Sexism is alive and well in the English language Essay

Sexism is fit as a fiddle in the English language - Essay Example Misogynist language can be purposeful, hidden or controlled. The purposeful utilization of clear and obviously disdainful misogynist wording is commonly viewed as prejudicial and is plainly unjustifiable treatment of ladies when contrasted with men. The expectation of disguised sexism is likewise purposeful and unfair yet the conveyance is of an undercover sort. Controlled sexism is unobtrusive and all the more as a rule not planned to be vilifying or hurtful. This sort of misogynist language is incorporated into society’s ordinary discourse, is viewed as typical and isn't perceived by the vast majority as the uncalled for or inconsistent treatment of ladies it is. â€Å"Subtle sexism is especially fascinating from both hypothetical and viable viewpoints since it might be very common, and may insidiously affect its victims†. Sexism as it exists in language is a controlled way of talking that propagates sex generalizations and strengthens status inconsistencies among peo ple. Those less touchy to sexism in general tend not to characterize the belittling terms they use as chauvinist language. These individuals are of the assessment that misogynist language doesn't exist or are either intentionally or subliminally attempting to protect conventional male centric social chains of importance. Those people increasingly open to sexism and the mischief it causes do endeavor to modify their discourse designs so as not to insult. Individuals may utilize misogynist language basically on the grounds that the utilization is constant and they think that its difficult to adjust terms or expressions utilized most or the entirety of their lives.

Definition and Examples of Euphemistic Language

Definition and Examples of Euphemistic Language Code word is the replacement of a tame articulation, (for example, died) for one considered repulsively express (kicked the bucket or dropped dead). Appear differently in relation to dysphemism. Descriptive word: metaphorical. In his Oxford Dictionary of Euphemisms (2007), R.W. Holder takes note of that in discourse or composing we use doublespeak for managing no-no or delicate subjects. It is consequently the language of avoidance, lip service, prudery, and double dealing. As per Ruth Wajnryb, Euphemisms have a short time span of usability once the disgrace of the first gets up to speed to them, the battery that runs the metaphorical gadget goes level. The main route forward is to design another code word (Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language, 2005). Historical background: From the Greek, utilization of good words Discourse Examples: Pre-possessed for utilized or second-hand; upgraded cross examination for torment; modern activity for strike; misspoke for lie; strategic withdrawal for retreat; income growth for raising assessments; wind for burp or fart; comfort expense for overcharge; kindness update for bill; unlawful soldier for detainee of warUnfortunately for the CIA, improved cross examination ended up being an interpretation of a similar code word utilized by the Gestapo: verschrfte Vernehmung. (Scott Horton, Company Men. Harpers, April 2015 Dan Foreman: Guys, I feel entirely horrible about what Im going to state. Yet, Im apprehensive youre both being let go.Lou: Let go? What does that mean?Dan Foreman: It implies youre being terminated, Louie. (In Good Company, 2004 Mr. Ruler: Well observe you when you return from picture improvement camp.Martin Prince: Spare me your doublespeaks! Its fat camp, for Daddys pudgy minimal mystery. (Kamp Krusty, The Simpsons, 1992) Paul Kersey: Youve got a prime f igure. You truly have, you know.Joanna Kersey: Thats a code word for fat. (Desire to die, 1974) The reproduction of New Orleans has become a code word for the decimation of the citys social and noteworthy legacy. (Ghali Hassan, 2006The more syllables a doublespeak has, the further separated from reality it is. (George CarlinWardrobe breakdown. (Justin Timberlakes depiction of his tearing of Janet Jacksons outfit during a half-time execution at Super Bowl XXXVIII)Americans persistently euphemize; they can call nothing by its name. You never attack anyone, you submit an invasion. (Carnage Vidal, cited in the Transatlantic Review, Spring 1975) Dont Panic The monetary classificationâ recession was really concocted in 1937 when the economy was back in the can yet FDR didnt need to consider it a downturn. What's more, the depiction misery previously surfaced during the Hoover organization, a substitute for a progressively distinctive however vexing term of workmanship: panic.