Patch up cracks and holes leading from the outside in to prevent spiders from finding their way indoors. Use caulk to fill in large gaps of space in closed doors and windows. Also apply caulk around wires, cables, faucets, and electrical components, since all of these must run to the outside. Replace or fix torn window screens. Spiders can easily find their way in through even the smallest holes. Cover your vents and chimney with fine mesh insect screens. While outdoor lights will not attract spiders, they will attract other pests that can serve as appetizing food sources for spiders. On a similar note, block indoor lights from shining through your windows by using opaque blinds or shades. Consider switching to yellow sodium vapor lights. These are less appealing to insects and less likely to draw in a food source for your spiders. If you have a serious spider problem, consider transplanting shrubs, trees, ivy, and other plants from the perimeter of your house to the opposite side of the yard. Vegetation attracts spiders because it serves as an ample hiding spot. When spiders need to seek out warmth or new food sources, they crawl from the vegetation toward your home, getting in through cracks. You should also remove mulch, stones, leaves, or other debris near your home. Clean homes give spiders fewer places to hide out in, making them less likely to stay even if they do slip inside. Do not leave leftover food lying around. Food crumbs will attract other pests like ants, which, in turn, will attract spiders. Regularly sweep and vacuum your floors. Wipe down your counters and tables, and avoid letting your dirty dishes sit out for more than a few hours. Pick up as much clutter as possible. Old newspapers and piles of dirty clothes make the ideal hiding place for spider species that thrive in darkness. Use plastic storage containers. Airtight plastic containers are difficult for spiders to crawl into, but cardboard boxes are fairly easy.
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One-sentence summary -- Seal up your home. Keep your outdoor lights off. Remove vegetation away from the perimeter of your house. Keep a tidy house.

This will help you make developing your English-reading skills part of your routine. Each day, reading in English should feel a little more familiar and comfortable. Take at least 30 minutes and preferably an hour to read. You might read the newspaper before you head off to work or on your commute. Or perhaps you'd prefer to relax with a novel before you go to sleep. Since the Academic test is aimed at test-takers hoping to enroll in higher education or professional training programs, the texts on the exam are meant to test if you're ready for those environments. Since the test will contain the kind of materials you'd encounter in an undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate program, it's a good idea to read these types of texts to prepare yourself. The test will contain both descriptive and argumentative materials. For example, you might get a journal article that's presenting evidence supporting a particular scientific theory. Or, you might have to read a passage from a novel describing the countryside. Since the General test is meant to prepare you for "basic survival" in English-speaking countries, it has a wider variety of texts. Read magazines and pay special attention to the ads. Go to a jobs website like Indeed or LinkedIn and browse the listings. Finally, pick up some novels or nonfiction books at your local library. If you read about things you love, it'll be much easier for you to get excited about your reading sessions. Write down 5-10 topics you're passionate about and look for English-language materials on them. Work your way through the list in the months and weeks leading up to the IELTS exam. During each reading session, make note of English words you've never seen before. Keep a notebook and English-language dictionary next to you while you read just for this purpose. Write down the word and its definition. You can also copy down the sentence that contains the unfamiliar word. Especially when you're learning, you might not be able to record every new word you find in a text. Set a goal of 5 new words per session. At the end of each reading session, take 5-10 minutes to go through your vocabulary notebook and review your list of words. Keep a separate notebook for your questions and answers. Write down 3 main questions and answers after you read each new source. They should help you think about the main idea or purpose of the source, whether it had an argument, and a few key details or facts. For example, you might ask yourself: "What is the author's point? Why are they writing this source?" "Are there details that are so important that they would change the story if they were left out?" "In what kind of environment might I encounter this type of reading material?"
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One-sentence summary -- Set aside time each day to read in English. Read books, newspapers, and academic journals for the Academic test. Review advertisements, job listings, and books for the General test. Read about topics you're interested in. Highlight and look up new words. Ask yourself questions about the text to commit it to memory.

If you find yourself agitated, nervous, or frantic with regularity, you need to figure out how to reduce the amount of stress your body and mind endures. Chronic stress can damage and even destroy brain cells, harming your ability to form new memories or retrieve old ones. One of the most immediate ways to reduce stress is taking brief breaks from your daily grind. Relatedly, try to live a life that balances professional obligations and other responsibilities with fun and relaxing pursuits. If you find yourself constantly worrying about achieving expectations, you should re-evalauate the expectations you're setting for yourself. Trying to achieve things that are unrealistic will actually diminish your productivity overall. Focus on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking, especially trying to balance multiple tasks that require a lot of thought, can readily contribute to confusion and stress. More and more medical professionals are starting to recommend meditation. The practice has positive effects on both your physical and mental health. Plus, meditation can directly contribute to improvements in your ability concentrate, learn, reason, and express yourself creatively. Meditation increases your mental strength by encouraging activity in growth in areas of your brain tied to feelings of happiness and contentment as well as memory and mental clarity. Start practicing by closing your eyes somewhere quiet, holding still, and counting. Try to push away thoughts as they arise and focus solely on counting. If you've been dealing with any sort of mental discomfort for some time, consider meeting with someone who can talk to you about your options. This is especially important for constant stress or depression. Therapists can talk to you about what you're experiencing and help you plan a path to address the way you're feeling and thinking. Further, it's important to express your feelings, and many people find that this is easy to do with a trained mental health professional. Depression makes concentrating and remembering things harder. Treating depression can return your memory to its full capabilities.
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One-sentence summary --
Address recurring sources of stress. Meditate daily. See a mental health professional.