I Taught 2000 People How To Study. Here's What Actually Worked

Summary

The video script introduces the 'Broken Barrel' approach to learning, a strategy that has helped thousands reduce study time while maintaining excellence. It contrasts the ineffective 'Silver Bullet' method with a personalized approach focusing on individual strengths and weaknesses. The speaker emphasizes the importance of identifying and improving upon the five dimensions of learning: deep processing, self-regulation, mindset, retrieval, and self-management. A free quiz is offered to assess these dimensions and guide learners in applying the Broken Barrel method for effective study habits.

Takeaways

• 📚 The 'Broken Barrel' approach is a personalized learning strategy that focuses on identifying and improving one's weakest learning links first.
• 🔍 The 'Silver Bullet' approach, seeking a single best study technique, is ineffective because there is no one-size-fits-all solution for learning.
• 🧠 Deep processing is the ability to understand and extract meaningful learning from information, which is crucial for forming stronger memories and solving complex problems.
• 🤔 Self-regulation involves awareness of one's learning methods and the ability to adjust them to achieve goals, which is often a common weakness.
• 💡 Mindset is the response to stress, challenges, and mistakes, and it's critical for learning to learn as it involves trial and error.
• 🔄 Retrieval is the process of recalling and testing what has been learned, which is important for filling gaps in memory and improving fluency.
• 🕒 Self-management involves time management, prioritization, focus, and avoiding procrastination, often a frustrating dimension to fix.
• 🔑 Each of the five dimensions of learning (deep processing, self-regulation, mindset, retrieval, self-management) is equally important and a limitation in any one can hinder overall learning.
• 📉 The 'strengths first' approach, focusing on enhancing natural talents, isn't as effective in learning as addressing weaknesses because learning is often limited by the weakest link.
• 📈 The speaker offers a free quiz to assess learning strengths and weaknesses, which can help identify areas for improvement more accurately than generic techniques.
• 🚀 Personalized learning strategies, like the 'Broken Barrel' approach, are more effective than generic ones because they target individual learning weaknesses.

Q & A

What is the 'Broken Barrel' approach mentioned in the script?

The 'Broken Barrel' approach is a learning strategy that focuses on identifying and improving the weakest links in one's learning process. It suggests that instead of focusing on strengths, learners should address their weaknesses first to enhance their overall learning ability.

Why is the 'Silver Bullet' approach ineffective for learning?

The 'Silver Bullet' approach is ineffective because it assumes there is a single, magical solution to all learning problems. However, there is no universal technique that works for everyone in every situation, making this approach a waste of time.

What are the five dimensions of learning mentioned in the script?

The five dimensions of learning are deep processing, self-regulation, mindset, retrieval, and self-management. These dimensions collectively determine a person's learning ability.

What is deep processing and why is it important?

Deep processing is the ability to understand and extract meaningful learning from information. It is crucial because it allows for stronger memory formation, deeper understanding, and the ability to solve complex problems.

How does self-regulation impact learning?

Self-regulation involves the awareness of one's learning methods and the ability to adjust them to achieve goals. It is important because it helps learners adapt their study techniques to different subjects, time pressures, and levels of difficulty.

What role does mindset play in the learning process?

Mindset refers to how learners respond to stress, challenges, and making mistakes. It is crucial because learning involves trial and error, and a positive mindset helps learners embrace challenges and learn from mistakes.

Why is retrieval an important dimension of learning?

Retrieval is important because it involves recalling and testing what has been learned. It helps fill gaps in memory and ensures that learners can apply their knowledge effectively.

What is self-management in the context of learning?

Self-management in learning refers to how learners manage their time, prioritize tasks, manage focus and distractions, and avoid procrastination. It is essential for ensuring that learners spend their time effectively.

How can learners identify their learning strengths and weaknesses?

Learners can identify their strengths and weaknesses by using a personalized quiz created by the speaker, which assesses the five dimensions of learning and provides a report on the learner's strengths and weaknesses.

What is the recommended frequency for re-evaluating one's learning weaknesses?

The speaker recommends re-evaluating one's learning weaknesses every 3 to 4 months to see if they have changed and to adjust the focus of improvement accordingly.

What is the significance of the 'Broken Barrel' approach in improving learning outcomes?

