How to Study Like a Learning Expert

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of prioritizing tasks, particularly focusing on studying despite administrative duties. They discuss using 'Concepts' for mind mapping and 'Rome Research' for note-taking to enhance study efficiency. The video showcases the speaker's study process, including simplifying information and utilizing techniques for better memory encoding. They advocate for studying in a way that provides mental freedom and breaks the cycle of constant revision, suggesting more efficient coding and retrieval strategies over traditional methods like flashcards.

Takeaways

• 📚 Prioritizing tasks is crucial for productivity, and starting with the most mentally challenging or important tasks can prevent procrastination.
• 💼 Admin tasks, like payroll and invoice management, are necessary but should be balanced with more meaningful activities.
• 🕒 Time management is key; using available time wisely, such as an hour before a consultation, can lead to significant progress on tasks.
• 🧠 Recognizing the mental barrier of studying and addressing it by scheduling dedicated study time can enhance learning efficiency.
• 📈 The importance of studying is emphasized over routine tasks, as it contributes to long-term skill development and personal growth.
• 🔗 Using apps like Concepts for mind mapping and Rome Research for relational databases can aid in organizing and retaining information effectively.
• 📝 Simplifying notes by reducing unnecessary words and creating clear visual representations can enhance understanding and recall.
• 🔑 The concept of 'encoding' versus 'retrieval' is introduced, highlighting the need for efficient learning techniques beyond just memorization.
• 📈 Space repetition and active recall are mentioned as supplementary techniques to an effective study system, rather than the sole reliance for learning.
• 🌟 The video script suggests that breaking free from the 'study grind' requires adopting different strategies and techniques than those commonly used by most students.

Q & A

What is the primary task the speaker considers as the biggest mental challenge for the day?

The primary task the speaker considers as the biggest mental challenge for the day is studying, which they find to be the most important task.

What administrative tasks does the speaker mention needing to complete?

The speaker mentions needing to complete payroll, send out invoices, and follow up on about 30 different emails.

How does the speaker plan to prioritize their tasks for the day?

The speaker plans to prioritize their tasks by starting with the most mentally challenging task, which is studying, before moving on to the administrative tasks.

Why does the speaker believe it's important to start with studying even though they have administrative tasks?

The speaker believes it's important to start with studying because it's a task they might put off due to fatigue from consultations later in the day, and not doing it would make them feel like they lost the day.

What is the speaker's perspective on the relationship between studying and time management?

The speaker views studying as a task that can lead to a spiral of never having enough time if not approached correctly, emphasizing the need to learn how to study efficiently to avoid being trapped in a cycle of constant busyness without progress.

What note-taking app does the speaker recommend for mind mapping and why?

The speaker recommends the app 'Concepts' for mind mapping because of its good organization features, infinite canvas, and pen pressure sensitivity, which are not commonly found in other note-taking apps.

How does the speaker use the app 'Rome Research' in their study process?

The speaker uses 'Rome Research' as a relational database app to annotate and organize information from different sources, which is helpful for research and postgraduate studies.

What is the speaker's approach to reducing cognitive load during studying?

The speaker's approach to reducing cognitive load is to simplify the mind map by reducing unnecessary words and organizing complex ideas into simpler, more visual representations.

Why does the speaker choose to study before their consultations even though they have limited time?

The speaker chooses to study before their consultations to ensure that the important task of studying is completed, and the remaining work acts as motivation to finish it after consultations.

What is the speaker's advice for students who feel overwhelmed by the amount of content they need to learn?

The speaker advises students to focus on higher efficiency in coding and understanding, rather than relying solely on retrieval practices like flashcards, to break away from the constant grind of forgetting and relearning.

How does the speaker feel about the amount of content covered after their study session?

The speaker feels satisfied with the amount of content covered, equating it to what a final year high school student might cover in three to four weeks, despite having studied for only about two hours in total.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Prioritizing Tasks and Overcoming Procrastination

The speaker begins by acknowledging the various tasks they need to accomplish, highlighting studying as the most mentally challenging and important task for the day. They also mention administrative tasks such as payroll and responding to emails. With limited time before a consultation, the speaker decides to tackle the administrative tasks first. They discuss the importance of prioritizing tasks and the common issue of feeling unproductive despite completing many tasks. The speaker emphasizes the significance of starting with tasks that are often postponed, like studying, to ensure they contribute to personal growth. They also touch on the mental barrier students face when studying and the need to learn effective study techniques to avoid being trapped in a cycle of insufficient time and skills. The speaker decides to start with studying, using an app called 'Concepts' for mind mapping, which they find superior for organization and canvas flexibility. They also mention using 'Rome Research' for note-taking and information organization, which is particularly useful for research and postgraduate work.