(Anna Quindlen, Summertime Blues. Newsweek, July 7/14, 2008) Testing for Euphemisms In choosing indirect words and expressions I have acknowledged [Henry] Fowlers definition: Euphemism implies the utilization of a gentle or dubious or periphrastic articulation as a substitute for gruff exactness or unsavory use (Modern English Usage, 1957). A subsequent test is that the indirect word or expression once implied, or at first sight despite everything implies, something different. In the event that that were not really, it would be close to an equivalent word. (R.W. Holder, Oxford Dictionary of Euphemisms. Oxford University Press, 2007) Steven Pinker and Joseph Wood Krutch on the Euphemism Treadmill - Linguists know about the marvel, which might be known as the doublespeak treadmill. Individuals create new words for genuinely charged referents, however soon the code word gets polluted by affiliation, and another word must be discovered, which before long secures its own undertones, etc. Water storage room becomes latrine (initially a term for any sort of body care, as in can pack and can water), which becomes washroom, which becomes bathroom, which becomes toilet. Funeral director changes to undertaker, which changes to burial service director...The doublespeak treadmill shows that ideas, not words, are essential in people groups minds. Give an idea another name, and the name gets shaded by the idea; the idea doesn't become refreshed by the name, at any rate not for long. Names for minorities will keep on changing insofar as individuals have negative perspectives toward them. We will realize that we have accomplished common regard when the names wait. (Steven Pinker, The Blank S late: The Modern Denial of Human Nature. Viking Penguin, 2002)- Any code word stops to be metaphorical after a period and the genuine importance starts to appear on the other side. Its a losing game, however we continue attempting. (Joseph Wood Krutch, If You Dont Mind My Saying So, 1964) Doublespeaks, Dysphemisms, and Orthophemisms During the Cold War of 1946-89, NATO had a hindrance (doublespeak) against the Russian danger (dysphemism). In the mid 1980s the USSR professed to have been welcomed (code word) into Afghanistan; the Americans guaranteed that the Russians were aggressors (dysphemism) there. We get welcomed in; they are aggressors; the orthophemism is make military move in an outside land. (Keith Allen and Kate Burridge, Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006) Doublespeaks During the Victorian Era In the mid-nineteenth century, the human structure and its capacities were no-no to the point that any words in any event, implying that individuals had bodies were expelled from obliging talk. It got difficult to specify legsyou needed to utilize appendage, or shockingly better, lower furthest point. You couldnt request the bosom of a chicken, however rather needed to demand the chest, or settle on a decision among white and dim meat. Nor might you be able to discuss pants. There were various code words rather, including inexpressibles, indescribables, unmentionables, inexplicables and continuations. Charles Dickens ridiculed this extraordinary delicacy in Oliver Twist, when Giles the head servant portrays how he got up and drew on a couple of . . .. Women present, Mr. Giles, cautions another character. (Melissa Mohr, By Gods Nails: Careful How You Curse. The Wall Street Journal, April 20-21, 2013) In Defense of Euphemisms Code words are not, the same number of youngsters figure, futile verbiage for that which can and ought to be said obtusely; they resemble mystery operators on a fragile crucial, should airily pass by a smelling meddle with scarcely to such an extent as a gesture of the head, come to their meaningful conclusion of helpful analysis and proceed in quiet patience. Code words are terrible realities wearing strategic cologne. (Quentin Crisp, Manners from Heaven, 1984) Changing Schools During one of numerous enemy of somberness fights the previous summer, in excess of 1,000 individuals revitalized to contradict Philadelphias intends to change schools, a lovely doublespeak by and large significance school terminations and mass cutbacks. (Allison Kilkenny, The Fight for Phillys Schools. The Nation, February 18, 2013) Insane Insane (and subsequently crazed and broke) initially implied split, imperfect, harmed (cp. insane clearing) and was pertinent to all way of sickness; however it has now limited to psychological maladjustment. It catches the cliché mental patient as somebody defective, lacking (cf. intellectually lacking), and is the reason for some metaphorical articulations for franticness: split brained, silly, break brained; head case, wack-job, bonkers, psycho, wacky; self-destructing; have a (mental meltdown; unhinged; having a screw/tile/record free; one block shy of a heap, not a full burden; not playing with a full deck, three cards shy of a full deck; one sandwich shy of a cookout; two sway shy of a quid, not the full quid; his lift doesnt go to the highest floor; a shingle short; and maybe hes lost his marbles. (Keith Allen and Kate Burridge, Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language Used as a Shield and Weapon. Oxford University Press, 1991) The Lighter Side of Euphemisms Dr. House: Im busy.Thirteen: We need you to . . .Dr. House: Actually, as should be obvious, Im not occupied. Its only a doublespeak for get the damnation out of here.(Dying Changes Everything, House, M.D.)Dr. House: Who were you going to execute in Bolivia? My old housekeeper?Dr. Terzi: We dont execute anyone.Dr. House: Im sorrywho were you going to marginalize?(Whatever It Takes, House, M.D.) Further Reading Visual EuphemismWhy Do We Use Euphemisms?Biased LanguageBowdlerismCacophemismFifty Reasons Youll Never Be Told, Youre FiredGenteelismGeorge Carlins Essential DrivelGrawlixHow to Flatter an Audience With Euphemisms, Dysphemisms, and DistinctioIndirectnessMinced OathNever Say Die: Euphemisms for DeathOrthophemismParadiastolePejorative LanguageRestauranteseSoft LanguageTaboo LanguageTitle InflationTop 20 Figures of SpeechUnder the Flapdoodle Tree: Doublespeak, Soft Language, and GobbledygookVerbosityWhat Are Weasel Words?

