Daniel Wong

Equipping Students to Be Successful & Happy

How to Get Organised for School: 30 Simple Tips for Students

Updated on January 17, 2019 By 15 Comments

Organised study table

Note: I’ve received comments and messages telling me that the word “organised” in the title should be spelled as “organized”. But I write in British English, where the word really is spelled as “organised”. 🙂

Life as a student is busy. There’s so much going on.

If you’re not organised and you feel like you’re not on top of things, stress can build up.

You might end up working late and sleeping less to try to catch up, but this isn’t a good habit.

Getting organised for school is all about developing good habits and systems.

Through my experiences, I’ve come up with these 30 simple tips that will help students to become organised, productive, and effective.

BONUS: Download a free PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus 3 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

1. Develop a routine

Consistency is the key to student success. So write down your general weekly schedule and create a routine.

Include things like when you’ll do your homework, when you’ll review the things you’ve learned, when you’ll exercise, and so on.

It’s not possible to stick to a routine 100% of the time, but at least set up the framework to keep you focused and on track.

2. Set rules for yourself

Set some very specific rules for yourself. These could be things like “complete all projects and assignments at least two days before they are due” or “start studying for tests at least one week in advance”.

Review your rules once a month and adjust them if necessary.

3. Write everything down

No one has a perfect memory, and trying to remember everything is stressful. So make a habit of writing down all your events, meetings, ideas, and things you need to do.

Use a notebook or planner, or try an app like Google Keep or Any.do that you can use on your phone and computer.

When you write everything down, you’ll be less anxious because you won’t be relying on your brain as a storage device. [Read more…]

30 Things That Young People Need to Know Are NOT Important in Life

Updated on July 4, 2017 By 25 Comments

Young people jumpingLet’s be honest.

We all spend time thinking about or doing things that aren’t important in life.

It can take a lot of time and energy, and it distracts us from the things that do matter.

Children and teenagers are particularly prone to this. I admit that I was definitely like this when I was younger as well!

I’ve spoken to and worked with more than 20,000 students thus far. Based on my experiences and observations, I’ve come up with this list of things that young people need to realise are not important in life.

Get my FREE e-book, 16 Keys to Motivating Your Teenager. The e-book has already been downloaded by more than 18,000 happy parents.

1. How many friends or followers you have on social media

Many people measure their self-worth by the number of friends or followers they have on social media, but this isn’t important in the long run.

Those followers won’t help you when you have a rough day, and they won’t support you when you’re feeling down.

They’ll just post images to show the best parts of their lives – too much time spent on social media leads to depression for this very reason.

2. How many “likes” you get on social media

The number of “likes” or comments on a social media post can seem important. It can seem like an indication of your popularity.

The thing to remember is that the number of likes you get isn’t nearly as important as the number of true friends you have. Nor is it as important as the relationships you have with your family members.

3. Living in the past

Everyone can get caught up living in the past. Either reliving the good times, or rehashing mistakes you’ve made.

According to research conducted by Matt Killingsworth, we’re happiest when we live in the moment.

So make the decision to be fully present wherever you are. [Read more…]

10 Common Parenting Mistakes That Demotivate Your Children

Updated on July 4, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Mother and daughter

Wouldn’t it be great if your children were motivated, independent learners?

That way, you wouldn’t have to nag or scold them to do their homework, and life would be easier for everyone.

Parents often tell me how frustrated they are that their children aren’t interested in school.

They’re also concerned that this lack of motivation will carry over to other areas of life.

The problem is that parents often demotivate their children unintentionally.

Here are 10 of the most common mistakes parents make – so do your best to avoid them in your home.

Get my FREE e-book, 16 Keys to Motivating Your Teenager. The e-book has already been downloaded by more than 18,000 happy parents.

Mistake #1: Give your children too many rewards based on achievement or behaviour

This is a trap that many parents fall into, and for good reason. The first time you try it, it seems to work.

