6 Tips untuk "Work Hard, Play Hard"

Work hard, play hard, barangkali merupakan gaya hidup yang belum Anda bayangkan ketika masih di bangku kuliah. Ternyata, konsep ini tak harus selalu dipandang negatif. Karena, setelah berhari-hari atau berminggu-minggu bekerja keras, Anda berhak untuk memanjakan diri atau bersenang-senang bersama rekan kerja lainnya. Dengan demikian, hidup Anda menjadi seimbang.

Anda yang bekerja di bidang kreatif atau komunikasi, seperti media, advertising agency, atau public relations, bersosialisasi tentu sudah menjadi bagian dari pekerjaan Anda. Namun belum tentu bagi mereka yang bekerja di bidang lain, atau yang harus bekerja 9 to 5. Siapa saja bisa bersenang-senang pada akhir pekan, tetapi butuh kemampuan khusus untuk terjaga sampai larut malam (pada hari kerja), dan tetap bugar esok harinya untuk kembali bekerja.

Jadi, bagaimana trik Anda bisa work hard but still party hard?

Bekerja sesuai waktu
Makin banyak perusahaan yang menerapkan waktu kerja yang fleksibel, agar karyawan bisa menyesuaikan jam kerja dengan gaya hidupnya. Namun meskipun Anda tidak diharuskan masuk pukul 08.00, bekerja hingga larut malam pun bukan pilihan yang bijak. Sesekali bekerja lembur boleh saja, tetapi begadang setiap malam hanya akan menguras energi. Badan terasa lemas dan lesu adalah tanda fungsi sistem imunitas tubuh kita menurun hingga sangat rentan diserang bakteri atau virus. Kecuali bila Anda bekerja di kafe, yang mengharuskan Anda bekerja malam tiap hari.

Menjamu relasi
Ketika Anda harus membawa tamu perusahaan untuk menikmati suasana kota saat malam, seringkali mereka meminta untuk mengunjungi kelab-kelab malam. Meskipun ada banyak cara untuk menjamu relasi, Anda tentu harus memenuhi permintaan yang satu ini. Yang perlu Anda perhatikan, karena Anda menjadi tuan rumah, Anda harus mampu menjaga diri. Dalam arti, tetap sadar untuk tidak minum terlalu banyak, atau tak terlalu heboh saat bergerak mengikuti alunan lagu. Periksa baik-baik wajah Anda saat bangun esok harinya. Jangan sampai ada lingkaran hitam di bawah mata karena Anda kurang tidur. Atasi dengan rias wajah secukupnya.

Happy hour
Kalau Anda bisa hangout di sekitar happy hour, kenapa tidak? Kumpulkan teman Anda, dan cari tempat nongkrong di dekat kantor untuk sedikit bersosialisasi dan membangun jejaring. Jika Anda mengawalinya segera setelah pulang kantor, Anda masih punya waktu untuk pulang lebih cepat dan tidur cukup. Hasilnya, Anda tetap bisa bangun dengan kondisi bugar dan mengikuti meeting seperti biasa. Tentu saja, hal ini tidak bisa sering-sering Anda lakukan jika sudah ada yang menunggu Anda di rumah.

Jangan terpengaruh teman-teman
Saat hangout atau dugem bersama teman-teman, tak perlu memaksakan diri mengikuti apa saja yang mereka lakukan. Bila Anda tahu esok harinya harus menghadapi meeting atau presentasi penting, tak usah minum minuman beralkohol. Cukup soft drink saja. Saat menghabiskan waktu bersama, yang penting bukan apa yang Anda minum atau makan, melainkan interaksi yang terjadi. Dengan demikian Anda masih bisa bersenang-senang tanpa harus mengalami hangover esok paginya.

