How to Study Smarter, Not Harder: The Cambridge System
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Cambridge graduate and doctor Izzy shares seven effective study habits she adopted during her seven years at Cambridge University. She emphasizes studying smarter, not harder, and covers habits such as co-working with friends, focusing on core content, leading with curiosity, taking sufficient rest, using the Pomodoro technique, scheduling study themes, and tackling the hardest tasks first. These habits helped her manage academic challenges, improve retention, and avoid burnout. Izzy also offers a free Notion guide with these tips and invites viewers to explore more in her other videos.
Takeaways
- đ The importance of 'studying smarter' rather than 'studying harder' for academic development.
- đ„ The co-working habit can make studying more enjoyable and sustainable by fostering camaraderie and accountability.
- đ Focusing on the 'core content' or the 80/20 rule helps in learning the most important aspects of a subject efficiently.
- đ The 'Curiosity habit' emphasizes the power of intrinsic motivation in enhancing learning and memory retention.
- đ± The 'less is more' habit suggests that working less and allowing for rest can improve learning outcomes and prevent burnout.
- đïžââïž The Pomodoro Technique can make studying more motivating, especially for dry or difficult material.
- đ The 'Triplet habit' of scheduling three blocks of studying with different topics each day can bring clarity and focus.
- đž The 'Frog habit' of tackling the most challenging tasks first can set a positive tone for the rest of the day.
- đ€ The significance of proper rest and sleep in enhancing creativity, concentration, and overall productivity.
- đ€ The need to find ways to engage with uninteresting or difficult subjects, which will be discussed in further habits.
- đ The recommendation of 'Eat That Frog' by Brian Tracy for guidance on prioritizing and tackling challenging tasks.
Q & A
What was the biggest academic challenge the speaker faced during their seven years at Cambridge University?
-The biggest academic challenge the speaker faced was learning the true value of studying and realizing that it's not about studying harder but studying smarter.
What are the seven study habits the speaker adopted during their time at Cambridge University?
-The seven study habits are: co-working habit, core content habit, curiosity habit, less is more habit, sprint habit, triplet habit, and frog habit.
Why did the speaker find co-working beneficial during their first year at University?
-Co-working was beneficial because it made studying feel more fun, enjoyable, and sustainable, and it provided a sense of camaraderie and support during the exam term.
What is the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, and how did the speaker apply it to their studies?
-The Pareto Principle suggests that roughly 80% of outcomes result from 20% of causes. The speaker applied it by focusing on the core topics first, which would give them around 80% of the results, before delving into more niche details.
How did the speaker's curiosity habit help them during their third year at Cambridge?
-The curiosity habit allowed the speaker to follow their intrinsic motivation to learn, leading to more effective learning and better retention of information on topics they were genuinely interested in.
What is the 'less is more' habit and how did it impact the speaker's study routine during their fourth year?
-The 'less is more' habit is about working less and allowing time to rest. The speaker found that by not pushing themselves too hard when feeling drained, they were able to learn and perform better.
Can you explain the Pomodoro Technique mentioned in the script and how it was used by the speaker?
-The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method where you work for a set period (typically 25 minutes), then take a short break. The speaker used it to make learning more motivating and to help focus on dry or difficult material.
What is the 'triplet habit' and how did it help the speaker during their sixth year at Cambridge?
-The 'triplet habit' involves scheduling three blocks of studying with a different topic for each in a day. It helped the speaker bring clarity, focus, and motivation to their unstructured days during the lockdown.
What is the 'Frog Habit' and why did the speaker find it effective for their final year exams?
-The 'Frog Habit' is about starting the day with the hardest tasks or topics first. The speaker found it effective because it allowed them to build momentum and made the rest of the day feel easier.
How did the speaker's experience with the Pomodoro Technique influence their approach to studying difficult material?
-The speaker found that using shorter Pomodoro intervals for drier material helped make the studying process more manageable and less mentally draining.
What advice does the speaker give regarding rest and how can it improve one's study efficiency?
-The speaker advises taking genuine rest, including proper sleep and engaging in relaxing activities away from screens, to replenish energy and boost concentration, ultimately improving study efficiency.
How did the speaker's approach to studying change when they intercalated with a Bachelor of Arts in biological anthropology?
-The speaker learned to tailor their learning to their interests, following their curiosity which led to more effective learning and better retention of information.
