Make Studying EASY
Summary
TLDRThe video script addresses the common struggle of initiating study or work tasks, suggesting that the key lies in altering one's perception and reducing the initial barrier to entry. It recommends starting with a short, manageable task, like a 5 or 10-minute timer, to trick the brain into beginning the task, which can then lead to a flow state of productivity. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of not waiting for perfect conditions, but rather diving straight into work to achieve greater efficiency.
Takeaways
- 😌 Starting tasks can be daunting due to the perception of a large workload ahead.
- 🏞️ Reducing the initial barrier to entry can make starting tasks seem less daunting.
- 🔄 It's important to change the perception of the task's difficulty to make it seem more achievable.
- 🕒 Using a timer, such as a 10-minute or even a 5-minute timer, can trick the brain into starting a task with a low barrier.
- 🔄 Once started, the intention is to continue working beyond the initial time set, leveraging the flow state.
- 💡 The mindset should be to make the task seem easy and enjoyable to start.
- 📝 Breaking down the task into smaller, manageable parts can make it easier to begin.
- 🌱 Over time, the ability to work for longer periods can be developed and improved.
- 🏡 Morning routines and preparation rituals can be helpful but should not delay the start of work.
- 🚀 The best preparation for work is to start working; routines are secondary to actual work.
- 💡 The key is to have a mindset that focuses on making the task fun and easy, and a plan to achieve that.
Q & A
What is the main issue people face when starting to study or work on a task?
-The main issue people face is the daunting perception of starting a task, which can feel like a big mountain to climb, causing them to avoid beginning the task altogether.
How can one reduce the perceived difficulty of starting a task?
-One can reduce the perceived difficulty by reducing the height of the 'hill' or hurdle, making the initial step into the task seem easier and less daunting.
What is the psychological trick suggested to make starting a task seem easier?
-The psychological trick is to tell oneself that the task will be easy, which can help trick the brain into perceiving the task as less challenging.
What is the practical example given to illustrate the concept of reducing the initial task difficulty?
-Setting a 10-minute timer and committing to work for just 10 minutes is a practical example. This low barrier can help one get started and eventually lead to longer periods of work.
Why is it suggested to set an even shorter timer, like 5 minutes, instead of 10 or 20 minutes?
-Setting a 5-minute timer is suggested because it presents an even lower barrier, making it seem so easy and non-daunting that one has no excuse not to start.
How does the concept of 'flow state' relate to starting tasks?
-Once one starts working, even for a short period like 5 minutes, they are likely to enter a 'flow state' where they become engaged in the task and want to continue working.
What is the significance of starting small tasks like writing bullet points or the first sentence of an essay?
-Starting with small tasks can make the overall task seem more manageable and enjoyable, which lowers the barrier to entry and can lead to a more productive session.
Why do some people believe that setting up the perfect conditions is necessary before starting work?
-Some people believe that having the perfect conditions like a cup of tea, the right lighting, or a clean room helps them focus and be more productive.
What is the counter-argument to the idea of needing perfect conditions before starting work?
-The counter-argument is that the most productive people often don't wait for perfect conditions but instead start working immediately, suggesting that the love for the work itself is the best motivator.
How can one upgrade their ability to start working without relying on routines or lengthy preparations?
-One can upgrade their ability by practicing the skill of starting work immediately, setting low barriers, and gradually increasing the duration of their work sessions over time.
What is the final message or advice given in the script regarding starting work?
-The final message is to make the task fun and easy to start, and to begin the work itself as the best preparation, rather than spending too much time on routines and setups.
Outlines
😌 Overcoming the Intimidation of Starting Tasks
The speaker addresses the common struggle of initiating tasks, particularly in studying or work, and how it can feel like an insurmountable challenge. They suggest reframing the task by reducing its perceived difficulty, such as setting a 10-minute timer to trick the brain into getting started. The idea is to lower the barrier to entry, making the beginning of the task seem less daunting. The speaker emphasizes that once started, the momentum can lead to extended periods of productivity.
🕒 Embracing the Power of Short Time Commitments
This paragraph delves into the effectiveness of setting short time commitments, like a 5 or 10-minute timer, to overcome the initial resistance to starting a task. The speaker explains that this approach can lead to a flow state, where one may end up working for much longer than initially planned. They also discuss the idea of making the task seem easy and enjoyable, and the misconception that perfect conditions are necessary for productivity. The speaker encourages focusing on the task itself rather than on preparatory rituals that can consume valuable time.
🚀 Cultivating a Productive Mindset and Routine
The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of mindset and planning in developing a habit of starting work easily and effectively. The speaker suggests that the best preparation for work is to start working, quoting Alex OSI, and argues against the notion that extensive morning routines or rituals are necessary. Instead, they advocate for a direct approach to work, adjusting one's mindset to find enjoyment and ease in the task at hand, and gradually increasing the duration of focused work sessions over time.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Productive Tasks
💡Flow State
💡Perception
💡Hurdle
💡Timer
💡Mindset
💡Morning Routines
💡Work
💡Barrier
💡James Clear's Atomic Habits
💡Alex OSI Quote
Highlights
Starting tasks can be daunting for many people, making it difficult to begin productive activities.