Certificate program education Free Essays

My work in the field of training might be fortuitous yet is presumably inferable from my mission for learning and propelling information in all parts of my life. Moreover, I have faith in the idea that regardless of what a businessman’s item is, this individual is unquestionably in the training industry. To succeed, the individual should continually instruct his clients on the numerous favorable circumstances of working with him, train them on the best way to utilize the item proficiently just as viably and in this way make ceaseless improvement in their lives. We will compose a custom article test on Testament program training or then again any comparable subject just for you Request Now It is against this foundation that I would wish to apply for an admission to University of Colorado to seek after a Certificate in Leadership Studies. My choice to make due with this declaration program was essentially educated by a few reasons. Right off the bat, an educator is unquestionably a pioneer and the program would assist me with growing my insight in authority aptitudes. This information, I accept, would be useful in my Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) classes. The testament would supplement the estimations of citizenship, administration to my nation, moral obligation just as achievements, the very excellencies that the JROTC program wishes to impart into each American through training which is my profession. Furthermore, I have faith during the time spent constant assessment, enhancing my powerless zones and carrying on the attractive excellencies for my nation and humankind everywhere, which I thusly ignore to my understudies. With the dynamic idea of instruction, I accept it as my duty to be side by side with the most present information. Initiative Studies and other related courses, for example, Conflict Resolution Management are in this manner getting progressively significant, all the more so for those in social obligations. In this offer, the University of Colorado’s Certificate Program would make me a superior educator by outfitting me with more information and administration abilities that are slanted towards my profession as an instructor. In spite of the fact that I have a degree in Business Administration, I should state that the future looks splendid in spite of the fact that I have not arrived at the epic. I would wish to satchel a Masters in Education after this endorsement. This would profession astute spot me in a superior position and I would even be better prepared to serve humankind at a position which is a lot higher. Also, it would guarantee an expanded compensation and bundle that would change both to my self-improvement just as that of my family. All things considered, an authentication in Leadership Studies would shape a decent establishment for a Masters as all are slanted towards the field of instruction and would likewise be a piece of my more noteworthy ceaseless improvement individual arrangement. My choice for a testament in Leadership Studies at Colorado University was additionally educated by a basic examination dependent on gathering expenses and advantages. Aside from the extraordinary notoriety that the University of Colorado holds in the realm of Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps, I was looking a neighborhood college that could offer me a Certificate that conveys global acknowledgment, and at a pocket cordial cost. Regardless of whether on separation learning mode or something else, to me, Colorado college showed up as the most feasible choice, all the more so for a veteran like me. Besides, I consider training as the advantage that doesn't manufacture dreams yet additionally guarantees their acknowledgment. The advantage that revives trust, as through it, a splendid future is anticipated. Regardless old enough, instruction turns a powerless individual to a fiery one while certainty inside an individual is worked through instructive achievements. Through training, one comprehends themselves as well as finds their latent capacity, gets openings and is in this way ready to seek after progress into its most prominent statures.  As an end, I wish to make a commendable commitment to my life and humankind everywhere, and just through instruction would i be able to tie down the opportunity to do as such. It additionally bears noticing that through this endorsement, I wish to open up my mind and grow my points of view in all viewpoints, and this remaining parts my goal as I place my application for thought into admission to Colorado University. Step by step instructions to refer to Certificate program training, Papers

Lost Names Free Essays

