how to study ESPECIALLY when you hate it (in 3 mins)

Summary

In this video, Salim, a final-year medical student, shares his strategies for staying productive even when motivation is low. Drawing from his experiences of juggling multiple degrees and personal interests like piano, tennis, and gym, he explains that motivation is not about the task itself but about the competition between tasks. By making disliked tasks more enjoyable and reducing distractions, one can manipulate motivation. Salim also shares study tips that increase efficiency, allowing for a better balance between work and personal life.

Takeaways

• 😀 Motivation is not just about the task itself, but about the competition between tasks.
• 😀 You can work effectively even without motivation by focusing on making the task more enjoyable or interesting.
• 😀 Your motivation is influenced by what other tasks or distractions are available around you.
• 😀 To stay focused, reduce the distractions and competing tasks in your environment.
• 😀 Engaging in non-stimulating activities during breaks (like reading or meditating) can help keep your work interesting.
• 😀 Motivation is relative, and tasks become more motivating when there are fewer or less stimulating options around.
• 😀 Making the task itself more enjoyable (through friends, music, or snacks) can help you overcome lack of motivation.
• 😀 Removing distractions like social media or TV shows during breaks prevents them from making your work feel even worse after returning.
• 😀 Efficient study strategies can help you complete work faster, freeing up time for personal life.
• 😀 Experimenting with various study tips over time helped the speaker find a set of useful methods that promote academic and personal balance.

Q & A

What is the main message Salim is conveying about motivation?

Salim emphasizes that motivation is not about whether a task itself is interesting, but about the competition between tasks and the relative interest in them. It's important to understand that motivation comes from the balance between all tasks in your life.

Why does Salim believe people struggle with staying motivated?

Salim believes people struggle with motivation because they have been taught that motivation is either present or not, and that tasks are seen in isolation. This makes it harder to stay engaged with tasks, especially when they’re not inherently interesting.

How does the concept of 'competition between tasks' affect motivation?

Salim explains that motivation is determined by the competition between tasks. If more stimulating or engaging activities are available, they will draw attention away from less interesting tasks. Therefore, tasks need to be viewed in context with other available options.

What can someone do to make a disliked task more motivating?

To make a task more motivating, Salim suggests making it more enjoyable or interesting, such as studying with friends, using background music, having snacks, or learning through enjoyable methods like videos and podcasts.

What mistake do people commonly make when trying to stay motivated?

The common mistake people make is not controlling the competition between tasks. Instead of limiting distractions, they often engage in highly stimulating activities, like using their phone or watching an exciting series, which makes returning to work harder.

How can you reduce the competition between tasks to improve motivation?

Salim suggests controlling the tasks that compete for attention by removing stimulating distractions. During breaks, avoid engaging with stimulating content like social media or intense TV shows. Instead, opt for less stimulating activities, such as walking, reading, or meditating.

How does Salim recommend making studying more efficient?

Salim recommends using specific study techniques that improve efficiency. By mastering these techniques, you can complete work faster, allowing more time for personal life. He also shares that only a few study tips he’s tried over the years have significantly improved his efficiency.

What is the benefit of improving your study efficiency?

Improving study efficiency allows you to complete the same amount of work in less time, providing more time for personal activities and balancing both academic and personal life.

What are some study techniques Salim mentions in the video?

Salim doesn't explicitly list all the study techniques in the transcript, but he refers to them as being effective for improving study efficiency. For further details, he invites viewers to watch the video on the 5 study tips he recommends.

How does Salim balance his academic and personal life?

Salim balances his life by maintaining a strong focus on being productive not just in his studies but also in personal pursuits like playing tennis, going to the gym, and learning piano, even though he’s often not motivated for any of these activities.