The perception of a task's difficulty can be altered to make it seem less daunting and more approachable.
Reducing the initial effort required to start a task can make it easier to get into the work.
Tricking the brain into thinking a task will be easy can actually make it seem less challenging.
Setting a short timer, such as 10 minutes, can be an effective way to start working by reducing the barrier to entry.
The intention behind a short timer is to get started and then continue working once in the flow state.
A 5-minute timer can be even more effective for overcoming the initial resistance to start working.
Once in the flow state, the desire to finish a task becomes stronger, making it easier to continue working.
Starting with a low barrier task, such as writing bullet points or the first sentence of an essay, can simplify the beginning.
The concept of making tasks easy and simple is supported by James Clear's 'Atomic Habits'.
Productive people often disregard the need for perfect conditions and start working immediately.
The most passionate about their work tend to start it as soon as they wake up, without any preliminary routines.
The best preparation for work is to start working, as suggested by Alex OSI.
Morning routines and other preparatory activities can sometimes waste time better spent on actual work.
Finding a balance between necessary preparation and immediate work start is key for productivity.
The ability to start working and maintain productivity is a skill that can be developed and improved over time.
The mindset of making work fun and easy is crucial for overcoming the initial hurdle of starting tasks.
The transcript emphasizes the importance of starting work as the best form of preparation for productivity.
Transcripts
okay today we're going to go through the
question of how to start studying in the
first place right A lot of people who
talk to me struggle with the concept of
starting in the first place when they
once they start they can get going but
starting in the first place just seems
like a very daunting task to them and
they just never get into it right and so
today I'm going to discuss how we can
get over that problem because it is
definitely a problem I have felt in the
past with studying with work with
business with whatever it's hard to get
into those productive tasks right
because it feels like such a a big
mountain to climb that you just don't
want to do it right you look at that and
you think okay that's I don't want to do
that right and that's the thing right
it's how you look at it it's literally
how you see it right like the eyes emoji
it's how you look at this thing right
and how that thing even is in real life
right so let me tell you what I mean
there I've just talked about some things
that are a bit abstract what I mean by
this hill is how
hard it actually is in real life
right how hard it is to start it or how
much energy it requires to get into the
task right how hard or how much energy
right so you can do one of two things
the first thing is reduce the height of
that hill right if it's this tall and
not that tall it's a bit easier to get
into right
easier now this doesn't mean you can do
less work okay and I'll come to that in
a second okay it just looks easier right
the first little introductory like
entrance into the task that you're doing
is easier okay just the start of it just
the start of it right and then there's
the perception of it right so you can
look at
this and think wow that's easy and you
can even tell yourself it's going to be
easy right you can kind of like uh trick
your brain that's what most people say
about this kind of thing you can say
this will be easy right and it genuinely
works this will be easy right if you
think of it as this amazingly hard task
if you think about all the work that
you're going to have to do in terms of
like the length of it like okay I'm
going to have to work for you know 4
hours long and you're thinking about all
the hard stuff you're going to do you're
going to have to write so much and think
about so much and speak about so much if
you're thinking about that then it will
seem hard it will seem like this bigger
Hill
right so that's the first concept right
the little Hill you have to kind of
climb over right the little hurdle if
you've ever done like hurdles before if
you you ever even like horse riding
stuff like that if you set the the
hurdle really low the horse can jump
over it pretty easily right and then it
can keep going
right so a practical example of what
this might look like in studying or
productivity or just general work task
in general is for example you can set a
a 10-minute timer and just tell yourself
I'm just going to work for 10 minutes
right it's a similar kind of way of
tricking your brain to thinking okay
let's just work for 10 minutes and see
what happens right in reality you know
that the the intention like the secret
intention here is to work for you know a
bit longer than that right you don't
know how long it's kind of vague it's
kind of a vague concept here like okay
I'm going to work for longer than 10
minutes but I don't know how long the
only concrete idea you have to look at
is a 10-minute time segment right I'll
work for 10 minutes and I'll see what
happens that is a low barrier to climb
over a low hurdle to jump right set the
Bell low and I know you're tempted to
think here okay why not 20 minutes why
not half an hour why not 1 hour the
whole point is that it has to be small
I'd even go in the opposite direction
I'd even say set a 5 minute timer right
that's even more effective right because
here's the thing you know you can do the
work you know you're capable of it but
starting just seems daunting so what you
need to do is make it seem less daunting
so if you tell yourself I'm only going
to work for 5 minutes then that doesn't
seem daunting at all you can do that you
have no excuse for that right but the
thing is by the time you finish that 5
minutes right and the time run out time
Runs Out ding ding ding you will be in
in a flow state right you'll be in the
flow of doing work and you'll be like oh
W I'm just let me just finish this
sentence let me just finish this
paragraph let me just finish this video
let me just finish this speech let me
