the ASIAN SECRET to STUDYING EFFECTIVELY

Summary

This script emphasizes the importance of effective studying over long hours, advocating for 'deep work' to achieve peak concentration and efficient learning. The speaker, a self-proclaimed study expert, debunks the myth that time spent studying is directly proportional to knowledge gained. They recommend focusing on past papers and topic questions to target weaknesses and practice exam techniques. The script also addresses managing distractions by delaying them and setting specific goals for study sessions to maximize productivity and prevent burnout.

Takeaways

• 📚 Lifelong learning is essential for personal growth and achieving goals.
• 🎓 The speaker, a Korean student, criticizes the intense study culture in Korea, which can lead to burnout and inefficiency.
• 🤓 The speaker claims to be a 'study expert' and shares insights on effective studying methods.
• 🕒 Time spent studying does not equate to knowledge gained; efficiency is key.
• 💡 The concept of 'deep work' is introduced as a state of focused concentration that leads to better learning outcomes.
• 📉 The Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) is recommended for prioritizing study tasks to maximize results.
• 📝 Focusing on past papers and topic questions is more effective than note-taking for exam preparation.
• 🚫 Distractions are detrimental to studying; delaying gratification can help maintain focus.
• 🔒 Setting specific goals for each study session can improve productivity and ensure targeted learning.
• 🎯 Creating a study environment free from distractions can enhance deep work sessions.
• 📈 The speaker emphasizes the importance of effective studying over long hours, advocating for a balanced approach to education.

Q & A

What is the main message of the video script?

The main message is that effective studying doesn't require long hours but rather focused, efficient techniques such as deep work and the Pareto Principle to achieve better results in less time.

What is deep work and why is it important?

Deep work is a state of peak concentration that allows you to learn difficult things and create quality work quickly. It is important because it maximizes productivity and results in a shorter amount of time.

What is the Pareto Principle and how does it apply to studying?

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. In studying, this means focusing on the most effective methods, like practicing past papers and topic questions, to achieve the best results.

Why is it ineffective to focus solely on the number of hours spent studying?

Focusing solely on the number of hours spent studying is ineffective because it can lead to burnout and does not guarantee better learning outcomes. Quality and efficiency of study methods are more important.

What are the benefits of practicing past papers and topic questions?

Practicing past papers and topic questions helps identify gaps in knowledge, allows for targeted studying, and familiarizes students with exam formats and expectations, ultimately leading to better exam performance.

How can setting specific study goals improve efficiency?

Setting specific study goals provides a clear focus and direction, helping to avoid wasting time and increasing the likelihood of achieving study objectives efficiently.

Why is it important to manage distractions during study sessions?

Managing distractions is important because it allows for uninterrupted, focused study time, which enhances the effectiveness of deep work and leads to better retention and understanding of the material.

What is the suggested approach to dealing with distractions according to the script?

The suggested approach is to delay distractions by setting a specific time for focused study (e.g., two hours) and then allowing yourself to enjoy distractions like Netflix or social media guilt-free afterward.

Why is it a mistake to equate the amount of study time with knowledge gained?

It is a mistake because longer study times do not necessarily result in better knowledge retention. Effective study techniques and focused sessions are more beneficial than simply spending more hours studying.

What psychological effect does rewriting notes by hand have, and why is it not the most efficient method?

Rewriting notes by hand can create a false sense of productivity because it provides tangible evidence of study effort. However, it is not efficient because it doesn't prepare students for the specific format and demands of exams.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Embracing Lifelong Learning and Study Efficiency

The speaker introduces the concept of lifelong learning as an essential journey for personal growth and goal achievement. They share their experience with the intense Korean education system, which demands long hours of studying, and express their understanding of the inefficiency of such methods. The speaker, identifying as a 'studying expert,' emphasizes the importance of effective and efficient studying, debunking the myth that more time spent studying equates to more knowledge gained. They introduce the concept of 'deep work,' a state of focused concentration that leads to better learning outcomes in less time, and suggest that smart students practice this to excel without overworking themselves.

05:02

🎯 Prioritizing Study Techniques and Setting Specific Goals

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of focusing on high-yield study techniques, such as working on past papers and topic questions, rather than on less effective methods like note-taking and highlighting. They argue that these practical exercises better prepare students for exams and help identify knowledge gaps. The speaker also addresses the challenge of distractions, suggesting that students should delay gratification by committing to focused study sessions before indulging in leisure activities. They advocate for setting precise and specific goals for each study session to enhance productivity and ensure that time is used effectively. The paragraph concludes with a reminder that studying does not have to be a grueling process and that with the right approach, it can be both enjoyable and efficient.

Keywords

💡Lifelong learning

Lifelong learning refers to the continuous, self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional development. In the video, it emphasizes the importance of always being a student, continually acquiring new skills and understanding to achieve personal goals and self-discovery.

💡Deep work

Deep work is a state of focused, distraction-free concentration that allows individuals to learn hard things and produce high-quality work efficiently. The video highlights that achieving deep work can reduce the total study time while increasing productivity and results.