05:01

🧠 Streamlining Study Techniques and Information Management

The speaker continues by discussing their study process, emphasizing the importance of starting with the most challenging tasks to avoid procrastination. They explain their use of 'Concepts' for mind mapping, focusing on the app's features like organization and pen pressure sensitivity. The speaker then shares tips on simplifying mind maps by reducing unnecessary words, which helps in visualizing the flow of ideas more clearly. They also demonstrate how to simplify complex diagrams by identifying common elements and reducing redundancy. The speaker advocates for efficient coding techniques during study sessions, which can reduce the reliance on spaced repetition for memorization. They suggest that by improving the initial encoding of information, one can retain more and forget less, thus needing less revision. The speaker concludes this part by reflecting on their progress after two study sessions, noting that they have covered a significant amount of content in a short time, thanks to their study techniques.

10:02

🚀 Achieving Mental Freedom Through Effective Study Habits

In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the benefits of effective study habits, particularly the mental freedom that comes from not having to constantly worry about studying and revising. They suggest that by studying in advance and then spending the rest of the time practicing and working with the knowledge, one can break away from the daily grind. The speaker contrasts this with the common approach of relying on spaced repetition and active recall, which they argue is less efficient. They encourage viewers to learn more about these techniques through their course or other videos. The speaker emphasizes the need to change the study process fundamentally to achieve higher efficiency in learning and memory encoding. They conclude by reiterating the importance of adopting different study methods to achieve academic success and break free from the cycle of constant studying.

Keywords

💡Prioritization

Prioritization refers to the act of arranging tasks or issues in order of their importance or urgency. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of prioritizing tasks by starting with the most mentally challenging or important ones, such as studying, to ensure that they are not procrastinated. The speaker also suggests that prioritizing can vary depending on how one feels on a particular day, but it's crucial to start with tasks that make a significant difference and are likely to be put off otherwise.

💡Admin tasks

Admin tasks are administrative duties that need to be completed, such as payroll, invoicing, and following up on emails. The speaker mentions these tasks as part of their daily routine and as something that can be tackled before more mentally demanding activities, like studying, to ensure that all necessary responsibilities are met.

💡Consultation

A consultation, in this context, refers to a professional meeting or discussion, often in a medical or educational setting. The speaker mentions having consultations back-to-back, which could be a part of their professional role, and uses this as an example of how the day can fill up with obligations, affecting the time available for studying or other important tasks.

💡Mental barrier

A mental barrier is a psychological obstacle that prevents an individual from taking action or making progress. The video script discusses studying as a task that can present a mental barrier due to its perceived difficulty or the effort required, which can lead to procrastination.

💡Mind maps

Mind maps are visual diagrams used to represent ideas, concepts, or information in a structured and organized manner. The speaker uses mind maps as a tool for studying, highlighting their utility in organizing thoughts and information, and facilitating the learning process.

💡Infinite canvas

An infinite canvas refers to a digital space that allows for limitless expansion, which is a feature of the note-taking app 'Concepts' mentioned in the video. The speaker appreciates this feature for its flexibility in creating expansive mind maps without the constraint of a fixed size.

💡Pen pressure sensitivity

Pen pressure sensitivity is a feature in digital drawing applications that allows the input device (like a stylus) to respond to the pressure applied, resulting in variable line thickness or color intensity. The speaker praises this feature in the 'Concepts' app for enhancing the note-taking and mind-mapping experience.

💡Relational database

A relational database is a type of database that stores and retrieves data in tables, with relationships between those tables. The speaker uses an app called 'Rome Research' as a relational database for organizing research and connecting different concepts, which is particularly useful for complex tasks like postgraduate studies.

💡Encoding

Encoding in the context of learning and memory refers to the process of converting information into a format that can be stored and later retrieved from memory. The speaker discusses the importance of efficient encoding as a key factor in effective studying and long-term retention of information.