You might tell your children that you’ll pay them a dollar each time they get more than 85% for a class test. This seems to work because they start studying harder.

You think to yourself, “Great. Problem solved!”

Then a few weeks later you realise their motivation has waned. They complain that getting a good grade deserves more than one dollar.

An argument breaks out, and you find yourself justifying the price. You even explain that studying hard is their basic responsibility as a student.

If this describes your situation, you’re not alone.

Many studies show that rewards and punishments work in the short term, but not in the long term.

(Read on to find out what other approaches you can try instead.)

Mistake #2: Overemphasise the importance of academics

Academics

Parents think that emphasising the importance of academics will motivate their children to work hard.

The problem is that this approach doesn’t turn your children into lifelong learners.

Learning isn’t just about getting good grades. It’s also about enjoying the process.

When children enjoy learning, they become motivated to keep on learning.

Grades can affect your job prospects, but many great leaders weren’t great students. Unfortunately, many of the students I’ve worked with tell me that their parents seem to think that grades are the only thing that matters.

We now know that there are many different types of intelligence and that the education system only measures some of these.

All parents would agree that social skills, character development, and learning to relax and reflect are also important areas of focus.

When parents dismiss their children’s hobbies and games as a waste of time, they hurt their children’s feelings and damage the parent-child relationship.

Parents must value and respect their children’s activities. Dance and sport can improve kinaesthetic intelligence, and games and discussions can boost intrapersonal intelligence.

These are vital skills for children to learn and carry with them through life. [Read more…]

15 Simple Tips for Raising Confident Children

Updated on February 1, 2017 By 9 Comments

Confident children

It’s painful to see your children struggling with self-confidence issues.

They may shy away from challenges or lack courage, and you may be concerned about how they’re maturing.

Parents often tell me they worry about how their children’s lack of confidence will affect their future.

There are many things you can do as a parent to help develop self-assurance in your children.

Read this article to discover 15 practical tips you can implement today.

Get my FREE e-book, 16 Keys to Motivating Your Teenager. The e-book has already been downloaded by more than 18,000 happy parents.

1. Give them responsibilities

Give your children responsibilities, such as helping you cook dinner or taking care of a younger sibling.

When your children fulfil their responsibilities, they experience an increase in self-worth, which boosts their confidence.

Dr Marty Rossman conducted research to support this theory. He found that children who help out with household chores do better in school, and that they’re also more empathic and caring.

Children feel good when they’re contributing to the family and have an important role to play. They feel needed as an integral part of the family.

You can foster self-confidence in your children by giving them responsibilities. Give your children tasks to take care of regularly so they become dependable and conscientious.

2. Share your own struggles with them

It’s important that your children understand that no one is perfect.

Share your difficulties with your children so they can see that it’s normal to face challenges.

Telling your children about problems you have at work or with various friendships is educational. Your children will begin to realise that it’s OK to be vulnerable and to have problems.

Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, says: “Through my research, I found that vulnerability is the glue that holds relationships together. It’s the magic sauce.”

Your children will gain confidence when they hear about your troubles, and about what you’re doing to overcome them.

They’ll start to accept challenges as normal and realise that nothing worth doing comes easily. [Read more…]

Top 26 Useful Websites for Students

Updated on July 4, 2017 By 1 Comment

Useful websites for studentsThe Internet.

Is there a better gift for students?

It allows you to keep in touch with friends, and it also gives you something to do when you’ve completed your schoolwork.

Without the Internet, life would be more dull.

You might love the Internet as a way to relax, but there’s also a lot that it can do to help you improve your study habits and make you more successful.

The following list contains the top useful websites to enable you to get organized, develop new skills, and plan for the future.

So the next time you take a break, check out some of these websites!

FREE BONUS: PDF summary of this article, which also contains a bonus list of 5 mobile apps that every student should use.

Enter your email in the box below to get the PDF.

Get your FREE summary + list of 5 bonus apps

 

Scheduling, Organization, and Personal Effectiveness

1. MyStudyLife

MyStudyLife is a free app that lets you coordinate your calendar and to-do list.