💡Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, suggests that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. In the context of studying, the video suggests focusing on the most effective study methods, like past paper questions, to maximize learning efficiency.

💡Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method where work is divided into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. The video mentions it as one of the various study techniques the speaker has tried over the years.

💡Practical past paper questions

Practical past paper questions involve practicing with previous exam questions to prepare for future tests. The video advocates this method as a more effective way to study compared to making notes, as it directly targets the skills needed for exams.

💡Distractions

Distractions are interruptions that prevent focused work and can severely impact productivity. The video discusses how modern distractions, like social media, can be managed by scheduling focused study periods followed by guilt-free leisure time.

💡Exam technique

Exam technique refers to the strategies and methods used to effectively approach and answer exam questions. The video stresses that mastering exam techniques is as important as learning the content, as it helps in performing well under exam conditions.

💡Goal setting

Goal setting involves defining specific, measurable objectives to achieve within a set timeframe. In the video, setting clear goals for each study session is highlighted as a way to enhance focus and productivity, ensuring that the time spent studying is used effectively.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency in studying means achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense. The video promotes efficient study methods, like deep work and the Pareto Principle, to help students achieve better results without excessive study hours.

💡Knowledge gained

Knowledge gained refers to the information and skills acquired through study and practice. The video challenges the notion that more study hours automatically lead to more knowledge, advocating for smarter, more focused study techniques to enhance learning outcomes.

Highlights

Lifelong learning is essential for personal growth and achieving goals.

The Korean education system is known for its intense study schedules, sometimes up to 16 hours a day.

The speaker claims to have become somewhat of a studying expert through experience.

Studying effectively is more important than the quantity of time spent studying.

The Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) suggests focusing on the 20% that brings 80% of the results.

Practical past paper questions are more valuable than making pretty notes.

Rewriting notes by hand is inefficient and doesn't prepare for exams.

Past papers and topic questions help identify knowledge gaps and exam techniques.

The feeling of accomplishment from note-taking can be misleading and unproductive.

Deep work is a state of peak concentration for efficient learning.

Setting specific goals for study sessions improves focus and efficiency.

Distractions are the enemy of focused study, and delaying them can help maintain concentration.

Creating a distraction-free environment is crucial for deep work.

The concept of deep work can be challenging to implement but is highly beneficial.

Studying should not be about the hours spent but the quality and outcomes of the sessions.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of enjoying the study process and avoiding burnout.

