How GPS works

how to organise your time

Sitting down to plan your work in detail may seem like a waste of time. However, taking the time to organise makes your studying more effective:

1. You become more productive.
2. The quality of your work improves.
3. Because you know what you have done, and what you still have to do, you don't panic about "falling behind", or leaving everything until the last minute.
4. You build your confidence as a student, and enjoy the work more.
5. You enjoy your leisure time more.

The idea here is to take control of the things you have to do: aim to organise your time by making things happen rather have things happen to you. If the only thing that drives you is deadlines, you'll always find yourself pushed along by the tasks you have to complete, rather than being able to dictate for yourself the order of priorities in your workload.
In contrast, you'll find it an enormously liberating experience to have the luxury of choosing what to do and when; and all because you've planned ahead how to make use of your time, and had the determination to keep to what you have planned.

Planning Your Time

The key to it all is to impose a structure on your working time by dividing it up. This works at several levels: from the overall structure of a semester (or the academic year, or even the whole of your degree programme) down to planning how to organise a particular week (or a particular day, or even a particular free hour).

How to organise

The best way to organise is the one that works for you. There is no golden rule that works for everyone. These are general ideas that may help you to work out your own system for organising your time.
DO:

• Work out how much time you have available, and when.
• List the tasks in hand.
• Work out priorities between these tasks. Which are more urgent?
• Make decisions about how long to spend on each task, and set targets for each work
  Organise pieces of work (essays, seminar papers) into smaller, less daunting tasks.

DON'T:

• Don't try to do it all at once.
• Neglect any of your courses, especially those you find relatively easy (or particularly
  difficult).
• Drift from essay deadline to essay deadline. While working on an essay in one
  course, you should continue reading and preparing for classes in other courses, and
  perhaps make initial preparations for a future essay.
• Allow yourself to be distracted. Stick to your timetable.

Material adapted with permission from Study Skills in Linguistics by Martin Barry and Study Skills in History Booklet 1 "Organising Study Time".

How to tie a tie

How to tie a tie

How to Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking: 10 ways to resist tobacco cravings

Tobacco cravings can wear you down when you're trying to quit smoking or chewing tobacco. Delaying, avoiding triggers, yoga and nicotine replacement are among the ways to resist cravings.

By Mayo Clinic staff For most tobacco users, tobacco cravings or urges to smoke can be powerful. But you're not at the mercy of these tobacco cravings. When an urge to use tobacco strikes, remember that although it may be intense, it will be short-lived, and it probably will pass within a few minutes whether or not you smoke a cigarette or take a dip of chewing tobacco. Each time you resist a tobacco craving, you're one step closer to stopping smoking or other tobacco use for good. But it can be difficult.
So here are 10 ways to help you resist the urge to smoke or use tobacco when a tobacco craving strikes, no matter where you are:

1. Delay. If you feel like you're going to give in to your tobacco craving, tell yourself that you must first wait 10 more minutes and then do something to distract yourself for that period of time. This simple trick may be enough to derail your tobacco craving. Repeat as often as needed.
2. Don't have 'just one.' You might be tempted to have just one cigarette to satisfy a tobacco craving. But don't fool yourself into believing that you can stop at just one. More often than not, having just one leads to another, then another — and you may wind up using tobacco again.
3. Avoid triggers. Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often, such as at parties or bars, in the car or while watching television. Identify your trigger situations and have a plan in place so that you can avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco. Don't set yourself up for a smoking relapse. If you usually smoked while you talked on the phone, for instance, keep a pen and paper nearby to occupy yourself with doodling rather than smoking.
4. Get physical. Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco cravings and reduce the intensity of cravings. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can make a tobacco craving go away. Get out for a walk or jog. If you're stuck at home or the office, try squats, deep knee bends, push-ups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs a few times. If physical activity doesn't interest you, try prayer, needlework, woodwork or journaling. Or do chores for distraction, such as vacuuming or filing paperwork.
5. Practice relaxation techniques. In the past, smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Trying to resist a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. Take the edge off stress by practicing relaxation techniques. These include deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualization, hypnosis and massage.
6. Call reinforcements. Touch base with a family member, friend or support group member for moral support as you struggle to resist a tobacco craving. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together or simply share a few laughs — or get together to commiserate about your cravings.
7. Remember the benefits of quitting. Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist tobacco cravings. These might include feeling better, getting healthier, sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke or saving money. And if you're a closet smoker, you may save hours of time since you no longer have to spend time trying to conceal your habit.
8. Go online. Join an online stop-smoking program. Or read a quitter's blog and post encouraging thoughts for someone else who might be struggling with tobacco cravings. Learn from how others have handled their tobacco cravings.
9. Try nicotine replacements. Try a nicotine replacement product instead of a cigarette. Some types of nicotine replacement therapy, including patches, gums and lozenges, are available over-the-counter. Nicotine nasal spray and the nicotine inhaler are available by prescription, as are the stop-smoking medications bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix).
10. Chew on it. Give your mouth something to do to fight a tobacco craving. Chew on sugarless gum or hard candy. Or munch on raw carrots, celery, nuts or sunflower seeds — something crunchy and satisfying.

