Overview
This lecture covers three powerful strategies for improving exam performance with less effort: active testing, focused study sessions, and addressing the roots of procrastination.
Effective Study Techniques: Testing
- The most effective way to learn is through frequent self-testing, not just reviewing notes.
- A study showed students who tested themselves more outperformed those who just reread material.
- Testing includes doing past papers, quizzing yourself, or explaining concepts out loud.
- Mistakes during self-testing are part of the learning process and help your brain prioritize information.
- Confidence can be misleading; repeated review feels comfortable but is less effective than active recall.
Focus Like a Lion: Deep Work Principle
- Intense, distraction-free focus signals to your brain that material is important and worth memorizing.
- Study in focused “lion” sessions—short bursts of high energy followed by proper breaks—not long, distracted “sloth” sessions.
- Top-performing students schedule isolated, uninterrupted study blocks each day.
- After deep work, rest is essential for mental recovery and future focus.
Overcoming Procrastination & Unmet Needs
- Lack of focus and procrastination are symptoms of unconscious, unmet needs or fears (e.g., fear of failure).
- These hidden issues manifest as resistance to studying and cannot be solved by willpower alone.
- Bringing unconscious fears to light helps end the internal struggle and makes focus easier.
- Use "morning pages"—write stream-of-consciousness thoughts by hand for 5-10 minutes daily to uncover and process unconscious obstacles.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Active Recall — Testing yourself on material instead of passive review.
- Deep Work — Intense, focused, uninterrupted study sessions.
- Sloth Focus — Inefficient, distracted studying with frequent interruptions.
- Morning Pages — A journaling exercise to explore unconscious thoughts and reduce mental clutter.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Replace most review time with self-testing using past papers, quizzes, or explanations.
- Schedule daily "lion" study sessions with full focus and remove all distractions.
- Begin a daily practice of morning pages (handwritten, 5-10 minutes) to process thoughts and improve focus.
- Prioritize rest after intense study for better recovery and learning.