The 'Broken Barrel' approach is significant because it personalizes the learning process by focusing on the learner's specific weaknesses. This targeted approach is more effective than general techniques, leading to faster improvement in learning ability.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Broken Barrel Approach to Learning

The speaker introduces a learning strategy called the Broken Barrel approach, which has been effective for thousands of people over the past decade. This method contrasts with the common but ineffective 'Silver Bullet' approach, which seeks a single, magical solution to all learning problems. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding one's learning strengths and weaknesses, rather than chasing a universal technique. The Broken Barrel approach focuses on identifying and improving weaknesses, which is more personalized and effective. The speaker mentions five dimensions of learning that need to be understood to apply this strategy effectively.

05:01

🔍 Identifying Weaknesses in Learning

The speaker explains the Broken Barrel approach in more detail, suggesting that learning is like a barrel with five planks, and one's ability to learn is limited by the shortest plank. The five dimensions of learning are likened to the planks of a barrel, and the speaker argues that focusing on improving weaknesses is crucial for overall learning improvement. The speaker also discusses the difficulty of identifying one's true learning weaknesses, which is often shrouded in what is referred to as the 'black box of learning.' A free quiz is introduced to help individuals assess their learning strengths and weaknesses, based on nearly 20,000 learners and validated by a study with Mones University.

10:01

🧠 Deep Processing and Self-Regulation

The speaker delves into the first two dimensions of learning: deep processing and self-regulation. Deep processing is the ability to understand and extract meaningful learning from information, which is crucial for forming stronger memories and solving complex problems. Self-regulation involves awareness of one's learning methods and the ability to adjust them to achieve goals. The speaker notes that while top learners may have good deep processing, it's essential not to copy their techniques without considering individual differences in self-regulation and other dimensions.

15:02

💪 Mindset and Overcoming Learning Challenges

The third dimension discussed is mindset, which is the ability to respond to stress, challenges, and mistakes. The speaker highlights the importance of a growth mindset in learning, as it enables individuals to experiment and learn from errors. Those who are afraid of making mistakes or feel overwhelmed by uncertainty may struggle to improve. The speaker shares that significant transformations often occur when individuals who were limited by mindset overcome it.

🔑 Retrieval and Self-Management

The speaker continues with the fourth dimension, retrieval, which is the process of recalling and testing what has been learned. A good retrieval practice involves a spaced retrieval schedule and challenging oneself at various difficulty levels. The final dimension is self-management, which encompasses time management, task prioritization, focus management, and avoiding procrastination. The speaker emphasizes the frustration of fixing self-management issues and the importance of sustainable and consistent practices in this area.

🚀 Implementing the Broken Barrel Approach

The speaker concludes by encouraging the use of the free quiz to identify learning strengths and weaknesses, which is essential for applying the Broken Barrel approach effectively. The quiz provides a personalized report on the learner's type and areas for improvement. The speaker reflects on their own experience with the quiz and the significant progress made by focusing on the right weaknesses. The link to the quiz is provided for viewers to try it out and improve their learning abilities.

Keywords

💡Learning Strategy

A learning strategy refers to a systematic approach or method used to enhance the learning process. In the context of the video, the speaker introduces the 'Broken Barrel' approach as a learning strategy that has been effective for many people. This strategy emphasizes identifying and improving upon one's weaknesses to become a better learner, as opposed to seeking a 'Silver Bullet' technique that doesn't exist.

💡Silver Bullet

The term 'Silver Bullet' is used metaphorically to describe a single, magical solution to all problems, which the speaker argues does not exist in learning. People who seek the best studying technique are said to be using the 'Silver Bullet approach,' which is deemed ineffective because learning is a complex process that requires a personalized strategy rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

💡Broken Barrel Approach

The 'Broken Barrel Approach' is the main learning strategy discussed in the video. It suggests that learners should focus on their weakest areas first, similar to fixing the broken staves in a barrel to increase its capacity. The approach is personalized and aims to improve learning by addressing individual weaknesses, making it an effective method for enhancing one's learning ability.

💡Strengths and Weaknesses

The video emphasizes the importance of understanding one's learning strengths and weaknesses. Strengths are natural talents or tendencies that can be enhanced, while weaknesses are areas that need improvement. The speaker argues that focusing on weaknesses is more beneficial for learning because one's overall learning ability is limited by their weakest link, as illustrated by the 'Broken Barrel' metaphor.

