7 Useful Ways To be Productive During The School Holidays

Do you feel the excitement that comes when a holiday is near?

You can't just wait to reconnect with family and friends, travel, and explore.

You'll get enough sleep and rest (No more morning bells!).

It's okay to get excited. However, it's necessary to make your holiday break useful and productive.

In this article, I'll be showing you how. So, let's take a look at some ways to be productive during your holiday break.

1.) Work on being as healthy as possible

School activities can be stressful. The back-to-back classes, tests, practicals and exams. Holiday breaks are a time to cool off some stress and relax.

Now, you've got a lot of time to relax, sleep and refresh yourself. Try doing some exercise to strengthen your muscles and keep fit for the next session.

Do everything you can to make sure you are as healthy as possible. Your health should always be your priority. Remember, health is wealth.

2.) Learn a new skill and become valuable

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.” - Dr. Seuss

In the world today, learning a new skill that can solve problems is very important, and it can serve you for a long term.

Ask yourself,

What skill can I learn that'll help solve problems around me?

You can either think about it or research it.

Here are some profitable in-demand skills you can learn:

• Coding

• Chatbot development

• Digital marketing

• Graphics design

• Copywriting

• SEO

However, you are not limited to these. Research on some skills, understand your capability, and go for it.

3.) Watch relevant educational videos

Don't waste your holiday period playing video games and seeing movies for long hours. You can boost your mental IQ by watching relevant educational videos on Youtube. One awesome thing about Youtube videos is, they are engaging and interactive. It makes learning fun.

Check these educational channels on Youtube:

• Visauce

• Khan Academy

• Veritasium

• Common sense education

• Smarter everyday

4.) Read a lot

Do you know that reading reduces stress by 68%? Studies show that when you read 20 minutes a day, you'll read 1,800,000 words a year.

20 minutes from 24 hours a day isn't much, is it?

When you read more, you gain more knowledge. Reading can never be overemphasized. Utilize this holiday to read relevant and valuable books that'll improve your personal development. You can read books that are less academic to update your knowledge bank on different things.

Here are some recommended books to read:

• How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie

• The success principles by Jack Canfield

• Small move Big change by Caroline Arnold

• Failing forward: Turning mistakes into steeping stones for success by John C.Maxwell

• Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity by David Allen

5.) Become a volunteer

Is there something you care about? Something you can give your time and energy to pursue?

You can volunteer.

Most nonprofit organizations are looking for volunteers that can help to serve or contribute, and you can be one of them. When you do find one, give it your A-game. It will help you gain more experience and it can be a great addition to your resume.

So, give it a try. The experience you'll garner will help a lot in the future.

6.) Get ready for the next session and be ahead

Are you entering a new class? Then, get notes and textbooks from those ahead of you and understand what to expect in your new class.

Or, if you are still in the same class but entering a new term, pick up your textbooks, note where you stopped for the session and continue. This will help you get ahead of your peers and make you study less during exams and tests.

Use your holiday period wisely.

7.) Join an Impactful Club

“You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” Jack London

Don't stay idle. Try joining a club or community of people that share the same interests as you. When you do, you get to meet new people, make friends, and share ideas.

You can join clubs like programming clubs, book clubs, writing clubs, talent clubs, drama clubs, etc.

You can also join our incredible club, the Blazing Youngsters Club. A community of young people who are passionate about developing themselves, identifying their talents and becoming better versions of themselves. Trust us, you'll learn a lot.

Final Takeaway

Make your holiday period worthwhile. Don't stress about doing everything listed here. Pick the ones you can, and give it your best. All we care about is, you use your holiday wisely whilst having fun.

Make it Productive!

If you like this article, please like and share with your friends!

How To Develop Your Acting Skills at Home

Becoming an actor seems easy, but is tough.

You have to improve on your acting skills if you want to be a successful actor or actress.

If you are looking for how to develop your acting skills at home, then this is for you.

In this article, I'll show you how you can improve on your acting from the comfort of your home.

Without further ado,

Let's dive in,

1. Read plays out loud

When I was a kid, I remember reading plays like Peter Pan, The Tempest, Hamlet, Romeo, and Juliet (mostly Shakespearean plays). I enjoyed reading Peter Pan a LOT so I read it countless times.

I didn't just read it, I read it out Loud. I never knew anything about the effects of reading out loud, I just read it for the joy of it.

