【推荐1】In the past decade or so, you may have heard the term “growth mindset” thrown around a lot. Many influencers and self-improvement coaches talk about how important it is to have a growth mindset and say it is something we should try hard to achieve.     1     Here are a few ways you can start training your brain.

Start worrying if you’re working hard enough.

As Carol S. Dweck explains, “Genius is not enough; we need to get the job done.” At the end of the day, does it really matter how intelligent you are if you get the job done? Of course not.     2     Stop judging your worth based on how smart you think yourself to be, and start focusing on trying your best, learning along the way, and enjoying the process.

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People with fixed mindsets often see failures as reflections of their own intelligence(智力) or skill, so they end up giving up when meeting with disappointment. But instead of seeing failure as a negative thing, see it as an opportunity to learn something. If this set of actions resulted in failure, how could you change things next time to result in success? This is a huge part of developing a growth mindset.

Praise effort rather than outcomes.

In Dweck’s book, she writes, “After seven experiments with hundreds of children, we had some of the clearest findings I’ve ever seen:     4     Children love praise, especially to be praised for their intelligence and talent. It really does inspire them, but only for the moment. The minute they experience difficulties, their confidence goes out the window, and their motivation hits rock bottom. If success means they’re smart, then failure means they’re stupid.     5    ”

In whatever small ways you can, begin to explore what it feels like to have a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, anything is possible. You may just be surprised at all the amazing things you complete.

【推荐2】Homework is a major part of going to school: It’s your teacher’s way of evaluating (评估) how much you understand of what’s going on in class.     1     Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less work.

Be sure you understand the homework.

Write your homework down in your notebook or day planner if you need to.     2     It’s much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later that night!

Use any extra time in school to work on your homework.

Many schools have study hall that is specifically designed to allow students to study. It’s tempting (吸引人的) to hang out with friends during study periods or unstructured (零散的) time.     3    

Take a break

    4     So take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without stretching or relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.

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If you don’t finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most high-school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it’s a heavy homework day and it seems like you’ve got an assignment in every subject but gym and lunch, you’ll need to devote more time to homework. It’s a good idea to come up with some kind of homework schedule, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an after-school job.