Transcripts

everyone is a student including you

lifelong learning is a Life School

essential for making progress towards

your goals discovering new things and

ultimately finding yourself and right

now in this moment I have to study for

the education system as I'm sure many of

you have to as well I'm Korean and Korea

is notorious for the 16 hours of

studying a day preschool lessons

preschool lessons homework literally

learning how to lose a dream just so you

can cram one of the two hours of sleep

that your mom lets you get but

thankfully I escaped from the country

yes but for my parents no and I think

throughout the years I've built up

enough knowledge to call myself somewhat

of a studying expert and I won't deny it

at school I am that guy the guy that

everyone hates because they seem to do

well no matter what they're Asian who

everyone calls having a new life rice

eating 20 hours a day studying good at

everything type of student they're Asian

students and not to too much

but I genuinely probably study at least

in my class and this is hard to digest

because surely if you spend more time in

something the rewards will be directly

proportional but that's not the case

throughout the years I've tried a lot

pretty notes highlighting Pomodoro

Technique Forest app studying tips and

tricks and throughout this journey I've

learned a few things along the way and

whether you're an adult or you're 12 and

just starting your Learning Journey this

video will be valuable to all because to

be able to study effectively and

efficiently is the key in not only

enjoying the studying aspects but also

getting the progress to make your

parents proud so this is how to study

made for students made by a student

firstly you have to let go of the

thought you have in your mind that time

studied equals knowledge gained you've

seen and heard it everywhere especially

in Asia how many hours does your child

study I study for 12 hours for this test

and it's like a propaganda machine

because not only does this course severe

depression but it's also shown to be

extremely ineffective it's like in the

gym doing three sets to failure is

better than doing 12 sets it's like it's

better to use LED lights than filament

bulbs because they're more efficient

it's like okay you get the message

sometimes less is more and as cool as it

sounds to please your Asian parents or

to flex on your friends that you study

for 10 hours a day the smartest students

know how to practice deep work and deep

work refers to a state of peak

concentration that lets you learn hard

things and create quality work quickly

it's essentially decreasing studying

time but increasing results and this

sounds so magical and golden right being

able to only study for two hours a day

but have a more fulfilling and more

efficient session but deep work is just

a concept and it's very general and

there are many steps like stepping

stones that you need to cross in order

to fully utilize them okay so the first

step we have to do is to apply a

principle it's the chord the Pareto

Principle the 80 20 rule because we've

already established that you're going to

drastically cut down the amount of time

you spend studying into let's call it

two hours a day so if you only had two

hours a day to study what would you do

you wouldn't make pretty notes and

highlighting them this is the part of

the 80 sure needs help but considering

the amount of help Roi investment return

you get these aren't worth doing instead

you're better off focusing on this 20

that will give you the eighty percent of

the results

so you would do practical past paper

questions and topic questions because in

the end the questions are what's going

to be on the test and what they're going

to be asking and make notes is good my

former study for the longest time was

rewriting notes by hand into this

notebook so that by the end I would have

Rewritten the whole topic and obviously

this does work to some extent but not

only is it inefficient it doesn't

actually prepare you for the exam itself

because you just learned the content but

exam technique is half of the equation

and this inefficiency becomes later when

you think about the fact that when you

write these notes you're writing on

everything so you're not able to Target

weaknesses and you ignore the fact that

you probably already know a good chunk

of this so you end up wasting time and

so that's why past papers topic

questions are so valuable because you

get to see where your gaps in the topic

are and then you consolidate those gaps

with knowledge and then you also get to

see the mark scheme which is the model

answer for you to look at and memorize

and there are many sites and I

personally use PMT and save my exams and

I realized that the reason I was writing

these notes is that you feel like you've

done a lot because when you copy the

notes and you get three four five pages

worth of notes you have this tangible

physical evidence that you tell yourself

damn I've studied really hard I've got

five pages worth of notes whereas in

fact that doesn't amount to knowledge

and whereas if you do past papers or

topic questions you don't actually get a

physical tangible piece of work that

you've completed so it doesn't feel like

you've actually studied

I'm the age of secret I'm spilling it

right now is that you just span these

topic questions past papers until for

example you have a biology test and they

just become easy like times table

questions what's eight times seven 56

what's the powers of the cell

mitochondria what's that bacteria cell

God damn and okay if you're in higher

education towards a level or university

I appreciate that memorizing everything

like times table isn't going to work but

the principle of saying past paper

questions topic questions specific

questions instead of just writing the

notes is a principle that you can agree

with and that's proven to be effective

the next section is about distractions

distractions are like Kryptonite to

students Bane to the arthropods social

interactions to emails okay you get it

you can all relate you try and sit down

and focus but the distractions are

always there the best way to avoid

distractions isn't to cut them out

although in an ideal world you could

just go cold turkey and cut out video

games all these distractions out of your

life but I appreciate how hard it is in

this day and age for you to just go on

your phone and delete all social media

apps so we can't get rid of them fully

so then how do we stay focused when we

have to work it's simple you just delay

it

you tell yourself you'll do two hours of

deep work and then after that you could

spend the day watching Netflix

guilt-free because we all know that

worst feeling is when you're watching

Netflix but you still have that exam you

haven't studied for but you have to

promise yourself that the condition is

you have to do those two hours fully 100

focused and distraction free and only if

you do that you're going to promise

yourself that you're going to enjoy

Netflix social media afterwards because

if you can truly focus on those two

hours I need two hours worth of deep

work it's more valuable than a whole

day's worth of work

and this works for some people and not

for others I appreciate that

are your bad habits go for it so while

you're doing deep work full screen word

or whatever you're doing turn off the

Wi-Fi bury your phone in a hole I don't

know make sure there's no things that

can distract you and that you can just

focus on your work and of course this

isn't going to work straight away we've

grown up in a world of distractions and

distractions are ever more prevalent

and I still mind as the autopilot of the

YouTube while working at this waste time

but it's a work in progress and tell

yourself that you want to get to the

stage where you can focus fully for

these two hours in an Ideal World we

will cut everything up but as I've

talked about this isn't something that

can just just be done overnight and the

third and last one is to be precise so

that's a goal for your two hour study

session because two hours realistically

is a very short time especially if

you're going to go from six eight hours

down to two for example I'm gonna do

plant reproduction in this two hour

session I'm going to do all the topic

questions and make sure I don't have any

gaps in my knowledge this is a specific

and smart Target setting and it doesn't

have to only be one thing but open up an

notepad and write down the list of

things you want to finish in that

allocated set of time because goal

setting in itself makes it so you're

more likely to achieve all those goals

and if you go into that session head

first without any idea what you're going

to do not only is that going to be a

cause of Destruction in yourself it's

going to take up a lot of time

considering what you're going to do

whereas if you sit down a note in your

head what you're already going to do

it's so much easier for you to just get

stuck in the task and focus then the

mistake that people make is that they

vaguely say oh I'm going to study and

they start flicking through their

textbook wasting hour after hour you

must create specific targets and by

doing this it's like you're a guided

missile and you're absolutely going to

decimate a specific area and nail that

topic and to conclude studying is made

to seem like this 10 hours a day wow yay

so cool type of thing but it's not I

promise if you learn how to utilize deep

work it will change your life making it

more fun leaving time for other things

and also prevent you from feeling burned

out and exhausted from studying so make

sure to do practical Focus study

sessions of practice questions and

distance yourself from any distractions

and lastly be precise and say Goals to

yourself to make sure that you actually

get things done in the session