7 Ways to Prepare for a Mission

So, I didn't think this would happen, but I'm almost done with my papers and I'm going on a mission!

Preparing for a mission can be pretty tough. Here are 7 ways I've come up with to prepare for a mission*:

1. Study Preach My Gospel: the number 1 thing I've heard missionaries say they wish they had done before their mission was read and study Preach My Gospel more. Also, they do NOT teach Preach My Gospel at the MTC. You are expected to know it before you go in.
2. Study The Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is so essential to your message as a missionary that you should know it forwards and backwards before you go out to serve.
3. Study Jesus the Christ, True to the Faith, Our Heritage, and Our Search for Happiness. These are the only books you can bring on your mission other than your scriptures, Preach My Gospel, and your journals. Some of these you may not have even heard of, so you should find out what is so incredibly about them that you can bring them with you on your mission.
4. Keep a journal and start exercising. Getting into the habit now will make it easier for when you go on your mission.
5. Study other Gospel related books by prophets and apostles, past and present, and other church leaders. You can't take these books on your mission, so read now!
6. Don't wait until you enter the MTC to share the gospel. Be a Missionary now. President David O. McKay said "Every Member a Missionary." Here is a message from President Utchdorf on how we can be missionaries now: 
7. Pray night and day. Try to incorporate prayer into your thoughts. Think of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. He goes around just talking to God. We don't have speak aloud, we can just direct all our thoughts to God. It's not like He can't hear them, and becoming spiritually minded will change our behaviour and strengthen our testimonies.

*One of my professors at BYU told a story of how one of the professors, who was not LDS, was always getting really low ratings on the student ratings when it came to "spirituality" and was lamenting to my professor about it. She asked "How can I get better ratings for spirituality?" His answer? "Just put everything in seven steps." She did, and her spirituality ratings went up.