How to Create Good Study Habits for Exams

Taking exams can lead to stress and anxiety if you have not studied during the year because you will find yourself cramming for each test and studying late into the night. With a little time management during the school year, you not only minimize stress at exam time, but maximize productivity and results.

Step 1:
Buy an extra notebook for each subject at the beginning of the year so that as you finish a chapter in class, you immediately write notes and summaries in that book. The classwork will still be fresh in your mind so at exam time you merely have to take the notebook home from school. Write down the key points you learned from each lesson onto a cue card. This helps your mind to retain the day's important facts. On the weekends look over the cue cards. Get your parents or friends to quiz you on them.

Step 2:
Record your notes on a digital voice recorder or another device (you can also use your phone), listen to them in your spare time, listen to them as you would an audio book, concentrate on the words and try to memorize them as you hear them. Researches also found that listening to sounds during sleep enhance memory.

Step 3:
Learn how to make mind maps, cluster maps, PowerPoints and other memory aids. Mind maps are graphical illustrations of a subject and a great memory tool to use, especially during exams. These tools are great for flash-carding and memory-retrieving.

Step 4:
As soon as you finish a topic, take out a book from the library and read more information about the subject. Look up questions you had and try to clear any confusion that you possibly had while learning the topic. Take notes to refer back to them before and at test time.

Step 5:
Don't do rough drafts for essays. Just do the good copy straight away, but thoroughly as well. In an exam situation you won't have time to write out a whole draft copy, so practice writing out good copies straight away. Make sure the good copy is neat, punctuation and spelling are correct, and the information makes sense.

Step 6:
Make a timetable for exam days by marking the dates on a calendar, so you can be prepared by the time the test comes around. The future is approaching faster than you may realize so be proactive and try to get on top of things early.

Step 7:
Make a list of your classes and the topics covered in class. As you study a topic, mark it in a way that is meaningful to you, to remind you which topics have already been studied.

Step 8:
Set aside a study time each day when you are not too tired, or too hungry. If you are going to study for a long time, remember to take a break in between, preferably every 20 minutes or so.

Step 9:
Set up a study group. Study groups share notes, thoughts and ideas or how to solve or understand a particular problem. Be sure to honor the class rules on what work may or may not be done in groups.

Step 10:
Plan out 'trial' exams for yourself. All you have to do is redo one of your past tests or quizzes within a time limit. Get into the exam mode by clearing your work desk of everything except your paper and pen.

Step 11:
Plan for academic success and execute the plan with tenacity. Provided that you are healthy you should execute your plans whether you are feeling strong or weak, tired or energized, lazy or motivated, focused or distracted, discouraged or encouraged. Realize that it is up to you to make the moments in your hand count for something and don’t let your feelings trick you into being less than empowered.

Step 12:
Get enough sleep at night. It's harder to concentrate when you got less than six hours of sleep the night before. Aim for eight to ten hours of deep sleep to feel truly refreshed and ready for anything in the morning.

Step 13:
When choosing individual subjects to study, start with the least enjoyable or the most difficult subject. Master it, and you'll end up loving it. At the very least, you won't have to worry about putting it off until it's too late because you don't like it.

Step 14:
Follow a daily timetable, on the first day it will be a challenge; second day it will become a practice and the third day it will become a habit. It is a matter of conditioning yourself to a sustained work ethic that will facilitate peak performance in the sometimes intense academic arena.

資料來源：http://www.wikihow.com/Create-Good-Study-Habits-for-Exams

當傳道人一點都不難～

“老師，我長大後要當傳道！”

我轉過頭，有點驚訝的看著他：“你要當傳道？”
“要！我要當傳道！”眼神堅定的看著我。

他，
是我在小學當男童軍的軍牧時認識的一位小男孩。
小學六年級，一個活潑外向，聰明伶俐，個子不高，嘴上又總是掛著調皮笑容的小男生。

這些都不足以讓我對他的志願感到不可思議。
真正讓我覺得意外的，是因為他在福兒院長大。
自從當了他們的軍牧，我不時會到福兒院去看看他們，
帶水果過去，陪他們聊天，陪他們看電視，也陪他們下棋。
所以他對我來說並不陌生。