Guess what? It helped me become good at storytelling. I didn't realize it until now.

Reading plays (and out LOUD too!) will help tremendously in your journey to becoming an actor.

It helps you understand the structure of the story. It'll also help you become better at telling stories.

Know this, as an actor, you're already a storyteller.

Plays help you become better at cold reading especially when a casting director gives you any piece to read, you'll flow naturally without any hassle.

You will understand language and dialogue. The more you read, the better an actor you become.

According to Stagemilk, Andrew Henry, an artistic director of Red Line Production, reads 8 plays a week!

8 PLAYS! That's crazy but cool.

It's all about improving your acting skills right? You too can, it's achievable.You can write a goal of the number of plays you'll read every week and work it out.

Don't forget to keep your dictionary handy in case you see a word you aren't familiar with. This in turn will help increase your vocabulary.

Here are some examples of good plays every aspiring actor should read:

• Hamlet by William Shakespeare

• The Homecoming by Harold Pinter

• Top Girls by Caryl Churchill

• Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

• King Lear by William Shakespeare

When you read, imagine how each scene looks like and ask yourself these simple questions,

• What are the motivations of the characters in the play?

• What can I learn from this play?

• Can I act like any of the characters in the play?

This will help you become better at analyzing the characters involved.

Note that, some plays might be interesting while some might be boring. You aren't reading for the fun of it... You are reading to understand how the story works.

Don't limit yourself to the plays above, you can read ANYTHING you lay your hands on. Even if it is a newspaper article… Just Anything!

2. Reading Acting books

No matter the skill you want to learn, you have to read books. You cannot run away from reading. You can learn and connect with an Expert from their books. Acting is not an exception.

Yes, acting is mostly about practicing but you need to read too. Studying and reading acting books is an outstanding way to improve your skills as an actor.

To be great in acting, you need a strong sense of empathy, that's where reading books come in - it helps to increase your empathy level.

Reading acting books will help you understand what motivates the characters and how they feel.

Also, it helps to increase your vocabulary and develops your memory.

For example,

• Audition by Michael Shurtleff

• An actor prepares by Constantin Stanislavski

• To the actor by Micheal Checkov

• Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen

• Power of the Actor by Ivana Chubbuck

And so much more!

3. Watching good movies and Tv shows

While watching movies, don’t get too excited about how interesting the movie might be. Rather, focus on the characters in the movie and how they perform.

Take notes of their movements and how they express themselves. See how they immerse themselves in the character. Your goal here is to understand and analyze their performances.

Here are some examples of good movies every actor should watch

• The Godfather (highly recommended!)

• Taxi driver

• The Dark Knight

• 'Singin' in the Rain" (1952)

• All about Eve (1960)

• The gods must be crazy 1 & 2(1980 & 1989)

• Sarafina! (1992!)

• Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)

4. Study the “Famous” in acting

Do you have great actor(s) or actress(s) you aspire to be like?

You can study them and understand how they got to where they are.

Watch their interviews, movies, and anything you can about their acting career. Watch how they express themselves.

Wear your study hat and get to work. Don’t just attempt to copy what they do.

All you need to do is focus primarily on what they think is important you do as an actor and then implement it.

Let’s start from somewhere.

A great resource for watching talented actors interview is, Inside the actor's studio by ovation; this show features great actors who discussed how they got into acting and their lives as actors and actresses.

Interviews of great actors and actresses like Jennifer Lopez, Jamie Fox, Angelina

Jolie, Martin Lawrence, Nicolas Cage, and lots more!

5. Work on your voice

This is one of the treasures you have as an actor.

Your voice communicates how you feel. You must work on your voice. While watching great actors, you’ll notice how they clearly expressed themselves using their voices.

Your voice needs to articulate and resonate with any character given to act. This, in turn, can help you land more acting jobs.

You can start by doing these voice warming exercises.

6. Make a Recording of Yourself

Take up your phone and record yourself talking or acting.

This will unveil so many things for you. You’ll see how you express different emotions. You can make audio recordings to analyze your voice and video recordings to watch your movements and expressions.

This will help you learn and act better in front of a camera.

Finally, you need to…

7. Get Fit

You will need a LOT of energy to act. When you are fit, it helps you to be physically and mentally stable.

What exercise or physical activity do you love?

Is it jumping, running short or long miles, dancing, taking a walk.