Genuine Identity There cornes a point In time In an Individual’s life where their name really turns into a piece of their personality. A name is something beyond a title to separate individuals; It Is d part of the individual. In Lost Names: Scenes from d Korean Boyhood by Richard E. We will compose a custom paper test on Lost Names or on the other hand any comparative point just for you Request Now Kim, names assume a significant job on the characters personalities. The nonappearance and significance of the names in the story make the story rich with detail and personality through something as straightforward as the name of a character. Names are a slgnlflcant entertainer influencing the story and the characters all through the novel Lost Names. At the point when the Koreans are compelled to change their family names to Japanese ones, their Korean personality is debilitated. Experiencing this damaging experience is incredibly hard for the Korean individuals in light of the fact that their family name is everything to them. To the Koreans, the family name Is â€Å"the just inheritance we hand down to the people to come and the following and the next’ (113). Removing their family name removes their way of life and endeavors to change over them to the Japanese method of living, The family does ot respond well to the circumstance, as their actual names must be eradicated until the end of time. The day that this happens Is known as a day of grieving among the entirety of the Koreans. They maln characters encounters this misfortune originally had with his granddad and father both lamenting. â€Å"Lowering their countenances, their tears streaming now unchecked, their brows and snow-secured hair contacting the snow on the ground. l, as well, let my face fall and contact the snow’ (1 11). The family name is a serious deal in the Korean culture, and being compelled to change this totally wrecks the whole family. A name gives individuals such a great amount about themselves, and being stripped ot It can cause numerous Issues. Thus, not in any event, having a name can propose some practically identical issues. The way that the characters don't have any names proposes that they are â€Å"lost†. Richard Kim alludes to the characters as Student-of-the-Day, Teacher-of-the-Day, Japanese educator, Principal, and a lot more titles all through the whole novel. He characterizes each character by their position. Calling a character by their position proposes that that is the main thing ot significance identified with them. How they are not given explicit names shows their Importance and Identity. â€Å"l call the names of one of my companions You assume responsibility while I am gone† (130). â€Å"The chief tells the police officer who I am, the child of (130). Kim doesn't explicitly allude to d individual In the class, Instead any â€Å"one†, He will not work out the tathers name. The fundamental character’s name is never given either. Not giving explicit names to every single character of the story makes the peruser wonder what the most basic piece of a story missing truly implies. Each character is depicted as a general position and that's it. These characters must have a similar general or cliché character ds the remainder of their â€Å"group† in which they are sorted. The significance ot a name is the fundamental personality ot the character. Alongside unidentified characters. the title of this novel likewise depicts the Importance of names. The title of this book identifies with numerous parts of the story. Lost Names implies the way that the names of the characters in the story are lost. It compares to the Identity emergency that the vast majority of the characters In the story go that are constrained under the Japanese occupation. The preservation of the principle character’s name causes perusers to consider upon the centrality of the title of the book; the lost name of this story is this lost personality of the Korean populace living under oppression. In the caption Scenes from a Korean Boyhood, the creator doesn't express the novel to be his childhood, but instead recommends a childhood. Kim decides to forget about this pronoun so as to demonstrate a progressively summed up perspective on mankind. The perusers ould be compelled to make these characters a general thought so a finished up basic thought for them is The individuals of Korea are having their personality taken. The privileges of the Korean individuals are not being allowed. Their way of life is all together being taken. A comparable thing is going on in America today. The National Security Agency, which is a piece of the United States government, is observing many United States citizens’ individual issues. The office has the ability to get to any data that they feel fundamental including Internet look, instant messages, and sharpen calls. Step by step instructions to refer to Lost Names, Papers

Understanding Good Customer Service Essay Example for Free

Seeing Good Customer Service Essay This is the point at which they request something and they expect a specific degree of administration Customer fulfillment This is when clients feel like you’ve given them a decent assistance Main attributes of run of the mill clients Typical clients buy merchandise/administrations, make inquiries and request counsel. Surpassing client desire Providing great incentive for cash, offering guidance and data rapidly, giving extra assistance and backing and great limits. Missing the mark regarding client care Being not able to meet customers’ desires, incapable to convey administrations/products and being discourteous. Various duties in client assistance Supervisor-preparing, everyday obligations, oversight and a wellspring of exhortation Line director more management, greater duty, and reviewing. Client assistance jobs Receptionist, shop partner, conveyance driver and records director. Various types of data Informative, enlightening, order, cautioning and wellbeing. Basic wellsprings of data Brochures, handouts, web, press reports