Gather everything you need, then pick a spot to do your homework. Ideally, you’ll want a solid surface (like a table, desk, or hardwood floor) to write on, and a comfortable seat. Check the lights, too. You won’t be able to do your best if you can’t see the numbers.   Your supplies might include: a calculator, pencils, a compass, a protractor, a straightedge, scratch paper, graph paper, lined paper, your textbook, the assignment. If you’ll need water or snacks, set those out as well. This way, you won’t be tempted to use a trip to the kitchen as procrastination. Remember that there is such a thing as too comfortable when you’re doing homework! If you’re in bed or curled up in an armchair, it’s all too easy to doze off. The only way to get your homework done quickly is to get down to work especially if you do not want to do your homework. Get rid of anything that's going to tempt you to waste time and drag out the homework process longer. This might include TV, your phone, or your computer or tablet.  If you’re working at home, your parents will probably be thrilled to hang on to your phone for you until you’re done. If you’re in a public place, try stashing your phone in a hard-to-reach spot, like an inside pocket of your backpack. If it’s not easily accessible, you’ll be less likely to mindlessly grab it. Homework is often stressful, and math can be frustrating if you don’t feel like you know what you’re doing. Before you put pencil to paper, tell yourself that you’re capable, plan to work hard, and will finish the assignment, no matter what. (And keep reminding yourself of that if you need to.) You’re trying to get your homework done quickly, but making sure that you know what you’re doing beforehand can help prevent careless errors. This is especially important for word problems and story problems. If you tend to get bogged down with a single problem, just skip it (for now). Finish the problems you know how to do, and return to the tricky question with a fresh set of eyes later. You might have new ideas on how to deal with it, and even if you don't, at least you're much closer to being done with your homework than you were before. Some teachers require you to do this. Even if yours doesn’t, pretend it’s extra credit and write down the steps you use to solve each problem on scratch paper. This takes a little extra time, but it’s so useful that it’s worth it.  If you’re not feeling confident about an answer, or you’ve checked it and know you got it wrong, having your work in front of you is really useful--you can go through each step and see where you went wrong.  Showing your work for a correct answer can save you time as well! If you have another problem that uses a similar process, you can refer to your previous work to check it. Scan your work to make sure that you’ve solved every problem and recorded it correctly. Try running through a couple of the problems you struggled with to see if you get the same answers. If everything is neatly written down, and you feel like you could confidently explain any of your answers, then you’re all done!

Summary: Set up a solid workspace. Eliminate all distractions. Psych yourself up, not out. Read through each problem before starting to work on it. Skip the hard stuff. Show your work for every problem. When you’re finished, double-check.


Encrypted messages are only available on the Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android. They are not available on the Facebook website or the Facebook mobile app. You can turn any conversation with another person into an encrypted conversation. You cannot encrypt group messages. On iOS devices, you can tap "Secret" in the upper-right corner when starting a new message to enable encryption. On Android, you'll need to enable it after starting a message. You can do this by tapping the person's name at the top of the screen (iOS) or by tapping the ⓘ button in the upper-right corner (Android). You'll be prompted to enable secret conversations for your device. You can only send and receive a secret conversation from one device at a time. This means that once you make a conversation secret, you'll always need to access it from that device. To switch devices, you'll have to start a new secret conversation. Once you enable a secret conversation, the other person will have to accept it. This means they'll need to be using Messenger for iOS or Android as well. The feature may not be available to all users. After they accept, your conversation will be encrypted. You can only attach pictures and stickers to encrypted messages. GIFs, videos, audio, and calls are not supported. Tap the Timer button in the text box to select a timer for the message. This will set the message to automatically delete a certain amount of time after the recipient reads it, providing an extra layer of security. On your conversation list, secret conversations will have a padlock icon next to the recipient's profile picture. You may have multiple conversations with one person, since secret conversations are separate from standard Facebook messages. Secret conversations also have a black background instead of a blue one when opened.

Summary: Launch the Facebook Messenger app. Open the conversation you want to encrypt. Open the conversation details. Tap the "Secret Conversation" option. Start chatting with your encrypted conversation. Set a timer for your messages. Identify your encrypted messages.


Once you are in the pool, move your legs back and forth in a scissor motion, keeping them straight but not rigid. Then put both arms in the water and gently wave them back and forth horizontally, as if you are smoothing out the water beneath you. Kicking properly is a very important part of swimming, and it can be easier to develop your technique when you don’t have to think about your arms at the same time. Get a kick board or pool noodle and use it to support your upper body in the water while you move yourself forward with your legs. You can do this while standing in the water until you get comfortable, then combine it with kicking to move through the water. Move your arms forward in alternating circles with your hands slightly cupped. Try to “scoop” the water backwards as you move your arms.Keep your arms as straight as possible, and extend them as far as possible when reaching forward.

Summary: Practice treading water. Swim with your legs while holding onto a flotation device. Work on your arm strokes.


Before purchasing your tank inhabitants, it's always best to observe every fish in the store for signs of disease. Even if the fish you want doesn't seem to show signs of ich, it is still exposed to and may carry on ich into your aquarium at home. Some fish have very good immune systems and may just act as carriers to the disease. By introducing a carrier to ich, you are exposing your resident or current tank inhabitants to ich who may or may not have similarly strong immune systems as your new fish. Set up a separate smaller tank so you can observe your new fish for signs of disease. If there are any diseases present, treatment will be much easier but always do the full treatment dosage amounts. Don't think that a small tanks means you only need to do a reduced amount of treatment. When you add new fish to a quarantine tank or any tank, never add the water it was previously in into your aquarium. This reduces the likelihood of transferring tomites into your tank. This prevents the introduction of diseases to other tanks. Similarly, use different sponges and other cleaning tools for each tank. If you can't afford multiple nets, sponges, and cleaning tools, allow for each item to completely dry before using it on another tank. Ich cannot survive in a dry environment. Plants in tanks with fish carry more diseases than those grown and sold separately. Alternatively, you can quarantine tanks for 10 days without fish and treat them with ich treatments to be sure that it isn't infected.
Summary: Never buy fish from a tank where any fish displays symptoms of white spot disease. Quarantine any new fish for 14 to 21 days. Use separate nets for separate tanks. Buy plants only from tanks without fish.