5 min read
“Why Most Study Methods Are Too Good To Be True”
Introduction
Recently, I’ve seen many videos online of people presenting these so-called “secret” and “magical” methods to learn extremely quickly, when in reality, it’s nothing but lies in order to get you to click and improve their retention and video performance.
The truth is: a majority of the internet is like this. And it works.
They present a really interesting hook that reels you in instantly and sustains your attention until the end of the video.
What I’m here to tell you is: there is no secret formula or step-by-step process. There never was. Usually, to study well and learn a new piece of information as fast as possible, you need to use common logic and piece things together. You need to do this. You need to do that. What’s really hard is what you already know. Discipline.
However, I must say that there are a few exceptions that I’d like to bring up. Firstly, there are some methods of which you’ve probably never heard of before, and are still extremely useful for learning something new. Second, some of these methods actually work, and can be useful for any educational purpose at all. But, again, there are a few exceptions (and by that I mean: some suck).
Today, I wish to show you some of these methods and enlighten you on why your current study process, or whatever you’ve read or watched online, probably isn’t good enough.
Acknowledgement
You have to understand what all of this is for anyways. You might want to simply study better, or just learn a new skill or piece of information. Done.
Next, you have to ignore practically everything you’ve seen online. Earlier, I briefly mentioned how some people present these magical formulas or secrets for studying and retaining information; when there really is no secret. Instead, you actually know everything you have to do.
Learning is one of the funnest, yet simultaneously productive habits that you can grasp if you do it right. It takes a while to learn, and yes, that means you have to learn how to learn. I won’t exactly explain that today, but I’ll explain something else of which you’ll probably find equally as useful.
Before I do that however, I want to go into slightly more detail on what I touched on before.
Many people online will say that there’s some secret pathway that, once you click on their video and give them a view, will change you from becoming an average, slow-paced learner, to a fast and efficient learner that can pack an 8 hour lesson into 30 minutes.
Hard Truth
Im sorry, but unless you developed a mental adaptation overnight, or were extremely bad condition the day prior (extremely poor sleep, lack of energy, low food consumption, stress with another concerning activity or event that’s unrelated), that’s impossible.
I’ve done practically everything there is, and I have definitely improved my learning speed beyond what most people can (I probably sound extremely cocky, but I’m only telling the truth), and can for sure tell you that I’ve enhanced my learning speed by a large margin compared to just a year ago; but, not by the exaggerated amount that people make up.
Be reasonable with yourself. Don’t chase a goal that outruns you and runs on forever.
Don’t Be Discouraged
Learning to become a better learner takes time, and I learned that years ago. I still hope to learn at a faster rate, even if the difference is just a minimal 5 or 10% from today. But, right now, it’s really hard for me to do that.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be a believer in surpassing your limits and shattering your perceived potential; that’s definitely possible, but sometimes limits are there for a good reason – to beat you down and humble you. You can only learn so fast. You are currently in a position right now where you look to improve, but in order to improve to the extent that you hope to reach, you need to dedicate a certain amount of time that exceeds how most are willing to look at the situation.
So, be proud of where you are right now. At least you care. All you need to do now is put in the work. But it won’t be easy.
There’s Two Ways
To become a better learner, there’s two primary ways.
The first way is the short way. This is the road I’ll be guiding you down today. The second way is the long way on the other hand. However, if followed accordingly, it can grant you far better learning abilities, essentially guaranteed. And it works for everyone.
Both paths work just fine, just that, if you’re preparing for a major upcoming exam, or need to learn a new job skill in just the next couple of weeks, then the longer method probably won’t work. Trust me, it requires a lot of time. Probably more than you currently have right now for whatever you need to do.
(skip if under time constraint)
Please note: In the future I do plan on making a complete post on a full-length learning method and how to take things to the next level. On GG however, we already have plenty of posts covering how to learn quickly that are completely ready for you to see right now. They cover the in-depth details, additional information, and methods that you need to know to become a better learner for sure.
I don’t like teaching methods that are already well-known by most people because I know, myself, that I definitely don’t appreciate when someone acts like they have something new to teach but just end up teaching the same principles that everyone already is familiar with.
I don’t mean to downplay on anyone, as not all people are the same; and some offer some interesting methods that actually turn out to work surprisingly well. At the end of this post, I will link a video that that I saw months ago that encouraged me to make this post today (as well), and brought me much value when I first saw it for the first time too.
Ignore What You Know Already
Before we start, I want you to clear your mind of everything you already know. You almost definitely have heard of spaced repetition, active recall, pomodoros, and I don’t want you to consider those here.
Some of those methods work incredibly well, but others are so ashamedly bad that they shouldn’t be used for “high-active” studying by anyone.
So, again, clear your mind of all that. I want you to look deeper inside. Inside of you. That might sound strange, but just go with it here. If you were to take the time to sit down and try to learn something new. Whatever it might be. How do you think you might try to tackle it?