and from your clients. Customer’s administration experience is influenced by the conduct they get from client support professionals Showing concern-Sympathy Listening-Nodding, saying yes Positive non-verbal communication Keeping eye to eye connection Indentifying the purpose behind disappointment Faulty products, no conveyance. Saying 'sorry' Saying sorry, clarify the reasons Remaining quiet and in control-Not losing temper Typical client support issues Complaints, shortcomings, conveyances and not fit for reason Reporting client assistance issues To your chief, to your administrator and to the provider. Cooperation: To client Consistent assistance and compelling spread for nonappearances To association Consistency and viable spread for unlucky deficiencies To self improvement, support and an effect on inspiration Organizational practices and methodology Keeping exact records, noting telephones, staff appearance and dress, discounts strategy and protest dealing with. Significance Ensuring predictable and solid help, consumer loyalty, effective activity and corporate character. Reffering to somebody in power when? Outside own skill, outside own power, looking for guidance and unfit to manage client. Reffering to somebody in power how? Up close and personal, recorded as a hard copy, via phone and by means of content or email. Security of client and their property-Compliance with wellbeing and security laws, guaranteeing clean work practice and having a security alert. Security of client Data insurance laws and credit and charge subtleties. Wellbeing and security Compliance with wellbeing and wellbeing guidelines, control of substances perilous to wellbeing guidelines 1994 and fire security guidelines. Treating clients similarly equivalent chances, racial and sex segregation and consistence with guidelines act. Significance of secrecy to client ensuring name, address, charge and Visa and subtleties of objects are secure. Significance and classification to staff-production sure names, address’s are secure. Likewise ensuring it is agreeable with the information insurance act-get to constrained to approved work force and PCs need a secret phrase to be gotten to. Enactment Working time order 1999, working with PCs, uniformity act 2010 and the handicap segregation act. Impact of outside guidelines authoritative techniques and the exchange body sets of principles.

8 Quick Tips for Sleeping Well - Focus

8 Quick Tips for Sleeping Well - Focus Its no secret that a good nights sleep has huge benefits. Sleeping well  has been found to boost your productivity and raise your salary, while importantly making you a healthier and happier person. 8 Steps to Sleeping Well Despite the widely known importance of sleep, it’s been found that adults working full-time in Europe and the U.S. are chronically sleep deprived. In fact, this year Public Health England declared that adults in the U.K. are on average missing an hour’s sleep every night. This amounts to nearly a full-night’s sleep every week. Similarly in the U.S. 40% of Americans get less than the recommended hours per night. But it’s not just the number of hours which matter, it’s the quality. As someone who has suffered from the paradox of both being a light sleeper and needing tons of it, I’ve found great solace in receiving evidence-based advice on how to achieve a good-quality kip. I’ve now transformed my restless nights into solid sleeps. I’ll share 8 of these tried and tested tips with you in this post, with the hope that some of you will start catching up on these vital hours too, improving your health, happiness and productivity levels. 1. Sleep in 90-minute cycles As Professor Richard Wiseman explains in the video below, as you sleep, your brain goes through 90-minute cycles. Once asleep, you initially enter a light sleep, before moving into a deeper sleep, then a dream stage, before finally moving back into a lighter sleep towards the end. This means that if you wake up towards the end of a cycle, you will awake feeling invigorated, as this is when youre closest to your natural waking state. To achieve this, try to set your bedtime based on what time you need to get up, counting back in 90 minute cycles. For example, if you need to wake up at 7:30am, you should either aim to fall asleep at midnight or 10:30pm. 2. Take a hot shower According to sleep scientist Jessa Gamble, temperature regulation plays a huge role in sleeping well. Our natural circadian rhythm â€" the physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle leads to our body temperature naturally dropping when we are ready to sleep. However, due to the many reasons which make us stay up later than we should do (work, friends, that new TV series), our bodies are no longer always dropping to the appropriate temperature. Having a hot shower can help in recreating this natural lowering of body temperature, as when we leave the hot shower our body temperature cools down, making us feel more naturally sleepy. 