Creating and Debugging a Cross-Platform Desktop App with React Native for Windows

If you’re interested in developing a cross-platform desktop application using JavaScript, React Native for Windows has got you covered. In this guide, we will walk you through how to get started with creating a desktop application development in React Native for Windows, and how to debug these applications using Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code.

What’s React Native?

React Native is an open-source framework that allows developers to build cross-platform applications using JavaScript. It enables developers to use the same code for deployment on both Android and iOS devices, as well as Windows desktop machines.

Requirements for React Native for Windows

Before we dive into the installation process, ensure that your system meets the necessary requirements.

Installing React Native for Windows

To create your Windows desktop application, open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to create your project. Use the following syntax to create a new project:

npx react-native init <projectName>

If you wish to use a specific version of React Native, replace “X.XX.X” with your desired version:

npx react-native@X.XX.X init <projectName> --version X.XX.X

To install React Native for Windows packages, switch to the project directory and execute this command:

cd projectName npx react-native-windows-init --overwrite

To run the app, launch your web browser then run this command:

npx react-native run-windows

Debugging your Application with Visual Studio

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to debug your React Native applications using Visual Studio:

  1. Install Visual Studio 2019 and make sure to check ‘Universal Windows Platform development & Desktop development with C++’ in the ‘Workloads’ tab and ‘Development activities & Node.js development support’ under ‘Individual Components’.

  2. Open the solution file (.sln) provided in the application folder using Visual Studio.

  3. Choose the Debug configuration and the x64 platform located to the left of the Run button

  4. To start the debug session, press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I to open Developer Tools.

Debugging your Application with Visual Studio Code

For developers who prefer to use Visual Studio Code, follow these steps:

  1. Open your project’s folder in VS Code.

  2. Download and install the React Native Tools plugin for VS Code.

  3. Create a new .vscode/launch.json file in the project root directory and paste the following configuration:

{
    "version": "0.2.0", 
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Debug Windows", 
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
            "type": "reactnative", 
            "request": "launch", 
            "platform": "windows"
        }
    ]
}
  1. Press F5 or navigate to the debug menu (alternatively press Ctrl+Shift+D), from the Debug dropdown, select “Debug Windows” and press the green arrow to run your application.

That’s it! You now have the basic knowledge on how to start building a desktop app using React Native for Windows and debug it using either Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code. Happy Coding!

Additional Resources

##Tags: React Native, Windows App Development, Debugging, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code_
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Master Cypress: Top Automation Testing Courses for Tech Professionals

Are you an experienced or up-and-coming tech professional looking to enhance your automation testing skills? Then it’s time to dive into the world of Cypress, the revolutionary tool that’s transforming web automation testing. Be it UI testing, API testing, or building robust frameworks, the courses we’re about to introduce will equip you with all the necessary knowledge and expertise. So, let’s get started!

1. Cypress – Modern Automation Testing from Scratch + Frameworks

This intensive course represents a holistic approach to understanding Cypress. It is designed to empower you with the ability to build fast, reliable automation tests for any web application using Cypress. The course not only covers Cypress in depth but also emphasizes JavaScript basics. This ensures that you get a well-rounded understanding and are able to implement the finest coding practices for Cypress tests. Click here to discover more.

2. Cypress: Web Automation Testing from Zero to Hero

Especially designed for those who are fresh to programming, this course is your ideal starting point. It covers the fundamentals of JavaScript, setting up and configuring Cypress, and constructing locators for web elements utilizing Cypress’s vivid jQuery Selector Engine. By the end of this course, you will transform into a web automation testing wizard. Click here to start your journey now.

3. The Complete Cypress v12 Course: From Zero to Expert!

This one surely lives up to its name! It offers you a comprehensive understanding of Cypress, balancning between basic and advanced levels. By completion, you’ll be an expert at using Cypress for UI and API testing. The course specializes in teaching how to conduct XHR/API testing using Cypress. Click here to elevate your automation testing skills.

4. Cypress V12 + Docker + Cucumber + Jenkins

Imagine combining the power of top-notch automation tools into one efficient framework, that’s what this course equips you with. You’ll get to dive into the deep end with Cypress V12, Docker, Cucumber and Jenkins. In addition to mastering Cypress, you’ll unravel the power of Docker for test execution, and Cucumber for BDD-style testing. Click here to rise up to complex automation challenges.