just finish this putting together some
you know carpentry creation whatever it
is right you started now you want to
finish now finishing seems desirable to
you because you're like okay I've
started something right so you've jumped
over the over the low barrier you're in
the Flow State now you can just work
until that flow runs out until you feel
like oh I can't I want to go eat
something I want to go take a break I've
had enough of this I'm getting
frustrated a little bit and you you'll
find that if you block the timeout for
it you can work for hours in this way
right just starting with that 5 minute
timer that 10-minute
timer right starting in the first place
right so this vague nebulous idea by the
end of it you'll be like oh
that was you know 3 hours of work right
incredible amazing right so what you
want to focus on is the low barrier and
what that means is a very short time
period or a very short task it might not
even be a time period might be like okay
I'm going to start writing this essay
I'm going to write the bullet points of
what I'm going to say or maybe the first
sentence or maybe the title right or
maybe start doing some research about
the topic that I'm I'm going to write
about I'm going to write about Henry VII
right so let's just watch a video on
Henry VII and see if I can write down
some bullet points cuz that seems easy
to me right make it
easy make it easy simple I'm pretty sure
there's a a four-step thing that James
Clear has in atomic habits make it easy
make it simple make it uh what is
it like rewarding I think but you get
the IDE like you don't you don't have to
know the four words there you get the
idea of having a low barrier making it
nice to do making it easy making it like
making it so that you want to do it
right some other things I want to
mention that are maybe less important
are conditions you need for work right A
lot of people think okay I need to have
the perfect conditions I need to go get
my you know my cup of tea and I need to
you know set the lighting and everything
and clean my room and all of that and
yes that's helpful right so I write
those things down
tea room and all that and you know maybe
do like a morning routine of like
meditation and all that kind of stuff
I'm not saying this is bad but the most
productive people don't care about any
of that stuff right they don't care
about their tea they don't care about
their room they don't care about the
meditation they just go straight into
work right they wake up and what do they
do the first thing in the morning do
they brush their teeth do they take a
shower do they have go to the toilet no
they just do work right and that might
seem very extreme to you guys but this
is what I've seen from the most
productive people the the people that
care about their work the most because
if you genuinely love your work you'll
just get started with it the first thing
in the morning you don't care about
anything else you wake up and you're
like work let's do work right and so
that is another facet of what it is to
just get started with work just do it
right just do the first thing don't
worry about setting things up having
your cup of tea having your cup of
coffee hot chocolate cleaning a room
having everything looking nice and doing
a meditation session and going for a
walk and all that this takes time okay
this takes time away from your
productivity I'm not saying these are
bad things to do but this can use up or
waste dare I say you know 30 minutes
hour two hours right
and that can be a waste when what you're
trying to do really is work so if you're
trying to do work just get to work all
right I know that's going to be a bit
controversial for some of you guys who
love your morning routines but just get
to work it's just a waste of time trying
to set things up and you know do things
in the perfect
way and listen there's a medium ground
here okay if it takes you one minute to
make a cup of tea then fair enough all
right if you genuinely think it helps
you fine fine okay but if it takes 30
minutes if it takes 2 hours then maybe
you need to think about that
right and that's pretty much all I have
to say about this right the main thing
being the perception of how hard this
thing is to do right make it look easier
and make it genuinely Easier by reducing
the hardness of the thing in the first
place so for me the best way is a timer
5 timer 10 minute timer and you can make
it easier for yourself so if you're
writing an essay go watch a video about
that essay topic which is easier simpler
it's more fun to do and then with that
low barrier once you get over that first
task you can flow a bit more easily
because you will want to finish the task
and you'll find yourself working for
hours not just minutes right and that
can upgrade over time like maybe you
will feel burned out after half an hour
when you first doing this and then an
hour the next week right and then you
can work for 90 minutes and then you can
work for 2 hours you will get better at
this over time everything like this is a
skill you can
upgrade right so mainly it's a mindset
it's a mindset and a plan right the
mindset is let's make this fun and easy
to do and the plan is what am I going to
do to make it easy and
fun and then the morning routines the
routines you want to kind of
do to set up your
work not necessary just get started
right there's a famous well not a famous
I like this quote from Alex OSI who says
the best preparation for doing work is
to start the work right the best kind of
he says something particularly the best
routine
or I can't remember like whatever you do
to prepare for your work the best thing
to do to prepare is to do the work to
start the
work that's the final message right so
make it fun make it easy for yourself
make it so that you you can get into it
very easily and then once that is the
case the stuff you do before it is just
start the work don't waste too much time
with your routines and your meditations
and your cleaning a room and getting a
cup of tea just start the work all right
hope that helps thank you for submitting
that question and I'm glad to answer it
I'll see you next time take care
knowledge is power and the power is
yours nice
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