Study Less and get Better Grades
Summary
TLDRThis video challenges traditional study methods, advocating for smarter, not harder, studying. The speaker, an average guy with above-average laziness, shares unconventional tips for academic success. He argues against note-taking in class, suggesting it allows the brain to forget information, and instead recommends focusing on understanding the material. The 'Eat the Frog' technique is introduced, encouraging tackling the most difficult task first to enjoy the rest of the day without stress. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of studying by doing the same tasks required for exams, such as practicing problem-solving for math or writing essays for history, to achieve better grades.
Takeaways
- đ Study smarter, not harder: Focus on effective learning strategies rather than the duration of study.
- đ Prioritize short, intensive study sessions: Two hours of concentrated study can be more effective than a week of less focused preparation.
- đ Avoid multitasking: Don't take notes in class; instead, focus solely on understanding the material to enhance retention.
- đž Eat the frog first: Tackle the most challenging task at the beginning of your day to reduce stress and increase productivity.
- đ Choose the right tasks: When studying, focus on activities that directly relate to the type of assessment you'll face.
- đ Practice makes perfect: To excel in exams, practice the same tasks you'll be doing during the exam, such as problem-solving or essay writing.
- đ Don't rely on notes: Train your brain to remember information by not taking notes, which can create a false sense of security.
- đ« Avoid passive learning: Actively engage with the material through practice rather than passively reading or watching.
- â° Manage your time wisely: By completing difficult tasks early, you can enjoy the rest of your day without the looming pressure of unfinished work.
- đĄ Adapt to your learning style: Understand that different people have different learning styles and find what works best for you.
Q & A
What is the main message of the video regarding studying for exams?
-The main message is to study smarter, not harder, by focusing on effective strategies rather than just the amount of time spent studying.
Why does the speaker claim not taking notes in class can be beneficial?
-The speaker believes that not taking notes allows for better focus on understanding the material, rather than splitting attention between writing and listening.
What is the 'Eat the Frog' technique mentioned in the video?
-The 'Eat the Frog' technique suggests doing the most difficult task first thing in the day to avoid procrastination and to feel a sense of accomplishment and relief early on.
How does the video suggest one should approach studying for different types of exams?
-The video advises to practice the same tasks that will be required during the exam, such as solving problems for a math exam or writing essays for a history exam.
What is the speaker's personal experience with note-taking during classes?
-The speaker has not taken a single note in the past four years and found it to be more effective for understanding and retaining information.
Why does the speaker suggest that taking notes might lead to forgetting information?
-The speaker argues that taking notes can create a false sense of security, leading the brain to forget information because it assumes it can be looked up later.
What is the importance of doing the hardest task first thing in the morning according to the video?
-Doing the hardest task first thing in the morning allows for the rest of the day to be more enjoyable and productive without the looming pressure of an unfinished difficult task.
What is the speaker's educational background as mentioned in the video?
-The speaker graduated at the top of his class and got second place in the Olympiad of Informatics.
Why does the video suggest not to rely on note-taking as a memory aid?
-The video suggests that relying on notes can train the brain to forget information more easily, as it develops a dependency on external memory aids.
What is the speaker's opinion on common study techniques like spaced repetition and the Pomodoro Technique?
-The speaker does not cover these techniques because they are not considered the most important factors for improving grades; instead, the focus should be on studying smarter.
Outlines
đ Smarter Studying, Not Harder
The speaker introduces the idea of studying smarter, not harder, by comparing a situation where someone aces an exam after only studying for 2 hours the day before, while others study for an entire week and still fail. The difference is not intelligence, but the approach. The speaker claims to be qualified to give this advice, describing themselves as an average person with above-average laziness who still managed to excel academically. This video won't focus on popular techniques like space repetition or the Pomodoro Technique, but on more effective strategies for improving grades without excessive effort.
đ Ditch the Notes
Contrary to common advice, the speaker advocates against taking notes in class. They explain that for the past four years, they have not taken a single note and it has improved their understanding. By not focusing on taking notes, they were able to concentrate fully on what was being taught. Taking notes sends a signal to your brain that itâs okay to forget because the information is recorded elsewhere, which results in forgetting most of what you hear. Instead, trusting yourself to remember important details creates stronger mental retention.
đž Eat the Frog First
The speaker uses the metaphor of eating a disgusting frog to explain how to tackle difficult tasks. If you eat the frog first (i.e., do the hardest task first thing in the morning), the rest of your day will feel much easier and more enjoyable. Procrastinating the task will cause mental stress throughout the day and may result in poor quality work done at the last minute. By handling the hardest task early, you ensure better quality, more time, and a lighter mental load for the rest of the day.
đ Focus on the Right Task
The speaker advises against inefficient study methods and emphasizes doing the right task to improve performance. For example, reading textbooks or watching others solve problems won't help much in a math exam â you need to practice solving problems yourself. Similarly, for a history exam that requires essay writing, writing more essays is the best way to improve. The key takeaway is that active practice of the task youâll be tested on is the most effective way to study.
đ Study Smarter in Three Steps
In summary, the speaker recaps the three main strategies for studying smarter: 1) Stop taking notes to force your brain to remember information; 2) Always tackle the hardest task first thing in the morning; and 3) Focus on practicing the exact tasks youâll be tested on, such as solving math problems or writing essays, instead of passive study methods like underlining notes or listening to music while studying.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄStudy smarter
đĄSpaced repetition
đĄPomodoro Technique
đĄNote-taking
đĄMemory retention
đĄEat the Frog first
đĄHardest task
đĄRight task
đĄDoing vs. Reading
đĄUnderlining notes
Highlights
The speaker claims to have achieved academic success without extensive studying by watching a particular video and studying smarter, not harder.