3. Avoid blue light ‘Blue light’ is the artificial light which is emitted from the screens of our electronic devices. It’s also a key reason for why we find it hard to fall asleep at night as it hugely affects the levels of our sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin. This means that when you read from a device at night, your body’s natural clock is shifted to believe that it’s earlier than it is and not yet bedtime. In order to avoid throwing off our biological clocks, The Harvard Medical School recommend avoiding blue light, and therefore screen time, for two or three hours before going to sleep. Equally turning down the lights in your bedroom to set a cosy scene a couple of hours before bedtime can prepare you mentally for sleeping, creating a clear distinction between daytime and bedtime. Many sleep scientists say you should only use your bed for sleeping or having sex, so avoid watching Netflix on your laptop in bed, and instead try making it a blue-light-free zone. 4. Throw away your bedside clock If you’re finding it hard to sleep, try to remain calm. The Ohio Sleep Medicine Institute recommend  that you stop worrying if you have a single bad night’s sleep. Instead of getting worked up about how hard the next day might be because you’re tired, focus on how much better the next night’s sleep will be because of it. To help you relax in bed, get rid of your bedside clock and avoid checking the time on your phone overnight. The constant checking, as well as the blue light from the screen, will likely stress you out and wake you up further. 5. Write down your thoughts Carrie Barron wrote in Psychology Today that lists “provide a positive psychological process whereby questions and confusions can be worked through.” So if your sleep is suffering from a tight schedule and a head full of to-dos, before heading to bed try making a list of all the things you need to remember the next day. A project management tool can help to sort your muddled thoughts into a clear schedule, leaving you more at ease and in the knowledge of what needs to be done by when. I use  MeisterTask  for this. Similarly, if you wake up during the night feeling stressed, try writing down your thoughts in a bedside notebook. You can then incorporate these ideas into your online schedule the next day, allowing you to rest assured that your 3am eureka moment won’t be forgotten. 6. Avoid alcohol before bed As Dr John Shneerson, head of the sleep centre at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, UK explains “as alcohol starts to wear off, your body can come out of a deep sleep and back into REM (rapid eye moment) sleep, which is much easier to wake from. That’s why you often wake after just a few hours sleep when you’ve been drinking.” Unfortunately, this means that when you’ve been drinking you typically wont end up sleeping well. This is because youll likely only have one or two cycles of REM sleep, compared to the six or seven cycles had in a usual night, disrupting your sleep considerably. 7. Take the University of Munich test At the University in Munich’s Institute for Medical Psychology they’re inviting troubled sleepers to complete their ‘Munich Chronotype Questionnaire’, in order to decipher how the respondent’s biological clock ticks. The study is free to enter and they aim to understand what time you would naturally go to bed and get up. This, in turn, allows them to establish whether you are someone who prefers early mornings, i.e. a lark, or someone who prefers later nights, known as owls. Once you’ve completed the online questionnaire, you’ll be sent a detailed PDF document, explaining where your preferences lie and how to adapt your sleeping habits to fit your required, and sometimes unnatural, schedule. I was found to be a ‘slightly late type Owl’ and was subsequently sent a list of tips (many of which are included in this article) to help persuade my mind and body that its later than it really is, when needing to have an early night during the week. 8. Ditch the 8-hours Finally, if you’re suffering from insomnia and it’s affecting your productivity, not to mention your emotional and physical wellbeing, it might be time to re-think everything which the above 7 points advise in terms of aiming for a solid 8-hours of sleep, and instead consider segmented sleeping. The history and evidence behind sleeping in two four-hour shifts during the night, with a break in-between, continues to grow. Similarly, increasing numbers of work places are following the advice of sleep experts and allowing employees to re-charge during the day, by providing ‘nap pods’ in the office. Consider speaking to your employer about whether catching forty-winks during your working day, in order to boost your productivity elsewhere, could be an option. So those are my top 8, evidenced-based tips for sleeping well. I’ve tried and tested all of them except for number 8, as the first 7 enabled me to achieve regular 8-hour kips, but of course, with all wellbeing advice, these tips are people-specific. Try out a few and see what works for you â€" we’d love to hear about the results and any other sleeping tips you have yourself in the comments below! Ease your mind with simple task management Try MeisterTask Its free! Try MeisterTask 8 Quick Tips for Sleeping Well - Focus Its no secret that a good nights sleep has huge benefits. Sleeping well  has been found to boost your productivity and raise your salary, while importantly making you a healthier and happier person. 