rights will be extended to Bite-Size Guides without monetary consideration.
You are encouraged to participate in discussions that result from the exposure that your guide receives at this site and to take advantage of this forum for promoting your ideas, products and or services that may be of interest to our readers.
Bite-Size Guides makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, originality, usefulness or integrity of the content of any of the guides offered at this site.
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