5. Automated Software Testing with Cypress

This professional course is designed to help you conquer Cypress 12+ from beginner to advanced levels. You’ll develop proficiency in interacting with web elements for successful web testing, and build a solid automation framework using Page Object Model best practices. This course is your route to standing unmatched in Cypress skills. Click here to enhance your toolkit.

It’s time to level up your automation testing career! Don’t miss these fantastic courses to learn in-demand skills that are highly valued in the tech industry. Take your first step toward a promising future by mastering Cypress automation testing!

Tags: #AutomationTesting #CypressCourses #JavaScript #TechCareer

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Unlocking the Potential of Cypress: A Guide to Debugging, API Testing, and TDD

Cypress boasts a groundbreaking feature that is redefining the debug approach for elusive test failures in continuous integration (CI). Known as Test Replay, this feature enables us to interact with the Document Object Model (DOM) at the exact point of failure. It also allows us to inspect network events, console logs, and JavaScript errors without the need to reproduce the issue locally in CI.

The Power of Test Replay

Cypress Co-Founder Brian Mann gleefully introduced Test Replay during an exclusive webinar. The feature has been highly anticipated as it allows developers to understand the root cause of failures more profoundly than ever. This is truly a new era in debugging.

Scaling Your Test Suite

Running your test suite in a CI/CD pipeline is vital to ensuring code quality and preventing regressions. But when your team or product grows rapidly, it can be challenging to maintain the performance and coverage of your test suite. Enter Cypress Cloud. This tool supercharges your testing with Cypress in CI by offering best practices for establishing a test run strategy, optimizing execution time, interpreting the impact of code changes, and finding and fixing test failures.

Test-Driven Development (TDD) With Cypress

TDD involves converting requirements into tests and then implementing code changes until the tests pass. This process leads to cleaner and more resilient code as well as accelerated development. Cypress engineers Adam Stone-Lord and Jordan Powell explained how Cypress Component Testing can make the TDD approach more approachable and productive.

Using Cypress for API Testing

Cypress is becoming a go-to tool for developers to test their applications. Its intuitive user interface and powerful features revolutionize how developers conduct API testing. Ely Lucas and Filip Hric during a webinar discussed how Cypress can make testing applications easier and more efficient.

Finally, it goes without saying that the capabilities of Cypress extend beyond the scope of this blog post. There are webinars dedicated to Operating Application Pipelines, Interacting with Google Chrome, Maintaining a Culture of Quality, and so much more. So, feel free to delve deeper and explore the world of Cypress.

To stay updated with the latest happenings in our community, visit our official website community.cypress.io and join the ongoing conversation at discord.gg/cypress.

Happy Testing!

Tags: #Cypress #Debugging #Testing #APIs #TDD
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Unlocking eCommerce Growth: Leveraging Headless Architecture and Jamstack Technology

The dynamic landscape of eCommerce is continuously evolving with emerging trends and innovative technologies. With the rise of headless eCommerce and Jamstack architecture, businesses are unfolding new ways to build performant websites, enhancing the user experience, and ultimately, skyrocketing their revenue growth.

Headless eCommerce Revolution

Headless eCommerce extracts the front-end layer of a website from the backend. This separation gives full freedom to use any type of technology on the front-end, providing businesses with a more tailored and streamlined customer experience.

Unlike the traditional monolithic eCommerce architecture, headless allows you to leverage any frontend technology that best suits your business requirements, while keeping the eCommerce functionalities intact on the backend.

Advantages of Headless eCommerce

Going headless offers several advantages:

  1. Scalability: Headless eCommerce allows businesses to scale up or down quickly as it caters to various channels separately.
  2. Flexibility: It provides a flexible environment for developers to build, test, and deploy changes without affecting the backend operations.
  3. Customizability: Businesses can tailor their front-end presentation layer and achieve a unique customer shopping experience.
  4. Faster Speed : By using headless architecture, websites can load faster and provide a seamless user experience.