💡Deep Processing

Deep processing is defined as the ability to understand and extract meaningful learning from information. It is a key dimension of learning that allows for stronger memory formation, deeper understanding, and complex problem-solving. In the video, the speaker mentions that deep processing is a strength for some top learners, enabling them to perform well even with mediocre study techniques.

💡Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is the awareness of one's learning methods and the ability to make adjustments to achieve goals. It is a critical dimension of learning that involves understanding which techniques are effective and being able to modify them as needed. The speaker notes that self-regulation is often a weakness for those who lack clear ideas about their study methods and struggle to make improvements.

💡Mindset

Mindset, in the context of learning, refers to how individuals respond to stress, challenges, and making mistakes. It is a crucial dimension that affects one's ability to experiment and learn from errors. The speaker highlights that a growth mindset can be a significant strength, allowing learners to embrace challenges and improve over time.

💡Retrieval

Retrieval is the process of recalling and testing what has been learned. It is an important dimension of learning that helps to reinforce memory and fluency in applying knowledge. The speaker points out that while many students are aware of the benefits of retrieval practices like spaced repetition and flashcards, they may not see great results if retrieval is not their limiting weakness.

💡Self-Management

Self-management pertains to the ability to manage time, prioritize tasks, focus, and avoid procrastination. It is the final dimension discussed in the video and is often a frustrating area to improve. The speaker notes that effective self-management is essential for ensuring that time is spent wisely and that learning is not hindered by distractions or poor time management.

💡Personalized Learning

Personalized learning is the idea of tailoring educational approaches to meet the unique needs and learning styles of individual students. The video's theme of identifying and improving upon personal weaknesses aligns with the concept of personalized learning. The speaker advocates for a personalized approach over generic techniques, as it is more effective in addressing individual learning challenges.

💡Black Box of Learning

The 'Black Box of Learning' refers to the mysterious process of how time and effort translate into learning results. The speaker mentions this concept to illustrate the difficulty in understanding and identifying one's true learning weaknesses. It suggests that without opening this 'black box' and understanding the internal processes, it's challenging to effectively improve learning outcomes.

Highlights

Introduction of the Broken Barrel approach, a strategy for improving learning efficiency.

The Broken Barrel approach helps reduce study time from 20 hours to 2 hours a day while maintaining top grades.

Common learning methods and why they often fail to improve learning outcomes.

The Silver Bullet approach to learning is criticized for its ineffectiveness.

Historical context of the term 'Silver Bullet' and its relation to seeking a single solution.

The importance of recognizing individual learning strengths and weaknesses.

The Strength's First approach and its focus on enhancing natural talents for learning.

The analogy of the barrel and its broken planks to represent learning weaknesses.

The five dimensions of learning: deep processing, self-regulation, mindset, retrieval, and self-management.

Explanation of the Broken Barrel approach focusing on addressing the weakest learning links first.

The difficulty of identifying true learning weaknesses due to the 'black box of learning'.

Offering a free quiz to assess and evaluate learning strengths and weaknesses.

Description of the deep processing dimension and its role in forming stronger memories and problem-solving.

Self-regulation as the awareness and adjustment of learning methods and thought processes.

The mindset dimension and its impact on handling stress, challenges, and mistakes.

Retrieval as the process of recalling and testing previously learned information.

Self-management focusing on time management, prioritization, focus, and avoiding procrastination.

The effectiveness of the Broken Barrel approach in improving learning ability week by week.

Invitation to use the free quiz for personalized learning insights and starting the Broken Barrel approach.

