How to Improve Maths Calculation Skill

As we all Know mathematics is tough subject :) .for those who thinks i'm right, below are some techniques to improve your mathematics calculation skill 

1. Start easy. Don't jump straight in there trying to work out what 235433×95835.344 equals, if you can do that you don't need to read this. Start with really easy addition and subtraction, even if it is patronizing, make sure you can do them quickly.

2. Learn the multiplication tables and find the patterns in them. Knowing the patterns will make multiplication and division of larger numbers much simpler. Repeat these until you can recite them backwards and randomly at anytime. write up to the 12 times table everyday once

3. Visualize what you are doing. Whether you imagine writing the sum out, or count objects, visualizing the calculation can make it easier to solve.

4. Use your fingers. Learn to count to 99 on your fingers and then use this to "store" the number so you don't worry about forgetting about it while calculating a different part of the calculation.

5. Learn shortcuts. There are a lot of these and can make calculations much easier. Look on the internet or ask your teacher to see if there are any shortcut methods for the calculation (or part of the calculation) you are trying to do.

6. Practice regularly. Give yourself a few calculations to do each day, starting easy and gradually getting harder.

7. Don't give up too soon. It will take time to get good at calculations. Persevere and don't reach for the calculator too soon.

8. Challenge yourself. Once you can do the basics quickly and easily give yourself challenges. Stretch your abilities and aim to do the calculations as quickly and accurately as possible.

9. Don't be afraid to reach for a calculator to check your answer if you're unsure. There are very few non-exam/school situations where you will be required to work without a calculator and if you find you're getting them right this will help build confidence.




Tips :-

. Perseverance is key. This will take practice, so don't give up too soon.
. Always be confident on what you are doing.

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How to do Effectively Working from home

Tips for Effectively Working from Home

If you're considering working from home, it's important to find a healthy balance between getting your work done and having a healthy home life. Before you commit to anything, you might try out working from home for a short period of time to see if it's the right environment for you. A lot of people can have a difficult time disconnecting from their work, even after the work day is over, which can cause them to work too much and over exert themselves. Other people have difficulties focusing when they work from home. In the end, it's all about finding the balance between work life and home life.


You should take time to consider the effects of working from home before you fully commit to it, because you may not realize that there is a difficult balance of separating your work life from your home life. In addition, it can be difficult for remote workers to feel connected to the office environment simply because you're not in the same place as your co-workers. This means it will take extra effort on your part and on the part of your co-workers and employer to stay connected and in constant communication. There are so many benefits to working from home, but it's also important to make sure it's the right and healthy choice for you. We've compiled some tips to help you find the perfect balance between your personal life and your work life, and hope these help you effectively and happily work from home.

Define Your Workspace

One of the first things you should try to do if you're going to work from home is set aside a space to work where you can completely focus on work. It's nice to have a little area that is specifically set aside to get things done that you need to. At the end of the day you can step away from this space, with the comfort of knowing all your work papers and documents are safely in one place.


Partitioning off a part of your home is a great way to help you find a balance between work and home. Setting aside a space just for your work, means that the rest of your home is dedicated to your home and personal life.

Stay Organized

Sometimes it's difficult to separate work life from home life, but it can become increasingly more difficult when you're working from home. The key is to stay organized. For different people, this means different things, but it's all about finding what is going to work for you.


Check out these ways to stay organized:

Keep an Up-To-Date Calendar: Use a paper calendar or a digital calendar to keep track of upcoming tasks and events. Whatever system works for you, use it so that you don't forget what you have to do or get done.

Use a To Do List: Create a daily, weekly, or hourly to-do list to help you keep track of the variety of things you need to get done.

Everything has a place: In your defined workspace, make sure that you keep all of your different papers and projects neat and organized, don't complicate your space by incorporating household bills or projects...

Understand Your Expectations


Before you can work from home and have it be effective for both you and your company, there should be expectations established on both sides. The employer has to fully trust the employee and lay their expectations out on the table clearly. Are there work hours? Are you expected to be online and available at certain times? Do you simply have to get the job done as best you can, no matter what your hours? From the worker perspective, you have to trust yourself that you can get the job done from home. If you're easily distracted and this could impact the performance of your work, why tempt fate?

Take Breaks

When you work at the office, you're bound to take breaks. Whether it's going to get coffee, or taking a few minutes to chat with your co-workers, you won't always be going 24/7. When you work from home, it's important to remember to take time for yourself to breathe and step away from from your work. You still need to eat meals and give your brain some time to pause and relax for a little while. Scheduling reminders to take a break may seem a little silly, but hey, whatever works!