Discover what you love doing and stick to it. It’s better to show up daily for 10 minutes than doing the same thing intensively for an hour once a month.

Consistency is key.

Anything you know you can do to help your body stay active. Please do.

Let’s recap…

To develop your acting skills at home, you need to:

1. Read Plays

2. Read acting books

3. Work on your voice

4. Watch good movies and Tv shows

5. Study great actors and actresses

6. Make a recording of yourself

7. Get Fit

Stella Adler said,

The actor has to develop his body. The actor has to work on his voice. But the most important thing the actor has to work on is his mind.

Above everything else, work on your mind.

Believe that you can do it. Believe in yourself.

You have the absolute power to become who you want to be.

Remember that all great actors and actresses were once amateurs- they were once like you.

Discipline yourself and work your way up.

You will succeed!

Setting Goals for Teens: The SMART Strategy

Do you have any of these in mind?

You imagine your future self sitting pretty on a beach with a bottle of juice in one hand while taking in the fresh beach air

maybe, you want to attend a reputable university and graduate with good grades, or even make new friends or learn a new skill.

If you do, then you need to start now by setting goals for yourself.

Don’t freak out yet,

Setting and accomplishing goals is easy.

You can even do it even though your motivation level is low, or you’re battling procrastination. You just have to do it well.

Learning how to set goals can take you to a higher level. It can make you a better version of yourself and change your life forever.

Sounds good?

Let’s get started

What is Goal Setting?

Before we dive deeper, let’s define Goal setting

According to Mindtools, Goal setting is the powerful process of thinking about your ideal future and motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

When you set goals, you can reach your highest potential.

As a Teen, Why is it Important?

Setting goals will help you tremendously as a teenager.

Here's how:

• It'll help you learn how to accomplish big things

• Increase your motivation levels

• Make your dreams come to reality

• Boost your confidence and self-esteem

• Make you aware of your inner strength

• Give you a sense of direction and purpose

• Help you focus on things that matter to you and your future

• Help you become more focused and determined in life

And much more...

How To Teach Goal Setting To Teenagers?

As a parent or teacher, you want your teen to earn attainable heights in life and become great. Goal setting will help them become that and more!

Here are some things you should put into consideration:

1. Let them focus on their interests

You have BIG dreams for your teen, in this case, you have to allow them to take the wheel and pick their goals.

Allow them to concentrate on their interests.

You should understand that your life and theirs aren’t the same, so let them choose what they want and not what you want.

When they pick their goals, they will have a sense of fulfillment when it’s accomplished.

I’ve seen cases whereby parents force their teens to follow a path. Unfortunately, those teens ended up being unhappy with their parents’ chosen path and never did well.

They found it very difficult to cope with the path set for them.

As a parent, guardian, or teacher, you should allow teenagers to set goals for themselves.

You can guide them to make the best decisions.

2. Help them understand why they need to set goals

“When the purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable” - Myles Munroe

When teens do not know the purpose of achieving a goal, they don't see the use of doing it.

Parents should help their teens understand why they need to set goals for themselves.

This would help them focus on what’s important and work towards achieving them.

When they understand “WHY” they need to do it, nothing will ever stop them. Not even the devil himself.

They’ll pull through when things become difficult or when life throws stones at them.

Their reason for doing it will help them stand strong.

But, if you subconsciously force your goals to become theirs, they won’t be able to withstand the storm when it comes.

Let them write down their reasons for achieving the goal, this helps them to stay committed.

According to a study from Havard Business School, only 3% of MBA graduates earn 10 times better than 97% of them.

Why?

They had their goals written down.

Understanding the reason why they are setting goals will help them become better versions of themselves and it’ll also help them attain greater heights.

Doing this will have a great impact on their growth.

3. Encourage an attitude of gratitude

Is it worth it?

Absolutely!

When you foster the attitude of gratitude in your teen, It benefits them in ways you can never imagine.

If you do have your teens’ best interests at heart, then you need to inculcate the attitude of gratitude in them. It helps greatly in improving their physical and mental health.

Let gratitude become a habit. It’ll bring up positive vibes that’ll help them make good decisions at all times.

When they become grateful about what they have or where they are going, they’ll become happier, less stressed, less depressed and their anxiety levels will drop down drastically and give them hope for the future.

Gratitude is a very important ingredient in the life of a teenager. Its impact can never be quantified.