Transcripts

there's a strategy for getting better at

learning that I've been using for the

thousands of people that I've coached

for the last 10 years it's a strategy

that not only helped me go from studying

20 hours a day to 2 hours a day while

maintaining top marks but also create

that kind of change in other people as

well I call it the Broken Barrel

approach and although everyone is

different I found that when used

correctly this approach is effective for

virtually every person I've ever coached

I'm going to show you exactly how you

can use the Broken Barrel approach as

well as explain the five Dimensions that

you have to understand to use the

approach in the first place but before

we get into that we need to understand

the more common ways that people try to

get better at learning and why that

absolutely does not work there are

generally three ways people try to

become a better learner the first one

which is the most common is the Silver

Bullet approach now if you have ever

asked what is the best studying

technique then you're probably using the

Silver Bullet approach

and this approach is pretty much doomed

to be a waste of time from the very

beginning so 80 years ago there was this

French writer called HRI purah who wrote

this novel about werewolves and this

werewolf was causing havoc in the town

but no one could stop this werewolf and

then at the end of the book this Hunter

comes up and shoots the werewolf with a

bullet cast out of silver and everyone

is sa and thus the term Silver Bullet

was was born so why is it that asking

what is the best studying technique the

Silver Bullet approach because it

assumes that there is a single almost

magical solution that solves all of your

learning and studying related problems

if this was true then learning to learn

would be very easy becoming a genius

would be a walk in the park uh but

unfortunately there is no such thing as

the best technique there is no Universal

trick or hack that works for everyone in

every circumstance uh for every

challenge for example flash cards are a

great technique for memorizing and

recalling isolated facts but they're

pretty useless for complex problem

solving this is why it's not a very

popular method for post-graduate study

or professional work likewise you can

have 10 different people using the exact

same studying technique and have very

different outcomes and as long as you're

looking for a silver bullet solution

you're never really going to get any

better at studying cuz you're looking

for something that actually doesn't

exist

once we accept the fact that there's no

such thing as a best studying Technique

we can ask the real questions that make

a difference like what are the parts of

the way that I learn that are helping me

which parts are holding me back and

importantly what are my learning

strengths and weaknesses everyone has

different strengths and weaknesses and

is the combination of these strengths

and weaknesses that determine the

results that you get which brings us to

the second less common but smarter

approach to improving studying which is

the strength's first approach and as the

name suggests this is when we focus on

our learning strengths and we enhance

them to get better at studying unlike

the Silver Bullet approach figuring out

our learning strengths and then making

them stronger is a lot more personalized

and when it comes to learning

personalized means effective so what

even is a learning strength well a

strength is something that you find

naturally easier to be good at they're a

manifestation of our natural talents and

tendencies which means that when we put

effort into improving them they can

become our Ultimate Weapon at least

that's the idea but when it comes to

learning and studying that doesn't

actually work and the reason is because

for learning you are only as good as

your weakest link so imagine this wooden

barrel is our ability to learn now if

one of these pieces is broken it doesn't

matter how high the other pieces are

when we try to fill the barrel with

water the highest level it's going to

reach is the level of the broken plank

now when it comes to learning there are

five planks that make up your learning

ability Barrel I call these the five

dimensions of learning and and these are

deep

processing

self-regulation

mindset

retrieval and

self-management I'll explain those

dimensions a little bit more later but

let's say for example I have great

processing skills which means I'm able

to understand Concepts deeply connect

information together for complex problem

solving but I have terrible retrieval

skills which means that I'm never really

revising what I learn therefore I'm

forgetting things needlessly and

therefore I'm going to be missing out on

marks it doesn't matter if my processing

ability is Sky High if my retrieval is

the broken part of the barrel then I'm

always going to be limited by that or if

I have great learning skills but then I

procrastinate like crazy well then again

I'm going to be limited by that which

means that for learning our results

reflect our weaknesses more than they

reflect our strengths which is why

instead of focusing on the strengths

first approach I'm going to teach you

the Broken Barrel approach the Broken

Barrel approach starts with addressing

the weakest links first the parts of our

Barrel that are the most broken and the

Broken Barrel approach is a GameChanger

because it ensures that your method of

learning is person personalized to what

is actually holding you back from being

better and remember when it comes to

learning personalized means more

effective so the Broken Barrel strategy

in itself is pretty straightforward

figure out your weaknesses and then

improve them until they're not your

weakness anymore re-evaluate see where

your next weakness is and rinse and

repeat I recommend re-evaluating to see

if your weaknesses have changed every 3