Curi waktu untuk tidur
Anda tahu kan, ketika Anda mulai diserang kantuk menjelang atau setelah makan siang? Mencuri waktu untuk terlelap barang setengah jam ternyata mampu mengembalikan energi Anda. Saat ruangan kantor senyap karena rekan-rekan Anda sedang makan siang, sandarkan kursi ke dinding lalu pejamkan mata. Bila situasi seperti ini tidak memungkinkan, bawalah makan siang Anda ke mobil, lalu tidurlah sejenak.

Jangan lupa berolahraga
Banyak orang yang mengatakan bahwa mereka hanya butuh tidur sebentar ketika mereka rutin berolahraga. Namun tubuh yang lelah tetap harus istirahat. Sepulang kantor, Anda bisa mampir ke pusat kebugaran atau tempat aerobik lain. Dengan berolahraga, Anda akan lebih mudah tidur, dan tubuh pun lebih mudah memulihkan diri. Olahraga juga akan membuang kelebihan kalori yang Anda dapatkan setelah hangout bersama teman-teman malam sebelumnya.

Perlu Anda ingat juga, bersosialisasi atau membangun jejaring dengan cara party hard memang tidak dilarang, namun hal ini tidak cukup mampu membangun reputasi. Teman-teman di kantor mungkin bisa mengerti ketika melihat kantung mata di wajah Anda, atau menyadari tubuh Anda yang lunglai. Tetapi bagaimana mereka menjadi saksi bagaimana Anda mendapatkan "tanda" tersebut malam sebelumnya, tentu bisa memengaruhi penilaian mereka tentang Anda. Memang hal ini tidak mutlak terjadi, karena itu enam hal di atas perlu Anda lakukan.

Sumber: KOMPAS 

Cara Pria Membuktikan Cintanya

Bukti Cinta Pria kepada Wanita - Hari gini, ternyata masih banyak perempuan yang ingin mendengar pengakuan dari para pria bahwa ia mencintai Anda. Padahal, tidak semua pria senang atau mudah mengucapkan kata sakti tersebut. Bagi mereka, yang penting adalah perbuatan yang dilakukannya untuk Anda.

Kristin Booker, penulis gaya hidup di New York City yang juga pendiri dan editor blog Fashion.Style.Beauty, mengatakan bahwa Anda mungkin perlu melupakan kalimat pengakuan cinta tersebut. Meskipun kalimat itu tidak diucapkannya, tidak berarti ia tidak memikirkannya. Kemungkinan besar pria mengungkapkannya dengan cara lain. Misalnya, "Wah, brownies buatan istriku paling enak!" 

 Selain itu, lanjut Kristin, pria menggunakan tanda-tanda samar selama berhubungan dengan perempuan yang dicintainya untuk menunjukkan dan membuktikan rasa sayangnya.

1. Ia mengingat hal-hal kecil tentang Anda.
Untuk membuktikan cintanya yang besar kadang-kadang pria tidak memberikan sesuatu yang besar. Misalnya, ia ingat pakaian apa yang Anda kenakan saat pertama kali berkencan dengannya. Ia tahu apa yang paling membuat Anda kesal, atau siapa penyanyi favorit Anda ketika masih remaja. Hal-hal ini menjadi tanda bahwa ia membuat suatu investasi nyata di dalam benaknya mengenai sesuatu penting bagi Anda. Dengan sendirinya, hal itu juga penting baginya.

2. Ia melakukan tindakan "remeh" untuk Anda.
Tindakan ini normalnya tidak akan dilakukan seorang pria, seperti membelikan cookies untuk Anda karena teman-teman perempuannya juga membeli cemilan yang sama, membeli beberapa barang di minimarket sesuai daftar belanja dari Anda, atau mengusap-usap perut Anda ketika Anda mengeluh kram perut akibat datang bulan. Kebanyakan pria jarang menunjukkan perilaku romantis seperti ini, apalagi bila hubungan Anda dengannya sudah berjalan lama. Namun, inilah bukti bahwa Anda selalu ada di dalam pikirannya.

