Nerdify Reviews – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

January 28, 2018

5 min read

Today we’ve decided to do something we’ve never done before. We are introducing a new type of content on the Nerdify blog – Nerdify Reviews. From now on, we are going to be reviewing books/podcasts/movies/ etc., that we think can add value to students and are interesting even to the general public. Nerdify Reviews is going to appear on our blog every month, so stay tuned, lot’s of great content coming your way!

For our first “Nerdify Reviews” we’ve chosen a brilliant book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. We think it’s a must-read for pretty much anyone, it’s in our company’s library and it has amazing reader-reviews online.

So, without further due, let’s jump into it. The book describes 7 habits that are aimed to boost your productivity and general motivation to achieve your life goals. These are the habits:

* Be Proactive

Imagine 2 circles in your life – one is the circle of concern (that’s the stuff you are worried about) and within that circle there’s a circle of influence (that’s the stuff you can actually have certain control over – your relationships, work, health, etc). Being proactive means only be concerned about things YOU HAVE CAN INFLUENCE. That will save you a lot of time you waste worrying about stuff you have zero control over (no point about worrying about whether the Earth will be struck by an asteroid – there’s pretty much nothing you can do about it, mate). So habit number 1 – be proactive.

* Being With An End In Mind

Imagine you are at a funeral. At your funeral (ok, it’s not real, just bare with us for a sec). Ask yourself the following question: “What do I have to say about myself”. Do you want people to say that you were an amazing friend? A great boss? A business leader? But are you actually DOING things that will make people say all of that about you?

In the modern world, it’s really easy to get distracted. Always have the end in mind and CONSTANTLY do a reality check whether you are doing things that get you closer to the end goal?

Learn to say no. This is actually one of the Steve Job’s superpowers – saying no to things that do not get your closer to your goal.

* Put First Things First

This is actually about setting the priorities right. Look, life is FULL of events and opportunities. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to do everything you want. There are only 24 hours in 1 day. And your workday may be full of interruptions. So, learning how to set up your priorities right will go a long way. Answer to yourself “what is the most IMPORTANT thing I have to do right now and how URGENT I have to do that”. Based on that – construct your to-do-list.

* Think Win-Win

This is a very powerful mentality, especially if you want to work in business and be an entrepreneur. Our world is not a zero-sum game (meaning that in order for you to win, someone has to lose). By far in most cases, you can always find a win-win scenario. Usually, people who think that, have integrity, maturity and abundance mentality (meaning they actually believe there’s enough for everybody).

* Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood

This is the holy grail of any negotiations. You have the following “levels of listening” – ignoring, pretending to listen, selective listening and active. Now, you might think that active listening is the maximum level of attention you can dedicate to your counterpart. But it’s not true. The highest level of listening is Empathic listening. This is when you are trying to understand both the content and feelings of your counterpart. It’s as if you are putting yourself in “their shoes”. By doing so you can actually understand what the other person truly feels are really wants. It’s absolutely vital if you want to be a successful negotiator.

* Synergize

This actually is a natural extension of habit 4 and habit 4. When working in a team being able to negotiate and find win-win scenarios is incredibly important. But, being able to unite a few people who have skill sets in different areas – that’s what makes up a very strong team. Always look for opportunities where you can achieve an additional value out of the partnership due to synergize.

* Sharpen The Saw

Imagine a guy cutting a tree with a saw. He is exhausted, he has been working for hours. You approach him and say “Hey, why don’t you take a break and sharpen that saw – you’ll cut the tree down much sooner this way” and the person replies “I don’t have time for this, I have to cut down this tree”. See the problem here?

There’s no point taking on a task if you haven’t prepared for it! Make sure you spend an adequate amount of time PREPARING and planning how you are actually going to execute your task.

This is it, that’s our first review, we hope you liked it. If you want us to review some other books, please let us know in the comment section below 🙂 Nerdify is always trying to provide useful content. Check out our previous story about Secrets behind great success.