or 4 months the hard part is figuring

fing out your strengths and weaknesses

in the first place and for learning

figuring this out is not easy in fact

it's so not easy that there's even

research around something called the

black box of learning which basically

says that people know that in order for

them to get good results they need to

put in time and

effort but in terms of how that time and

effort becomes a result is inside what's

called the black box it's basically a

mystery and inside this black box are

the processes of learning and until we

are able to open up this black box and

see what's inside it we're never going

to be able to effectively translate our

time and effort into better results this

is the reason why I said that the Silver

Bullet approach was doomed to waste time

from the very beginning most people have

no idea which dimension they're weaker

in fact most people are not even

thinking about which weaknesses they

have in the first place and research has

repeatedly shown that people are pretty

bad at identifying their true learning

weaknesses which means you could spend

an entire week trying out a new learning

technique to see absolutely no

improvement because it's not targeting

the right part of your Barrel AKA you're

not targeting your weaknesses in fact

when you do this it actually makes it

even harder to improve than doing

nothing at all because now you've just

given yourself more things to think

about which is taking time and effort

and energy away from the things that

could be directly helping you to improve

as if you didn't have enough to worry

about already so how do we actually

figure out our learning strengths and

weaknesses when I coach people on a

one-on-one basis I'm able to open up the

black box for them I guide them to

figure out where their strengths and

weaknesses are and as a result I've been

able to help people who have strugg

strle to improve for years make multiple

breakthroughs in Just 2 or 3 months

obviously I can't do one-on ones with

every single one of you but I still want

to help you out so I've created a free

quiz that will ask you a series of

questions that assess and evaluate your

learning strengths and weaknesses the

calculation and questions are ones that

I've not only tested and refined across

almost 20,000 Learners going through my

paid program that I can study but I've

also conducted a study with Mones

University to assess its validity it's

free to use it only takes a few minutes

and at the end you'll get a personalized

report on your learning strengths and

weaknesses based on three of the most

important dimensions for most Learners

based on the combination of your results

it will also tell you your learner type

which helps you figure out which

dimension you should work on first I'll

leave a link in the description for you

to check that out now the reports will

go into a little bit more detail but

I'll briefly describe each of the five

dimensions and when they become

strengths versus weaknesses each

Dimension is equally important and

remember that a limitation in just one

of those Dimensions can limit your

overall result now the First Dimension

is the dimension that defines genius

when people talk about learning or

intelligence or or someone who's a

genius they're usually just talking

about this Dimension and that is deep

processing deep processing is your

ability to understand and extract

meaningful learning from from

information deep processing is what

allows you to form stronger memories

understand information more deeply form

connections between ideas and ultimately

use what you've learned to solve complex

problems deep processing is probably a

strength for you if you find it easy to

do well you don't have to study as much

as other people to do well and you feel

like your memory and depth of

understanding tend to be stronger than

most other people on the other hand and

it's probably a weakness if you struggle

to do well despite studying a lot it

takes you a long time to understand

Concepts or you struggle to apply your

knowledge in ways that are different to

how it was directly taught to you most

top Learners have pretty good deep

processing which is also why you

shouldn't just copy the study techniques

that top Learners use because they can

get away with using pretty mediocre

techniques and do well anyway because

they can compensate for it with just

better deep processing I like to think

of deep processing is how powerful the

engine is in your car but remember each

Dimension is equally important so if de

processing is the power of your engine

then what also matters is how well you

can drive the car and that's the next

Dimension the second dimension is self

regulation and I find that this is a

common weakness in most people that

haven't been trained on learning skills

which is most people self-regulation is

the awareness of how you learn the

methods you use the way that you think

and then your ability to then make

adjustments to those methods and

processes to achieve your goals this is

probably a strength if you have a clear

idea about how you study and which

methods you use you also know how you

think while you're using those methods

you understand which techniques are

helping you or harming you and you can

make adjustments to those techniques to

keep your learning effective even when

you have different time pressures uh

different subjects levels of difficulty

or different levels of energy now I'm

saying probably these are your strengths

and weaknesses because these are all

pretty generalized descriptions I still

recommend taking the quiz because it's

going to give you a much more

personalized look at which of your

weaknesses is limiting you the most and

to what magnitude anyway self-regulation

is probably a weakness for you if you

don't really know where to start with

improving the way that you study you