3. Ia menghadiri momen-momen penting Anda.
Anda memintanya untuk menemaninya makan bersama keluarga Anda (padahal ia sedang kelelahan), atau meminta waktunya untuk pernikahan sepupu Anda, padahal pada saat yang sama ada pertandingan bola yang ditunggu-tunggunya. Kesediaannya menemani Anda menunjukkan bahwa Anda lebih penting daripada segalanya. Dan, pria tidak akan melakukan hal-hal seperti ini untuk sembarang orang. Hanya orang yang benar-benar dipedulikannya, yaitu Anda.

4. Ia rela mengorbankan perasaan atau kepentingannya.

Ingat ketika ia dengan sabar menunggui Anda yang sedang asyik shopping, padahal ia bosan setengah mati? Atau ketika ia menyimpan koleksi boneka Star Wars-nya ke dalam kardus karena Anda tidak menyukainya? Apapun yang dilakukan pria, dari mengurangi jadwal main tenisnya, hingga membatasi frekuensi merokoknya, merupakan tanda bahwa ia peduli. Jadi, jangan protes bila ia pun meminta Anda tidak sering-sering membeli pernak-pernik "enggak penting" yang lalu berserakan di kamar Anda. Tidak adil kan, bila hanya ia yang harus mengubah kebiasaannya?  

5. Ia selalu menepati janjinya.
Pria paling menyebalkan bagi kaum perempuan adalah yang selalu datang terlambat saat janjian, membatalkan janji pada saat-saat terakhir, lupa menelepon, kehilangan nomor telepon Anda, dan lain sebagainya. Bila memang peduli, pria akan menepati apa yang dikatakannya. Setidaknya, bila ia tidak sanggup menepati janji karena masih ada urusan di kantor misalnya, ia akan berusaha menebusnya lain waktu. Bila berjanji menjemput Anda, ia tidak keberatan sampai di tempat tujuan lebih cepat daripada Anda, karena ia tidak ingin Anda termangu-mangu di pinggir jalan untuk menunggui Anda.

6. Memberikan hadiah spesial
Cinta tidak selalu harus dikatakan secara verbal. Tapi cinta juga bisa diungkapkan lewat tindakan. Misalnya saja dengan memberi hadiah. Hadiah itu sendiri tak selalu dalam bentuk fisik seperti permen, bunga atau yang lainnya. Ada jenis hadiah lain yang kerap diberikan pria pada pasangannya namun seringkali tidak disadari oleh si wanita. Misalnya saja, waktu yang diberikan oleh pria untuk menemani kekasihnya.

7. Lewat ungkapan fisik
Ungkapan cinta juga bisa ditunjukkan secara fisik. Misalnya dengan mengggandeng tangan Anda sewaktu jalan berdua, menatap mata Anda dalam-dalam atau membelai rambut Anda dengan lembut. Kontak fisik semacam ini mampu memberikan kedekatan perasaan yang tidak dapat diperoleh dengan mudah melalui cara lainnya.

8. Berkompromi

Demi Anda, ia rela membuang barang-barang dari apartemennya. Bahkan mengurangi hobi mengoleksinya karena Anda tak begitu suka. Dia pun senang hati mengantar Anda berbelanja pakaian, atau mengurangi jadwal bermain poker bersama teman-temannya hanya demi bersama Anda.

9. Mengenalkan Anda pada orang-orang terdekat
Jika pasangan Anda sudah mengenalkan Anda pada orang-orang terdekatnya, seperti keluarga dan teman karib, maka itu pertanda kalau dia memiliki perasaan yang dalam dengan Anda.

Sumber: Menjelma.com 

Tips To Be A Good Student

So, if you are struggling with grades and interested in raising your grade point average, take a close look at these 10 tips for getting better grades.