Jamstack: Redefining Web Development

Jamstack, on the other hand, is a modern web development architecture based on client-side JavaScript, reusable APIs, and Markup. It improves the website performance, ensures higher security, cheap and easier scaling, better developer experience, and unlocks a world full of possibilities for eCommerce platforms.

The power of Jamstack

With Jamstack:

  • Web developers can build fast and secure sites and apps delivered by pre-rendering files and serving them directly from a CDN.
  • Remove the requirement for a web server.
  • Improve performance without getting more expensive hosting.
  • Websites can be built faster and with fewer worries about security.

Konrad Kuceł

Connecting the dots, understanding the power of headless eCommerce architecture, paired with Jamstack, can help businesses scale new heights of digital transformation. It’s about building competitive advantages and keeping up with the pace of change in the eCommerce world.

If you’re thinking about an eCommerce project, it’s high time to consider going headless and incorporating Jamstack to become a market leader in your business domain.

Contact me for the best advice on your digital transition.

[#KonradKucel #HeadlessECommerce #Jamstack #DigitalTransformation]

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Exploring the Benefits and Use Cases of Serverless Architecture in Cloud Development

When it comes to modern software development in the cloud, serverless applications hold undeniable advantages over traditional applications. The serverless approach allows developers to focus more on the unique features of their applications and less on common maintenance tasks such as OS updates and infrastructure scaling.

The Serverless Landscape

The serverless landscape is largely dominated by Function as a Service (FaaS) providers, with the three largest ones being Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. These providers take care of all the infrastructure-related work, thus eliminating infrastructure as a potential point of failure and efficiency bottleneck.

When to Consider a Serverless Approach?

Serverless architecture is not always the ideal choice for every software development project. However, it may be worth considering if your circumstances fall under these categories:

  • The development of small to mid-sized applications
  • Loads are unpredictable
  • The application is amenable to quick (fail-fast) experimenting
  • The team has the requisite skills to leverage serverless advantages

When Serverless Might Not Be the Right Fit?

Conversely, serverless architecture may not be optimal for your project if:

  • Workloads will be constant
  • You anticipate long-running functions
  • You plan to use programming languages not supported by serverless platforms

Common Serverless Use Cases

Serverless architecture often finds use in:

  • Big data applications
  • Web applications
  • Backend services
  • Data processing
  • Chatbots and virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
  • IT automation

Monitoring Tools for Serverless Architecture

While serverless makes infrastructure management a breeze, there’s still the need to be able to monitor your system effectively. Thankfully, there are numerous tools developed specifically for serverless monitoring tasks, which assist in keeping track of your serverless systems.

The Verdict on Serverless Architecture

Migrating legacy apps to a serverless architecture or adopting serverless computing for new projects should only be undertaken after careful deliberation, taking into account the specifics of the project and its alignment with the benefits serverless architecture offers.

Stay tuned, as we dig deeper into AWS Lambda serverless architecture in the upcoming article.

Tags: #Serverless #CloudDevelopment #FaaS #AWS #Azure #GoogleCloud

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Recognizing APAC Tech Pioneers: 2023 Technology Strategy Impact Awards Winners & Finalists

Recognizing the ever-changing landscape of technology and the impact it has on the business environment, we are proud to announce the winner and the three finalists of the 2023 Technology Strategy Impact Awards in the Asia-Pacific Region (APAC).

The companies that have made it this far have excellently executed not just technology but innovative strategies that have driven growth and helped them stay a cut above their peers.

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories: Translating Pharma Dreams into Reality

As the winner of this year’s award, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has led the way in using technology as a tool for overcoming conventional industry challenges. A pharmaceutical company with its roots in Hyderabad, India, Dr. Reddy’s has used cloud technology to restructure and streamline its business processes.

The company successfully recalibrated its strategies following the COVID-19 pandemic, strategically aligning its technology to seamlessly blend physical and digital interactions between doctors and patients. Central to its winning strategy are the following pillars:

  1. A technology strategy that drives business value.
  2. A human-centric approach.
  3. Constant talent development.
  4. A platform business model.

