Structure Over Chaos | How to Self-Learn Like a PhD Student

Summary

The video explores effective learning strategies, drawing from the speaker's personal experience, especially during their PhD journey. Key methods include balancing learning with practical application, engaging in consistent routines, and joining study groups or communities for accountability. The speaker emphasizes the importance of setting clear goals, using tools like bullet journals and voice notes, and creating structured writing sessions. The process is described as messy yet rewarding, with the speaker encouraging others to embrace the chaos of learning and stay consistent in their efforts to deepen knowledge.

Takeaways

• 😀 Learning is a messy process, especially when tackling new topics outside of formal education, and it’s important to embrace this uncertainty.
• 😀 Joining study groups, book clubs, or setting up challenges can help maintain accountability and make learning more enjoyable.
• 😀 Working in a group, whether in person or online, can provide motivation and create an environment where learning becomes more engaging.
• 😀 Balancing learning with practical application helps reinforce the material and ensures you are actively engaging with what you’ve learned.
• 😀 Setting smaller, intermediate goals (like writing summaries or recreating figures) while learning helps you measure progress and maintain focus.
• 😀 Consistency in working, even when progress is slow, is essential for staying on track with long-term projects like dissertations or research papers.
• 😀 Strict schedules and daily routines (e.g., writing for a set amount of time every day) can be crucial in making consistent progress during intense work periods.
• 😀 Using tools like Notion, Google Docs, and bullet journals for organizing and tracking progress helps keep ideas and work structured.
• 😀 Tracking bottlenecks and areas of struggle during study or work sessions helps identify where further attention or resources are needed.
• 😀 Speaking your thoughts out loud (e.g., using voice notes) is a useful way to clarify ideas and work through problems that arise during the learning process.

Q & A

What is the main benefit of learning with others, according to the speaker?

Learning with others provides accountability and motivation. It helps maintain focus and makes the process more engaging and enjoyable.

How does the speaker structure their weekly writing sessions?

The speaker participates in weekly Pomodoro sessions where they write for 50 minutes and then have a 10-minute discussion to review progress.

What is the purpose of setting a Pomodoro session in the speaker’s routine?

The Pomodoro session helps the speaker stay focused during writing by breaking the task into manageable time blocks, followed by a brief discussion to reflect on progress.

What does the speaker propose for researchers who want to write together online?

The speaker suggests creating a dedicated online community for researchers to write together, similar to existing 'Writer's Hours,' where participants can work on their writing goals collectively.

What is the speaker's advice for those who may not want to join a community or course?

The speaker recommends finding a friend or colleague to join you in setting a writing schedule, focusing on 50-minute writing and 15-minute learning sessions, followed by a 10-minute break.

Why does the speaker emphasize balancing learning with application?

The speaker believes that applying learned material to real-world scenarios helps deepen understanding and maintain motivation by seeing tangible progress.

What is the significance of setting smaller in-between goals during the learning process?

Smaller in-between goals help track progress, reinforce learning, and ensure the material is being applied and understood effectively.

How did the speaker manage to write the introduction and discussion sections of their PhD?

The speaker set strict daily writing goals, dedicating time each morning to write a certain amount of words, maintaining consistency even when the process felt difficult.

What tools does the speaker use to track their progress during their PhD research?

The speaker uses a Google doc to write down key takeaways, a bullet journal to track tasks and bottlenecks, and voice notes to clarify thoughts and articulate challenges.

What is the value of using voice notes in the speaker’s learning process?

Voice notes allow the speaker to verbally articulate and clarify their thoughts, which helps in organizing complex ideas and resolving challenges more effectively.