1. Attend All Your Classes
Now, you might think this was an obvious one. But I speak from experience when I say that many students skip classes for one reason or another. But if you want good grades, there are several reasons why you should attend all your classes:

• Absorb classroom material. Even if the professor follows the textbook pretty closely, sitting in the classroom and listening to the lectures/discussions will help you absorb the materials.
• Make presence known/participate. One of the benefits of going to college should be that you form a mentoring relationship with some of your professors, and that's not going to happen if you don't attend the classes. And often faculty have participation points (or bonus points), so beyond just attending, make an effort to be involved in the class discussions.
• Earn attendance points. Many professors have attendance policies, so you can have a direct impact on your grade simply by attending.

Don't forget to sit close to the front -- historically, those who do are usually the best students.

2. Master Your Professors
Every professor has a different personality and system for running his/her classes, so it makes sense as early in the semester as possible to learn what the professor wants. Here are some ways to master your professors:

• Understand course expectations. Most professors give out a class syllabus during the first week of classes -- and it is your responsibility to know deadlines and all the requirements for the course.
• Understand professors on personal level. Rather than viewing the professor as some figurehead at the front of the class who decides your fate in some abstract way, get to know your professor as a person. Visit him or her during office hours, or stay after class.
• Communicate with professors when you are struggling. Especially at largercolleges and universities, the professor won't know when you are struggling, so if you are having problems with the course work or the tests, schedule an appointment to meet with the professor and get the help you need.

3. Get/Stay Organized
You may have been one of the lucky few who has never needed a planner before, but college is all about multitasking, and you can easily get overwhelmed with due dates, team meetings, and other demands on your time. Here are some tips for getting organized:

• Use a planner or other organization system. I've had my day-planner for years and cannot go anywhere without it. Others are that same way with their personal digital assistants.
• Stay current with due dates/course calendars. It's not enough to have a system -- you have to use it! So once you have some sort of system, get in the habit of using it (and it will soon become second nature).
• Keep homework, tests, and class papers in central location. Don't just throw old homework assignments or tests in the back of your car or the floor of your dorm room. You'll need these for studying for future tests, for meeting with your professor to discuss them, and for figuring your grade in the class... so, keep all your class materials in a central location.

4. Use Time Wisely
Even if you do not procrastinate and are the most organized person in the world, time can be one of your biggest enemies in college. Here are some tips for using time wisely:

• Tackle harder work first. Yes, tackle the harder stuff first so that you are sure to have enough time to complete it. You'll feel a greater sense of accomplishment completing the work in this order.
• Take breaks as reward for work. Reward yourself for completing a major task by taking a break and chatting with a friend or watching some television. Not only are the breaks good motivation to help you complete something, you'll also be more refreshed to tackle the next bit of work after a break.
• Break larger projects into smaller, easy-to-accomplish pieces. If you have a massive term paper due at the end of the semester, break up the work into smaller chunks and assign deadlines to each part.
• Do not overextend yourself; learn to say no. Besides all your academic work, you will also be asked to get involved in all sorts of clubs and organizations while in college -- and at some point, you will have to learn to say no to some requests of your time.
• Work hard to play hard. One of my favorite students used to say that she worked hard so that she would have the time to play hard -- and that's a good balance. Just make sure you do the work FIRST.

5. Become "Noteworthy"
Another reason for attending class is recording the class notes. These notes are vital clues to what the professor thinks is the most important material for you to learn, so besides taking notes, learn how to better use them to your advantage. Here are some specifics:

• Be an active listener in class. Don't read the newspaper, gossips with friends, or text your roommate during class. Instead, listen attentively and actively -- and ask for clarification when you need it.
• Take good notes in class. Whether taking notes from scratch or following a professor's outline, the key for you will be to get the most important details down so that you can refer back to them when you need them.
• Rewrite or organize notes on your computer outside of class. This suggestion may sound a little extreme, but the writing-to-learn literature shows that you can increase your understanding and retention of material by rewriting it.