AIA Group: Life Made Better

AIA Group is one of the three finalists in the award race. The company is the largest publicly listed life insurance group in the Asia Pacific. At the very core of the AIA Group’s corporate strategy is Technology, Digital, and Analytics (TDA).

Its journey of transformation has led to a paradigm shift in stakeholder digital journeys, an enhancement of its digital infrastructure, and a growth in the analytics-powered data platforms. The transformative pillars of its strategy include:

  1. Focus on stakeholder value.
  2. Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS)
  3. Insights-driven alignment.
  4. Connected ecosystems.
  5. Emphasis on nurturing the right skills.

Macquarie’s Banking: A New Dawn for Digital Banking in Australia

Macquarie’s Banking and Financial Services Group, another finalist, is best known for its innovative retail banking and wealth management services. The bank’s major shift towards a future-oriented strategy came a decade ago when it decided to rebuild its tech platform from scratch, focusing on cloud technology.

In 2023, it launched the D3E division that centred on digital, design, data, and engineering. The pillars of its future-fit technology strategy include:

  1. Business and customer value.
  2. Modern technology platforms.
  3. A high-performance operating model.
  4. A customer-focused culture.

United Overseas Bank: Transforming Banking with Data Insights

United Overseas Bank (UOB), our last finalist, is a multinational banking corporation based in Singapore. It has built its technology strategy on the pillars of connectivity, personalisation, and sustainability—an approach that enables it to flourish using data-driven insights and an agile cloud infrastructure. Here are its key strategic dimensions:

  1. Balancing efficiency and effectiveness.
  2. Driving the business with trusted insights.
  3. Embracing adaptive practices.
  4. Forming partnerships for technology and business success.

In closing, these nominated companies have shown what it means to not just implement technology, but to align it with their corporate strategy and business model. Their resilience and commitment to customer satisfaction make them deserving of their places in the 2023 Technology Strategy Impact Awards APAC.

Tags: #TechnologyStrategy #APACAwards #BusinessInnovation #ImpactAwards

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Optimizing TypeScript: Mastering the Power of tsconfig.json Configuration

TypeScript delivers a robust development solution for building complex web applications, providing a strong type system, static analysis capabilities, and superior error-handling features. To fully harness the power of TypeScript and accelerate your development process, understanding the TypeScript Compiler, especially how to configure it optimally using tsconfig.json, is paramount.

This post explores the downside of basic configuration, the importance of enabling strict mode, and a recommendation for an optimal configuration. By conscientiously configuring your tsconfig.json, you will enjoy an optimal developer experience, traversing your code more efficiently and using a better type-checking system.

Default Configuration: The Pitfalls

Upon installation, TypeScript comes with a default configuration. Unfortunately, this configuration may not unlock the full potential of TypeScript as it doesn’t enable many powerful type-checking capabilities.

{ 
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "esnext",
    "module": "esnext",
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true
  }, 
  "include": ["src"]
}

Such a setup can lead to potential pitfalls around null, undefined, and any data types – effectively reducing the benefits of TypeScript. However, you can resolve these issues by tweaking a few options in the configuration.

Why Enabling Strict Mode is Key

By setting "strict": true in your tsconfig.json, you turn on a deeper level of type checking, providing a greater level of program correctness.

{ 
  "compilerOptions": {
    "strict": true 
  } 
}

Strict mode encompasses several sub-flags, including noImplicitAny, strictNullChecks, strictFunctionTypes, and many others. It’s recommended to turn them all on rather than individually. Let’s delve into what each of these means.

Implicit Any Inferring

The noImplicitAny flag prevents TypeScript from defaulting unknown types to any. This enforces better type safety.

{ 
  "compilerOptions": {
    "noImplicitAny": true 
  } 
}

Unknown Type in Catch Variables

The useUnknownInCatchVariables flag provides better error handling. Instead of defaulting all catch errors to type any, they are marked unknown, requiring explicit type checks before usage.

{ 
  "compilerOptions": {
    "useUnknownInCatchVariables": true 
  } 
}

Type Checking for call and apply Methods

The strictBindCallApply flag offers better type checking for call and apply methods, avoiding any form of loose typing.

