Jordan Peterson's Ultimate Advice for Students and College Grads - STOP WASTING TIME

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of utilizing our time efficiently, highlighting the significant waste of potential hours each week and its financial implications. They advocate for the power of writing as a tool for clear thinking and effective action, and stress the necessity of setting and adhering to a daily schedule that balances responsibility with reward. The transcript also touches on the broader impact of individual actions within social networks and the importance of taking personal responsibility for creating a meaningful life.

Takeaways

• 🕒 The speaker suggests that people are often running at about 51% of their capacity, wasting a significant amount of time inefficiently.
• 📚 It's common for individuals to waste 4 to 6 hours a day on activities that are not only unproductive but also leave them feeling regretful.
• 📈 The wasted time equates to a substantial loss in terms of potential earnings and opportunities, emphasizing the high cost of procrastination and inaction.
• 💡 The speaker highlights the Pareto distribution, indicating that efficiency can vary greatly among individuals, with highly efficient people being exceptionally so.
• 📝 Writing is presented as a critical skill that is closely tied to thinking, and thus, to effective action in the world.
• 🏫 Universities are criticized for not emphasizing the importance of writing as a means to develop critical thinking skills.
• 💪 The ability to think, speak, and write coherently is described as a powerful tool that can lead to success, influence, and opportunities.
• 🗓️ The importance of having a schedule is stressed, with the speaker advising against viewing it as restrictive but rather as a means to create a desirable day.
• 🔄 The speaker encourages setting up a schedule that includes a balance of responsibility and reward, and negotiating with oneself to ensure productivity and fulfillment.
• 🌐 The individual's actions are likened to a stone dropped in a pond, suggesting that one's behavior can have far-reaching effects on their network and society.
• 🌟 The script concludes with the idea that if people focus on fixing what is within their sphere of influence and aim for what is genuinely good for them, they are likely to achieve it.

Q & A

What percentage of capacity does the speaker estimate people are running at?

The speaker estimates that people are running at about 51% of their capacity.

What is the classic answer to the question of how many hours a day are wasted according to the speaker?

The classic answer is that people waste about 4 to 6 hours a day, often due to inefficient studying or watching unengaging content on YouTube.

How does the speaker quantify the wasted time in terms of work weeks per year?

The speaker equates the wasted time to two and a half full work weeks per month, which amounts to half a year of work weeks per year.

What is the estimated monetary value of wasted time if one's time is worth $20 an hour?

If time is valued at $20 an hour, then wasting 20 hours a week equates to wasting $50,000 a year.

Why does the speaker believe that wasting $50,000 is a bigger catastrophe for young people compared to older individuals?

The speaker believes it's a bigger catastrophe for young people because they have more time ahead of them, and thus the wasted time has a greater impact on their potential.

What is the Pareto distribution mentioned by the speaker in relation to efficiency?

The Pareto distribution is used by the speaker to illustrate the vast difference in efficiency between average people and those who are highly efficient, which can be 'off the charts'.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of learning to write?

The speaker emphasizes writing because it is synonymous with thinking, which enables one to act effectively in the world and win battles they undertake.

What does the speaker suggest is the most powerful weapon one can provide someone with?

The speaker suggests that the ability to think, speak, and write coherently is the most powerful weapon one can provide someone with.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of having a schedule?

The speaker views having a schedule as crucial for mental health and insists that it should be set up in a way that it resembles the best possible day one could have.

How does the speaker recommend balancing responsibility and reward in one's schedule?

The speaker recommends negotiating with oneself, similar to how one would negotiate with an employee, to find the right ratio of responsibility to reward, ensuring that the day ends in a better state than it began.

What is the speaker's perspective on the impact of individual actions within a network?

The speaker believes that individual actions are like ripples in a pond, affecting a vast network of people, and thus what one does or doesn't do is far more important than they might think.