Nerdify Reviews

Nerdify Reviews: 5 Video Games for a Fun Lockdown

April 13, 2020

Even though the lockdown is supposed to be a relief for most students, in reality, it is stressful. In order to let you feel at ease when you have just a bit of time for fun, we decided to share 5 best video games that fit the #stayhome evening perfectly. They will keep your mind focused and you can even compete with your roommates online or students from all over the world by sharing your knowledge and making new friends as you play!

Givling

Now the chances that you have heard of this online game before are not high, which only shows that the Nerdify reviews team walks the extra mile to bring you something special. Givling is an online game that lets you play off your student’s loan game. It is not only a great tool that helps to train your financial skills, but also a great resource that takes the stress away in a fun way. The game revolves around quizzes and you can win daily presents and even some money as you play, depending on success. The best part about it though is that you also receive special counseling where the fellow students discuss their tips and tell about what or who has helped them to settle down all the college debt challenges.

Eve Online

This particular game is an ideal fit for those students who study Business Management, Administration, Economics, Finances, Human Resources Management and similar disciplines. Imagine that you are running a powerful company with several branches and outsourcing located all over the world. You can spend as much time as you wish, stop and resume your gaming experience. This game is like a special CEO training tool where you can either be the company’s president or run the game as an advisor among other positions. We have found this game to be a unique chance to train our skills. As it offers helpful advice regarding a person’s management style, it is like a free additional course to keep your mind aware of all the factors leading to success.

America’s Army

Not wishing to sound too geeky, Nerdify reviews team wants to offer an online game called America’s Army. It represents recruitment and a training tool where you can create virtual missions and train your planning and organizational skills. While it is not your popular shooter, it is the only official game of the U.S. Army, so you can learn about actual training tools and practices while having your college break. There are great graphics, real-life stories, and the ways how any person can learn more about the most powerful and unique army in the world. We can only recommend you check it out if you are a journalist, a student majoring in psychology or the one who always wanted to learn more about what it takes to plan a military mission.

Fatworld

It is a great game that won’t take too much time for the students majoring in Healthcare and Nursing. Since it is not as extensive and boring as most course textbooks are, the Fatworld lets you model various situations and learn about how particular cultures or a way of life affect nutrition practices and the healthcare outcomes. You can create menus, plan different schedules, learn about social economics, and see how a healthcare specialist can become the change one wants to see. Even in our experience with Nerdify reviews, it is the first time that we come across such a game that carries important social messages.

Democracy 2

The ones who like to spend their time competing with each other or discussing how politics or elections work, this interesting online game will become a great learning experience. It is a strategy game, so if you are familiar with such gaming experience type, it will be a walk in the park with an only exception that you must either lower or increase the taxes, calculate special expenses, plan elections, participate in foreign relations with the other online players, and create your own country or a village ruling plan. Once again, it is an addictive game, yet as the Nerdify reviews team could find out, you can always save the game at any moment or resume it later. A good part of it is that some “countries” or players may change their politics while you are away, which makes it even more interesting to continue with your planning or any other activities.

Regardless of what online game you may choose during the lockdown, remember that it helps to keep your attention span active as your brain still continues to work while switching from the course information or the things that make you feel worried before the next class!
Nerdify Reviews

Nerdify Reviews 7 Tips on How to Overcome a College Heartbreak

November 11, 2021

As we just started with this subject at the Nerdify reviews team, many of our teammates found it very difficult to discuss their experience of being heartbroken, yet it helped us to learn that we are not alone. Yes, you are not alone as you are fighting the tears and sadness. Too sad it also influences your performance, but thankfully, there are several ways to overcome a college heartbreak even though it hurts and it is hard to get back to normal. We won’t say that life goes on or turn to all these cliche phrases because you already know that! Just cheer up a bit and look through our helpful ideas.

Start Learning a Foreign Language

It might surprise you but you should consider learning a foreign language. The reason why it will work, according to our specialists at Nerdify reviews, is the way how your brain focuses on a totally new way of learning. You just have to express your emotions in a different language, which will help you to heal and discover something new. Think about Duolingo or interactive apps like HelloTalk that help you communicate with native speakers in over 130 languages via video, text, or audio stream. It is a great way to learn that will pull you out of grief and depression.

