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I can’t believe our semester is coming to an end.

I only have about 4 weeks to finish up all my papers.

Yikes.

Anyway, here are some great blog posts this week:

How to Be Relaxed, Even When You’re Busy
Scott Young offers some timely tips on reducing stress.

Your Individual Development Plan
Lifehack.org provides helpful advice on how to develop a personal development plan.

15 Fantastic Resources You’ll Want to Devour
Martin at the University Blog provides links to 15 great productivity articles.

Getting into Harvard without Getting An Ulcer
Find out why a Bob Dylan with good SAT scores would make a perfect Harvard applicant.

Six Habits of Highly Effective Mentors
Ben Casnocha discusses what you should look for in a mentor.

Here are some of my favorite links this week:

An Open Letter to Students Waiting for Their College Admissions Decisions
Cal provides some practical advice for High School students getting ready for college.

How to Digest Books Above Your Level 
Good advice when you need to read a complicated book.

10 Steps Toward Better Research
10 tips on getting you through the research process of writing a killer paper.

Sometimes You Just Need a Break 
Dr. Rachna D. Jain gives some personal thoughts about the importance of relaxation. This post is perfect for anyone who has been crazy busy with school lately.

Free Ebooks, Comics and Graphic Novels
I saw this website mentioned on Lifehacker.com.  The site offers free pdfs of hundreds of books and comics.  You can download up to 30 per week.

Pink Eraser USB Flash Drive
Learn how to hide your USB Flash drive in an eraser. Very cool!

31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing
Great tips on how to find your muse.

Here are some great links this week:

Pseudo-work Does Not Equal Work
This is an older blog post from Cal Newport about how spending less time studying can actually improve your grades.  It’s all about how to maximize your study time and focus.

How to Use Note Cards During Research
10 tips on how to maximize your research time with note cards.

6 Ways to Appear Smart
Some great advice on how to act smart – especially when you have no idea what to say.

Which Athlete of Learning are You
A fun posts that helps you identify your learning style – while providing tips on what to watch out for.

50 Smart and Easy Ways to Save Money in College 
Some great advice on how to save cash while in school.

Here are some of my favorite links this week:

The Art of Speaking
Cal Newport wrote a summary of Prof. Winston’s famed lecture on public speaking at MIT. This is one of those blog posts you want to read again and again.

10 Tricks to Get Your Writing Started
A great article on how to get started writing when you’re staring at a blank page.

Create Forms in Google Docs Spreadsheets
Google developed an online tool for developing forms and surveys. This is a perfect tool for students conducting online surveys.

Stop Networking and Start Building Relationships
Building relationships with professionals in your industry is extremely important – and will do more for you than having 500+ people in your LinkedIn network that you never talk with.

Web 3.0: Is It About Personalization and Recommendation?
An interesting analysis of an upcoming trend in web development.

How to Sync Your Friends’ Facebook Pics with Outlook
This free Windows app allows you to sync Facebook and Outlook.

HowCast.com
A new video site filled with tutorials on tons of practical subjects. They even have a small collection of videos for students.

Okay, it’s time to bring Link Friday back!

These are some of my favorite links this week:

The Ultimate Student Resource List
Lifehack.org compiles a huge list of great online resources for students.

How to Use Time Arbitrage to Maximize Your Productivity Profit
Cal Newport shares some ways to use your time wisely.

Make Your Own Roll-Up Keyboard
A keyboard hack worth seeing

Twenty Snacks that Help Productivity
A collection of foods to help you stay energized throughout your day

How to Make a Book Hook
If you love books, you might want to consider mounting your favorites on your wall. This hack shows you how.

Write Better by Starting Early
Reveals the benefits of doing as much research the day before – and then get right into writing the next morning.

It’s nice to have a short break before classes start up again in mid-January. I can’t believe it’s almost 2008.

I’ve been swamped with various family activities – so I haven’t been much of a blogger this week.

Here are some of my favorite articles this week:

Ask the Readers: Inexpensive Gifts to Improve Your Life
There are over 150 gift suggestions for this holiday season.

How to Cultivate Mad-Hot Creative Flow
An article about getting into that “creative flow” when time stands still.

12 Tips to Improve the Quality of Your Free Time
Scott Young writes an article about the importance of staying productive even though you have free time.

5 Tips for Working Effectively Over Christmas Break
Cal Newport writes a great productivity article for students during our brief holiday break.

Best of the University Blog 2007 – Top 15 Posts
Martin shares some of his favorite blog posts from throughout the year.