Drawing A Picture
For example, if you had to study for a math final that covered practically everything you’ve learned over the course of the entire year, what would it be? Would you read papers online to go into detail on the math implementations you learned? Or would you watch a bunch of videos online covering the math you learned in class? Or would you gather up with a bunch of classmates, maybe even host a group call, and each help each other solve individual problems from different units and lessons to master as much material as you can possibly fit? What might you do, if you were so desperate to improve in such a short period of time?
I want you to take that, and just throw that out too. You won’t be needing it either.
Instead, I’ll show you a few special tactics that have been proven with actual evidence to work for better learning. What I asked you above might work, and maybe some of you didn’t think about learning as in-depth as you maybe just did, but it won’t matter here.
You need results, and results fast. I got you.
Unique Study Methods You’ve Never Heard of Before
Method #1: Pre-Study Dopamine
A popular study tactic online is eating a piece of chocolate or consuming something delightful AFTER you study for X amount of time. It’s treated as a kind of “prize” for working for a certain period of time, and gives your brain the energy it needs, for even a short period of time, to work.
For me, however, this method never actually worked. I always knew that I could always just eat the sweet or whatever it was whenever I wanted – regardless if I got the work done or not. And of course, some of you might just say that all I needed was discipline.
However, adding discipline onto what I already had to do was just handing me more mental work to do. I didn’t want that.
So, here I’ll present a better tactic that requires no discipline at all. It works like this: instead of eating or drinking that delightful thing after you finished working, you should do it before. This creates anticipation and also tends to create a nice transition between you doing absolutely nothing and then immediately working. Of course, it’s not the best, and requires plenty more refinement, but it works like a charm if you’re just starting out.
This is a beginner technique and should only be treated as such once you’re starting out, or are attempting to perform lengthy mental work for the first time in months.
Method #2: Cold Exposure Intervals
This is interesting.
For this method, after a quick 5-minute study session (I know there isn’t much you can do with such little time, so do what you can; and set a timer), alternate with a 30-second cold water face splash.
Naturally, you will create a shock response to this action, and increases a neurotransmitter called “norepinephrine“, responsible for the body’s response to stress, blood pressure, and heart rate.
Method #3: “Fake Teaching”
This is a tactic that I regularly implement for a lot of things naturally, without even thinking about it; and it works like a charm.
To implement it, it’s simple. Learn a concept. And when I say learn it, I mean learn it as best as you can in as short of time as you can. With that knowledge you’ve gained by that point, I want you to immediately explain it to yourself in as much detail as you can, breaking down all the steps or just explaining all parts (depending on what kind of thing you’re learning).
For example, if I’m learning about the history of China, and the influential power of Confucius and his teachings, I would go into detail on a set of parts – not steps. A step-by-step process would only go for algorithmic-based subjects, like math, some branches of science, and some things technology-related.
Method #4: Absurd Correlations
Some things in school are just so hard to remember; and trying to remember them for what they are on the surface is just so incredibly unrealistic at times. So, why bother?
Instead, you can create your own visualization for that same concept. For example, instead of remembering Confucius for his teachings and his acknowledgements; maybe recognize that for an entire 2500 years, his teachings in Chinese society and government went absolutely untouched and untampered with. By that I mean: he was responsible for the foundations of a government and society that lasted for that long. That’s an accomplishment; and accomplishment that has literally never been seen in human history, ever.
Even more than that, for other concepts, you can make even more absurd correlations. The connection I made above wasn’t so crazy, but was rather the truth. However, it still helps to make connections like these because they help with the memorability of information that originally doesn’t seem to memorable at first.
Connect events that happened yesterday to 2000 years ago; or what happened 500 years to what happened just a few months ago. Make it easier for your brain to remember information.
Method #5: 300 Seconds
Set a timer for 300 seconds (5 minutes) and attempt to solve as many problems as you can while blasting high-paced music. Rock and most modern music suit well for this task. This urgency mimics having a close deadline; but ensures burnout does not happen.
The ideal outcome from doing this is that you end up training your brain to quickly solve problems and waste as little time as possible – maximizing your output while minimizing input. This works only for tasks of which you are completely good or familiar with; but struggle to optimize efficiency and speed.
Method #6: Ultradian Naps
Study for 90 minutes, then take a 20 minute nap right after. Exhaust yourself with the material you’ve covered by implementing 1-2 of the methods above to maximize speed and efficiency. This helps strengthen memory encoding of prior material.
Pair this with odor cues (like rosemary oil) while studying, and then nap for a 37% faster recall.
Yes, this works. I just found out too. I recommend you read it here where you can find out more in detail.
These naps are also called “sleep snacks” and take far greater advantage of every unit of time because better sleep and alertness maximize efficiency and speed to levels that you’d only ever experience in the first 1-3 hours of the morning.
Conclusion
Don’t believe the lie that surrounding “studying so good that it feels illegal”. Those people are usually the same people that offer the same low-level and basic-beginner methods that everyone in their dad knows. That advice helps no one. It’s useless.
Hopefully, with this post, I was able to answer some of the questions that traditional, modern advice can’t answer.
And for those asking, no, sadly, I couldn’t find the video I referred to earlier. It went something along the lines of “best study methods”, or “harvard study methods”, or something like that. If you ever find it, you’ll probably immediately know which one I’m talking about. It separates from the pack.
