How to Study When You're Tired (from a Med Student)
Summary
TLDRSalim, a med student with over 7 years of university experience, shares his three-part 'Reawaken Method' to boost study productivity, even when you're tired. The method emphasizes energy management over time, realistic goal-setting, and maximizing downtime for study. Salim encourages setting deadlines, taking active breaks, and using brief moments to stay engaged. He also highlights the importance of effective lecture time, building study discipline, and maintaining a consistent sleep routine. Salim concludes by recommending the Brilliant platform for interactive learning and how AI tools can enhance study efficiency.
Takeaways
- š§ Maximize study sessions by focusing on energy levels instead of time, incorporating active rest to stay productive.
- ā³ Use Parkinsonās Law: Set a deadline for when to stop studying rather than focusing on when to start.
- šļøāāļø Active rest before and after study sessions, like going to the gym or playing piano, helps recharge energy.
- š Avoid overloading yourself with unrealistic study plans; prioritize tasks based on whatās truly urgent.
- ā Break large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks to avoid burnoutādoing something small is better than nothing.
- š Maximize downtime, like commuting or at the gym, by studying on your phone to keep your mind engaged.
- š§ Avoid taking extensive notes during lectures. Instead, listen and understand during class to reduce post-lecture study time.
- ā³ Build discipline by gradually increasing study time, starting with just 5 minutes when feeling tired.
- š Studying in public spaces like libraries can increase productivity due to accountability and reduced distractions.
- š Consistent wake-up times help establish a natural sleep routine and improve overall energy levels.
Q & A
What is the main focus of Salim's video?
-The main focus of Salim's video is to share strategies for maximizing study sessions even when feeling tired, so that students can have more time for other activities they care about.
What is the Reawaken Method?
-The Reawaken Method is a set of strategies that Salim outlines to help students improve their study sessions and manage their energy and time more effectively.
What is Parkinson's Law and how does it apply to studying?
-Parkinson's Law is the idea that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. In studying, Salim suggests setting a deadline for when to stop studying rather than when to start, to create a sense of urgency and improve productivity.
Why is active rest important before and after study sessions?
-Active rest is important to recharge energy levels and prevent burnout. Salim recommends scheduling time for activities like going to the gym or playing the piano to refresh the mind and maintain focus during study sessions.
What is the significance of creating a realistic to-do list?
-Creating a realistic to-do list helps in managing expectations and avoiding overcomplication. It allows students to prioritize tasks and understand the urgency of each task, which can lead to more efficient study sessions.
How can breaking tasks into smaller, achievable goals benefit students?
-Breaking tasks into smaller goals can make them feel more manageable and less overwhelming. This approach helps maintain momentum and motivation, as completing smaller tasks can lead to a sense of accomplishment and progress.
Why is it beneficial to study during downtime, such as on the train or at the gym?
-Studying during downtime keeps the mind engaged and prevents wasted time. It also helps to make use of otherwise unproductive moments and can contribute to a consistent study habit.
What is the 5-minute rule Salim mentions for studying when feeling tired?
-The 5-minute rule is a technique where one commits to studying for at least five minutes when feeling mentally resistant or tired. This can help overcome the initial hurdle of starting to study and often leads to longer study sessions.
How can studying with a friend or in a public place like a library improve focus?
-Studying with a friend or in a public place like a library provides a sense of accountability and a more focused environment. The presence of others working can motivate students to stay on task and resist distractions.
What role does sleep routine play in managing tiredness after school or university?
-A consistent sleep routine is crucial for managing tiredness. Salim emphasizes the importance of waking up at the same time every day to regulate the body's internal clock and improve sleep quality.
What are the two common reasons Salim suggests for feeling tired all the time?
-Salim suggests that a high-carb lunch and potential anemia are two common reasons for constant tiredness. Adjusting diet and getting a blood test to check for anemia can help manage this issue.
Outlines
šÆ Maximizing Study Sessions While Tired
In this introduction, Salim, a med student with over seven years of university experience, discusses how to maintain focus and productivity during study sessions, even when tired. He introduces the 'Reawaken Method,' a set of strategies to maximize study efficiency and promises that at least one will be helpful. The first strategy is previewed, and Salim emphasizes the importance of time management and rest during study sessions.
ā³ Applying Parkinson's Law for Better Focus
Salim explains how students can avoid distractions by applying Parkinson's law, which involves setting a strict deadline to stop studying rather than focusing on when to start. He also advocates for incorporating 'active rest' before and after study sessions, such as going to the gym or watching TV. By prioritizing energy levels over time, students can improve their productivity and avoid burnout.
