What’s the M Matter – Part 2

Following on from yesterday’s offering, here are five more ‘M‘ things that matter for students. And all because the word ‘matter’ begins with the letter M. Crazy, eh? Anyway, here we go:

MANAGEMENT MATTERS
You are your own boss. Nobody can take that away from you unless you let them.

Productivity is only possible if you manage what you’re doing. So here’s how to briefly manage any aspect of your life (include your life as a whole, if you like!):

• Make a plan
• Edit/Revise the plan if any changes arise (if you can’t fit things in or get it to work, you need to cancel something out, even if you really want it)
• Keep reviewing the plan (if you don’t keep on top of a plan once you’ve written it, why on earth did you write it in the first place!?)
• Stick to the plan

This is very basic, but it works this way. If you know HOW to implement this, you can’t go wrong.

MIND/MEMORY MATTERS
I’m not about to give you loads of special ways to remember stuff. Neither am I going to explain how to study effectively.

All I want to say here is that you needn’t give yourself too much work. It’s best to work smarter, not harder.

This is explained well in detail at Gearfire Student Productivity. So I’ll shut up with this and let you check that link out instead!

MODERATION MATTERS
Obession and addiction are just around the corner. It doesn’t matter what the subject is; if you are going overboard with something, you risk losing focus on what’s REALLY important.

The word ‘moderation’ is used for alcoholic reasons a lot of the time. “Enjoy your drinking in moderation”, is the kind of thing you see placed at the bottom of an advert for vodka, or a poster for a drinks promotion in a pub.

But it’s wise to do ANYTHING in moderation. Most things are fine on the odd occasion, but are best left in with the mix of things, rather than taking up too much time. The important word to note here is BALANCE.

Get your balance right in day-to-day business and you’ll benefit from a much better day. Everything from your leisure time right through to your study time will pack a bigger punch if you do each thing in moderation.

MOOD MATTERS
Over the years, we have become freer to choose our own mood without caring what others think. There are fewer social repercussions then ever. So if we want to have a stinking mood, who’s to stop us?

But this is rather missing the point. Now we can act however we want, we stop trying to improve our mood. If anything, the mood is allowed to magnify and cause even more problems.

Ultimately, the person who benefits least from this is you. What a surprise…

When you next find yourself in a bad mood, there’s obviously nothing worse than bottling it up. But once you’ve let off some steam in whatever way you wish, it’s then time to take your mood in a different direction. No use dwelling on it, you’re better off dealing with it.

Now then…this isn’t a cue to eat handfuls of chocolate or find someone to punch. It is a good cue to do something like this:

• Clean around your room
• Move to a different environment (if you’re at home, go for a walk; if you’re on campus, go into town and take in the vast number of people around you; if you’re in a large group, go and find a peaceful place to gather your thoughts)
• Change your clothes just to get a different feel for the day

These are just examples. Anything that changes the situation should help. It doesn’t really matter what you do, so long as it’s not a quick fix of eating badly or damaging something. You’ll either cause some other problem or be on a real downer later.

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
We all like to belong. From a single close friendship, to a subscriber of a worldwide phenomenon, it’s always great to feel like a valued member.

All too often, the focus on membership is sometimes left to one side. If a particular relationship breaks down or you’re not picked for a team, that immediate membership appears broken. It’s at this point that reality melts away, leaving your focus unnaturally on that single issue alone.

To give yourself a boost, always remember your solid memberships elsewhere. When one thing collapses, it rarely takes everything else with it. No matter how difficult a break is, we can get up and put the matter behind us.

Yes, getting over a knock is easier said than done, but you belong to your own special club and you owe it to yourself to make the most of it. And more importantly…to stay a member in the club. Look around you, take in the view, and with a little bit of personal positivity go out there and conquer the world, no matter what’s just happened!