Photograph iStock
Here’s an easy way to turn that ‘back to school’ feeling you experience every autumn – the one that makes you want to buck up your ideas and get your uniform in order – into positive action: simply tell yourself, ‘I can do better’. It might not seem like much, but this small trick can have big results, a new UK study has found. Over 44,000 people took part in an experiment to test which motivational techniques really worked, and people using ‘self-talk’ (telling yourself, ‘I can do better next time’) came out on top. If you count yourself a stickler for procedure, try ‘self-talk-process’ (for example, telling yourself, ‘I can react quicker this time’), or if you consider yourself a visual sort, give imagining working towards your goal a try – these also scored well when put to the test. Freshly sharpened pencils and shiny new shoes optional.