Remember, trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. And each time you resist a tobacco craving, you're one step closer to being totally tobacco-free.

How to Write a Report

Introduction

For some people, writing a report is almost as terrifying as speaking in public. The only way to get over your fear is to dive in and write a report! Then do it again, because if you learn to write reports well, you’ll stand out from your peers.
You’ll start the main part of your report by introducing your audience to your topic. Then you’ll get into the body of your report. Finally, you’ll offer your conclusions and recommendations. After you’ve written all that, you’ll jot down your Executive Summary.
So let’s get started. Just remember – tell them three times:

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them (your introduction)

• Tell them (the body of your report)

• Tell them what you told them (your conclusion)

We thought it might be helpful to lay out this article like a report. Our articles don’t normally look like this. However, it seemed like the best way to illustrate the points.

With that in mind, we want to provide you with the framework for effective report-writing.
We’ll lead you through seven tips to make your next report stand out.
#1 – Determine its purpose. What should it accomplish?
#2 – Write to your readers. Who is your audience?
#3 – Proceed in an orderly manner. Research – Write – Summarize.
#4 – Length matters. Cover your topic, then quit.
#5 – Flow logically. Lead the reader from start to finish.
#6 – Appearance matters. Make it visually appealing.
#7 – Review and revise.

7 Tips To Make Your Next Report Stand Out

#1 – Determine its purpose
Before you do anything else, clearly define what your report should accomplish. Are you writing this report to persuade or inform? Will it project into the future or review the past?
If you were assigned this report, discuss its aim with the person who put you in charge. Don’t proceed until you fully understand why you’re doing what you’re doing because everything else flows from that.
#2 – Write to your readers
This is really closely related to the first tip. You can’t write to your readers if you don’t know who they are. Are they experienced or inexperienced? Insiders or outsiders?
Don’t use words, including jargon, that they won’t understand. Provide supplemental information at the end of the report if it will help. Resist the temptation to tout your horn too loudly – your report should do that for you.
Keep your audience at the top of your mind throughout the rest of this process. You’ll look your best by looking out for your readers.
#3 – Proceed in an orderly manner
Now that you know why you’re writing the report, and to whom you’re reporting, you can begin doing your research. Once you’ve gathered all the information you need, you’re ready to start writing.
When you’ve finished writing everything else, you’re ready to write your executive summary – the last thing you write will likely be the first thing your audience reads.
#4 – Length matters
Your report should be long enough to accomplish its purpose, but not a single word longer. Anticipate questions and objections and provide responses.
Don’t feel the need to fill space. Don’t be redundant. Communicate effectively – end of story!
#5 – Flow logically
It may sound silly, but some people forget this simple rule – your report should have an introduction, the body, and a conclusion.
It should flow easily from point-to-point. Lead the reader through a logical progression of the topic from beginning to end. Your first point should naturally flow into the second and so on.
#6 – Appearance matters
Your report should be visually appealing. Your readers should get a sense of what you’re saying just by scanning it. Be liberal in your use of headers and sub-headers.
Use color if your budget permits. Present large amounts of data graphically – in a chart, a graph, a table, or some other illustration. Call out important points. Be creative, but make sure it doesn’t interfere with your message.
#7 – Review and revise
Once you’ve written everything, including the Executive Summary, you’re ready to review and revise your document. You should do this once and then put it away, at least overnight.
When you come back to it, review and revise it again. Then put it away. Read through it at least one more time. You should also try to get someone else to review it for you. A fresh set of eyes will often catch mistakes that you won’t.