{ 
  "compilerOptions": {
    "strictBindCallApply": true 
  } 
}

Strict Types for Execution Context

In JavaScript, the this keyword can be tricky. By setting the noImplicitThis flag, TypeScript ensures that this is always correctly typed, avoiding potential runtime errors.

{ 
  "compilerOptions": {
    "noImplicitThis": true 
  } 
}

Recommended Configuration

In conclusion, for advanced type safety and overall code quality, your tsconfig.json should at least have the strict mode and noUncheckedIndexedAccess set to true.

{ 
  "compilerOptions": {
    "strict": true,
    "noUncheckedIndexedAccess": true
  } 
}

Furthermore, it’s advisable to keep away from some types where possible, such as any, null, and undefined.

Conclusion

TypeScript presents a reliable and robust solution for web application development. A fundamental part of harnessing its potential lies in the understanding and configuration of the TypeScript compiler via tsconfig.json.

While the initial setup may feature a few challenges, the tangible benefits in long-term projects cannot be overemphasized. You gain better control, improved error handling, superior code checks, and a smoother development process.

In the subsequent series, you will learn how to improve type safety and code quality by enhancing TypeScript’s standard library types.

Tags: #TypeScript, #tsconfig.json, #strictMode, #TypeChecking, #WebDevelopment

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Top 2023 React Chart Libraries for Superior Data Visualization

As businesses and applications become increasingly data-driven, it’s crucial to have a robust chart library for data visualization. The surge in popularity of React, a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, has led to an increased demand for a React chart library that’s both powerful and easy to integrate into applications.

This article explores the best React chart libraries for data visualization in 2023, highlighting their key features, usage examples, and tips for choosing the right one for your needs.

Top React Chart Libraries in 2023

These libraries have gained popularity due to their ability to offer powerful data visualization tools with a wide array of options available, catering to various charting requirements.

Some of these top chart libraries include:

  • Recharts
  • Nivo
  • Victory
  • Visx
  • BizCharts
  • Apache Echarts
  • React-stockcharts
  • Ant Design Charts

Customizable and User-friendly: Recharts

Recharts is designed to be highly customizable, allowing developers to create charts based on their specific needs. Key features of Recharts include lightweight components, native SVG support, and easy customization.

Creative and Engaging: Nivo

Nivo provides support for SVG, HTML, and Canvas charts with a variety of chart types and animations, allowing developers to create unique and engaging data visualizations.

For Cross-platform Compatibility: Victory

Victory provides cross-platform compatibility, customizable charts, support for various chart types, and a consistent API for both React and React Native.

Intuitive and Accessible: React-vis

React-vis provides a wide range of chart types with responsive design and offers an accessible solution for creating appealing and interactive data visualizations.

Power of Modular Design: Visx

Visx offers low-level graph components, easy reusability, and a modular design, allowing developers to create custom and expressive charts while taking advantage of React’s modular architecture.

Business-centric Visualization: BizCharts

BizCharts offers a focus on G2 and React charting, a large range of charts, and easy customization, making it suitable for business-specific visualization needs.

Versatile Open-source Option: Apache Echarts

Apache Echarts offers support for various chart types, responsive design, a rich set of customization options, and seamless viewing experience across all devices.

For Financial Data Visualization: React-stockcharts

React-stockcharts offers a wide range of tools specifically designed for stock charting, making it an excellent choice for financial data visualization.

Emphasizing on User Experience: Ant Design Charts

Ant Design Charts provides a wide range of charts, focuses on user experience, and offers in-built high-quality default charts for a seamless user experience.

Tips for Choosing the Right React Chart Library

When choosing the right React chart library for your project, consider the project requirements, adaptability options, and the library’s user-friendliness. It’s also crucial to evaluate the learning curve involved with each library to make a well-informed decision.

Tags

  • React
  • Data Visualization
  • JavaScript
  • Chart Libraries

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Embracing the Future of Computing with WebAssembly (WASM) Breakthroughs

WebAssembly, fondly known as WASM, has been making waves in the computing world. Unlike JavaScript, it’s a compact binary instruction format that doesn’t rely on interpretation. Instead, WASM serves as a low-level bytecode running within a sandboxed environment of a browser, providing speed and security like none other.

