Content Mastery

Hi!

Tomorrow I write my first examination in pursuit of an Honours degree. Learning any sort of new content requires addressing challenges on two fronts:

1. Getting to the work

2. Getting through the work

Getting to the work involves those things that set you up for being productive - creating a study plan, finding motivation, understanding the breadth of the curriculum that needs to be covered. Getting through the work is the hands-to-the-plough process of studying the content. Both these fronts present their own set of challenges and hurdles. In this newsletter, I explore tools and techniques that have helped me maximise my academic productivity and assimilate content thoroughly.

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(1) Getting to the work

• Plan.
  No matter how you plan, just make sure you plan. The process of planning provides a mental map of a course' scope, expectations and outcomes. This can help inform decisions about the type and level of engagement that the course demands - does it require philosophical thought, scientific rigor or rote memorization? And when the plan goes askew, as it inevitably will, just revise the plan. The important bit is to do the planning.

  "Plans are nothing; planning is everything"
  - Dwight D Eisenhower

• Discipline over motivation.
  We don't seek motivation to do things that have to be done - going to work, taking a shower, taking out the trash. Yet, we often delay studying to when we 'feel like it'. If we shift our mental view of studying to become something that must be done, not optional, then it is likely to become easier to be more disciplined and habitual about it. Crucially, discipline is a currency we can control, motivation is not.

• Learn from others.
  Others who have walked this path before you or with you are likely to be able to provide novel insights on what works best for them. Try adapting their advice to suit your life. Here's Nasir Kharma, a YouTuber and Med student talking about his approach to studying.

(2) Getting through the work

How each person goes about learning is a highly personal, nuanced process. Some find knowing their study mode useful, others use an array of concept diagrams. In this essay, I detail a few techniques that I have personally found effective in helping me master content quickly.

Thanks for reading
Delano

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