Concluding Thoughts

You should conclude by reviewing your key points, pulling all your points together, and calling your audience to action.

In this article, we discussed seven tips to make your next report stand out.
#1 – Determine its purpose.
#2 – Write to your readers.
#3 – Proceed in an orderly manner.
#4 – Length matters.
#5 – Flow logically.
#6 – Appearance matters.
#7 – Review and revise.
Now that’s not so intimidating, is it? Report-writing is just a simple, logical process. So now you have the knowledge, but it won’t do you any good if that’s as far as you go.
Look for an opportunity to put this knowledge to use. Then let us know how it goes!

How to write a letter of motivation

How to write a letter of motivation ?

The Motivation Letter is an important document which should be developed with care because it will most probably be read if your CV is accepted. It is often a key determinant to get the job applied for. It needs to be drafted carefully but care must be taken not to make it too long because it must fit on one page, no more. It is therefore necessary to choose the right words and just these words!
This letter will be read in most cases after your CV. It is therefore unnecessary to repeat the details which has already been added in the CV but worth mentioning which has not already been added in the CV: your goals, your ambitions, your strengths and expectations and clear also, of course, what interests you in the post and / or the company.
There are two types of Motivation Letter:
Motivation Letter for reply to an ad: targeted at a particular position.
Motivation Letter for a recruitment company: if you have a vendor profile of interest to them.
Scope of the Motivation Letter.
As its name suggests, the letter accompanying your resume states your motivation. But its scope is much broader. Be aware that, in addition, it will also reflect your understanding of the position, your tactics, your language, so your level of culture and, more broadly, your intelligence and your personality.
We must therefore take special care in writing. If it is poorly written even with a good CV, it will make a very bad impression which can cost you the job.
Aim
The purpose of the letter is to explain why you want that particular job: What attracts you in the position?, what makes you think that you are the man or woman for that job?
Procedure
The letter is not the novel of your life! It is an exercise in style imposed, totally free. As the CV, there is no miracle formula.
At most, we can specify a method or plan of drafting in four steps:
* The opening phrase.
* Qualifications of the key points of that particular offer.
* The answer reasoned and expressed.
* Solicitation for Interview.
Handwritten or printed?
As applications are mostly done by e-mail now, the question arises less. If the ad specifies a handwritten letter, you will be required to send your application by post and make the extra effort to write with your hand. Maybe for a graphological possible, but know they are expensive and are not systematic.
Specific or generic?
The letter is always specific to an offer. After a short introductory phrase, use the plan prescribed in 5 steps. For example:
Dear Sir,
1. Please kindly find my application in response to your offer of .
2. I see the possibility of … [Take the key points of the announcement by reformulating.]
3. As you can see from my CV … etc …
4. Convinced that my profile matches your expectations, I would be very happy to meet you to let you know more about my ambitions and my motivations, and consider all the possible collaboration.
5. In this perspective, please accept, Madam, … etc …
You can use some common sentences of introduction or conclusion, but beware not to “purr”and be creative. Only in the case of a campaign of unsolicited applications that you are to write a generic letter.

How to write a CV

how to write a cv

In the CV heading you can write your general information:

• Name
• Surname
• Local address
• E-mail address
• Phone number

(If applying for an overseas job, please remember to include your international dialling code.) Include your mobile/cell phone number if you are going to relocate soon.
CV Skills Summary
The Skills Summary section of your CV includes your main skills. You should only include keywords in his section, do not go into lengthy descriptions of your skills. The skill summary is also called personal profile.
CV Objective
The CV Objective, sometimes also referred to as CV Personal Profile states "What is the next step in my career?" This should be a short, concise statement that informs the employer what kind of position you are looking for. The type of position, the role (managerial, supervisor, contractor) should be included as well.
If you are job hunting it is a good idea to have several CV's with different profiles or objectives. For example, you can have a CV for a sales supervisor and the other for a shop floor manager. Your 'sales supervisor' CV can highlight achievements in this area, and the CV would be tuned to that particular in terms of job descriptions and achievements.
Education on your CV
List all of your qualifications in this section. Include all of your education including certifications from non-academic institutions, especially those that are related to the job vacancy. If you have more work experience than qualifications, put your work experience before your qualifications.