Nerdify reviews secrets behind great success

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.

Studying abroad can be one of the most enriching experiences a college student has during their undergraduate studies. Many students who can financially afford to take a program abroad still refrain from doing so because of the logistical issues that come with being away for an entire semester. Many of the difficulties that come with organizing a foreign study program are alleviated by taking shorter international courses over the summer. Our Nerdify reviews experts explain below why studying abroad during the summer is an excellent option for broadening your educational horizons.

1. Condensed Learning

Unlike spending three or four months on each semester course, classes offered during study abroad trips typically only last about a month. While this means spending more than the typical three hours a week in each class, this concentrated form of learning is advantageous. It allows students to be even more engaged in the subject of their classes. Additionally, because study abroad classes are usually tailored to the host country, students are more immersed in the local culture.

2. Easier to Accommodate

With summer study abroad programs only taking about one month instead of three or four months like during a typical semester, organizing a summer trip is so much easier. You wouldn’t have to worry about finding a subleaser for your apartment or moving dormitories, suspending or paying for unused campus amenities, looking for long-term care for any pets, etc. Studying during the summer allows you to enjoy your trip without having the added stress of rearranging your life before and after the program.

3. Frees up Semester Schedules

Our Nerdify review experts note that students studying abroad typically only take programs related to their major. While this can be helpful for taking care of your specialized requirements, upper-level students who still have other requirements outside of their major—like general education, minor, or second major credits—might have difficulty completing those credits if they spend an entire semester abroad. By instead studying during May, June, or July, students get to finish a good chunk of major credits while also freeing up the remainder of their semesters on campus to complete those pesky general education requirements.

4. You Don’t Lose Time on Campus

Especially for upperclassmen in their final year or two of college, many Reddit users report that it is daunting to dwell on the fact that they only have a few semesters left before graduation. Many students want to make the most of the end of their college career—solidifying friendships, taking interesting classes, pursuing internships, and generally having fun. The idea of taking away a whole semester from the life you’ve lived for the last three-or-so years to go study abroad might not seem worthwhile. In doing an international program during the summer, you wouldn’t miss out on the experiences fall and spring semesters bring—and you’d actually extend the amount of time you spend with your college community.

5. Don’t Get Homesick as Easily

While many students are accustomed to not seeing their parents during the semester, and not seeing friends during vacation breaks, not being able to be with either group of people for an extended time is quite the adjustment, say users on Reddit. Additionally, it can be challenging to talk to those back home if they study in a country with a vastly different time zone, as it can be difficult to organize a call when their loved ones are free. That’s not to mention that if you study in a remote area, the wifi reception might not be reliable or strong enough to video chat with loved ones, say our Nerdify reviews experts. Studying during the summer eases those feelings of homesickness, as you’d only be without your friends, families, significant others, and pets for a month or so.

6. The Experience Stays Novel

People usually get accustomed to their new surroundings surprisingly quickly, which users on Reddit say happens quite often while studying abroad for a semester. By taking classes internationally for only a month or so, our Nerdify reviews experts say that it keeps the experience of being in a new place fresh and exciting. With only a month to experience all of the cultural wealth a country has to offer, summer students are much more inclined to go adventuring than semester students that might lounge around more often. Students leaving their summer-term countries often feel mixed emotions—ready to go home, but also missing the new country they’ve gotten to know. Though bittersweet, this is a much better feeling than being ready to go home weeks before your departure date, like some semester-abroad users on Reddit reported they felt.

Unfortunately, as the Nerdify reviews team could confirm, there are many usual eyesight care rules that come as a surprise to most people when the talk goes about the daily habits that affect a person’s eyesight. In addition to staring at the phone for hours on end, there are many factors like hygiene safety that are often neglected. As we live in the age of technology where portable devices, social media, and television do make up most of our free time, there are still crucial things to watch out for. Luckily, even following these simple 7 rules can make a major difference to your life, habits, and the eyesight!

Wearing Sunglasses. On the contrary to what most people may believe, wearing sunglasses is not for being cool, but for protecting the retina. It is important not to ignore the UV effect on eyesight, especially when you are driving and the flashes of light are always changing one another. Even if you wear contacts, do not forget to wear your sunglasses for that extra protection layer. It is one of the most important factors that can prevent serious eye damage. Do not go for the cheap shades, if possible, but consult with a healthcare specialist about suitable lens.

Expired or Cheap Makeup. While it is not widely discussed, recent research shows that expired makeup can easily pose serious damage to the eyesight. A reason for that is that expired chemicals contained in mascara or eyeliner become dangerous for the sensitive components of an eye and the surrounding area. It is a great place for the bacteria to overcome the barrier, which is especially relevant in winter or the times when a person undergoes high amounts of stress and anxiety. A general rule is to throw away any eye makeup element that goes beyond the three month period to avoid the risks.

Eye Hygiene Habits. In most Nerdify reviews that we do, our authors always stress the importance of keeping eyes safe from irritation or infection, especially during the long hours of studying or browsing through photocopied lecture notes. Rubbing your tiresome eyes or even stretching the corners to get rid of itching with the dirty hands can easily bring infection to your eye and cause temporary damage. The golden rule is to keep your hands clean and to blink several times to let the dry eye be washed with the tears. It may not work right away, yet it is a much safer way to keep your eyes safe.

Smartphone and TV. This is probably the most difficult part for all of us who cannot imagine a day without staring at the smartphone or spending at least an hour watching a favorite TV show. It is reading through the tiny text of the small screens that decreases the frequency of blinking that is a problem. As a result, our eyes feel dry. Another problem is that spending hours with our beloved smart devices, we forgot to drink enough and take breaks for high-fiber foods. It is also believed that spending a lot of time sitting at the computer screen causes headaches and anxiety. The only solution that really works is taking breaks and drinking at least a cup of orange juice or eating an apple to let the eyes readjust.

Wear Your Contacts Right. If you are the one wearing contacts, remember about the hygiene and safety rules. For example, avoid sleeping in contacts as it does not let your eyes get hydrated in a normal way during sleep. Likewise, avoid wearing contacts in the pool or public shower because it increases infection risks. As the Nerdify reviews team has confirmed with the ophthalmologists, there is no need to wear one-day contacts for the entire week because it damages the retina.

Smoking and Alcohol. It should be obvious, but most people these days do not really connect these bad habits with degrading eyesight. In fact, diseases like macular degeneration are linked to excessive smoking. The reason for that is that smoking damages eye muscles, making them weaker, thus resulting in a vision that is less sharp and focused. The smokers and those that consume alcohol are more prone to eye diseases because of a weaker immune system.

General Safety Goggles. We have intentionally put this part at the end because it is a known fact that information at the end of the article will be remembered. An important rule for keeping the eyes safe is wearing safety goggles when working with anything that can splash with liquids, pull back at an unexpected moment or flash with a strong light beam. No matter what kind of work you might do, it is much better to be safe and keep the safety goggles always at hand!

Be healthy,

Nerdify Reviews Team