4 ms·

> Let me tell you, learning how to study (at 24) was an eye-opener for me, and it still feels like a superpower. I would like to know more...

andai 4y ago
Also curious about GP's experience. Meanwhile I can share my own: until age 25 I was unable to study at all. I couldn't even concentrate for ten minutes. So for me the hardest part was developing the habit of just sitting down and studying every day, which I didn't develop until years after failing university. My key insight came from hearing the idea that discipline is like a muscle, and as with strength training you must start at the appropriate "weight" for you. In my case, that was a painfully low 5 minutes of work a day. I wrote a script to generate a schedule for me, starting with 5 minutes of studying (for the whole day!) and increasing the time by 2% every day. By starting with 5 minutes and working 2% longer every day, I worked my way up to 5 hours a day this way. The fact that I was able to work for 5 hours absolutely blew my mind, because when I started I could barely focus for 15 minutes. I might add that a year of manual labor did wonders for my motivation to study. (Perhaps that is what is meant by "it builds character?" ;) As for practical study skills, I have heard very good things about this: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn
JauntTrooper 4y ago
Haha, I am happy to share. I basically switched from a lecture-centric approach to a practice-question-centric one. When I need to learn a new topic, I will first read the materials once thoroughly, taking notes with a paper and pencil. Then I spend the rest of my time drilling practice questions. 75%+ of my study time is drills. I just do question after question until I start getting most of them right. When I'm done and getting 80%+ right (or I run out of questions), I go back and re-do all the questions I got wrong the first time around. I used to just pay attention in class and read the textbook, but I'd get in trouble when I needed to apply the concepts on an exam. I realized exams often tested application and mastery, not understanding, so I needed to anticipate what questions would be asked and practice all the different iterations. Instead of relying on lectures to teach me materials, I started treating them as a nice-to-have intro or review, with the expectation that my real learning would come from drills and reading. I also switched up my approach to classwork. I started sitting in the front row, taking notes with a pencil and paper. I was often the only one without a laptop. I'd never really look at my notes again, it was more the act of taking notes by hand that helped me with retention and staying engaged. When I had a syllabus or learning objectives I would read it closely multiple times and use it to make sure I was meeting all the goals. I'd also write a list of the assignments in Excel and try to score 100% on each one. It was a challenge I'd set for myself.

andai 4y ago

Also curious about GP's experience. Meanwhile I can share my own: until age 25 I was unable to study at all. I couldn't even concentrate for ten minutes. So for me the hardest part was developing the habit of just sitting down and studying every day, which I didn't develop until years after failing university. My key insight came from hearing the idea that discipline is like a muscle, and as with strength training you must start at the appropriate "weight" for you. In my case, that was a painfully low 5 minutes of work a day. I wrote a script to generate a schedule for me, starting with 5 minutes of studying (for the whole day!) and increasing the time by 2% every day. By starting with 5 minutes and working 2% longer every day, I worked my way up to 5 hours a day this way. The fact that I was able to work for 5 hours absolutely blew my mind, because when I started I could barely focus for 15 minutes. I might add that a year of manual labor did wonders for my motivation to study. (Perhaps that is what is meant by "it builds character?" ;) As for practical study skills, I have heard very good things about this: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

JauntTrooper 4y ago

Haha, I am happy to share. I basically switched from a lecture-centric approach to a practice-question-centric one. When I need to learn a new topic, I will first read the materials once thoroughly, taking notes with a paper and pencil. Then I spend the rest of my time drilling practice questions. 75%+ of my study time is drills. I just do question after question until I start getting most of them right. When I'm done and getting 80%+ right (or I run out of questions), I go back and re-do all the questions I got wrong the first time around. I used to just pay attention in class and read the textbook, but I'd get in trouble when I needed to apply the concepts on an exam. I realized exams often tested application and mastery, not understanding, so I needed to anticipate what questions would be asked and practice all the different iterations. Instead of relying on lectures to teach me materials, I started treating them as a nice-to-have intro or review, with the expectation that my real learning would come from drills and reading. I also switched up my approach to classwork. I started sitting in the front row, taking notes with a pencil and paper. I was often the only one without a laptop. I'd never really look at my notes again, it was more the act of taking notes by hand that helped me with retention and staying engaged. When I had a syllabus or learning objectives I would read it closely multiple times and use it to make sure I was meeting all the goals. I'd also write a list of the assignments in Excel and try to score 100% on each one. It was a challenge I'd set for myself.