What is the significance of starting the day with the most challenging task according to the speaker?
-Starting the day with the most challenging task helps build a sense of momentum, making the rest of the day seem easier and more manageable.
What is the connection between curiosity and memory retention as discussed in the script?
-The script mentions that when one is genuinely curious about a topic, they learn more effectively and retain more information, as curiosity enhances activity in the midbrain and nucleus accumbens.
Outlines
đ Embracing Smart Study Habits at Cambridge
The speaker reflects on their seven-year medical journey at Cambridge University, emphasizing the importance of studying smarter over harder. They introduce seven study habits that were pivotal to their academic success and mental well-being. The first habit discussed is 'co-working,' where the speaker shares their experience of studying with a friend during their first year, which not only made the process enjoyable but also fostered a sense of camaraderie and accountability. The speaker also mentions a notion guide with all these tips available for free, and introduces themselves as Izzy, a Cambridge graduate and a doctor.
đ Prioritizing Core Content with the Pareto Principle
In the second year, facing an overwhelming volume of pre-clinical knowledge, the speaker adopted the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, to focus on the core topics that would yield the majority of the results. They explain the principle's origin and application to their studies, suggesting that by concentrating on the essential 20% of content, one can achieve 80% of the learning outcomes. This approach helped them avoid the burnout notorious among their peers and maintain a more effective study routine.
đ€ Cultivating Curiosity for Enhanced Learning
During their third year, the speaker intercalated with a Bachelor of Arts, delving into biological anthropology. This experience taught them the power of curiosity in learning, as it led to a deeper engagement with the subject matter and better retention of information. They cite a study demonstrating that curiosity enhances memory and learning, and discuss the neurological basis for this phenomenon, including the role of the midbrain and nucleus accumbens. The speaker acknowledges the challenge of finding curiosity in all school subjects and hints at strategies for dealing with less interesting content in upcoming habits.
đ The 'Less is More' Approach to Rest and Productivity
In their fourth year, as the speaker began clinical studies and faced the reality of patient care alongside study, they discovered the counterintuitive benefits of working less to achieve more. They highlight the importance of rest and recharge in maintaining energy levels and productivity. The speaker references 'Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less' by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, which advocates for strategic breaks and stopping at the right time to avoid burnout. The summary also touches on the importance of proper sleep and choosing genuine relaxing activities during rest periods.
â±ïž Mastering the Pomodoro Technique for Focused Study
The speaker shares their experience with the Pomodoro Technique as a method to tackle the challenging pathology exam in their fifth year of medical school. They explain the technique, which involves 25-minute focused study sessions followed by short breaks, and suggest that this approach can make learning more motivating, especially for dry or difficult material. The speaker also discusses the flexibility of the technique, mentioning that the focus periods can be adjusted according to personal rhythms and the nature of the task at hand.
đ Structuring Study with the Triplet Habit
During a gap year in their sixth year, the speaker found structure in their unstructured time by adopting the 'triplet habit,' which involves scheduling three blocks of studying with different topics for each block in a day. This method provided a sense of order and allowed for a variety of topics to be studied with full focus. The speaker found this approach helpful during lockdowns and suggests it as a strategy for others with unstructured days or full days to study.
đž Eating the Frog: Taming the Toughest Tasks First
In their final year, preparing for comprehensive exams, the speaker learned the value of starting the day with the most challenging tasks, a strategy encapsulated by Mark Twain's advice to 'eat the frog.' They found that tackling the hardest tasks early leveraged their morning willpower and set a positive tone for the rest of the day. The speaker recommends the book 'Eat That Frog!' by Brian Tracy for further guidance on this habit and shares an affiliate link for those interested. The video concludes with a prompt for viewers to share their experiences and additional tips, and a reminder to take care of themselves.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄAcademic Challenges
đĄStudying Smarter
đĄCo-working Habit
đĄAccountability Buddy
đĄCore Content Habit
đĄCuriosity Habit
đĄLess is More Habit
đĄPomodoro Technique
đĄTriplet Habit
đĄFrog Habit
đĄBurnout
Highlights
The importance of studying smarter, not just harder, for academic development.
Introduction of seven study habits adopted during medical studies at Cambridge University.
The co-working habit for increased enjoyment and support during study sessions.
Accountability in studying to increase goal success and motivation.
The application of the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) to focus on core content areas in pre-clinical studies.