š Setting Realistic Goals for Productivity
Salim addresses how students often set unrealistic study expectations, which leads to tiredness and inefficiency. He suggests creating a realistic to-do list for the week and prioritizing tasks based on urgency. By breaking down tasks into smaller, achievable goalsālike completing just five practice questions or writing 100 wordsāstudents can stay productive without feeling overwhelmed.
š Maximizing Downtime for Success
Salim highlights how top 1% students maximize their time by using downtime, such as commuting or gym breaks, to study. These small increments of study time accumulate and keep the mind engaged, helping to prevent tiredness and distractions. This strategy doesnāt require drastic lifestyle changes but encourages students to make better use of idle moments.
š Sponsored Study Tool: Brilliant
Salim introduces Brilliant, an online learning platform that helps students improve their critical thinking skills, especially in STEM subjects. He praises Brilliantās hands-on, interactive learning approach and recommends it as an effective tool to enhance study sessions, especially when preparing for exams.
š« Ineffective Time Use at School or University
Salim argues that students who need to study extensively after a full day at school or university are likely not using their time effectively during lectures. He recalls how he used to take excessive notes, which led to more work later. He advises students to change their approachāby focusing on understanding during lectures or studying something else if the lecture isnāt usefulāso they can reduce the amount of study needed at home.
šŖ Building Discipline Through Small Steps
Salim compares the mental resistance to studying with the resistance to going to the gym, stating that starting is the hardest part. He advises students to build their discipline gradually, applying the '5-minute rule' to ease into study sessions. This technique, combined with setting achievable study goals and holding themselves accountable, helps students push through tiredness and build a consistent study habit.
š Sleep and Diet: Key Biological Factors
Salim explains how maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can significantly reduce tiredness and improve study productivity. He stresses the importance of waking up at the same time each day to regulate the body's circadian rhythm. Additionally, he suggests adjusting diet, especially reducing carb intake at lunch, and checking for conditions like anemia, which may contribute to chronic fatigue.
š¤ Enhancing Productivity with AI
Salim wraps up by introducing AI as an underutilized tool for boosting study efficiency. He teases a follow-up video where he shares simple steps on how students can use AI to make studying faster and more effective, encouraging viewers to watch and learn more about these methods.
Mindmap
Keywords
š”Parkinsonās Law
š”Active Rest
š”Realistic To-Do List
š”Small, Achievable Tasks
š”Maximizing Downtime
š”Discipline
š”Sleep Routine
š”Carbohydrates and Diet
š”Anaemia
š”Circadian Rhythm
Highlights
Introduction of the Reawaken Method, which offers strategies to maximize study sessions even when tired.
Parkinsonās Law: Focus on setting a deadline for when to stop studying rather than when to start.
Active rest before and after study sessions to recharge energy and prevent distractions.
Top 1% students use their downtime effectively, studying during spare moments like train rides or gym breaks.
The importance of a realistic to-do list for the week, focusing on priorities rather than overloading tasks.
Breaking large tasks into smaller, achievable ones to manage energy levels and avoid burnout.
Instead of taking notes on everything during lectures, listen actively to avoid needing additional study time later.
Building study discipline by starting with just 5 minutes of study time when feeling tired and progressively increasing.
Studying in public spaces like libraries or coffee shops can help maintain focus and resist distractions.
Regulating sleep schedules by waking up at the same time daily to improve sleep quality and reduce fatigue.
Reducing carb intake at lunch to avoid post-meal sleepiness and maintain focus.
The possibility of tiredness being linked to common conditions like anemia, emphasizing the importance of a blood test.
How to use AI to study 10x faster, promising greater efficiency with simple steps.
Utilizing moments of rest or transitions to keep the mind engaged, making study time more effective.
Learning from Brilliant, an interactive platform proven to enhance problem-solving skills in STEM subjects.
Transcripts
Imagine if you could always focus when you study,Ā Ā
instead of having to force yourself whenĀ youāre tired and when you canāt concentrate..
Iām Salim, Iām a med student and Iāve also doneĀ an undergrad and postgraduate degree - and overĀ Ā
my 7 years at uni, Iāve figured out howĀ to maximise my study sessions even whenĀ Ā
Iām tired, so that I still have timeĀ for more of the things I care about.
So Iāll go over the 3 strategies ofĀ The Reawaken Method - and at leastĀ Ā
one of the strategies is going toĀ help, so stick around until the end.
So the first strategy of thisĀ method has three parts to it,Ā Ā
and the third part is somethingĀ that top 1% students do.
And to start, I have a question - do youĀ easily get distracted when you study,Ā Ā
but still force yourself toĀ study, even with this bad focus?
The problem when youāre tired is that youĀ fall into this cycle of feeding into thoseĀ Ā
distractions, telling yourself that youāllĀ study for the rest of the day to make up.