8 Steps to Sleeping Well Despite the widely known importance of sleep, it’s been found that adults working full-time in Europe and the U.S. are chronically sleep deprived. In fact, this year Public Health England declared that adults in the U.K. are on average missing an hour’s sleep every night. This amounts to nearly a full-night’s sleep every week. Similarly in the U.S. 40% of Americans get less than the recommended hours per night. But it’s not just the number of hours which matter, it’s the quality. As someone who has suffered from the paradox of both being a light sleeper and needing tons of it, I’ve found great solace in receiving evidence-based advice on how to achieve a good-quality kip. I’ve now transformed my restless nights into solid sleeps. I’ll share 8 of these tried and tested tips with you in this post, with the hope that some of you will start catching up on these vital hours too, improving your health, happiness and productivity levels. 1. Sleep in 90-minute cycles As Professor Richard Wiseman explains in the video below, as you sleep, your brain goes through 90-minute cycles. Once asleep, you initially enter a light sleep, before moving into a deeper sleep, then a dream stage, before finally moving back into a lighter sleep towards the end. This means that if you wake up towards the end of a cycle, you will awake feeling invigorated, as this is when youre closest to your natural waking state. To achieve this, try to set your bedtime based on what time you need to get up, counting back in 90 minute cycles. For example, if you need to wake up at 7:30am, you should either aim to fall asleep at midnight or 10:30pm. 2. Take a hot shower According to sleep scientist Jessa Gamble, temperature regulation plays a huge role in sleeping well. Our natural circadian rhythm â€" the physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle leads to our body temperature naturally dropping when we are ready to sleep. However, due to the many reasons which make us stay up later than we should do (work, friends, that new TV series), our bodies are no longer always dropping to the appropriate temperature. Having a hot shower can help in recreating this natural lowering of body temperature, as when we leave the hot shower our body temperature cools down, making us feel more naturally sleepy. 3. Avoid blue light ‘Blue light’ is the artificial light which is emitted from the screens of our electronic devices. It’s also a key reason for why we find it hard to fall asleep at night as it hugely affects the levels of our sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin. This means that when you read from a device at night, your body’s natural clock is shifted to believe that it’s earlier than it is and not yet bedtime. In order to avoid throwing off our biological clocks, The Harvard Medical School recommend avoiding blue light, and therefore screen time, for two or three hours before going to sleep. Equally turning down the lights in your bedroom to set a cosy scene a couple of hours before bedtime can prepare you mentally for sleeping, creating a clear distinction between daytime and bedtime. Many sleep scientists say you should only use your bed for sleeping or having sex, so avoid watching Netflix on your laptop in bed, and instead try making it a blue-light-free zone. 4. Throw away your bedside clock If you’re finding it hard to sleep, try to remain calm. The Ohio Sleep Medicine Institute recommend  that you stop worrying if you have a single bad night’s sleep. Instead of getting worked up about how hard the next day might be because you’re tired, focus on how much better the next night’s sleep will be because of it. To help you relax in bed, get rid of your bedside clock and avoid checking the time on your phone overnight. The constant checking, as well as the blue light from the screen, will likely stress you out and wake you up further. 5. Write down your thoughts Carrie Barron wrote in Psychology Today that lists “provide a positive psychological process whereby questions and confusions can be worked through.” So if your sleep is suffering from a tight schedule and a head full of to-dos, before heading to bed try making a list of all the things you need to remember the next day. A project management tool can help to sort your muddled thoughts into a clear schedule, leaving you more at ease and in the knowledge of what needs to be done by when. I use  MeisterTask  for this. Similarly, if you wake up during the night feeling stressed, try writing down your thoughts in a bedside notebook. You can then incorporate these ideas into your online schedule the next day, allowing you to rest assured that your 3am eureka moment won’t be forgotten. 6. Avoid alcohol before bed As Dr John Shneerson, head of the sleep centre at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, UK explains “as alcohol starts to wear off, your body can come out of a deep sleep and back into REM (rapid eye moment) sleep, which is much easier to wake from. That’s why you often wake after just a few hours sleep when you’ve been drinking.” Unfortunately, this means that when you’ve been drinking you typically wont end up sleeping well. This is because youll likely only have one or two cycles of REM sleep, compared to the six or seven cycles had in a usual night, disrupting your sleep considerably. 