Define Work Hours

Try to set certain hours that you're going to work when you work from home so that you continue to maintain some sort of a schedule. Tell yourself you're going to work from 8-5 and take breaks in between. When 8am comes around you should be ready to work with 100% effort, and then when it's 5pm it should be time to stop and take care of yourself and go out and have a little bit of fun. Maintaining balance is important so that you don't burn out and end up driving yourself mad.

Don't Isolate Yourself, But Also Set Boundaries

It's super important to stay connected with your co-workers, or if you work by yourself, to try and stay connected with the outside world in some way. You can try going to a co-working space, a coffee shop, or anywhere where you're not always by yourself. If you want the ambiance of a coffee shop, but can't leave your house, you might try something like Coffitivity to bring the coffee shop to you.


It's also important to set boundaries with your friends and family. Make sure the people in your life know that you have a job and you have to get work done, even if you're working from home.

If Possible, Go Into the Office

Sometimes it's good to go in to the office and actually get people to see your face in real life. It will make a big impression and show a lot if you make that little bit of extra effort to be present and show your face to the company. Skype is great, but so are face-to-face meetings.

The Final Word: Working from home is a privilege, you just want to make sure that you don't let your work life completely consume your home life. Be sure to take breaks, find the balance between working, and having a healthy personal life.

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How to Password-Protect to Your Digital Life

If you're using weak passwords, you're doing so at your peril. Hardening them may seem like an onerous task, but it's nothing compared to the energy you'll have to expend -- not to mention the losses you might incur -- if you allow an important account to be breached. Cut the job down to size by following a few simple password rules of thumb. Start by setting some priorities.

It's no longer acceptable to use dates of birth, pet names and so on for passwords. These easily guessed words were never secure, but it didn't matter much in the past -- quite frankly, who cared if a black hat got into your email account? So what?

However, things are much different today, because our lives are now digitally enveloped. Everything from banking to relationships is now inexorably online.

Here's how to protect your digital life with hardened passwords.

Step 1: Strategic Planning

Determine which accounts to start hardening. Aim to systematically re-password the online accounts related to money first.

This can be quite a project, so start with banks and other valuable Web accounts; progress to email and social networks. End up -- on a rainy day -- rebuilding passwords for minor accounts like loyalty cards.

Step 2: Choose Good Passwords

Vary passwords and create different ones for every account. This is particularly important for any sensitive accounts like banking. Make up passwords by hand using a combination of letters, numerals and characters.

Introduce upper-case letters randomly within words; if you spell words, spell them wrong and use multiple unrelated words. Use numbers in lieu of letters from time to time, for example substitute a zero for an "o."

Alternative methods include thinking of a phrase and taking the first letter of each word -- or variations on that theme.

Tip: Crackers can use computer-driven dictionaries, pattern checking and word list substitutions that can attempt millions of passwords per second.

Step 3: Re-invent the Security Question Answer

Do not directly answer the security question. For example, if the security question requests a mother's maiden name or first school, fabricate them.

Tip: Use the same construction technique as in the previous step -- for example, misspelling your answer to beef things up even more. Just don't forget what the answer is.

Step 4: Two-Step Authentication

Use two-factor authentication if it's offered. This method of protection uses two factors, usually a password (something you know) and a phone or other device (something you have in your possession).

I've written about Google's authentication before. Facebook also offers this method of authentication.

Tip: Don't maintain a password list on a device you're using for two-step authentication.

Step 5: Stay Alert

Be aware of social engineering attempts. These are human interventions that are designed to trick you into giving your password to a criminal. Avoid this problem by never giving out your password.

Tip: Reset a password if you're in any doubt that you may have been tricked.

Step 6: Looking in Gift Horses' Mouths

Add password protection when offered. Laptops and phones can get lost -- or compromised by casual thieves.

It's not just professional crackers that you need to protect yourself from. Laptops are often fenced and resold.

Step 7: Harden Further

Delete emails from new-account senders that include your password. Always change the initial setup password when prompted.

Set parental controls on in-app purchases for your mobile device. This is an area where a password becomes useful in thwarting any game upgrades that can inexplicably and rapidly occur when you lend your iPad to a child for games -- as has happened to me. I am about US$40 poorer than I was before I lent the tablet, because I left restrictions open.