But you know that doing this keeps you feelingĀ Ā
tired and only ends up as anĀ unproductive study session.
So thereās two things you need to do - the firstĀ is to apply Parkinsonās law, where instead ofĀ Ā
focusing on when you start studying, setĀ a deadline in the day for when to stop.
And the second thing is to give yourself timeĀ for active rest before you start studying,Ā Ā
and again after the deadline.
For me, after a full day at med school, myĀ first active rest would be going to the gym,Ā Ā
then setting a deadline to get a specificĀ amount of studying done by 10pm, with theĀ Ā
second active rest after that, where IĀ play the piano or even just watch TV.
This works because instead of focusing on time,Ā you focus on energy - since you'll avoid studyingĀ Ā
when your energy is low right after schoolĀ or uni because you wonāt even be productive.
Studies found this time pressure to be oneĀ of the best ways to getting things done, andĀ Ā
having time scheduled for active rest rechargesĀ your energy between different study sessions - soĀ Ā
that you donāt fall into that trap of feedingĀ into your tiredness and getting distracted.
So thatās the first part of the first strategyĀ of this method. And for the next part,Ā Ā
I have another question - do you believe that theĀ amount of work you give yourself is realistic?
Because Iāve noticed how a lot ofĀ students overcomplicate things,Ā Ā
thinking that they have to do theirĀ assignment, their homework and studyĀ Ā
for 5 hours all in one day. But howĀ many times have you actually done this?
Probably not much, but youāveĀ still made it this far.
So instead of piling things up and makingĀ yourself tired, thereās two things you should do.
The first is to create a realistic to do list forĀ the whole week. And for each thing you need to do,Ā Ā
ask yourself, whatās the worst thing thatĀ could happen if you push it for later,Ā Ā
and prioritise something else instead?
When Iāve tried this, I realised that a lot ofĀ things arenāt that urgent. For example the otherĀ Ā
week I was meant to do some pre-reading for myĀ online GP placement - but this wouldāve takenĀ Ā
me at least 4 hours to do, and I had otherĀ things to do like study for a mock exam.
But I realised, not doing the pre-readingĀ would mean Iād be a little bit lost atĀ Ā
the start of the session and not answerĀ things correctly, but thatās about it.
So I decided to not do the pre-reading,Ā Ā
and use that time to study forĀ my mock - and it ended up okay.
And the second thing you need to realise is thatĀ the energy you need for a task might be moreĀ Ā
than the energy you have. And thatās becauseĀ you're looking at the task as one big thing.
But life is flexible, you donātĀ have to get something done allĀ Ā
in one go - so what you should doĀ is set small, achievable tasks.
If you donāt have the energyĀ to do 100 practice questions,Ā Ā
do 5, or if you canāt finish yourĀ whole assignment, write 100 words.
Doing something no matter how small, isĀ still better than doing nothing - andĀ Ā
these two points focus on being realistic withĀ what you can do instead of setting unrealisticĀ Ā
standards and then acting surprisedĀ when youāre tired and overworked.
Now for the third and finalĀ part of the first strategy,Ā Ā
i have a third question - when youāre going to orĀ coming back from school or uni, what do you do?
Because top 1% students makeĀ sure to maximise their time.
Whenever I have down time, whether thatās onĀ the train or at the gym between workout sets,Ā Ā
I study on my phone, and I do this without fail.
Those minutes might not seem significant,Ā but they add up - and more importantly,Ā Ā
it keeps your mind engaged at times where you'dĀ otherwise daydream and start feeling more tired.
This is something anyone can do - because IāmĀ not asking you to wake up earlier or sleep later,Ā Ā
Iām asking you to maximise theĀ time where youāre doing nothing.
And before I get to the second strategy of thisĀ method, one thing Iāve done for over 100 daysĀ Ā
to get my brain engaged and start off my studyĀ sessions, is using our quick sponsor of the video,Ā Ā
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And it helps that Brilliant has aĀ hands-on problem solving approachĀ Ā
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Now the second strategy of this methodĀ also has three main parts to it.
And for the first part, Iāll be honest -Ā if youāre at school or uni for a full day,Ā Ā
and feel that you still need to study a lot whenĀ you get home, then youāre doing something wrong.
Because throughout school, myĀ undergrad and postgraduate degrees,Ā Ā
and even now at med school, the onlyĀ times Iāve felt that I had to studyĀ Ā
all day after a full day at uni wasĀ when I knew I wasted time at uni.
And usually thatās because I didnāt spend my timeĀ in lectures effectively - for example I rememberĀ Ā
how I used to take notes on everything a professorĀ said in my lecture, but because I was so focusedĀ Ā
on writing things down, Iād then have to spendĀ more time after to understand and organise it.