The speaker emphasizes that conventional study methods like space repetition, Pomodoro Technique, and pain M technique are not the focus of the video.
The speaker shares their personal experience of not taking notes in class for the past 4 years and the benefits they've experienced.
It's suggested that not taking notes allows for better focus on understanding the material in class.
The speaker argues that taking notes can lead to a false sense of security and less retention of information.
Forgetting something important is not the end of the world; one can ask classmates or search online.
The 'Eat the Frog' strategy is introduced, suggesting to tackle the hardest task first to enjoy the rest of the day.
The speaker recommends doing the hardest task first thing in the morning for better productivity and satisfaction.
The importance of doing the right task when studying is highlighted, such as practicing the same type of problems that will be on the exam.
The analogy of basketball practice is used to illustrate the need to practice the specific skills required for academic success.
The speaker advises against underlining notes or other passive study methods that don't involve active engagement with the material.
A recap of the three key strategies for smarter studying: not taking notes, doing the hardest task first, and practicing the exam-type tasks.
The video concludes with a motivational message to try these methods for a month and see the difference.
Transcripts
imagine going to an exam after having
studied only the day before and acing it
and the best part is you only studied 2
hours Meanwhile your classmates have
been studying for the whole week and
still fail they start thinking that
they're stupid and that you're a genius
but only you know the difference between
you and them is that you watch this
video and you study smarter not harder
you might be wondering who am I to make
this video well I'm the most qualified
person to talk about this because I'm
just an average guy with above average
laziness that graduated at the top of
his class and got second place in the
Olympiad of informatics and before
starting just in case this video is not
going to cover space repetition Pomodoro
Technique pain M technique or any
similar methods that are all over the
internet not because they don't work but
because they're not the most important
thing when it comes to getting better
grades starting less don't take no not
this is going to sound counterintuitive
because since you were little everyone
has told you to take notes in class I
went the unconventional route and
haven't taken a single note in the past
4 years I'm not exaggerating not even a
single one I don't even open my notebook
in class and it has been so much better
than taking notes that I wanted to share
it with you I remember a few months ago
I was in university class and a
classmate asked me how do you understand
everything without taking notes are you
a genius and in my mind I thought no how
do you understand everything when you're
trying to understand while at the same
time taking notes the point is it's
easier to understand everything when
you're not taking notes because you're
only focusing on one tou you might be
wondering but but but what if I forget
something exactly you need to convince
your brain that there is no other option
than to remember what you learned in
class because if you think about it by
taking notes you're telling your brain
that it's fine to forget something
because you can always look it up in
your notes and guess what ends up
happening you forget most things and all
right if you end up forgetting something
extremely important it's not the end of
the world you can always ask a classmate
or search it up on the internet I know
you're thinking that I'm crazy but just
try it out for one month and decide for
yourself if it's worth doing eat the
Frog first imagine the next time you're
having lunch you have have to eat a
disgusting frog that's still alive when
would you eat it would you eat it the
first thing halfway through the meal or
at the end if you eat it at the end the
meal's not going to taste great because
while you eat you're going to be
thinking that you still have to eat that
disgusting frog on the other hand if you
eat it before anything else it's going
to taste horrible yeah but after that at
least you have a delicious meal to eat
so in both cases the frog is going to
taste horrible but in in the first case
at least you get to enjoy your meal and
the same thing applies to life you have
to do the hardest task the first thing
in the morning let's say you have to
write an essay for tomorrow and you hate
writing as in my case if you do it first
thing in the morning the rest of the day
you're going to feel great because you
already did the hardest task and now you
can enjoy your time without feeling
guilty on the other hand if you keep
postponing the essay it's going to be in
your mind all day and you're going to
feel depleted because you still have to
do the essay and because the due date is
tomorrow you'll be forced to do it at
night and you'll end up with a poor
quality essay while spending the same
time as if you did it first thing in the
morning so if you do it as soon as you
wake up you're going to spend the same
time the quality is going to be better
and you're going to feel great
throughout the day if you do it last
thing in the day you'll spend the same
time the quality will be worse you will
feel depleted through throughout the day
and you will be sleep deprived so to the
hard task the first thing in the morning
do the right task if you're using a lot
of your time to study but still get bad
grades this might be your problem you
need to find the right task to do when
studying the task that will give you the
biggest Advantage when doing the exam
let's compare this to basketball if you
want to perform better in your next
basketball game what do you need to do
do you need to read more basketball
books watch more basketball games no you
need to play more basketball games so if
you want to perform better in your next
math exam for instance don't read a
textbook or don't watch other people
solve problems go online search a bunch
of problems and do them that's how you
become better at solving problem if your
History exam is an essay and you want to
perform better in it write more essays
if you have a reading exam in your
English subject do more reading
exercises I hope you get the point and
that you can figure out for yourself
what should you be doing to study the
rest of the subjects because I hate to
break it to you but underlining your
notes while listening to music isn't
studying so just as a quick recap the
only three things you need to do to
study smarter are don't take notes to
force your brain to learn do the hardest
task the first thing in the morning and
study by doing the same task you have to
do in your
[Music]
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