Tip: Apple's device "Restrictions" are in Settings. Android controls in-app purchases in the Google Play store. Both let you set passwords, which you should not share with kids.

Step 8: Repeat

Do it all again when you've finished. Password cracking is all about time -- how many attempts at a guess can be made over a period.

The more often the password is changed, the less likely it is to be cracked.

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How to optimize a Stored Procedure - SQL Server

We will go over how to optimize Stored Procedure with making simple changes in the code.

• Include SET NOCOUNT ON statement: With every SELECT and DML statement, the SQL server returns a message that indicates the number of affected rows by that statement. This information is mostly helpful in debugging the code, but it is useless after that. By setting SET NOCOUNT ON, we can disable the feature of returning this extra information. For stored procedures that contain several statements or contain Transact-SQL loops, setting SET NOCOUNT to ON can provide a significant performance boost because network traffic is greatly reduced.

CREATE PROC dbo.ProcName
AS
SET NOCOUNT ON;
--Procedure code here
SELECT column1 FROM dbo.TblTable1
-- Reset SET NOCOUNT to OFF
SET NOCOUNT OFF;
GO

• Use schema name with object name: The object name is qualified if used with schema name. Schema name should be used with the stored procedure name and with all objects referenced inside the stored procedure. This help in directly finding the complied plan instead of searching the objects in other possible schema before finally deciding to use a cached plan, if available. This process of searching and deciding a schema for an object leads to COMPILE lock on stored procedure and decreases the stored procedure’s performance. Therefore, always refer the objects with qualified name in the stored procedure like

SELECT * FROM dbo.MyTable -- Preferred method
-- Instead of
SELECT * FROM MyTable -- Avoid this method
--And finally call the stored procedure with qualified name like:
EXEC dbo.MyProc -- Preferred method
--Instead of
EXEC MyProc -- Avoid this method

• Do not use the prefix “sp_” in the stored procedure name: If a stored procedure name begins with “SP_,” then SQL server first searches in the master database and then in the current session database. Searching in the master database causes extra overhead and even a wrong result if another stored procedure with the same name is found in master database.

• Use IF EXISTS (SELECT 1) instead of (SELECT *): To check the existence of a record in another table, we uses the IF EXISTS clause. The IF EXISTS clause returns True if any value is returned from an internal statement, either a single value “1” or all columns of a record or complete recordset. The output of the internal statement is not used. Hence, to minimize the data for processing and network transferring, we should use “1” in the SELECT clause of an internal statement, as shown below:

IF EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM sysobjects
WHERE name = 'MyTable' AND type = 'U')

• Use the sp_executesql stored procedure instead of the EXECUTE statement.
  The sp_executesql stored procedure supports parameters. So, using the sp_executesql stored procedure instead of the EXECUTE statement improve the re-usability of your code. The execution plan of a dynamic statement can be reused only if each and every character, including case, space, comments and parameter, is same for two statements. For example, if we execute the below batch:

DECLARE @Query VARCHAR(100)
DECLARE @Age INT
SET @Age = 25
SET @Query = 'SELECT * FROM dbo.tblPerson WHERE Age = ' + CONVERT(VARCHAR(3),@Age)
EXEC (@Query)

If we again execute the above batch using different @Age value, then the execution plan for SELECT statement created for @Age =25 would not be reused. However, if we write the above batch as given below,

DECLARE @Query NVARCHAR(100)
SET @Query = N'SELECT * FROM dbo.tblPerson WHERE Age = @Age'
EXECUTE sp_executesql @Query, N'@Age int', @Age = 25

the compiled plan of this SELECT statement will be reused for different value of @Age parameter. The reuse of the existing complied plan will result in improved performance.

• Try to avoid using SQL Server cursors whenever possible: Cursor uses a lot of resources for overhead processing to maintain current record position in a recordset and this decreases the performance. If we need to process records one-by-one in a loop, then we should use the WHILE clause. Wherever possible, we should replace the cursor-based approach with SET-based approach. Because the SQL Server engine is designed and optimized to perform SET-based operation very fast. Again, please note cursor is also a kind of WHILE Loop.
• Keep the Transaction as short as possible: The length of transaction affects blocking and deadlocking. Exclusive lock is not released until the end of transaction. In higher isolation level, the shared locks are also aged with transaction. Therefore, lengthy transaction means locks for longer time and locks for longer time turns into blocking. In some cases, blocking also converts into deadlocks. So, for faster execution and less blocking, the transaction should be kept as short as possible.
• Try to Avoid Inner Query (sub Query) - do not use inner queries in your stored procedure it slows down your sp.
• Use Table Indexes - Tables should have proper indexes and should be compiled time to time as indexes may be weird off after some time due to huge data insertion or deletion.
• Use TRY-Catch for error handling: Prior to SQL server 2005 version code for error handling, there was a big portion of actual code because an error check statement was written after every t-sql statement. More code always consumes more resources and time. In SQL Server 2005, a new simple way is introduced for the same purpose. The syntax is as follows:

