How to Win at College
Details
Title : How to Win at College Author(s): Cal Newport
Rough Notes
The following are points that relate to me.
- Don't do all of your reading: Skim the content, aim to learn the concepts.
- Create a Sunday ritual: To prepare for the upcoming week to start with some momentum.
- Start long term projects the day they start: Start with an outline and potential thesis statements.
- Make your bed: A clean room leads a focused mind.
- Built study systems: Have a systemized plan for what you will review, in what format, and how many times.
- Read a newspaper everyday: Treat is as a mental exercise.
- Do one thing better anyone else you know: This is good for self-confidence, e.g. cooking.
- Avoid daily todo lists: Rather have a flexible system with times blocked for essential events/tasks first.
- Learn to give up: This is a tactical skill rather than a weakness.
- Never nap: Go for a walk or light exercise if you get this feeling.
- Always be working on a grand project.
- Take art history and astronomy: These courses are give good perspective.
- Pay your dues: In the beginning of your research, do things that make work easy for the research team etc.
- Study in 50 minute chunks: This is the most time people can focus in one go.
- Schedule your free time: Leisure activities are good, and scheduling helps to make sure they are not overdone.
- Dress nicely: This makes you feel happy, which is good.
- Decorate your room: This helps have a positive effect on your mood and energy.
- Start studying 2 weeks in advance: This brings momentum and helps avoid any unforeseen dips.
- Write outside of class: The ability to express your thoughts clearly is extremely important.
- Eat alone twice a day: Too much social meals are a black hole.
- Find an escape: A place far away from the work environment
- Don't study in your room: Rather work in an environment meant for study like the library.
- Don't study in groups: Nothing beats lonely concentration.
- Do schoolwork everyday: This creates a cycle of reinforcement and productivity.
- Attend guest lectures.
- Exercise 5 days a week: The boost in physical energy and mental motivation is good.
- Stay in touch: Say once a month with your close friends back home.
- Meet often with your advisor.
- Don't get a normal job: Rather find a strategic job related to your subject.
- Use 3 days to write a paper.
- Don't undersleep or oversleep.
- Relax before exams.
- Make friends your #1 priority.
- Ignore other people's success.
- Seek out phenominal achievers.
- Learn to listen.
- Never pull an all-nighter.
- Laugh everyday.
- Use high-quality notebooks.
- Keep a work-progress journal.
- Seek out fun.
- Inflate your ambition.
- Set arbitrary deadlines.
- Eat healthy.
- Write as if you're going for a Pulitzer.
- Attend political rallies.
- Maximize your summers.
- Choose goals, explore routes.
- Don't network.
- Publish op-eds.
- Use a filing cabinet.
- Find a secret study space.
- Study with the quiz-and-recall method.
- Empty your inbox.
- Relax before sleep.
- Spend a semester studying abroad.
- Don't have no regrets.