The significance of curiosity in enhancing learning and memory retention.
The benefits of working less and allowing time for rest to improve learning efficiency.
The Pomodoro Technique for managing study sessions and breaks to tackle dry or difficult material.
The Triplet Habit for structuring unstructured days with three focused study blocks.
The Frog Habit of tackling the most challenging tasks first to build momentum and ease the rest of the day.
The impact of genuine curiosity on the effectiveness of learning and the role of the midbrain and nucleus accumbens.
The importance of rest and the right timing for stopping work to avoid burnout and enhance creativity.
The role of technology in rest and the distinction between true rest and passive activities like social media scrolling.
The personal experience of burnout and the strategies to manage it during the pre-clinical years.
The effectiveness of the Pomodoro Technique in managing focus and breaks for improved productivity.
The personal strategy of scheduling study sessions around core topics to maximize retention and focus.
The practical application of the 'Eat the Frog' philosophy in daily study routines for better time management.
Transcripts
during my seven year studying medicine
at Cambridge University I was presented
with the biggest academic challenges I'd
ever faced in my life it was sink or
swim and what I learned during this time
about the true value of studying was
absolutely crucial to my academic
development I realized learning is not
all about studying harder but rather
studying smarter in this video I'm going
to walk you through seven specific and
simple study habits I've adopted which
saved both my grades and my sanity and
can hopefully do the same for you today
we'll go beyond just the basics of
active recall and space repetition which
you might be familiar with if you've
watched some of my other videos and I'll
bring you along on a little journey with
me through each of my years at Cambridge
from first year up to my seventh year
I've made a mini notion guide with all
of these tips which you can access
totally for free via the link below if
you're interested if you're new here my
name is Izzy I'm a Cambridge graduate
and a doctor without further Ado let's
get into the video the first habit is
the co-working Habit studying is not
known for being a particularly fun
activity but that doesn't mean we can't
try during my first year of University
one of my friends who was also studying
medicine studied with me every single
day during our first year exam term we'd
meet up in the morning and start
studying together then go get lunch in
college together and Hall and generally
support each other through the whole
process we'd cover topics at the same
time and help each other check our work
this made it feel so much more fun and
enjoyable and sustainable and then when
we ultimately passed all of our exams
together we felt a real sense of
camaraderie and could celebrate together
it can be really easy to sort of retreat
into your own space when studying and
shut out the outside world and thinking
that by being zoned in we do things more
effectively but in reality this is
actually a great time to work with
friends to not only bounce ideas off
each other but also to strengthen those
friendships additionally having an
accountability buddy for something is
actually proven to increase goal success
and help you to move towards whatever
your goal is so for example in the case
of studying studying with a friend and
keeping each other accountable can help
you to feel that sense of accountability
and get things done within a an hour day
week month you can make an agreement
together and be like today we're going
to get through all of the topics in
renal for example number two is the core
content habit my second year of medical
school was when we had the most
pre-clinical knowledge to learn it's
literally a volume of knowledge that I'd
never experienced before among Cambridge
Medical students as well it was a
notorious year for Burnout which was
something that I personally experienced
and also several of my friends and I
have a video talking more about that
I'll link that somewhere over here it
was physically impossible to learn
everything and know everything and one
of the features of the pre-clinical
medical curriculum at Cambridge is that
the syllabus is not clearly defined and
there's almost an unlimited volume of
stuff to learn if you wanted to which
was a feeling I was really not used to
as previously at school I was always
able to learn everything on the syllabi
because it was very much limited so here
I learned to apply the perito principle
also known as the 80 20 rule this
concept was discovered by Italian
economist Wilfredo perrito who in 1896
observed that roughly 80 of Italy's land
was owned by roughly 20 20 of its
population and he continued to notice
this 80 20 phenomenon for example 20 of
the plants in his garden bore 80 of all
the fruit the central idea behind this
concept is that 80 of all functional
outcomes result from 20 of causes so
when you study focus on the core topics
first in other words focus on that rough
20 that's going to give you around 80
percent of the results laser focus in to
all of those 20 on each topic before
moving on to anything else or going into
more depth for example in Pharmacology
which is the study of medications and
mechanism of drug action I would start
by learning the core drug classes and
also the main few examples of these as
the core 20 of the knowledge before only
later considering adding all the rest of
the drugs in that class some of which