BEGIN TRY
--Your t-sql code goes here
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
--Your error handling code goes here
END CATCH

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How To Change Oil and Flatten Tyre | Jump Start a Dead Battery in car

Why There is Need for Oil Changes ?

Like everything, automobiles also require maintenance. One of them is oil Changes. Regular oil changes ensure longer engine life of an automobile. For automobiles with frequent short trips where there is no chance to warm up completely, oil changes becomes more important because acid and moisture buildup does not have a chance to burn off. There are new engines that normally run very hot. Missing even a single oil change can cause an engine to develop sludge which can cause engine damage early on.

Modern oils generally contain detergents and additives that are designed to protect against sludge formation but if you regularly do a lot of short trips viz. during rush hour traffic, engine heat will eventually break down these additives hence stop protecting car engine. Thus, best way to protect your car, with regular oil changes. Here, is a full guide on how to change Car oil.

How To Change Car Oil – 10 Simple Steps

1. Keep yourself equipped all your materials: new oil, filter, oil pan, pliers, screwdriver and correct size wrench.
2. Lift the car safely by using the jack stand on the frame of the car.
3. Now, pour out used oil from car. Remove drain plug and drain the used oil into oil pan.
4. After pouring out the used oil, put plug back in and tighten it.
5. Locate the oil filter and remove it.
6. Put on the new oil filter in place.
7. Now, remove Jack stands and lower your car.
8. Add 4 half quarts of oil.
9. Start your car and let it run for 10-20 seconds.
10. Check if required quantity is there or not. Check oil and add correct amount.

How to Change a Flat (Punctured) Tyre – 10 Step Guide

1. Move to the side of the road and turn on hazard lights.

2. Put on the E-Brake and get your tool trunk out.

3. Get tools out of the trunk (jack, wrench, tyre). Get spare tyre out from the trunk.

4. Loosen lugnuts slowly.

5. Check for a good place on the frame to lift up the car using Jack stand.

1. 6. Take lugnuts off and take off the flat tyre.
   7. Put the spare tire on. Tighten down all the lugnuts.
   8. Double check lugnuts.
   9. Now, lower the jack.
   10. Put the flat tire and tools back to the trunk, remove E-Brake, turn off hazard lights, and check for traffic before pulling back onto the road.
   
   



Jump Start a Dead Battery – 5 Step Guide

2. 1. Bring the two Cars closer enough to make the efficient connection between them. Line cars up so that batteries are close as possible. Make sure car engines are off and batteries not leaking.
   2. Connect positive on good or working battery.
   3. Connect negative on dead battery.
   4. Turn good battery on and turn key on the dead car.
   
   5. If car doesn’t start, check connections and try again.
   6. And there you go Battery will jump start. Unhook cables, close the bonut, and drive away
   
   
   

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How to Identify Bogus Banking Emails

Some phishing attempts are so crude, they're laughably obvious -- but too often, otherwise savvy consumers are getting duped by fake email messages that convincingly emulate real correspondence from financial institutions. There are some steps you can take to vet a message before getting into trouble, though. First and foremost, treat all suspicious emails as guilty until proven innocent.

I've recently written about ways to stop spam, but what do you do about bogus email -- that is, email that appears legitimate but isn't?

Fake emails are sent by criminals in order to get your money, or to take advantage of your computer's processing power and Internet connection to launch Web-clogging Denial of Service attacks on other networks.

This practice, aka "phishing," works by embedding dummy Trojan software on your PC, or by getting you to visit fake websites to enter personal details, or by capturing personal details directly from your computer.

The emails are often hard to spot and can look like they come from common financial institutions and social networks. Here's how to identify those emails -- and what to do if you suspect you've received one.

Step 1: Notice the Red Flags

Red flags include

• requests for personal information such as banking details and password changes;
• prompts to click on links or download attachments; and
• requests from institutions you don't already have a relationship with.

