Productivity | Learning
Stuffing for exams is not effective.
Why do we need all this heavy study material, and where am I going to use it?
As a student, a scheduler always helped me stay on track; sometimes, based on the material complexity, I was so relaxed. Why?
I literally got an A by just doing a one-night study.
That could be thanks to my short-term strong memory or saying no to ineffective study material.
I also learned that one of the best ways to retain memory is to recall material on a regular basis. That's the only trick that at least worked for me, and it's still working.
One of the effective strategies to handle a complex subject, which also always worked for me, is to take a course with a plan of attack. What do you mean by that?
I was struggling as an undergraduate student in the early couple of semesters. When I started taking my studies as a full-time job, like 9–5, it started working out. I got really good in the last few semesters.
9–5
All credit goes to treating your studies like a job.
In the final two to three semesters of my undergraduate course, I got really good at planning, which helped me a lot in my corporate career.
I learned in my corporate career that highly successful people, especially executives, are good at scheduling.
Which task do they have to prioritize?
Which task do they have to say no to?
Which task could be more effective? Etc.
Also, a general plugin embraces continuous learning, and the best way to build this habit is through reading.
According to Statista, global book publishing is worth more than $132 billion, with the USA being the biggest market.
An average American reads 12 books per year, according to the Pew Research Center.
A typical (median) American has read four books in the past 12 months.
Back to the topic, how can you study effectively and efficiently?
I also learned that intelligence is proportional to consistency; if I studied a particular subject, let's take a dry subject, Quantum Mechanics, for 1–2 hours on a set schedule, I would become intelligent in that subject.
I was more intelligent than my classmates. I don't think so.
Did I plan my study at the beginning of the semester better than my classmates? Probably yes
Deep down, it's all about scheduling and prioritizing to be more effective at school and also in real life, including your 9–5 gig.
Another effective strategy worked for me in my early 20s, which I cannot or do not like to do anymore in my mid-30s.
I used to study 10+ hours before exams.
That must be an effective study strategy!
I don't think so
I was more effective than a student who practiced deep work for 4–6 hours per day.
The answer is NO.
Deep work is more effective than struggling and cramming as much information.
I don't suggest 10 hours of study.
It's not effective.
What do I suggest?
Practice deep work
What do I mean by that?
Study for 50 minutes, followed by 10 minutes break.
Study for another 50 minutes, followed by another 10-minute break.
If you do these 3–4 sessions a day, I can guarantee you will become the top student in your class.
Deep work means studying without distractions — no phone, social media, music, or background music, but study. Try to remove distractions as much as you can for 50 minutes.
Take a 10-minute break??
During break, stand up, walk around, do push-ups, run, enjoy music, or do whatever you want to do, but make sure you move.
Then, go back to work.
That's it!
I truly believe, and also research supports, that all you have is a 3 to 4 hours window of intellectual ability to intensely focus on something in 24 hours.
I can manage three hours of deep work; the rest is just trying and pushing.
One last thing:
Prioritize sleeping!
Make sure you sleep for 8 hours a day. Prioritizing quality sleep will help you improve your focus, health, and memory in the long run.
Here is another trick to memorize things.
Read something in a book, close the book, try to recall what you read, and repeat the process.
You are practicing memorization, but that might not help you in the long run.
It helped me in the short term, but in the long term, whatever I remembered, the best way was to teach what I learned.
You can teach your classmates, do group studies, etc.
The bottom line
Creating a study plan at the beginning of the semester will help you stay on track.
Use a Google calendar to schedule important dates, exams, quizzes, presentations, etc.
Stuffing for exams is ineffective; recalling from time to time is paramount.
Recalling weekly or twice weekly for merely 1–2 hours will help with memory retention.
Creating a study plan and using a scheduler always helped me to manage my time effectively.
It also helped me to stay on top of assignments.
Don't follow anyone's strategy (including this one); develop your own strategy using the most basic methods on the planet: trial and error.
Trial and error is a fundamental method of problem-solving characterized by repeated, varied attempts which are continued until success, or until the practicer stops trying.
Embrace recalling and deep work, 50 minutes 25 minutes deep session followed by 5–10 minutes breaks.
You will need more than just highlighting; recalling is more effective.
Recommended book:
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