don't have a clear idea about what

methods or processes you use and you're

not sure how You' make a predictable

change in your results by adjusting your

techniques or processes self-regulation

becomes much more important usually in

the later years uh especially if your

deep processing isn't as high or your

deep processing is high but you're

aiming for a competitive result amongst

lots of other people that also have

highd processing now I would argue that

although every Dimension is equally

important the next Dimension is

potentially the most crucial of all I

say that because it's the most limiting

weakness and over 70% of Learners I've

assessed this is a dimension that

focuses on how we respond to stress

challenges and making mistake this third

dimension is called mindset here's the

thing learning to learn takes trial and

error it feels uncertain a lot of the

time most of the time and it requires a

lot of experimentation which means if

you are afraid of making mistakes and

you don't know how to handle

uncertainty you're not really going to

improve this is the kind of situation

where people can spend years trying to

get better at learning and make almost

zero progress the mindset Dimension is

probably a strength for you if you're

able to jump into new challenges and

experiment very easily you're also able

to make mistakes and learn from them

quickly on the other hand it's probably

a weakness if you don't like

experimenting because it feels uncertain

and you avoid making mistakes because

you're afraid of making them you might

feel a significant blow to your

confidence or self-esteem when you don't

do well and you might ask a lot of

clarifying questions before giving

something new AO these clarifying

questions are basically an attempt to

reduce the level of uncertainty and

avoid making mistakes having said that

hands down the most impressive

Transformations I've ever seen are the

ones who originally started off being

limited by the mindset Dimension and

then improved it now the next Dimension

is what takes a roar diamond and

polishes it into a sparkling gem you see

human memory is far from perfect and no

matter how good your deep processing or

self-regulation are there's always going

to be gaps uh there's always going to be

things that we forget and we can always

be faster or more fluent with applying

what we've learned this is the fourth

dimension retrieval retrieval is how we

recall and test ourselves on what we've

previously learned it's probably a

strength if you have a good space

retrieval schedule and you challenge

yourself at multiple levels of

difficulty it's probably a weakness if

you don't really review what you've

leared before at all or the way that you

challenge yourself isn't reflective of

the way that you actually need to use

your knowledge retrieval is actually a

dimension that many students score

pretty highly on and that's because

they've heard lots of great things about

space retrieval and flash cards uh

however most of those students also

aren't seeing great results and that's

because it's usually not their limiting

weakness in other words they weren't

using the Broken Barrel approach and

finally there is potentially no other

dimension that is as frustrating to fix

as the next one if you've ever wasted an

entire evening scrolling through social

media or binging your favorite series or

youve struggled to manage your time or

stay focused then you have been limited

by this final Dimension and that is

self-management self-management is the

dimension that is focused on the way

that you manage your time how you

prioritize your tasks how you manage

your focus and distractions how you

avoid procrastination basically ensure

that you're spending your time in the

way that you should be and it's probably

a strength for you if you can manage

your time and tasks sustainably and

consistently you prioritize your tasks

effectively ensuring that you're

spending your time on what really

matters you can manage your focus and

reduce distractions and you can mitigate

the procrastination tendencies that

everyone has it's probably a weakness if

basically you struggle with all of those

things uh or you can only do those in

short bursts of intense concentration

which is not sustainable once we figure

are where our true strengths and

weaknesses lie we can usually improve

our learning ability week after week in

fact when I'm coaching someone if I

don't see progress on a weekly basis it

tells me that we're probably not

focusing on the right true weakness so

please do make sure to use that free

quiz that I made for you guys it goes

through the first three dimensions which

are usually the most important for most

people in fact I I'll actually show you

how to use it so this is the quiz first

I'll start off by answering the

questions I'm not going to answer this

the way way that I used to study like 10

years ago when I was an amoeba floating

through the the learning

universe so you can see the results that

I've gotten here it said I'm a sprout

it's rated My overall score 65% honestly

feels kind of high compared to uh how it

felt at the time but I guess I did end

up doing pretty well in that year so uh

it goes through tells me exactly uh

which each dimension means for me how

much of an impact it has and what I need

to do about it and I also get a more

personalized uh comprehensive report

sent through in my email and I can now

take that information and start using

the Broken Barrel approach which I can

tell you is about a thousand times

faster than trying to figure out my

learning strengths and weaknesses like

years ago which required me to spend

years and thousands of hours trial and

error to figure it out again I'll leave

the link in the description for you to

check out I hope this approach gives you

as much success as it has for me and my

students thank you so much for watching

and I will see you in the next one