aren't actually used in clinical
practice anymore and also any specific
side effects for any Niche drugs that
aren't really used anymore by
establishing this core understanding of
these core content areas I could reap 80
of the benefit of studying without
having to go through all of the niche
details that were unlikely to really
come up in the exam in any big way
number three is the Curiosity habit
which is essentially about leading with
curiosity curiosity can be defined as an
intrinsic motivation to learn in my
third year at Cambridge I intercalated
with a Bachelor of Arts in biological
anthropology which essentially is the
study of human evolution Health cultural
development social networks since seven
million years ago this was assessed by
essays and also a dissertation with some
research and was more free form than my
pre-clinical medical studies and I found
myself learning a lot and also being
able to tailor my learning to what I was
interested about I learned to follow my
curiosity with Academia and so for
example in one of my modules which is
around social networks one of the topics
was memes and I found myself asking more
questions about how memes spread and how
viral memes can become a part of our
culture and spread throughout a whole
society so quickly and as a side effect
of this I realized that the things I was
genuinely curious about really stuck in
my memory so much more you might have
found this yourself when you find
yourself remembering really random and
potentially not very applicable or
functional facts that are just really
interesting and you're genuinely curious
about and actually there's a lot of
science behind this because when
exploring a topic to learn about we
learn much more effectively and retain
more information when we're genuinely
curious about it in this study which
I'll pop on screen the researchers found
that Curiosity does indeed have a potent
effect on learning itself in both
immediate and one day delayed memory
tests participants showed improved
memory for information that they were
curious about and for incidental
material learned during states of higher
curiosity as part of this study they did
fmri scans which stands for functional
magnetic resonance imaging and they
found the activity in the midbrain and
nucleus accumbens was enhanced during
states of high curiosity so essentially
if you're in this state of really being
in the sense of wonder of like oh I
really wonder what happens next or oh
why does this happen then you can
naturally learn things more effectively
and remember stuff much more efficiently
so you might be thinking okay Izzy but
what if I'm not curious about a subject
I'm learning in school and that's really
a fair point because I think we've all
been here and not everything we learn
will naturally be interesting to us I'll
talk a bit more about how we can deal
with content that we don't find super
interesting or that we find difficult in
habits five and six so stick around for
that if you're interested number four is
the less is more habit which is
essentially about working less which I'm
sure you'll be very pleased to hear in
my fourth year I started my clinical
studies and I started clinical
patient-facing placements in hospitals
I'd go into placement from nine to five
and then try to go home and study
afterwards and maybe go to the gym and
push myself and I found that quite
quickly I was getting a really really
tired out and my energy levels were
dropping along with my productivity I
found something really unexpected which
was the less I pushed myself to work
when I was feeling drained the better I
actually learned and performed this
links in with the point before about
curiosity where when I was allowing
myself to really rest and recharge and
feel curious and excited to learn I was
able to memorize and learn and absorb
material much more effectively through
this experience I discovered first hand
how important taking care of yourself
and actually allowing time to rest is I
know literally everyone harps on and on
about how important it is to take breaks
and allies or to rest it's so true so
take it from me after seven years of
studying at Cambridge I'm telling you
work Less in his book titled rest why
you get more done when you work less the
rest expert Alex student Kim Pang talks
about the benefits of rest and its
ability to help you think more
creatively and effectively he recommends
simple measures like taking breaks to
walk or nap which can really replenish
your energy fill up your cup and boost
your ability to concentrate one crucial
component of rest that he also mentions
is stopping at the right time and this
can be actually really counterintuitive
and actually super interesting so this
actually triggered my curiosity into
something I won't forget Pang recommends
that you actually stop working at just
the right point which is when you see
your next move but you decide to leave
it until tomorrow the writer Ernest
Hemingway was a famous advocate of this
practice actually and he would say to
always stop when you know what is is
going to happen next overall this is a
great way to avoid burnout and also
provide a sense of clarity and ease of
restarting reducing that activation
energy when you're starting work the
next day because you already know your
next step of course the crucial
Foundation of a rest is getting proper
sleep I've made a more in-depth video
all about this subject which you can
check out over here with a bunch of
evidence-based tips if you're interested
and when we talk about rest we mean real
genuine relaxing activities that allow
your body and mind to actually take a
