Problem: Article: If you suspect that your house has hard water, you can buy a filter for your shower faucet. Most of these filters screw right on to the showerhead itself. Then, as the water runs through the filter, it removes the extra mineral deposits. The mineral deposits can cause yellowing by attaching themselves to your hair. Signs of hard water include continually greasy or dirty-feeling hair, even after showering. The sun's UV rays can gradually bleach out your hair and turn it to a more yellow tone. If you know that you'll be out in the sun for an extended time, wear a hat or carry a parasol or umbrella. If your hair feels brittle to the touch, then it's getting too much sun. A tiny hat really won't do the trick. Look for a floppy, large hat that covers your entire scalp and hair. Some hats are even woven with UV protectant fabrics. If you don't have a hat, try wrapping your hair in a cute scarf instead. The chlorine in a pool acts as a type of bleach when your hair is exposed to it. It will pull the rich tones from your hair and replace them with lighter, brassier ones. When you do feel like a swim, cover your hair with a hair mask. Then, secure a bathing cap over the mask to keep everything protected and in place. If you swim without a cap or mask, just try to wash your hair off with a clarifying shampoo and conditioner as soon as possible. A clarifying shampoo will remove more of the chlorine from your hair than a regularly formulated shampoo. You can get a quality hair mask and bathing cap at your local drugstore.
Summary: Put a hard water filter on your showerhead. Wear a hat to protect your hair from UV rays. Stay away from chlorinated pool water.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Don't wait to study until the night before a big exam! Particularly with a subject such as English literature, where you will probably be asked analytical questions as well as content questions, you must have time to familiarize yourself with some of the complexities of your material. Being able to summarize the plot or name some characters is unlikely to be all you'll need to do. Write out all the details you can remember from your first reading of the text, as well as anything you remember from your course lectures. Don't "cheat" by looking at your notes or your text -- just write down what you are confident you remember. This will be your starting base and will reveal any gaps in your knowledge. Many tests and exams in English literature want you to be familiar with some key terms, such as stanza, irony, alliteration, speaker, and figurative language. While you're not likely to be expected to have comprehensive knowledge of literary terminology, understanding some of these key concepts will be important to your success. There are many guides available that can help you find definitions for important literary concepts, but here are a few crucial terms: A stanza is a poetic division of lines and is equivalent to the paragraph in prose writing. Usually, stanzas are at least three lines long; groups of two lines are usually called "couplets." Irony at its basic level says one thing but means another, which is almost always the opposite of what is actually said. For example, a character who meets someone in a raging blizzard might say "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?" This is ironic because the reader can see that it is clearly not lovely weather. William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens are famous for their use of irony.Do not confuse irony with misfortune, which Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic" is culpable of: "a black fly in your chardonnay" is definitely unfortunate, but it's not ironic. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience knows important information that a character does not, such as the fact that Oedipus killed his father and will marry his mother. Alliteration is a technique used most often in poetry and plays; it is the repetition of the same initial consonants in multiple words within a short space. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" is an example of alliteration. A speaker usually refers to the person from whose point of view a poem is given, although it may also be used to refer to a novel's narrator. Keeping the speaker separate from the author is important, especially in poetic dramatic monologues such as Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," in which a maniacal duke admits to having murdered his first wife. Obviously, it is the speaker, not Browning, who is saying these things. Figurative language is discussed in more length in Part 2 of this article, but it is the opposite of "literal" language. Figurative language uses techniques such as metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole to make a point more vividly. For example, in Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, Cleopatra describes Mark Antony this way: "His legs bestride the ocean. His reared arm / Crested the world." This is hyperbolic language: obviously Antony's legs didn't literally straddle the ocean, but it powerfully conveys Cleopatra's high opinion of him and his power. If you were given a study guide or sample questions, see how much of this material you are already familiar with. This will help you zone in on what needs more work and make a study plan.

SUMMARY: Start early. Examine what you already know. Consider whether there are literary terms you're unfamiliar with. Look at sample questions, if you can.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Sit down and write out a timeline for your project or goal. This will help you to stay on track, and you can refer back to it when your motivation wanes. For example, if your goal is exercising, on your timeline state that you would like to be able to run a mile in one month. Then make a mini plan for how you will accomplish that goal between now and your one-month mark. Cutting up your goal into increments of time will help you stay focused and keep you from becoming overwhelmed. Control your inner dialogue and practice positive self-talk. Replace negative self-talk such as, "I can't do it," "I'm not the best," "I'm not smart enough," with positive self-talk such as, "I can do it," "I am the best," and "I am smart; if they can do it, I can do it." Stick with your goal by realizing that every process has an ebb and flow. Motivation is not a constant thing. There will be times when you are doing a great job of sticking to your timeline and your goals. However, other times, your motivation will wane, but know that this feeling is not a permanent, lasting feeling. Stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. When your motivation is low, read a book or a blog about your goal. For example, if your goal is to publish a book or a journal article, read a book about writing for journals and publishers. These books have great tips for staying focused. You can also ask for support when having trouble sticking to your goal. Join an online forum, ask a friend, mentor, or a family member. Remember that talking it out will help you resolve the issue.
Summary:
Make a timeline. Practice positive self-talk. Don't give up. Read a book or a blog about your goal. Ask for support.