Top 10 Ned's Declassified Tips That Are Actually Helpful

It’s the first day of school –and the series- and Ned and Cookie are forced to face their worst nightmare – not sharing a class together. Unfortunately, the education system –and life obstacles- will try to separate you from your best friends –though it may not actually be that big a deal later on. Thankfully, as always, Ned has just the tip for this – plan ahead and find another reason to get together at least once –these could include sharing the same elective class or even weekly/monthly meet-up plans. Premeditating is actually helpful for ANY situation – with enough forward-thinking and strategizing, you can safely steer yourself out of any crisis no matter how big or small it really is.

During the school dance, Ned only has one thing on his mind – getting to dance with his crush, Suzie Crabgrass. Unfortunately, he ends up spending more than half the event waiting for a chance to sweep Suzie off her feet, which is easier said than done. Things don’t always go as we planned, and if we spend most of the time worrying about it, we’ll just make ourselves miserable. Thankfully, Moze had the right idea from the very start – whether at a dance or with life, don’t let yourself become disappointed by high expectations and instead learn to adapt and have fun. You can’t always get what you want, but you can make the most out of any situation.

When Moze gets her very first F, she starts taking desperate measures to make sure it doesn’t happen again. She starts dedicating all of her free time to studying and cutting out spending time with her friends, volleyball, and personal hygiene. Failing is definitely discouraging, but it’s not the end of the world; it’s just a part of life, and freaking out over one failure won’t do you any good. If you fail, it only means that you need to learn from your mistakes and try something new. Also remember, while good grades and getting a leg up in the world are important, they’re not worth ruining your life and blocking out everything and everyone you care about.

While giving tips about dealing with bad habits, Ned ends up showing us what his own habit is – he has trouble saying “no” to people. It’s easy to see where he’s coming from: a lot of us don’t want to let people down by refusing to help. It’s important to help others, but if you keep saying “yes” to everything, you could end up spreading yourself so thin that you’ll only let them down more than if you just turned them away. You need to know your limitations and not be afraid to say “no” when you’re already overscheduled –and when you feel less stressed, you’ll have the energy and time to start helping out again.

Mr. Sweeney has a reputation for being one of the hardest teachers at Polk Middle School. However, at the end of the day, he just wants to see his students reach their full potential –especially a certain smart-but-lazy Ned Bigby. That’s actually something a lot of us need to remember – even if our teachers, bosses, or superiors are a little harsh, they are still people at the end of the day and they just want to see us succeed - or at least try our best. Don’t try to weasel out of something by being a teacher’s pet, just put actual effort into your work and show them that you care about what they teach you.

Whether as kids or adults, we all have a few tall tales we like to tell. They could be as simple as whispers about two people supposedly dating, or they could be completely insane - such as urban legends about an “Atomic Flush”. These might seem like harmless little stories at first, but the more a rumor spreads, the more people are likely to believe it and the more out of control it becomes –and someone could even get hurt if it escalates too much. When it comes to rumors, the best thing you can do is not spread them and don’t believe them unless there’s enough evidence to back them up. Though some might have more evidence than we know...

One of the most frustrating things to ever happen to a creator is writer’s block – when your brain becomes so cluttered that you can’t think straight and/or you can’t find the right words. It might sound counterproductive to walk away from a project for a short while, but it’s actually more helpful than you think. If you’re stuck on something, trying to force yourself to complete it won’t do you any good –it won’t feel as passionate and will just feel like a chore. Sometimes, we all need to stop and smell the daisies to clear our heads and really get the creative juices flowing.

Ned never really understood art, and yet he ends up being dubbed an “artist” after accidentally painting a naked orange woman in class. At first, it seems like it’s more trouble than it’s worth –what with Ned constantly getting harassed and berated for his controversial piece. However, he learns at the end that everything anyone is passionate about is an art in some way, and sometimes the things we’re enthusiastic about can cause a bit of pain. However, no matter how much it hurts, you just need to keep those passions burning no matter the consequences; because face it, without something inspirational or passionate, life would get boring pretty fast.

Ned has a procrastination problem, which puts his upcoming class report in jeopardy. We can’t blame him: a lot of people put off doing big, scary assignments; however, believe it or not, there is a way to use your procrastination to your advantage. The main trick is breaking down the bigger project into smaller, more manageable mini-projects and working your way up from the easy/fun tasks to the more difficult jobs. It may not seem like it at first, but every small task you complete helps; and once you learn to manage your time properly, the project becomes less of a chore and that much easier to finish –as long as you keep working.

Before we unveil our number one tip, here are a few helpful honorable mentions.

Get Rid of Clutter in Your Backpack & Locker Once a Week
“Getting Organized and Extra Credit”

Focus on the Teaching, Not the Teacher
“Teachers and Detention”

Dress for a Dance. Cool & Comfortable.
“Crushes and Dances”

The Direct Approach: Just Ask!
“Crushes and Dances”

Get a Haircut 2 Weeks Early
“The First Day and Lockers”

Taking the number one spot is one of Ned’s most recurring tips (or a variation thereof). There will always come a time where you find yourself face-to-face with a difficult challenge – whether it’s learning something new, trying out for a team, or just trudging through life. Nobody gets it right the first time, but the only real way to get better at anything is to keep practicing whatever you do. It may seem long and tedious, but all the effort you put into polishing your craft will definitely show over time. This is one of the best uses of Ned’s Guide – to give people the tools to survive anything that comes their way, and only by practicing these tips will life be easier to handle.