💡Space repetition

Space repetition, also known as spaced repetition, is a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time to enhance long-term retention. The speaker mentions space repetition as a common study technique but argues for a more efficient approach to studying that doesn't rely solely on this method.

💡Active recall

Active recall is a learning technique where learners actively attempt to remember information without looking at the material, which is believed to strengthen memory. The speaker discusses active recall in the context of studying techniques and how it can be more effectively combined with other strategies for optimal learning outcomes.

Highlights

The speaker emphasizes the importance of prioritizing tasks, suggesting starting with the most mentally challenging ones to avoid procrastination.

Admin tasks such as payroll and invoice management are acknowledged as necessary but not as fulfilling as more meaningful tasks like studying.

The speaker decides to tackle studying first, despite having only an hour left before a consultation, to ensure it gets done.

Studying is described as a common task that people often put off, which can lead to a feeling of unproductivity at the end of the day.

The importance of not just filling time but doing meaningful work that changes one's situation or status is discussed.

The speaker advocates for starting with tasks that are likely to be postponed but are crucial for personal growth.

The concept of mental barriers to studying and the need to overcome them is introduced.

The speaker shares their strategy for studying, which includes using an app called 'Concepts' for mind mapping.

The benefits of 'Concepts' app, such as its infinite canvas and pen pressure sensitivity, are highlighted.

The speaker explains their approach to studying by building on previous knowledge and using mind maps for organization.

The use of 'Rome Research' app for annotating and organizing research materials is recommended.

A tip for simplifying mind maps by reducing unnecessary words to improve visualization and idea flow is given.

The speaker demonstrates how to simplify complex ideas in mind maps for better understanding and memorization.

The importance of studying efficiently to gain mental freedom and avoid the daily grind of constant revision is discussed.

The speaker shares their progress after two hours of studying, covering a significant amount of content.

The benefits of studying in advance to free up time for practicing and applying knowledge are explained.

The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to learn more efficient studying techniques to break away from the typical study grind.

Transcripts

so there are a number of things that i

need to do today and i could start by

working on the thing that i know is the

the biggest mental thing for for me

which is going to be studying studying

is going to be the big task it's the

most important thing that i need to do

today but i've also got a ton of admin

stuff i need to do i need a payroll for

my stuff

i need to stand out a bunch of invoices

i need to

follow up on like 30 different emails i

know that's all stuff that has to happen

today

so right now i've got like an hour left

i'm pretty sure before my consultation

begins so i could probably get all of

that admin stuff done right now before

my consultation and there will be time

done and that's one approach of how to

prioritize your tasks and some people

will do that it depends you know how i

would feel that day but right now i know

in myself that the studying is something

that i find is really really important

and it's something that i might end up

putting off because i've got four hours

of consultations back to back by the end

of that i may be so damn tired that i

just cannot be bothered studying and

then

even if i get my admin stuff done i

still feel like i lost that day because

i didn't do the stuff that was important

this is a really common thing is to have

a lot of things that you need to do in a

certain day however by the end of the

day you may have been filling that time

but you still don't feel like you got

anything meaningful that was done

anything that changed the situation or

change the status and often studying and

learning is one of those things like for

example

students often find it a mental barrier

and

put off by having to spend time to learn

how to study properly but not spending

that time and learning how to study

properly is actually detrimenting

overall because then you're just

constantly trapped in the spiral of

never having enough time because you're

never increasing your skills beyond the

the challenges of what you need on a

day-to-day basis and so for me i always

like to start with the things that i

know these are the things that i'm going

to end up either putting off but they're

the things that are going to make a

difference i know that tomorrow it's not

going to be any easier to find time for

me to study i've got plenty of things i

need to do tomorrow and i know the day

after is going to be the same and the

future is unknown you know i may have a

total like today today was meant to be

completely free but it ends up being

really packed full of things i need to

do so

therefore i'm going to start by doing

some study and i know i'm not going to

finish however the work left undone is

also going to further motivate me to

finish it after my consultations are all

finished rather than the procrastination

of having to start something knowing

that i'm kind of halfway through

is going to further motivate me as well

so i'm going to start with the studying

and i'm going to show you exactly how i

do it and how everything builds um and

then hopefully

through these videos you'll see a little

bit more about how this whole system

kind of builds on itself so let's get

into that

[Music]