Unleashing WebAssembly from the Browser

The constraint of a browser could not keep WASM in for too long, and with the WebAssembly System Interface (WASI), WebAssembly finally broke out of the browser box. As Lin Clark, WASM expert and Fastly Director of Engineering, expressed, it now became “a fast, scalable, secure way to run the same code across all machines.”

With phrases such as “the future of computing” now being associated with WASM, it is worth considering where it stands within the large cosmos of computing.

The Rising Popularity of Web Assembly

As the reputation of WASM continues to grow, it is likely to attract more open source groups and companies to develop and build on it. This development will certainly make it more accessible and friendly to ordinary users, further increasing its deployment.

Adobe, for instance, has adopted WASM to benefit from its lightweight model. WASM has given Adobe more scheduling flexibility than a coarse-grained container, while still allowing to use Kubernetes for orchestration. This successful experiment could inspire smaller businesses to adopt the same backend structure.

WebAssembly Component Model (WACM)

WebAssembly Component Model (WACM) and WASI are working towards defining a component model that will further enhance backend designs. This can eventually lead to smoother and more efficient operations for developers.

By the year 2025, we will have a clearer idea of whether WASM has lived up to its potential and becomes the future of backend software development.

In conclusion, WASM might not be complete by conventional definitions, but its drive and potential do suggest a remarkable future. The computing world is witnessing an extraordinary transformation spurred by WebAssembly and its accompanying developments.

Tags: #WebAssembly #WASM #WASI #WebDevelopment

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Unlock Academic Excellence: Top 5 Efficient Study Habits for High-achieving Students

As a student, you are often inundated with a wealth of information, tight schedules, and high-stake examinations. It can be overwhelming trying to wrangle the perfect study method, but the fact is, there isn’t one. What’s important, however, is using your time wisely and crafting study habits that are individually tailored to benefit you. This blog post will dive into five key study habits that can contribute to your academic success.

Habit 1: Set One Study Goal a Day

Waking up every day with a committed study goal in mind is a great way to strategically use your time. This can be something as simple as reading a particular number of textbook chapters or practicing a set number of exam questions.

Start your day with the question: “What is the ONE thing I am committed to completing today?”

Write this question in big letters and hang it where you can see it immediately after waking up. As you move through your day, ensure you’re constantly working on completing that goal.

Habit 2: Take on Challenging Tasks First

There is no benefit in postponing challenging cognitive tasks till late at night. It’s a common misconception among students that all-nighters equate to more study time. But this is far from the truth.

Your biological clock or circadian rhythm determines at what times you perform best. Your brain’s peak performance for critical, analytical, and problem-solving tasks is usually 2-4 hours after you wake up. During this time, your brain can concentrate maximally, making it the prime time to tackle challenging study tasks.

Habit 3: Break Down Your Day into Short Study Periods

Studies have shown that shorter study periods can enhance focus and effectiveness. Rather than sitting for hours non-stop, try to break your study time into small manageable chunks.

For instance, reviewing study material can be broken into 50-minute increments followed by a 10-minute break. Alternatively, the Pomodoro technique, which consists of 25-minute study blocks with 5-minute breaks in between, can also be beneficial.

Habit 4: Make Summary Notes

Passive learning rarely leads to effective knowledge retention. Therefore, rather than just reading your textbooks, you need to actively participate in learning by making summary notes. This not only improves retention but also supports your cognitive skills.

Your notes should cover key concepts, ideas, and topics relevant to your learning objectives. Using colors to highlight priority concepts and interlinking ideas can make the revision process easier and more efficient.

Habit 5: Use Breaks to Improve Memory

The Zeigarnik effect, a psychological phenomenon, states that we remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. This is because when we start a task and then interrupt it with a break, a task-specific tension is created that can improve cognitive function.

Therefore, intentionally integrate breaks into your study sessions and engage in activities unrelated to your learning during those periods. This will not only relieve you of potential burnout, but it will also harness the power of the Zeigarnik effect to your advantage.

By implementing these five effective study habits, you can considerably elevate your academic performance, minimize stress, and maximize success.

Tags: #EffectiveStudyHabits, #AcademicSuccess, #TimeManagement, #ActiveLearning

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