Treat any red flag emails with caution and proceed to the next steps.

Warning: Don't click on a link within an email if you have any doubt as to the legitimacy of the message.

Step 2: Don't Panic

Be wary of alert-style text within emails that suggests your security has been compromised and that the embedded link you are being urged to click on will fix the problem.

This is a pressure technique that instills a sense of urgency. Just as you would in entering a common purchasing transaction, take time to evaluate.

Look for language that implies something onerous will happen if you don't click on the link within the email message -- for example, that your account will be closed.

Tip: Look for bad grammar, strange capitalization or spelling mistakes. Legitimate companies usually put effort into catching mistakes before releasing an email. Peculiar text can be used to circumvent spam software.

Step 3: Look Closely at Links

Place your mouse over the common language link in the email -- again, without clicking on the link -- to see if the link's Web address is repeated within the status bar on the browser or email client.

A legitimate link will echo the text in the message. For example, the link in a message from the XYZ Bank will read https://www.xyzbank.com/link, or similar, rather than http://somethingelsefakebank.com/link or similar, or a series of numbers, called an "IP address," like http://192.111.111.111/link, or similar.

The secure designation "https," rather than the generic "http," will precede a legitimate transactional website. The "s" means it's secure.

Tip: Look for marginally changed link addresses, for example XYX Bank, rather than the legitimate XYZ Bank. Again, don't click on the link.

Step 4: Check the Header

Check the sender's actual address in the message header against the From address. The displayed From name is easier to fake than the sending mail address. The actual addresses should match, or the sending mail address should clearly be originating from a legitimate institution sending a message.

Look for a lack of personalization within the message. Generally, but not always, a classic phishing email will not include personalization. Banks try to differentiate themselves from phishers by using personalization. A "Dear XYZ Bank Member" is an example of bogus message, whereas "Dear Mr. Smith" is likely legitimate.

Warning: Legitimate institutions will not send downloadable email attachments unless you have already entered into a dialog with them about it -- for example instrument copies. Never download attachments with a ".exe" extension.

Step 5: Take the High Road

Browse to the sender's website directly. Do this by manually entering the Web address root in a Web browser address bar. Then use the website's navigation to find the information referred to in the email message.

If the email message was legitimate, the contents will be available at the website too.

Tip: When browsing, check the browser's address bar for the correct institution's address -- for example, XYZ Bank. Even if the Web address has the bank's name in it, it may not be the bank's website. For example, XYZBankSecure.net, is not the same as XYZ Bank.com

Warning: Never enter bank login details after following an emailed link. Always log in to the bank directly from a fresh tab in a Web browser. Never enter details in pop-up windows.

Step 6: Good Riddance

Delete the bogus email message.

Tip: You can report bogus emails. Many email clients have ways to mark messages as scams. Look for "Mark as phishing scam," or similar, adjacent to the message.

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How to Learn Simple English

Learning to speak basic English is the first step to communicating in many of the world's global circles. With today's technology, you have a virtual world of resources at your fingertips. Get started today with these tips and soon you'll be on your way to speaking the world's lingua franca.

Reading

1. 1 Familiarize yourself with the alphabet. If your native language is Latinate, this will be very easy. If it's not, start with the basic sounds of each letter. There are 26 and there's a song to help you remember.
   
   
2. • Unlike many Germanic and Romance languages, English letters don't necessarily correlate with one specific sound (this is why English is regarded as one of the hardest languages to learn). Know that the vowels (and certain consonants in certain environments) have two or three sounds, depending on the word. For example, "A" sounds different in father, path, and say.
3. 2
   Get a teacher.  
4. number one resource will be a real live person that you can ask your questions to. He or she will be able to provide you with material and tasks to improve your skills. They'll also demand that you speak -- a skill that is pretty hard to learn on your own.
5. • Headway, Face2Face, and Cutting Edge are all popular and reputable lines of books.[2] But if you have a teacher, they'll be able to point you to (or even give you) a book that may be more catered to your interests. If you're looking for simple business English or simply conversational English, you may be better off with a book of a narrower focus.
   • The best teacher is someone who's actually a teacher. Just because someone can speak the language does not mean they'd be a good teacher. Try to find someone who has a bit of experience tutoring or supervising others, if not teaching. It is a skill and, to top it off, more weathered teachers will probably have more resources for you.
6. 3
   Go online. The internet is jam packed with resources to fill your time, bettering your language skills. Any English website is good, but you may find you're happier with ones geared to your abilities. There are many simple English websites or websites for recommended easy reads.
   • Simple Wikipedia is a great source for information on anything put into language that's easy to understand.[3] With this site, you can study the things that interest you while simultaneously learning English. Breaking News English[4] and BBC Learning English[5] are good sites for news stories, too.
   • There are also sites that can give you information on good material. GoodReads has an Easy English shelf that has lists of books that are made just for your level.[6]
7. 4
   Go to the library. Sometimes the internet isn't portable (or you just don't want to stare at a screen anymore). Books you can hold in your hands are just as good for learning than the internet. You can read at your discretion and make notes in the margins to ease the path to a bigger vocabulary.
   • Don't be afraid to start with children's books. The language is short and to the point; what's more, the books are short, too, and good for a squirrel-like attention span. You can start as simple as you want and work your way up the age groups.
   • If you have a book you know by heart, grab the English translation. Since you know the book so well (provided you know how to read English script), it'll be faster to translate and follow the plot points.

