Nerdify Reviews 7 Tips to Write Down Your Online Lecture Notes

It’s been a hell of a year for Nerdify. We’ve helped a record number of students this year and we’ve doubled in size (hooray!). But the New Year is on the horizon… Which brings us to the question of how we can celebrate it? Certainly, most of us will be celebrating it with our friends and family, but what if you want to do something special this year?
We’ve created a list of five creative ways how you can celebrate this New Year, check it out, maybe there’s something in this list that you may wanna try 😉

1. Visit real Santa

That means going to Finland. Yes, that’s not exactly a half an hour ride from your house, but bear with me, there are lots of awesome things you can do once you get there.

Finland has a fantastic national travel-website that has already collected all the main adventures Finland is famous about:

* You can go on a husky ride through the snowy forest (one of our Nerds actually did that – said it’s super cold, so make sure you bring warm clothes and some vodka with you. You gonna need it).
* You can check out beautiful auroras in the night sky (those are free of charge, thank you solar winds, yay!)
* You can go Gold panning (this is a perfect activity for kids – they get to collect their own GOLD, how cool is that?!).
* Cruise on an Icebreaker (and see real polar bears on little icebergs, oh… so cute 🙂
* And, obviously – see the real Santa Claus (that’s what New Year is all about, right?)
And much more actually. In Finland, you truly feel special during the New Year. You indeed think that miracles can happen during this special night, it’s absolutely magical.

2. Celebrate New Year following traditions from another country.

Just a few examples for you, of the crazy shenanigans people do across the world during the New Years Eve:

* In Burma people splash buckets of water on each other to “start New Year with a clean soul”. They certainly can do that in Burma, because it is quite hot during the New Year. I suspect that wouldn’t really work somewhere in Canada, now would it? 😉
* In Russia, people write their wishes on a piece of paper, then set it on fire in a glass. When only ashes remain – they pour champagne into the glass and drink it “bottoms up” before midnight. That way your wish will come true in the following year. For additional tips on how to “Party Like a Russian” we suggest you check out the Robbie Williams video-guide.
* In Italy, Argentina and Bolivia it is a common tradition to wear colorful underwear. It is believed that it will bring luck, love and prosperity to the one who’s wearing either red, pink or yellow underwear 🙂 What can we say, those folks are definitely not boring 🙂
* In South Africa and Peru, people tend to get more violent. In Johannesburg, South Africa, it is common to throw old appliances out of the window. That way locals “step into the new year leaving old things behind”. While in Peru it is common to have a fist fight with a person you have a grudge on. That way you can “wipe the slate clean” before the New Year.

Just make sure none of these local traditions get you in jail. As far as we can tell, no country has a tradition celebrating New Year’s Eve in jail 🙂

3. Be real Santa Claus.

Why not create some miracles yourself? You can be the master of the night by putting on a Santa Claus costume and grabbing a red bag full of goodies. Better still – gather a group of like-minded crazy people who will do a flash mob of Santas in the center of the city. You can build a huge snowman and give away presents and sweets to passers-by or baking a cookie that’s gonna crush the Guinness world record. Let your imagination go wild!

4. Outdoors

Being outdoors on the New Year’s Eve is also exciting. Imagine skiing in the mountains during the night.. Isn’t it magical? Alternatively, you can go full bananas and go camping in the forest. Greeting the New Year under the stars with a glass of champagne and a loved one. Romantic… but also quite chilly so make sure you have a heating pad with you or something. Getting a cold is not part of the plan here!

5. Do some charity-work

New Year is also a great time to think about those who are less fortunate than we are. What kind of a miracle would it be, if you could dress as a Santa and visit a local orphanage and give presents or sweets to the ones in need. Donate to the homeless shelter. Or visit a local animal shelter and adopt a puppy.

Remember, New Year is the time of miracles. It’s the only time when the whole world is celebrating, so why not do something special this time? 😉

Nerdify will be back with you next year to continue doing what it does best – helping students achieve their academic goals all across the world. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to you!

This time the team at Nerdify reviews decided to take a leap forward and think about the ways how an average person can help to save the planet on a daily basis. Some of us join different campaigns or participate in voluntary activities, but the problem is that it is the little things that we all do (or forget to do!) that matter even more. There is a lot of talk on TV about the things that international corporations do to raise social awareness about wildfires or pollution of the oceans, but very little is said about basic education or the rules that every person should learn as a child.

Use the bike instead of driving. Thinking about the things a person does daily, travel responsibility is an important aspect that cannot be underestimated. A number of emissions from the cars, let alone the noise, is a serious issue that most of us seem to ignore in favor of comfort. Even though the bike may not get you anywhere or act as the fastest means of transport, it is also good for your health and can work out for the daily travels to the office or school. Moreover, biking makes your bodywork and improves the heart rate, reduces stress and anxiety.

Plant a tree. The trees are our silent helpers that help to provide not only oxygen, as we remember from the school years, but also supply food and energy for the soil to recover crucial chemical elements. Planting a tree at least once a month makes a major difference to the climate changes that speak more than words and political agendas. Researching various campaigns that help to reforest the planet, the Nerdify reviews came upon American Forests organization that helps to restore our forests for over 140 years. Alternatively, there are many reliable ways to donate at least one dollar to help other people plant a tree and keep it protected. In most cases, these donations go to local schools or kindergartens where the youngsters have fun while keeping the neighborhood green.