Write a Story About Your Feelings

You may not have considered starting writing anything but you may think about telling a story about your feelings where you just change the names but leave the plot the way it is. It helps to address your emotions and let the word out for others who feel just like you do. Moreover, your writing skills and composition knowledge will always improve. If you play a musical instrument, you can add songs and poetry to your story to make it even more meaningful. If writing a story doesn’t feel right, think about starting a blog where you express how you feel and track down your healing progress even if it is for your eyes only!

Become Involved in Volunteering

Another good suggestion for a change is volunteering for students, which is available online these days because of all the travel restrictions. Nevertheless, you can reach people in remote parts of the world by contacting GlobalVolunteers.org that list current opportunities for students. Think about what you would like to do and share your time and knowledge with the world. While you may still be hurting inside, volunteering helps to give and reminds us that there is always someone who will appreciate us no matter the circumstances.

Consider Local Social Work & Online Tutoring

You may also consider social work locally by helping the elderly or becoming a weekend volunteer at the local scouting branch. If you have good teaching skills or would like to share your expert knowledge, you may also consider online tutoring by offering it all from English language lessons to those subjects that you study at your local college. According to Nerdify experts, you will always encounter ESL students who will need your tutoring assistance. When you become engaged in something interesting, it changes your outlook on life right away and helps you to overcome the woes of a college heartbreak.

Meet New People

Although it has been said basically everywhere, meeting new people even online will help you to avoid depression and anxiety. If someone has got your heart broken, give your heart to those people you may not even know yet. How would we know that there is someone who will appreciate us if we never try talking to someone first? While it’s simple, it always works and will help you to reconsider many things in life and finally feel secure as you talk to people.

Exercise & Spend More Time Outside

Don’t forget about exercising and taking time for taking short walks outside. The more you move around, the more refreshed you will be as it is important to avoid sitting locked in your room. Exercising is also a good way to let that accumulated energy out and spend time alone without anyone disturbing you. It will also fill your brain with oxygen and will help you to relieve stress.

According to our experts at Nerdify reviews, the most important is to communicate with people as much as you can even if you do not feel like talking. Do not mix up spending some time alone with locking yourself out completely because it is not the same. The more you talk, even if it is something insignificant, the more you get your feelings out and heal. The majority of college students have been through that and it takes time to heal. Just make the first step, listen to your heart, stay true to yourself and how you feel, and you will eventually get there!
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10 Gifs Describing Your Back-to-School Feelings

September 5, 2018

Oh man! It’s time to go back to school! Unfortunately, time flies when you’re having fun. We get it, you want to chill and enjoy your vacation. Just to cheer you up Nerdify has compiled a bunch of awesome gifs, that will turn your frown upside down. Recognize yourself?

1. When you want to run away from homework and stress.

You can run, but you can’t hide!

2. When the teachers and lectures are boring…

Yeah! Sleeping in class for the win!

3. Mourning for the loss of your summer break be like…

You left without saying goodbye; I can’t live without you (Sure you can!).

4. That awesome feel when you see your close friend in school.

You are like long-lost lovers. Aww!

5. When you and your friend are in different classes this year.

So close, yet so far. What’s the point of education now?

6. Seeing your school crush (again) be like…

You can’t help but be inspired. You promise to do well in school and be with him/her for the rest of your life.

Then, you remember—the concept of forever does not exist.

7. You ask yourself, “When’s the next holiday or long weekend?”

When you’re stressed, you need to rest. There are even people who ask, “When’s the next storm or typhoon?” (That’s bad!)

8. When the teacher asks, “What did you learn from last school year?

How can we remember when it’s one of the things we least care about?

9. When your teacher calls your name for self-introductions.

You’ve never been so screwed in your whole life!

10. (Bonus!) When the school bells rings for lunch break/dismissal.

And you’re probably exhausted. Nevertheless, you try to muster a small smile. Looks like lunch and dismissal are going to be your favorite subjects again.

And remember that no matter how many tasks you have and how little time to complete them all, Nerdify is here for you 24/7. Our Nerds are always happy to help with every study-related task:)