6. Use the Textbook
Professors assign textbooks for a reason -- and it's not to make you broke; it's to supplement the lectures and discussions from class. Do buy all the textbooks -- and follow these tips for using it:

• Read all assigned material. Sounds obvious, right? When a professor assigns a chapter, read the whole thing (unless told otherwise), including the opening vignettes, the case studies, and tables and exhibits.
• Know what's critical. At the same time, know what parts of the text are most critical. For example, in one of my classes, the vocabulary is most critical, and the textbook emphasizes the point by having all the terms and their definitions printed in the margins of every chapter.
• Use outlining system to help comprehend material. Reading and highlighting the material in the text is just the minimum. To get the most of what you're reading, you should also take notes and outline the material.

7. Follow Good Rules of Writing
Many classes require one or more writing assignments, from short responses to term papers, and you'll do better on these assignments if you follow these rules of good writing:

• Organize your thoughts before writing. Stream of consciousness works in a diary or journal (and may have worked in high school), but it's best to map out an outline before you start the actual writing.
• Understand requirements for paper. Every professor has a specific way he or she wants a paper organized, and it's best to know them before you start to write. Be sure to understand the reference system and all the mechanics of the paper (font, margins, cover sheet, footnotes, etc.).
• Write a draft (and get feedback when possible). Especially for larger papers, you'll have a higher quality paper (and a better grade) if you can show the professor a draft early enough before the deadline to make changes.
• Rewrite, edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite. Learn that editing and rewriting are your friends. No one is a good enough writer to whip out the final draft in one sitting. The best writers go through a process.
• Proofread, proofread, proofread. Spellcheckers catch spelling errors, but not other problems, so learn the art of proofreading. Or better, have a buddy system with a friend in which you proofread each other's papers.

8. Study, Study, Study
Another obvious one here? Perhaps, but the rule is you should be spending at least three hours outside of class for every hour in it. And for some classes, you'll find you need a lot more time than that to master the material. So, here are some suggestions:

• Study early and often. Breaking your studying into shorter periods of time will make less of a chore -- and give your mind time to absorb the material before moving on.
• Develop and practice good study habits. Make it a habit and studying will become second nature to you.
• Know how you best study, learn material. Some people need complete silence to concentrate while others like a little noise. Find what works for you and stick with it.
• Study with friends to gain support, but... don't turn it into a social event. A study buddy can be a great tool, as long as you actually get some studying accomplished.
• Make sure work is done before socializing. Studying is critical to learning, which is critical to better grades -- so do the work before heading out to have fun.

9. Be a Good Test-Taker
Just about all college classes have exams, and sometimes the exams are the major portion of your final grade, so it's important to become a good test-taker. Here are some hints:

• Know what to expect on exams. Every professor has a style of test development, so obtain old copies or ask the professor directly. Know the types of questions that will be asked -- as well as the content that will be covered.
• Read questions carefully and plan answers. Take your time at the beginning of the test to read through all the instructions and make a plan of attack.
• Pace yourself so you have plenty of time to complete all parts. And know the point v alues of questions, so you can be sure to complete the most important ones first in case time does run out.
• Ask questions. If you don't understand something, or need clarification of the question, ask the professor. Don't wait to get the exam back and find you answered a question the wrong way.

10. Polish Those Verbal Communications Skills
Many classes include a presentation component, so use these tips to improve your verbal communications skills and maximize your grade:

• Practice speeches, presentations. The best speeches and presentations are the well-rehearsed ones, so complete your script or outline early enough to have time to practice the presentation (and to make sure it falls within the specified time limit).
• If using technology, always have a back-up. Technology is great, but sometimes it fails. If you have a PowerPoint presentation, make copies of it as a handout in case you need it.
• Know the presentation situation -- and plan accordingly. Every professor has a set of guidelines when grading presentations, and many classroom set-ups are different, so know the situation before going into the presentation.

Final Thoughts on Improving Your Grades

Following these guidelines should help your grades immensely, but here is one other tip. Remember to think of your professors as your allies, not your enemies. And if not your allies, at least your partners. Our goal is for every student to learn and master the materials in the course. And if you master the materials, you should have a good grade in the class. And if you're struggling with some aspect of the course, just go see the professor.