Designed especially for schools, this is a planner that can be customized for rotating schedules and long-term assignments.

You can even set up reminders about your homework due dates and store assignments in the cloud, so they’re always accessible.

My Study Life

 

2. KeepMeOut

If you find yourself becoming distracted by your favorite entertainment websites, use KeepMeOut to create a bookmark in your browser that sets off an alarm when you visit these websites too often.

It’s a great way to help you create effective web-surfing habits! [Read more…]

10 Simple Tips to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy (Without You Nagging!)

Updated on July 4, 2017 By 6 Comments

Healthy food for kids

Note from Daniel: This is a guest post by Glanies Takahata from The Habit Engineer.

You love your children and want them to be happy.

So you buy them their favourite snacks, and you make sure they always have enough to eat.

But you’re also concerned about their health.

You don’t want them to eat too much sugar, or too much food in general.

Whether your kids are picky eaters or junk food lovers, there are simple ways for you to influence them to eat healthy.

In this article, I’ll share with you the 10 best tips I know.

The tips are organised according to these three sections:

  • Part A: Eating less junk food
  • Part B: Eating more nutritious food
  • Part C: Eating less in general

Let’s start with the first section.

FREE E-BOOK: Don’t forget to download a copy of Daniel’s free e-book, 16 Keys to Motivating Your Teenager.

Part A: Eating less junk food

Tip #1: Buy only one serving of junk food at a time

It’s hard to tell your kids to stop snacking on candy or potato chips without coming across as a nag.

The simple solution?

Make it a family rule that you only buy one serving of junk food (or the smallest packet available) at a time.

This means that when you buy a chocolate bar for your kids, it’s just one chocolate bar – not a whole pack of chocolate bars.

The same principle applies to all other types of junk food.

Value packs appeal to us because we think we’re getting more bang for our buck. In addition, we assume that we’ll be able to control the amount of junk food we eat.

But the research says otherwise.

When researchers gave people bigger bags of snacks, they ate an average of 53% more than those who were given smaller bags.

So by buying value packs, it’s actually a case of being penny wise but pound foolish.

When you buy only one serving of junk food at a time, you allow your kids to indulge, but you also limit the amount of junk food they eat.

If they’d like more, they’ll either have to wait for the next grocery run, or they’ll need to pay for the snacks out of their own pocket. [Read more…]

20 Guaranteed Ways to Mess Up Your Children

Updated on January 30, 2017 By 2 Comments

father and son

Parenting is nerve-wracking.

You love your children and want them to grow up to be happy, successful adults.

But some days you’re not sure how to make that happen.

Sometimes you fear that something you’re doing or saying will mess them up permanently.

Here’s the good news: Part of great parenting is avoiding mistakes.

The even better news is that you don’t have to discover these mistakes for yourself.

I’ve worked with thousands of children and teenagers, and they’ve told me the mistakes their parents have made.

Here are 20 unintentional ways parents mess up their children, so start avoiding these behaviours today!

Get my FREE e-book, 16 Keys to Motivating Your Teenager. The e-book has already been downloaded by more than 18,000 happy parents.

Mistake #1: Frequently tell them that they’re not living up to their potential

Parents often mean well when they say this. They think it’ll encourage their children to work harder and become more focused.

Unfortunately, it has the opposite effect. It makes children feel like a failure.

It also makes children feel as though their parents only love them when they’re successful or working hard.

A more effective approach is to encourage your children to self-reflect.

After all, how they feel about themselves is more important than how others feel about them.

Mistake #2: Scold them harshly when they make unintentional mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes.

But when your children accidentally spill their juice or drop a plate, it’s important not to overreact.

Doing so can cause them to develop a fear of failure. They may start to think that making mistakes is bad.

But in truth, making mistakes is the way we learn.

So when your children make a mistake, stay calm and say something like, “It was an accident. Let’s clean it up.” [Read more…]