But when I instead chose to just sit and listen,Ā or sometimes even do unrelated work in theĀ Ā
lecture, Iād end up being more productive and noĀ longer have to spend all evening studying more.
So if youāre not learning much at school or uni,Ā Ā
change your approach to learning. ThisĀ could be taking an active effort toĀ Ā
maintain focus when youāre sitting inĀ your lesson by answering questions,Ā Ā
or if your teacher isn't doing a good job ofĀ teaching, use that time to study something else.
These are hours of your day you donātĀ want to waste not learning anything,Ā Ā
only to then feel tired when you get home.
Now the second part of this strategy is realisingĀ that a lot of the time, itās the thought of doingĀ Ā
work that makes you feel tired, as opposedĀ to you being physically tired or burnt out.
And I like comparing it to going to the gymĀ - the hard part of exercising is gettingĀ Ā
started and building the habit of going thereĀ consistently so that you can see the results.
But once you get going, it only gets easier.
So to build this tolerance againstĀ feeling tired after school or uni,Ā Ā
you need to build your discipline. And thatāsĀ by studying especially when you donāt want to.
But you might be thinking, how can you forceĀ discipline if youāve got no discipline?
So just as how at the gym you progressivelyĀ increase the weights you lift, you need toĀ Ā
progressively increase how long you study for,Ā when you have this mental resistance to studying.
And Iām not asking you to make yourselfĀ study for 10 hours - instead, apply theĀ Ā
5 minute rule where you just spend 5Ā minutes to study when you feel tired,Ā Ā
and if you can get yourself to doĀ more, push through and keep it going.
Keep track of when you stop so that whenĀ itās the next time youāre feeling tiredĀ Ā
and you need to study, you have a target to reach.
This isnāt just about making it a game,Ā itās also about creating a habit of studyingĀ Ā
when you feel like youāre tired, so that itĀ becomes natural to you. Because eventually,Ā Ā
this form of feeling tired wonāt happen asĀ much and youāll be able to keep it going.
And if you want longer studyĀ sessions for when youāre tired,Ā Ā
it helps to have accountability by studyingĀ with a friend or going to the library.
Because on average, youāre moreĀ likely to waste time at home,Ā Ā
since no one is around to catch youĀ getting distracted and force you to study.
But in a library or coffee shop, youāreĀ more conscious of your surroundings andĀ Ā
what other people are doing, andĀ seeing everyone else work helpsĀ Ā
you do the same regardless of howĀ much resistance you initially feel.
Now the third and final strategy of this methodĀ has two parts and itās about human biology.
And as Iām sure you already know,Ā Ā
one of the biggest things that makesĀ you feel tired is a bad sleep routine.
But this isnāt about making sureĀ to sleep 7, 8, or 9 hours a day.
Because the best thing you can do forĀ sleep right now is making sure to sleepĀ Ā
at the same time every day, and moreĀ importantly, wake up at the same time.
The idea is, as you keep waking upĀ at the same time in the morning,Ā Ā
youāll start feeling sleepyĀ at a regular time at night,Ā Ā
and that makes your bedtime fall inĀ place to how much sleep your body needs.
For example, my sleep scheduleĀ was pretty bad before, becauseĀ Ā
even though Iād get 8 hours of sleep, IādĀ get into bed or wake up at awkward hours.
But after just a week of waking up for 7am, IĀ started to naturally feel tired at around 1130pm,Ā Ā
and I also got better quality sleep soĀ that I didnāt wake up feeling tired,Ā Ā
or feel randomly sleepy at 5pm - so listen toĀ your body to have this healthy circadian rhythm.
But now, you could have tried every tip andĀ still find that youāre tired after school or uni.
And that could be because of twoĀ surprisingly common things. TheĀ Ā
first could be your diet - like wheneverĀ I had a lot of carbs for lunch, Iād almostĀ Ā
always feel sleepy after. But immediately afterĀ dropping the amount of carbs I had for lunch,Ā Ā
I stopped getting this tiredness. So if you haveĀ a lot of carbs for lunch, try doing the same.
The second reason for why youāre tired all theĀ time no matter what you try might be becauseĀ Ā
you have anaemia, since thatās relatively common.Ā So maybe you need a blood test to see if you haveĀ Ā
low iron or something else, so that you can getĀ some supplements to help manage your symptoms.
So managing tiredness after school or uni canĀ Ā
maximise your study sessions so thatĀ you can still get the rest you need.
But something I donāt see manyĀ students do that can very easilyĀ Ā
boost study productivity is usingĀ AI to make studying more efficient.
So in this video here, I talk about howĀ you can use AI to study 10x faster fromĀ Ā
today with some very simple stepsĀ - so click the video to learn more.
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