now because people always ask me uh the

app that i'm using for my mind maps and

everything is called concepts it's

available on

windows or

ios it's the best note-taking app as far

as i know because of the fact that it

has reasonably good organization and

it's also got infinite canvas and there

are not many note-taking apps that have

true infinite canvas and also nice

looking pen pressure sensitivity and so

that that's why and uh those of you that

are going through the course you'll

you'll realize why it's so important and

the vast majority of the students going

through the course do end up using

something like concepts so if you're

interested in downloading i'll check a

link uh down below in the description as

well

um so the first thing i'm going to do is

just chuck up all my tabs onto my other

monitor over here so i can use this just

as a

drawing tablet

and you can see that there's quite a lot

of reading that i need to do and i've

now got 52 minutes to go

uh but i'll be building on the prime the

set of understanding that i had from my

previous session which is still mentally

very very strong it's been a few days

since i've done this um however i'm

feeling very very comfortable with the

topic um and when i look at the my map

it's just straight away there and you

can see there's a lot of blanks and

spaces in between

uh the map which allows me to have a lot

of freedom

when it comes to filling things in and

moving things around and arranging

things in space a little bit better and

it means that i've got a backbone that i

can build stuff on and so i can

basically start from any one of these

points and just expand on it because

i've got the fundamental flow of

information there i don't have to really

worry about the organization so much you

know my previous videos i'm really

focusing on the organization aspect with

these ones i already know how the

information is going to fit so again

i've already got the organizational

system so this part should actually be

surprisingly much faster and so i don't

know exactly how much i've got to get

through there is quite a significant

amount of reading to do here

now one thing that i do uh because i

know that i'm not going to have to

recall a lot of this detail from memory

because that's not the way that i'm

really being assessed anymore and

actually as you continue to go through

the years less and less of what you need

is through just memorization of things

because you usually have it on reference

on hand or something like that um so the

the way that i do it is i use a app

called rome rome research um and i

uh will annotate things and i'll put it

into rome as i go and it's a it's a

relational database type of um

of an app that's better for kind of

relating multiple different concepts

that come from different sources

together really really good for research

or postgraduate stuff and actually if i

knew about this i would have used it all

throughout med school as well well it

didn't actually even exist back then but

it's a really good uh app to use i think

at the moment it's probably the best

that what it does in terms of creating

like relational information it's much

better than notion in that case notion

is more for just general organization of

ideas

so what i'm doing is i'm offloading a

lot of that onto that

however if i wasn't using that and i did

need to have it off memory uh off for

recall for like a test or exam then i

would spend this time to put those

little things potentially onto

flashcards or integrate them into my

mymap in a way or use some other kind of

memorization technique of there are you

know multiple different methods or

systems available out there for use

depending on the type of information i

want to memorize and how i want to

memorize it and again if you're wanting

to know exactly that start to end

process of how i go through studying and

exactly what information i use in

different ways and all the techniques

associated with that in a step-by-step

way

you can check the link below to have a

look at the study skills course that i

have

you can interact with me and learn my

techniques and ask me questions as well

anyway back to it

[Music]

a small point and a quick tip that i'll

like to point out uh just fyi here's

where i am in terms of my mind map so

far

[Music]