Writing

1. 1
   Get a penpal. Talking to a person in an English speaking country can be an incredibly fun and exciting adventure to start on. They'll be able to tell you about their culture, their customs, and give you a real path to the English speaking world. And getting mail is always a pick-me-up!
   • Students of the World[7] and PenPal World[8] are both good online resources to finding a penpal. You can either use snailmail or email with your new writing friend. Though email goes much quicker, snailmail can be a lot more personal and exciting.
2. 2
   Keep a journal. Though you won't be able to correct your own mistakes, you will be able to keep up your vocabulary and discover the words you don't know (and then look them up!). If you don't use words, you're likely to lose them -- keeping a journal daily keeps the words and phrases fresh in your head.
   • This journal can take on a number of forms. It can either be an English journal devoted to other's musings -- where you write down song lyrics, poems, and quotes in English that you like -- or it can be writing of your own: thoughts, venting, gratitude, or just devoted to one specific topic.
3. 3
   Start labeling. This tactic is good for writing and recall. Take everything in your home and label it in its English name. The goal is to start thinking in English; at home, you'll be more likely to think, "What's on TV?" if "TV" is right in front of you.
   • Don't stop at what's in front of you (bed, chair, TV, lamp, refrigerator) -- go inside your cupboards and fridge. If there's a place you keep the dishes, label it. If there's a place you always keep the milk, label it. It'll help keep you organized, too!

Speaking & Listening

1. 1
   Join a conversation group. If you have a college, university, or language school in your area, odds are they have organizations you may be able to get involved in. You'll meet other people just like you who are just looking to better their skills.
   • Before you start conversing, you'll be well off if you know the basics:
     • Numbers (1-100)
     • Time (numbers 1-59 plus o'clock, past, and till)
     • Days of the week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,Saturday)
     • Introductory phrases
       • Hello! My name is...
       • How are you?
       • How old are you? I'm X years old.
       • What do you like? I like...
       • How is your family?
2. 2
   Watch videos. As always, YouTube is a great resource for knowledge and information. There are hundreds of videos dedicated to ESL learners that keep a steady pace and are all about expanding vocabulary and grammar.
   • You don't have to limit yourself to ESL videos. As long as it's in English, if it's a topic you enjoy, you may find it useful. Try to find videos that have captions so you can read along. Many music videos have lyrics with them, making it easier to follow and keep up.
3. 3
   Listen to English programs. Turn the captions on (if you have to) and tune into a popular English show or the news. Though you may not be able to catch most of what they're saying, the more you study, the more you'll understand and the more you'll be able to notice your progress. Podcasts are good sources, too.
   • Keep in mind that when you're listening, each speaker has an accent. Some speakers will be easier to understand than others. If you're interested in American English, listen to American speakers. For British English, stick to European programs. People speak English all over the world and there are hundreds of variable accents.
     • This is good news for you! Regardless of your accent (in general), most native speakers will be able to understand you. Since English comes in so many varieties, native speakers' ears are used to the differences.
   
   

Tips

• Ask your friends if they're learning English, too. If they are, spend 20 minutes every day only conversing in English. It may take an effort initially, but eventually it'll become old hat and something you two look forward to.
• Buy a good English dictionary. If you're translating or simply run across a word you don't know, you'll be able to look it up in seconds. Or -- just download an app.
• Start small. Don't stress yourself out -- languages take years to get good at. Trying a bit every day is guaranteed to improve your skills.

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