雖然父母都健在，
但因為一些原因使得他和他的兄弟姊妹都被寄養在衛理福兒院。

和一般在正常家庭長大的小孩相比，
他少了一般小孩習以為常的父愛和母愛，
少了自己的私人空間，
也少了一點小孩子該有的童貞。

只要你有機會和他說上幾句，
你會對他的機靈，膽識，倔強，和語氣感到佩服。
對權威人士的挑戰，古靈精怪的表現，
再再讓我思考：是誰逼得這麼小的孩童這麼早學習在現實世界的生存方式？

“你知道傳道人是做甚麼的嗎？”我好奇的問。
“知道啊！像你一樣的啊。”他語帶肯定的答道。
“你知道傳道人是傳甚麼道的嗎？”我試著考考他。
“傳耶穌的道啊！”

（喔～說的好啊～）

“可是你知道當傳道人是很難的嗎？”我想嚇嚇他。
“怎麼會難？一點都不難！”他反駁。
“你不是傳道人，所以你不知道當傳道人很難，很辛苦的。”我理直氣壯的反擊。
“可是這麼難的話，你還不是做到現在。”

“。。。。”（他可能不知道我牧會才剛滿一年罷了。哈哈～）

“你以後想上大學嗎？”我換個角度問。
“想！” 又是這麼肯定的回答。
“這樣啊～” 我算了算。。。
“等哪天你當了傳道人的時候，我應該還在。到時我們就一起服事了。”
聽到這句話，他調皮的笑容又出現了。

是甚麼讓他對“呼召”這麼的肯定？
又是甚麼讓身處劣勢環境的他有回應呼召的意願？

傳道，是傳耶穌的道；
傳道，一點都不難。

今天，
一個小學六年級，在福兒院長大的小男生給一個三十二歲的傳道人上了寶貴的一課。

讀經禱告是牧者的工作？

某一次的工作者小組，
大家輪流分享自己的靈修狀況。
好幾位都一臉尷尬的表示自己沒有穩定的讀經禱告生活。

我笑著說：“我也是工作者，但我每天都有讀經禱告。”

“但那就是你的工作啊～，”其中一位弟兄這麼說道。

待小組結束後，
這句話仍不斷的盤旋在我腦海中。

讀經禱告是牧者的工作嗎？
我記得在使徒行傳中，十二使徒對眾門徒說：
“我們撇下神的道去管理飯食，原是不合宜的。。。但我們要專心以祈禱傳道為事。”

而且，主耶穌頒給門徒的大使命是要是萬民成為祂的門徒。

顧名思義，牧者傳道的職責就是要傳主的道。
若牧者傳道沒有受過專門的訓練去解經，又如何能正確的傳主的道呢？
因此，我認為讀經禱告不是牧者傳道的主要工作，解經傳道才是。


其實，
讀經禱告不是牧者的工作，而是每個重生得救的基督徒的工作。
再嚴格來說，
讀經禱告根本不能算是“工作”，而是每個基督徒需要努力去經營的“關係”。

這就是為甚麼我都在上班前靈修禱告，而不是在辦公的時間進行。
既然靈修禱告是不是公事，而是私事，那麼我們更不應該在上班時間做私事。

正如廚師不會在客人點菜後，才開始研究食譜；
教師也不會在學生面前，才開始讀書備課。
這些都是事前需要準備好，在平時就要找時間自我充實，才不會自我淘汰。
同樣的，
牧者傳道也不會（不該）在“上班”時間靈修禱告，畢竟這不是他／她的工作內容。

我們都知道，
透過讀經禱告，基督徒可以與神更親密；
透過讀經禱告，基督徒可以向神支取力量；
透過讀經禱告，基督徒可以明白神的心意；
透過讀經禱告，基督徒可以找到人生方向。

因此，
讀經禱告不關乎職責，乃關乎基督徒的身份。
讀經禱告不關乎工作，乃關乎你與神的關係。

多禱告，多有能力；少禱告，少有能力；不禱告，沒有能力；我們要常常禱告。
多讀經，多認識神；少讀經，少認識神；不讀經，不認識神；我們要常常讀經。