so i've got i've got here um some words

it says social emotional climate social

emotional competencies and educational

outcomes and commonly what i'll see a

lot of students doing even when they're

going through their mind maps and stuff

is they'll be writing those exact words

down and it's a very quick tip what you

can do is just reduce the words that are

unnecessary and it'll just simplify the

picture a little bit so you can see for

example i've only written climate

competencies and outcomes because it's a

topic about social emotional learning

i'm not going to forget that it's a

social emotional climate i'm not going

to somehow think that it's actually

talking about the temperature and

outcomes it's a topic about education i

know it's an educational outcome so if

there was an exception to that then

maybe i'd write that down like a mental

health outcome but i know it's not so i

don't need to write that down it just

reduces the words a little bit it just

simplifies the picture and it makes it

easier to visualize the flow of ideas

and how things are moving and another

quick example of how thinking about what

you're writing down for a moment can

really help to simplify and organize

more complicated ideas easily you can

see in this graph that there are a bunch

of different arrows here and it can be a

little bit hard to follow but and

students would often actually just write

this or draw this down exactly but if

you look at it really carefully what you

can notice is that actually all of these

arrows lead to kind of the same thing so

it can actually be simplified like this

right so now we have a much clearer

image of exactly what's going on

and it's just a little bit the shape you

can see is straight away it looks a

little bit simpler and a little bit

easier to remember and it's just not as

confusing so just like a tiny little

things that just a little bit of

thinking can really help to simplify now

this applied across an entire subject

you can imagine that the actual total

load that is reduced by even though in

this particular instances just a little

bit uh it really starts to stack up and

a more simplified understanding in your

mind means that as you're reading and

learning more it's easier to make those

connections and organize information

because you're just less burdened by

miscellaneous isolated facts floating

around and they're you know frantically

trying to organize them if you organize

as you go it's a lot easier to encode it

it's a lot easier to retain it you

forget less of it and therefore you need

to rely less on things like space

repetition in order to maintain that

awareness now you still will need things

like space repetition like i always say

it's a good adjunct to an existing

system but it's not going to be the

thing that really separates you out

unless you're doing absolutely no

revision but if you are you may find

that space repetition actually makes it

overwhelming in terms of how much you

need to study on a weekly or monthly

basis and this is the way that you break

out of that spiral you work on that

higher efficiency in coding and and all

of the different techniques that i teach

that are related to that

and it probably seems like no time has

passed but actually it's been four hours

i've had all of my um consultations and

things for the day and it's all done i'm

feeling surprisingly not very tired but

i forgot to have lunch so i'm just gonna

have some food right now and get back

into it but i thought i'd just show you

where i'm at at the moment in terms of

the system that i'm using and what the

situation is i'm at a level where my

knowledge of this topic is definitely

getting down to those details and it's

much more in depth and i feel like i

really could seriously discuss some of

these topics in them a lot of a lot of

detail and and remember at this point in

time i've only actually studied this

once a few days ago uh for like just

over an hour or actually just under an

hour and then once today for

50 minutes so in total there's only

about two hours of studying that's being

done

however i have covered a very

considerable amount of content probably

equivalent to a

final year high school

uh

three or four weeks of school now

obviously you know this video is not

really designed to be viewed in

isolation so if there are any techniques

i'm using that you're not really 100

sure about or you're just totally

confused about check out my other videos

or just leave a comment down below if

you want to get into it straight away

and you just want to learn how to do all

of this stuff for yourself then again

check the link below and um you can sign

up for my course so that's my study for

the week for this paper that's i'm

pretty much done now and that that

obviously gives me a lot of mental

freedom uh and that mental freedom is

the

knowledge that i don't have to worry

about you know studying more and reading

more things i can have the knowledge in

my head and i can spend the rest of the

week working with that knowledge you

know doing assignments things like that

so those of you that are still in school

you know it's the the idea would be like

okay study the the month in advance and

then for the rest of the month all

you're doing is practicing that

knowledge working with that knowledge

asking yourself challenging questions

things like that other revision

techniques that i um you know teach in

the course or we'll go through in other

youtube videos

so that's the idea is that in order to

break away from the crowd in order to

in order to um

be in a position where you're free from

the rat race of the daily grind you need

to be doing something that's actually

gonna free you from it you can't do the

same thing that got you into the grind

and then expected doing more of the

thing that got you in the grind is gonna

take you out of the grind uh you have to

do the thing that people that are in the

grind are not doing and at this current

state of time

uh people on the grind are on the space

repetition active recall

flash cards past papers grind they are

just relying on this endless retrieval

and fighting uphill against this like

wave of constant forgetting

but if you're just fundamentally

changing the process by having a higher

efficiency in coding and then you're

using the retrieval again as well and by

the way if these are terms that are not

that familiar to you you're not really

sure what i mean when i say encoding

versus retrieval and all that sort of

stuff then watch my other video about

how memory works and uh how how we can

use that to our advantage and then

you'll realize how it doesn't make

mathematical sense to be relying on

something like flash cards uh for like

the rest of your life or to get you know

top grades when the the vast majority of

students that are using flashcards are

not getting those grades that you want

to be great getting unless you the grade

you want to be getting is just the past

which is totally cool if that's your

thing but most of the people are

watching this probably that's not where

your goal lies thanks for paying

attention and i will catch you in the

next one

[Music]

you