25 Things You Should Never Include On Your Resume
This also applies to job interviews.

Subscribe to Your Professors’ Feeds – By Making One
Sydney suggests making an RSS feed of your Prof’s website – so you can get immediate notice whenever he or she updates it. Great advice!

Triple Your Productivity Tomorrow
Scott Young writes a helpful productivity article for Pick the Brain.

I’m sorry for not posting much this week. It’s been a hectic finals week, which is coming to an end on Saturday.

Here are some of my favorite links this week:

Why You Should Plan Your Day the Night Before
Some great tips to make you more productive every day.

MIT Lecture Browser
Watch video lectures of MIT classes.

8 Tips to Improve Your Public Speech Immediately
Many students this week are giving class presentations. This article provides some helpful tips on making your presentation better.

10 Blogs for Writers
Michael Stelzner suggests 10 blogs that you should read to improve your writing skills.

Book Lamp Shade
A how-to guide on turning an old book or textbook into a lampshade.

The Pros and Cons of Coffee Drinking
I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee during finals week. This articles discusses the importance of moderation in coffee drinking.

Human Brain Cloud
A multiplayer word association game that will reveals interesting associations between words.

Academics are Prostitutes
The Academic Productivity blog links to an interesting journal article that discusses the peer-review conundrum in academic publishing.

What’s the Optimal Class Size?
The Educated Nation blog starts an interesting discussion on optimal class sizes conducive for learning.

It’s been crazy busy this week with papers and finals. I know many of you are feeling just as worn out as me.

Here are some of my favorite links this week . . .

25 Articles Every Student Should Read
While Cal Newport is on vacation, he’s left us all with a wonderful collection of links to some outstanding articles for students. Check them out . . .

A Guide to Living Your Life Consciously
ZenHabits.com provides some tips on how to be conscious with everything you do.

Why Your Classes Are Boring
Scott Young writes another great article for student productivity. He discusses ways to making your education practical to your life.

How Not to Plagiarize
This LifeHack.org article is very appropriate for students writing final papers right now.

The Art of BS: How to Succeed on Papers and Essays
Some interesting ways of adding interesting content to your term papers when you don’t have a thing to say.

5 Tips to Writing a Last Minute Paper
About.com provides 5 quick tips on how to write a decent paper when you have no time left.

It’s Link Friday!

Here are my favorite links . . .

5 Ways to Avoid Panicking on a Hard Test
Cal Newport shares some great advice on how to keep a cool head during a rough exam.

5 Tips for a Last Minute Paper
Yep, we’ve all had to write papers last minute. Here are some tips to help you finish on time.

How to Find the Hidden Bias on a Test
Scott Young writes an interesting article for LifeHack.org regarding testing bias.

The Art of Reading
The Guardian publishes another insightful article about reading critically.

Typwriter Art
Jeremy Mayer designed some awesome art from a typewriter.

The Difference Between Harvard and Yale Students on Facebook
The Harvard Crimson published a humorous editorial about what can be learned about Harvard/Yale students on Facebook.

5 Study Traps I’ve Seen Others Fall Into
Martin provides some practical advice on how to keep a level head in college.

Here are my favorite links from throughout the week:

Why You Should Ignore Your GPA
Cal Newport writes a compelling article on why you shouldn’t focus on your GPA. He says its most important to focus on your performance while in school. Some great advice!

The Art of Keeping Parents Happy
There is an art to keeping your parents happy when you’re attending college. This article provides some practical suggestions.

10 Ways to Become a Better Listener and Change Your Life Forever
Everyone can be a better listener. This article provides ten practical ways for you to talk less and listening more.

Sandy is Your New Personal Assistant
Lifehacker recommends that you to try out Sandy as your personal email assistant. She’ll send you daily reminders of the various tasks you need to take care of. Seems like a great way to stay on track and accomplish your daily goals.

15 Tips to Make Today the Day You Finish Your To-Do List
Scott Young provides some helpful advice on how to complete your to-do list.

7 Simple Tips That Will Turn You Into a Powerful Leader
Bookstores are chockfull of books about leadership – everything from motivational techniques to innovating leadership strategies. This article highlights some of the key factors involved in being a leader—and acting like a leader.

How to Calculate Your GPA
Even though your GPA shouldn’t be your main focus, you should know how to calculate it – especially if you’re applying for grad school. This article provides you a way to calculate your GPA with a quick online tool.

Make a Safety Pin from a Paperclip
A cool way to hack a normal paperclip and turn it into a safety pin.

Who is Blogging and Why?
ReadWriteWeb published a fascinating article about why people blog, and how much money some bloggers are making. This is a must-read for any student thinking about blogging as source of income