Prince Rahul's Key Ideas from How to Become a Straight-A Student
by Cal Newport

• The work you accomplish equals the amount of time spent times how intense your focus was on what you were doing.
• Studies show that the optimal learning period is roughly 50 minutes so you should give yourself a break (don’t use phone on break) after working for one hour.

• Pseudo-work - looks like working, isn’t effective
• Work Accomplished = Time Spent * Intensity Of Focus
• Don’t read everything - prioritize favored sources
• Ask yourself the right questions to learn what you need to know without digging much deeper.

By reviewing the course material on a regular basis, it is more likely to really stick with you and you will actually understand the material. Periodic review is also a lot less stressful than cramming at the last minute.

• Make sure to always have a plan ahead of time, and to always be on top of important dates for tests and deadlines.
• Always carry a list with you so that you can write down anything new that comes up during the day. Spend five minutes each morning putting those items into your planner.

Every morning when you wake up, make a list of the most important work that needs to get done for that day. At the end of the day, write down any failed to dos and reasons. Seeing the same excuses over and over might tell you something and help you become more self-aware.

• Priority setters: If they’ve scheduled a study session, no matter what comes their way, they will stick to their commitment.
• Organized: A clear mind helps to focus better when studying and be less distracted,
• Reading faster !
• Schedule your time: If you’ve been assigned a huge project, don’t stress! Break it up into small parts and decide when you will get those parts done.
• Use your notes.
• Participate in conversations.

• Isolated location
• No distractions
• Habit - find a one hour slot per day that is always distraction-free, always use it for the same task.
• If overtime is likely, schedule in advance.
• Study early, in isolation, with hourly breaks

• Ask questions in class
• Talk to teacher after class
• Ask classmates
• Ask the internet

Clarify your doubts immediately!!

1. Collect questions and problems from notes
2. Answer out loud or on paper
3. Remove easy questions
4. Repeat until no questions left

• Always go to class and try to take the best notes possible.
• For nontechnical courses, capture the big ideas by taking notes in the question/evidence/conclusion format.
• For technical courses, record as many sample problems and answers as possible.

• Record as many sample problems as possible

In priority order:

1. Problem statement and answer
2. Ask questions for anything confusing
3. Record solution steps
4. Annotate steps with explanation

• Sleep: The ideal amount of sleep is eight hours. Sleeping less can affect your success and your ability to focus.
• Food: be sure to eat regular meals throughout the day, drink enough water, limit sugary drinks, and have plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Exercise: Research has found that physical activity improves your thinking skills and memory.
• Hydrate, eat well, don’t abuse caffeine.

• Work a little bit each day on your assignments; avoid suffering from day-before syndrome.
• Read only the favored sources on the syllabus in detail.
• Work in groups on problem sets, solve problems on the go.
• Write up your answers formally the first time.

These 3 magical P’s — planning, proceeding, and proofreading are key when it comes to passing exams successfully.

1. Planning means skimming through questions to see what’s ahead of you.
2. Proceeding means starting with the questions you can answer easily.
3. Proofreading includes leaving yourself time at the end to go over everything.

1. Look over the whole test first.
2. Figure out how much time you have to spend on each question (leaving a ten-minute cushion at the end).
3. Answer the questions in order of increasing difficulty.
4. Use any and all leftover time to check and recheck your work.