4. Break it down into bite-sized tasks

It’s one thing to dream big and another to accomplish their goal. Think of it as though they’re climbing a staircase. They should take It one step at a time.

Help them break down goals into small actionable steps. This will make their goals easy to achieve. Teens should write down each task and make sure there is a deadline for each of them.

5. Celebrate the little wins

Teens should celebrate themselves when they do a task no matter how small it is. It’s not quite necessary to wait till they accomplish the bigger goal before they celebrate.

They should celebrate their small wins.

Each victory will help keep the goal in sight. It’ll also boost their confidence and push them to do more.

Also, they shouldn’t feel bad whenever they make mistakes. Or, fail to achieve their goal, it’s okay to fail sometimes. But they shouldn't remain on the floor.

They should be encouraged to rise up and keep going.

Teens should not allow any circumstance or challenge to hold them back.

It's time to go the SMART route…

Shall we?

The Ultimate SMART Strategy For Teens

Have you ever tried making a list of things to do but end up not doing a thing?

You have great goals to achieve but still, you are at the same spot wishing and dreaming.

Or you are an all-rounder, you do everything but you achieve nothing.

You are just busy here and there, and there’s absolutely nothing to show for it.

This SMART Strategy will help you out.

It is highly effective and produces massive results(when taken seriously!)

Let go deeper,

What Are SMART Goals?

SMART Goals are actionable goals carried out within a specified period.

SMART is an acronym that stands for,

• S - Specific

• M - Measurable

• A - Achievable

• R - Relevant

• T - Time-bound

When you set SMART goals, you are sure of getting more out of your days and years. Teens should learn how to set SMART goals for themselves because it will help them in the long run.

Specific

Be clear and exact about your goals. Avoid making it generic. Be specific about what you want. Hit it to the point. Make sure it answers the five “W” questions

• What exactly do I want to achieve?

• Why is this goal important?

• Where is it located?

• What resources do I need to make this happen?

Measurable

When your goals are measurable, you can track your progress and stay motivated. You’ll be focused and can meet deadlines.

Measurable goals give you an inner joy whenever you are getting closer to accomplishing them

Achievable

Don’t be too hard on yourself or set a goal that is impossible to accomplish.

Don’t get me wrong. You can challenge yourself but make sure it’s something you can do.

Ensure that it effectively answers the question “How”

Ask yourself “How can I achieve this goal?”

Relevant

“Is it relevant?” “Does this goal fit into my future aspirations?”

These are questions you answer whilst setting your goals. Make sure it is relevant and you can achieve it.

Setting unrealistic goals will not do you any good, you might even find yourself running around circles.

You wouldn’t want that, would you?

I guess not!

Time-bound

When do you intend to start and finish?

Have a target. Set deadlines. Having a time-bound goal helps to create a sense of urgency. It also makes you stay more focused and motivated to achieve it.

Let’s look at an example of a SMART Goal

Imagine you want to do better in school

Setting SMART goals will help you achieve that, but you don’t just say “I want to do better in school” that’s vague!

Make it specific. Check for the exact subject you would like to be better at, and set a goal.

For example,

I will get an A in Statistics at the end of this academic year(Specific) by studying for 1 hour every day (Measurable).

I’ll get this done by revising my notes daily, studying my statistic textbook, and asking related questions in class (Achievable)

I am looking forward to having a B+ this spring (Relevant).

I will reach my goal by September 24 (Time-bound).

There you have it, the SMART goal strategy!

What are some Good Goals For a Teen?

If you don’t have an idea of some goals you need to set a teenager

Here are some examples,

• Exercising regularly

• Doing your homework

• Studying at least ONE hour daily

• Learning how to do some house chores

• Learning a new skill

• Reading at least two books monthly

• Getting good grades in school

• Meeting new people

• Making new friends

• Win at least ONE scholarship

• Get accepted into a university of your choice

And so on...

Start Setting Some Goals Today

Setting and achieving goals is simple.

Start setting your goals today, there’s no time to waste or wait for a friend.

Have a burning desire to achieve your goals and turn your life around.

Stay clear of vague or unrealistic goals.

Be brutal towards achieving your goals. Write them down and stick to them.

Make sure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant (realistic), and time-bound.

This will improve your well-being, increase your productivity, and make you the kind of person you're proud of.

Note that, you might fail at some point. We don't pray for this.

When you do, pick yourself up again, repeat it till you accomplish it.

You deserve to be at the top!