break from over stimulation so what I
don't mean to say that technology can
never be involved so such as watching a
movie or show can sometimes be a nice
way to unwind try to be mindful about
what you choose to do during this rest
period And I would potentially
controversially suggest that scrolling
on Instagram doesn't really count as
true rest and unwinding and instead
maybe take some time to read a book stay
away from screens maybe go for a walk
something like that number five is the
Sprint Habit in my fifth year of medical
school we had the infamous pathology
exam at Cambridge which was one of if
not the most challenging exam I've ever
taken in my life but this exam would
have to to interpret histological slides
understand the pathophysiology of
disease along with clinical presentation
investigation and management some of the
content was unbelievably dry so I
experimented with a lot of different
ways to try to combat this and one thing
that I found really really helped was
blocking a set time to focus Pomodoro
Style by using a Pomodoro Technique we
can make learning feel a bit more
motivating and encourage ourselves to
study dry or difficult material if
you're unfamiliar the Pomodoro Technique
is a method of studying developed by a
student in Italy named Francesco cirilla
in the 1980s it was named Pomodoro
because the clock that he used was
shaped like a tomato which is pomodoro
in Italian the keycepts are number one
get your to-do list and a timer to set
your timer for 25 minutes which is the
set time for a Pomodoro and then focus
on a single task until the timer Rings
number three when your session ends mark
off of Pomodoro take a five minute break
in Cirilla's book he recommends
25-minute Pomodoro intervals and five
minute break intervals but you can
actually Tinker with these times and
various different Studies have found
different times work for different
people often our minds and bodies work
in almost ultradian rhythms which are
usually around 90 minutes so generally
setting a focus period of somewhere
between 25 up to maybe 90 minutes would
be effective and generally I find that
for drier material shorter pomodoros are
better because it's more mentally
draining to make yourself look at
something that you really don't want to
whereas if it's something you can get
into a flow with then try increasing the
Pomodoro duration because then you can
actually really get into some deep work
on the topic six is the triplet habit
which is scheduling three blocks of
studying with a topic for each in a day
in my sixth year at Cambridge covered
lockdowns had hit and delayed a lot of
teaching and exams and I ended up taking
a gap and some time out for part of the
year and I was at home with a lot of
unstructured time I found that by
planning each day with three topic
themes I could give myself some sense of
structure for example in the morning I'd
study Mandarin then in the afternoon
slots in the early afternoon I'd learn
medicine and then in the late afternoon
maybe I'll learn about another medicine
topic groundbreaking it's a great way to
divide up the day and have a variety of
topics to study but still allow time to
focus fully on each one and by its
nature this is very helpful with
unstructured days so in my case this was
during covert lockdowns but it could be
something really helpful if you have
weekends or if you're a student who has
full days to study to see if it helps
bring Clarity focus and motivation to
your day number seven is the Frog Habit
in my final year at Cambridge Medical
School I had exams which were the
culmination of all of the years of study
beforehand which was like meant to be
the Pinnacle of my clinical knowledge
and examination skills for these I had
to demonstrate that I was fully ready to
graduate as a doctor I learned that I
could make my day flow more smoothly by
starting with the hardest tasks or
topics first I don't know about you but
I find that in the morning my willpower
to get through difficult things is much
higher so as soon as I wake up if I get
the hardest things out of the way I'd
feel a sense of momentum and then the
rest of my day would play more easily
because I'd be like oh ha I've already
finished the hardest thing the rest of
my day seems relatively pretty chill
this is summarized so nicely by this
quote from Mark Twain which I absolutely
love if it's your job to eat a frog it's
best to do it first thing in the morning
and if it's your job to eat two frogs
it's best to eat the biggest one first
of course even in the morning it can be
hard to do things that you're
intimidated by the most and this won't
work for everyone and getting there is
not an overnight process so if you're
looking for like a bit more guidance or
inspiration on this subject I'd really
recommend the book eat that Frog by
Brian Tracy and if you're interested you
can read a summarized version with a few
extra juicy links and Analysis on short
form and you can get free trial plus 20
off via my affiliate link down below if
you're interested if you enjoyed this
video I think you might like this one
over here where I talk about seven life
lessons from seven years at Cambridge
University where I talk about the
broader life lessons Beyond just
studying that I learned at Cambridge
University which is some of the most
valuable things that I learned during my
time there let me know in the comments
below or by email if any of these tips
helped and if you have any more that
you'd like to add thank you so much for
watching and as always take care of
yourself and I'll see you in the next
video bye
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