1 . Creativity is advocated everywhere these days. But most of us don’t know how to set it off. Here are some ways to start the process.

Work in a blue room. As we grow up, colors take on specific associations. Red means danger, and blue relates to peace.     1    . In one experiment, people facing a red computer screen did better at detail-oriented tasks like proofreading. Volunteers who faced a blue screen did better at creative tasks. That study appeared in 2009 in the journal Science.

Why the difference?     2    . Blue, on the other hand, tells us we can relax and let the imagination run free.

Sleep on it. Sleep helps generate new ideas in several ways. During sleep, the brain strengthens memories. That act of strengthening actually reorganizes thoughts, much like reorganizing books on a shelf.     3    . And that half-awake period right before we fall asleep or when we wake up may also help us focus on a problem.

    4    . The sleep-on-it solution only works best when people feel that they are getting close to an answer that is most likely to be solved by waiting a day.

Live in a foreign land. People who had lived abroad performed better on creative problems and tasks. A week in Paris isn’t enough to light the creative spark, delightful though that trip may be.     5    .

2 . When you are dissatisfied with your current situation, sometimes you doubt yourself. Maybe you reflect on yourself from time to time: What kind of person am I? Have I become the person I want to be?     1    

Take a good look at yourself. When you do, you might realize that you aren’t what you want to be in life.    2    , but you shouldn’t stay stuck where you are anyway. Take ownership of the person you are and accept your unique qualities. Commit yourself to personal improvement, whether it’s through learning new skills, developing new interests, or simply taking better care of yourself.

    3    . You may feel disconnected from yourself as you are busy taking care of the needs of others in your life. Go back to the interests and activities you overlooked and reflect on your personal goals and achieve them. Schedule time on your calendar to reacquaint yourself with your passions. And remember to see how they influence you.

Make significant changes. When Gretchen Rubin, the former chief of the Yale Law Journal, realized her true dream was to become a writer, she quit her job. And, today, she is a best-selling author, with her website attracting 275,000 visitors per month.    4    . “One reason why people don’t find their true selves is that they aren’t willing to make changes,” said she.

Find support. In the journey of life, support is often what keeps us going. It helps us stay strong and move forward. Life coach, author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins has said, “    5    .” Find a person who is willing to guide and support you as you start to switch things up in your life.

3 . How to Make Your Writing Flow?

Writing flow refers to how smoothly text flows from one sentence to the next and one paragraph to another.     1     On the other hand, choppy (不连贯的) writing lacking flow disrupts the reading experience. Luckily, you have the tips below to improve the flow of your writing.

1. Vary your sentence structure.

Using only short, choppy sentences creates a disconnected rhythm that disrupts the flow, while a series of long, complex sentences overwhelm readers.     2     Varying sentence structure keeps readers engaged and create s natural movement from one idea to the next.

2. Use transition words and phrases.

Transition words and phrases act like bridges between sentences and paragraphs. They create logical connections between ideas. Use transitions like “however,” “therefore,” “similarly,” and “in contrast” to glue sentences and paragraphs together smoothly.     3    

3. Structure paragraphs around a central idea.

    4     The supporting sentences in the paragraph should work together to explain, develop, or argue that central idea. This creates cohesion within paragraphs and connects them to each other logically. Use topic sentences to introduce the main idea of each paragraph. Paragraphs structured around a singular focus improve writing flow and readability.

4.     5    

Revisiting writing with fresh eyes makes flaws in flow and transitions more noticeable. Let your drafts rest for a day or two to prevent getting stuck reworking the same passage repeatedly. Approaching writing anew allows you to evaluate flow and smooth out imperfections with distance and objectivity.

6 . Far too often, we look at ourselves in the mirror and tell ourselves we aren’t good enough.     1    . Here’re some tips on how to accept yourself.

Accept your individuality

View your weaknesses as what makes you a unique person. As humans, we all have weaknesses that set us apart from others. Instead of viewing your weaknesses as bad things, turn them into what makes you an individual.     2    . However, that same quality may also mean you’re awesome at art or English.

    3    

We are often our own worst critics, and we tend to hold ourselves to standards that we wouldn’t expect of other people. Think about the standards you set for yourself, and then think about if you’d hold a friend or loved one to the same standards. If you wouldn’t, then you don’t need to hold yourself to those standards either.

Don’t compare yourself to others

Stick to your own standards. While it can be tough, try not to compare yourself to your peers (同龄人).     4    , and you don’t need to match someone else’s journey. Be grateful for what you have, and think about how far you’ve come to make it where you are today.

Surround yourself with people who support you

    5    . Your friends and family members often have your best interests at heart, and they’ll want to improve your self-confidence as much as they can. On the other hand, try to watch out for people pointing out your weaknesses often. Spending too much time with them can make you feel worse about yourself.

7 . Keeping your home neat and tidy is a continual process that takes a lot of emotional energy and time. Here are some useful decluttering (清理) strategies.

    1    

If you have a lot of clutter in your house, ask yourself what has made it hard to get rid of. In many cases, it is due to the fact that you hope to hold on to the past or want a different reality than the one you’re living in.

Take the emotion out of it

Then comes the hardest part: figuring out what to get rid of.    2    . Go through it as though you’re helping a friend and none of your stuff means anything to you.

Start small

Don’t try to tidy up all your clutter in one afternoon. Instead, start with something less challenging, like one single bathroom drawer.    3    . This kind of work often takes the most time and emotional energy.

You can also work within short time periods. If you only have an hour to declutter your home this week, divide that time into three 20-minute periods. For the first 20 minutes, look for trash to throw away. For the next 20 minutes, identify anything you want to give away or donate.    4    .

Make it easy to stay organized

It’s easy to be organized the day after decluttering. But what happens when you come home from a trip and are too tired to unpack your luggage? Or when you get the flu and are too sick to clean up?    5    . For example, label storage containers on all four sides so they’re easier to spot. Make sure your most used items are always the easiest to reach.

8 . We’ve all been there — staring at a pile of books, desperately hoping that what we study will stick in our mind. Many of us have probably asked if there’s any way that we can get better at remembering things.     1    

Every student who has made flashcards knows that it can be helpful to go back over what they’ve studied before. The Learning Scientists, a group of cognitive scientists, have made a new discovery.    2     They say that trying to retrieve (找回) something from your memory after you have had some time to forget it will make it easier to remember in future.

    3     The Learning Scientists say this can help you build links between different ideas. Now, linking ideas and relating them to each other or to images are often suggested as good ways to memorise something. Former world memory champion Jonathan Hancock highlights how picturing pieces of information in different physical locations or linking them to memorable images makes them easier to remember. Linking new information to things that are easier to remember is a technique that many people use.    4    

There are also more general things that we can do to improve our memory. Hancock says that being generally organised makes things easier for your brain, while many other experts also recommend avoiding stress, alcohol and smoking, and that we should get a lot of rest and exercise.    5