7. Take the University of Munich test At the University in Munich’s Institute for Medical Psychology they’re inviting troubled sleepers to complete their ‘Munich Chronotype Questionnaire’, in order to decipher how the respondent’s biological clock ticks. The study is free to enter and they aim to understand what time you would naturally go to bed and get up. This, in turn, allows them to establish whether you are someone who prefers early mornings, i.e. a lark, or someone who prefers later nights, known as owls. Once you’ve completed the online questionnaire, you’ll be sent a detailed PDF document, explaining where your preferences lie and how to adapt your sleeping habits to fit your required, and sometimes unnatural, schedule. I was found to be a ‘slightly late type Owl’ and was subsequently sent a list of tips (many of which are included in this article) to help persuade my mind and body that its later than it really is, when needing to have an early night during the week. 8. Ditch the 8-hours Finally, if you’re suffering from insomnia and it’s affecting your productivity, not to mention your emotional and physical wellbeing, it might be time to re-think everything which the above 7 points advise in terms of aiming for a solid 8-hours of sleep, and instead consider segmented sleeping. The history and evidence behind sleeping in two four-hour shifts during the night, with a break in-between, continues to grow. Similarly, increasing numbers of work places are following the advice of sleep experts and allowing employees to re-charge during the day, by providing ‘nap pods’ in the office. Consider speaking to your employer about whether catching forty-winks during your working day, in order to boost your productivity elsewhere, could be an option. So those are my top 8, evidenced-based tips for sleeping well. I’ve tried and tested all of them except for number 8, as the first 7 enabled me to achieve regular 8-hour kips, but of course, with all wellbeing advice, these tips are people-specific. Try out a few and see what works for you â€" we’d love to hear about the results and any other sleeping tips you have yourself in the comments below! Ease your mind with simple task management Try MeisterTask Its free! Try MeisterTask

Tool Helps GMAT-Takers Understand Where They Went Wrong

New tool to help GMAT-takers plan for a retest. Starting in February 2015, GMAC will be launching its new Enhanced Score Report as a way of helping test takers better understand their GMAT performance and potentially strategize and plan for a retest.   With this new tool, test takers will be able to see how much time they spent on each question, identify their skill strengths and weaknesses, and benchmark their performance against test takers from the last three years. The customized summary report will help test takers prepare for future study and test taking. The AWA score is not included in the ESR since the report only uses data generated from unofficial scores (and this does not include the AWA). There is also no sub-section feedback given on the IR section since that section is too small to provide an adequate sample. Test takers may purchase their GMAT Enhanced Score Report here for $24.95 and then have access to their report for five years. You can purchase your ESR for GMAT exams taken as far back as October 2013. ESRs become available up to 48 hours after you’ve completed your GMAT exam. Applicants who purchase the ESR also receive two additional practice exams and nearly 100 additional practice questions. Starting last year in June 2014, GMAC gave test takers the option of cancelling their scores within a few minutes of completing the exam. The ESR authentication code can be applied to those cancelled exams, but not towards a GMAT exam for which a score was revoked due to a policy violation. My thoughts: This information should be valuable to those who aren’t satisfied with their GMAT score and want to know where to focus their studies. For those people the data is worth the fee. And in the context of the cost of the MBA, it is pocket change. At the same time, this new revenue source for GMAC represents another competitive advantage for the GRE, which is less expensive than the GMAT to begin with. Furthermore ETS, the entity behind the GRE, already provides the GRE Diagnostic Service at no additional cost to its test takers, and that service is similar to GMAT’s Enhanced Score Report. According to the ETS website: â€Å"The GRE ® Diagnostic Service provides insight into your performance on the test questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections of the GRE ® revised General Test. This FREE service includes a description of the types of questions you answered right and wrong as well as the difficulty level and time spent on each question.† Unlike the GMAC’s ESR, the Diagnostic Service does not provide practice exams or questions. My sense is that the $25 fee will be resented by affluent test takers, but if they need the information they will (and should) pay for it. It will be yet one more hurdle for applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. And for those unsure of which of the two tests to take, the price of the ESR just adds a little weight to the side of the scale that says â€Å"GRE.† hbspt.cta.load(58291, 'e47f6e09-76b2-4b02-bc17-62552b75dc6a', {}); By  Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the definitive book on MBA admissions,  MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools. Related Resources: †¢Ã‚  That GMAT Score: Implications for Your MBA Application †¢Ã‚  Should You Retake the GMAT Exam? †¢Ã‚  GRE vs. GMAT: Trends