personal summary of this book
2016-04-23
As the author says in the introduction proudly, all the learning techniques in the book are used by top students themselves, not invented by so-called education experts. I strongly recommend this book to college students struggling to get good grades. Try the methods for some time and then see weather they work or not.
When students could't get the good result in school, the first response is to grind : spending tons of extra hours into study. It never occurs to them that their study methods are wrong.
I am one of those students. I went to college with the same study methods used in high school which was time-consuming and inefficient. I was asked by my teachers to study , study , study , but none of them had taught me anything about how to study. (“学习！学习！再学习！” Vs “学习学习，再学习。”）
"If you're studying hard, then you've done something wrong."
The methods expounded in this book are specific and practical.
Here are just some of the content I find most helpful to myself ( I major in engineering, so I gonna skip all the methods using in nontechnical courses.)
FROM PART ONE : study basics
# 1
Avoid "pseudo-working"（grinding). Only efficiency matters.
## Solution:
time management taking less then ten minutes every day using a calendar and a paper( consisted of "today's schedule" & "thing to remember" .）
## How it works：
(1) jot down new tasks and assignments on the list during the day;
(2) transfer these new items onto calendar
(3) plan your day on a new paper
## Notes：
### Be pessimistic .Things will come up.
### Try to label each of to-dos for the day with specific time. BUT the time is not set in stone, it's more of a suggestion.
### to-dos and deadlines existed only in your mind drain your energy, distract your attention and create stress, so after writing down those things on your " thing to remember" list, put them aside. Update to your calendar tomorrow and find yourself a suitable day to finish it.
### Have a realistic sense of time.The goal is just find out how many tasks you ACTUALLY have time to accomplish for the day.Don't try to fit every minutes into your plan.
# 2
Declare wars on procrastination
## Keep a progress journal updated along with your calendar.
## Build work routines to make steady progress.
## Prepare for your hard days in advance to minimize their impact.
# 3
Choose WHEN , WHERE and HOW LONG
1. WHEN: Fit as much work as possible into morning and afternoon. Utilize the time between classes and obligations.
2. WHERE: Find your own perfect Isolated locations to study. Be like a academic ninja during the day, moving from one hidden study places to places and enjoy your nights with friends.
3. HOW LONG: consecutive five hours studying will slow you down. Try to take a break every less than an hour.
FROM PART TWO: quizzes and exams
#4
Always go to class!
Take smart notes.
# 5
Demote your assignments.
Never depend on: day-before assignment planing. Work constantly in small chunks every day.
# 6
Don't work alone on problem sets.
When you get stuck , put away your problems and move on to something else. Think about the problem in between other activities or having a long walk.
# 7
How to prepare form exams:
(1) Define the scope of the exam.
(2) Collect your resources. Construct a mega-problem set.
(3) Use the Quiz-and-Recall method( first review and then try to explain it , unaided, in your own word ) to solve the mega-problem set.
Start with the technical explanation questions, thinking about the general concepts first.
Then move on to the sample problems. Try to answer each.DON'T JUST DO THIS IN YOUR HEAD.
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