Conserve water. This one may sound a bit tricky because some of us are not used to using less water on a daily basis. The same can be said about the use of a large number of chemicals while taking a bath. It does end up in the ocean in the long run, so we are actually the ones who can make it less without spending a dime or even going outside. Thinking about how to implement it in practice, our nerdy team decided to make a personal plan for everyone to consume less water on a daily basis when busy with the usual tasks. It takes one person to start a campaign that the planet Earth will hear and feel right away!

Educate people via social media. The popularity of Facebook and Instagram should be approached by any responsible person. Social media is the best way to educate people about the ways to save the planet and reduce the waste and pollution of our waters. Just think about Instagram – instead of taking pictures of a new dress or a fancy sports car, take a picture of planting a tree or using reusable shopping bags instead of plastic. Alternatively, you can also take pictures of urgent problems in your area and bring social attention to an issue. Help people in your neighborhood to unite efforts and it will bring you much more “likes” and following from the future generations.

Shop wisely. There is a lot a person can do while shopping! Starting from the energy-saving light bulbs to vegetarian foods, the ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bio waste are virtually endless. As Nerdify reviews found out, there are also sustainable foods. What it means in practice is food from the farmers who use little to no chemicals and depend on human labor instead of heavy machines that destroy the soil, making it unusable for the future. Showing recognition for the sustainable food market, we also support the methods used for the recovery of the soil and research in the field of environmental sciences.

As one can see, there are simple old rules that still work today and will always work in the future no matter how technologically advanced we become. The things that we all learn at school are as relevant as ever! While politicians decide how to challenge greenhouse gas emissions or make a change by spending time at the luxury hotels, we all can make a difference by starting the day in a new way. Even following these simple rules will make a difference for the children of the future because it is created right now, the moment we live.

Go eco!

Nerdify Reviews Team

While students certainly work hard in high school, adjusting to the college workflow can be quite challenging for first-year students. Even when students learn to adapt to the heavy course loads typical of a university, as their academic career progresses into their junior and senior years, their classes become more challenging. To help students old and new deal with feeling overwhelmed, our Nerdify reviews experts have some advice below.

1. Plan Ahead

One way to make sure that you don’t have a last-minute panic about assignments you had forgotten were due is to organize all of your work well in advance. You can even start mapping out your semester during syllabus week, as professors will often give schedules noting when the big tests, assignments, and essays occur. Be sure to mark down the days of midterms and finals too, as those all happen in the same week and can accidentally be forgotten. Even if you have some of the same assignments due week-to-week, it’s still wise, say Nerdify reviews experts, to put them on your calendar so you remember them.

2. Be Realistic About Your Availability

Relating to planning ahead, it’s important that you are truthful with yourself about how much you can do in a day. We can quickly become overly ambitious by cramming too much in our days, falling victim to the “planning fallacy.” That is the psychological term for the cognitive bias we have in thinking tasks will take less time than they will actually require, leading us to snowball into falling behind as we run out of time in the day. It’s good to block out your day in your schedule, but you’ll need to think carefully about how much time it will take to get the work done that needs to be accomplished. A great way to find out how long a task will take is to time yourself the next time you complete a similar assignment, as you can use it to gauge how future projects will go, state Nerdify reviews experts.

3. Make Sure to Sleep Properly

One of the worst cycles to get into as a college student is to chronically undersleep. This might start from you not getting enough work done during the day and needing to study late into the evening, while still necessitating getting up early the next day. Since you’re tired the next day, you won’t be nearly as productive as you could otherwise be, so then you stay up late again trying to catch up. While it’s best to avoid this cycle altogether, realizing you’re getting trapped in it before it becomes a habit is essential, as many Reddit users state they can sometimes repeat this behavior for an entire semester. Be gentle with yourself and realize that you deserve sleep, no matter how productive you were or weren’t that day—learning that it will actually help you work better in the long run.

4. Get Moving

When you’re in the midst of panicking about deadlines, the idea of working out is probably one of the last things on your mind. As much as Reddit users hate to admit it, they, and science, find that exercise is an incredible stress reliever. Getting your heart pumping releases endorphins, which can help greatly improve your mood, and even help those with mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder (ADHD). Exercising in some way, whether that’s hitting the gym or just walking around, allows your mind to relax, as you don’t need to actively focus like you would reading, writing, solving math problems, etc. Stepping and getting a breath of fresh air allows your mind to rejuvenate, and you’ll be able to return to your work with a renewed perspective.

5. Chew Gum

No, really. Believe it or not, our Nerdify reviews team knows that chewing gum has been scientifically proven to help with anxiety and stress. When stressed, your brain makes your body act like it is in physical danger, even if the only actual “danger” is getting a bad grade. Reddit users remark that the act of chewing gum is like eating, and evolutionarily speaking it would make no sense to eat during life-or-death situations, so snaking on gum tricks your brain into thinking that you’re not actually in danger. Additionally, chewing gum increases the blood flow and oxygen in your brain, allowing you to think more clearly. Studies have shown, says Nerdify reviews team, that chewing gum can not only help you relieve stress before and after exams, but it will also aid your performance by helping your memory and recall of information.