How to Become a Straight-A Student - Cal Newport. (978-0767922715)
How to Win at College - Cal Newport. (978-0767917872)
How to Be a High School Superstar - Cal Newport. (978-0767932585)
Ultralearning - Scott H. Young. (978-0062852687)
The First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman. (978-0670921928)
Learn Like a Pro - Barbara Oakley. (978-1250799371)
The Science of Rapid Skill Acquisition - Peter Hollins. (978-1797031859)
Build Rapid Expertise - Peter Hollins. (979-8615214790)
The Study Skills Handbook - Peter Hollins. (979-8540015615)
How to Teach Anything - Peter Hollins. (979-8599928690)
Feel-Good Productivity - Ali Abdaal. (978-1847943743)
Building a Second Brain - Tiago Forte. (978-1800812222)
Slow Productivity - Cal Newport. (978-0241652916)
The Only Study Guide You'll Ever Need - Jade Bowler. (978-1788704199)
Make It Stick - Peter C. Brown. (978-0674729018)
Active Recall / Test yourself :
Use flashcards .
Try the free and open source software Anki.
Use AI (e.g. ChatGPT or Bing Copilot) to generate flashcards.
Teach / ELI5 (Explain me Like I'm 5 years old, i.e. explain concepts with simple words.) (concepts).
Rubber ducking .Practice past/old exams.
Practice mock/practice exams/exercises/questions/problems. (often found in textbooks, on the internet or given by the professor.)
Make your own questions and answers (Q&A).
Find workbooks , problem books or solution books.
Consistency :
Study early (in the semester/year), study often (daily).
Build the habit of studying. Studying one hour everyday day for a week beats studying 7 hours in one day that week.
Good sleep :
Avoid cramming and all-nighters.
Avoid distractions / Go offline : no phones (social medias), no laptops, no tablets,...
Have a quiet and tidy study space/desk.
Use Spaced Repetition :
Interleaving : mix-and-match topics/subjects/questions/flashcards.
Blurting / Braindumping : start from a blank page and write down everything you know about a topic/concept.
Progressive Overload : start small and easy, then progressively increase the workload and the difficulty.KISS : a simple study routine beats a complex one.Retro Planning : start planning your study from the day of the exam and go backwards until today.
Set deadlines (in your planning) and fixed time slots (1 hour or 2 hours):
Take regular breaks.
Go for a walk outside. (Your brain needs oxygen.)
The VELMA Method :
V for Visualize : make diagrams, charts and drawings from the text. Make it visual.
E for Explain : Teach or ELI5.
L for Learn : ...
M for Mapping : use Mindmaps .
A for Analysis : ...
The ADEPT Method :
A for Analogy.
D for Diagram.
E for Example.
P for Plain-English.
T for Technical Description.
The 80/20 Principle : Focus on high-yield questions.
MPGA : Make Preparation / Pre-Reads Great Again.
Meta-Learning : make a log (a Spreadsheet for example) for every study sessions and reflect on what did good, bad, your study weakenesses, etc... Review the log regularly to improve yourself.
Use Acronyms and Mnemonics .
Enjoy the process of studying and make it enjoyable. (favorite drink/snacks, light music, personal reward,...)
Upsolving :
The process of solving questions/problems slightly harder than your current level.
Resolving :
Solving questions/problems again after some time can lead you to new perspectives or a better answer/solution.
Disaggregate concepts :
Split/break down concepts into smaller ones.
Use frameworks like the ADEPT method or the IRAC method for Case Briefing in Law.
Be MECE when disaggregating the concepts.
Make your own study guide :
Include an outline, learning objectives, core concepts (make an index ), personal tips and tricks about the subject, acronyms and mnemonics, interesting questions and answers, personal insights,...
Make an outline .
Synthetize, don't summarize :
Focus on insights, do not just reduce the size of the text.
Find a study buddy or join a study group.
Use the Cornell Notetaking system .
Use the SQ3R method .
Check the Study Skills and Learning methods Wikipedia pages for more techniques.
Re-reading your notes or your textbook.
Re-writing your notes or your textbook.
Highlighting/Circling/Underlining your notes or your textbook.
The Pomodoro Technique : take breaks when you feel like it instead.
Avoid rote learning . (Use Active Recall and Spaced Repetition instead.)