Learning Strategies Snippet

Do you ever feel like 24 hours a day is not enough? We all feel like we don’t have enough time, but the fact is that 24 hours a day is the same for everyone. What we often lack is the skill of time management and organizing our work. Today, let’s explore a few tips to manage your time better.

First, make a to-do list for the day, and then manage your priorities using the Eisenhower Matrix. Here's how it works:

• **Urgent and Important:** These tasks must be worked on immediately, such as deadlines or important matters.
  
  - **Urgent but Not Important:** These need immediate attention but aren’t overly important, and you can delegate them to someone else.
  - **Not Urgent and Not Important:** These are the tasks to avoid.
• **Important but Not Urgent:** These tasks are important but can be completed later.

It’s up to you to prioritize your tasks and decide where they fit within each quadrant. This method helps you complete your work faster and more effectively by dividing tasks into specific levels instead of just looking at a long, overwhelming list.

The second technique is called **Power Hour**. This is a short period of time, typically the first hour of your day, where you focus on your most difficult task. The goal is to help you hyper-focus for 60 minutes without distractions. It helps overcome procrastination and boosts energy and motivation for the rest of your day.

The key here is to avoid distractions, like social media, that can steal your time. Pick a job, and don’t allow yourself to check Facebook, open YouTube, or get caught up with your phone. Distractions are your worst enemy when managing time, so when you focus, block out everything that can take your attention away. Put your phone away and avoid checking notifications until you finish your work.

**Organizing your workspace** is another important tip. A cluttered workspace with piles of documents—both important and unimportant—makes you feel confused and wastes time when you need to find something. Keeping your workspace organized helps prevent wasted time.

**Deadlines** are crucial for time management. When working on a task, set a deadline and stick to it. Don’t procrastinate. Challenge yourself to meet your deadline, and don’t forget to reward yourself afterward.

Avoid **multitasking**, as it can lead to mistakes and missed details, which will slow down your work. Stay focused and tackle tasks one at a time.

Lastly, practice **discipline**. Set rules for yourself and follow them. It may be difficult and frustrating at first, but with practice, you’ll get used to it. Over time, everything will be in order, and you’ll find you have more time for both work and life. This will help end the constant race against time, allowing things to work more smoothly.

Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video!

Everyone wants to do well on their exams, so here are 12 effective tips for taking exams, plus a bonus tip at the end.

1. Know where and when the exam is

Make sure you know where the exam is being given—whether in a classroom, online, or at a testing center. Also, be certain you know exactly when the exam starts.

2. Know how long the exam will take

Know how long the exam should take to complete. If your exam is scheduled for three hours, plan on staying for at least that long to ensure you have all the time you need.

3. Take everything you might need

Bring all the necessary supplies, such as scratch paper, a calculator, a spare battery, plenty of pens and pencils, and an eraser if needed.

4. Arrive at the test early

Arrive early so you’re not rushed. If you feel anxious, writing down your thoughts and fears can help calm you. You can also take a few deep breaths, say a prayer, or find other ways to settle your mind.

5. Write your name on the test (if instructed)

Be sure to write your name on the test if instructed to do so.

6. Read the instructions and questions carefully

Read the instructions carefully—two or three times if necessary. Do the same for each question. If you can write on the exam, circle key words and phrases to ensure you answer what is truly being asked.

7. Do a mind dump

When you sit down to begin the exam, find a place to write down everything you can recall from your studies—formulas, diagrams, data—on scratch paper or directly on the exam if allowed. Refer back to these notes as needed.

8. Read through the entire exam before answering any questions

Read through the exam at least once before you begin answering questions. Look at how the exam is structured. Are there mostly objective questions (multiple choice, true/false), or are there essay questions? See how many points each section is worth and plan your time accordingly.

9. Go through the exam three times

Go through the exam in three passes:

• First, answer the easiest questions.
• Second, return to questions you think you can answer after reviewing them again.
• Third, address the questions you’re still unsure about and make your best guess.

10. Multiple-choice exam strategies

For multiple-choice questions, understanding the material through spaced study is key, but these strategies can help:

• Read each question carefully and underline key parts.
• Try to answer the question without looking at the responses first.
• Evaluate each response one at a time, judging whether it fits the question and what you know.
• Justify why each answer is right or wrong, and rank them by correctness.
• Another approach is to treat each possible answer as a true/false question.

If you're unsure about a question, do a mind dump—write down everything you can recall about the topic and then evaluate the responses based on that information.

11. Essay question strategies

For essay questions, spend a little time writing a short outline. This will help organize your thoughts, improve the flow of your essay, and show the grader your intentions if you run out of time. Be sure to allocate more time to sections that carry the most points.

12. Check your answer sheet

Check your answer sheet periodically to ensure you are filling in the correct bubbles. Double-check your answers before handing in your exam to avoid bubble sheet errors.

Bonus Tip: Should you change an answer?

Students often ask if they should change an answer. It depends. If you have new information indicating your first answer was wrong, go ahead and change it. If not, stick with your first choice.

Hi, I’m Thomas Frank, and this is Crash Course Study Skills. Today, we’re going to look at how to take great notes – and you’re probably going to want to write that down.

Why Focus on Your Notes?

Simply put, when it comes to learning and retaining information, output is just as important as input. When you’re learning something new, you’re taking in information, but to retain it, you need to store it in a way you can easily access later, and in your own words.

Before we get into specific note-taking systems, let’s start with what will set you up for success: coming to class prepared with the right tools.

Tools

There are three options: paper, computer, or – if you’re daring – your arm. But realistically, we can narrow it down to paper or computer.

Recent studies have shown that students typing notes write more words, but they tend to recall less information later because they focus on recording everything word-for-word. The problem is that your working memory can only process so much at once. So, when you’re typing quickly, you're more focused on the syntax (the exact words) and less on the meaning.

The Problem

When you type, the speed lets you capture more information, but it also means you're processing less meaning in real-time. This can result in learning less during the lecture and creating more work for yourself later. Writing by hand can help with this because your slower writing speed forces you to focus more on the meaning. Additionally, using paper means you won’t be tempted to open Facebook or other distractions.

What to Record

Now that you’re prepared with the right tools, what exactly should you be recording? You can’t record everything, so focus on simplifying and summarizing.

Gauge each class early on by reviewing the syllabus and looking at study guides or quizzes. Pay attention to your professor's cues, like when they say, “This is important.” During class or while reading, focus on:

• Big ideas – summaries, overviews, or conclusions
• Bullet lists
• Terms and definitions
• Examples – especially in subjects like math or physics, where concepts must be applied.

It’s important to write down every detail of examples you see in class, along with notes on why they work. This will help you when doing similar problems later.

Note-Taking Methods

Now, let’s cover three specific note-taking systems:

1. The Outline Method
   This is probably the simplest and most familiar method. You create a bullet list, with main points at the top level and indented details underneath. It’s great for organizing your notes, but it can get rigid. To make sure key information stands out, use formatting tricks like bolding important details.

2. The Cornell Method
   Developed by a Cornell professor, this method divides your paper into three sections:

   • The Cue Column: Write down any questions or prompts for later review.
   • The Notes Column: Record the main content during the lecture.
   • The Summary Area: After class, write a 1-2 sentence summary of the main ideas to help consolidate your understanding.

3. Mind Mapping
   Mind maps are visual diagrams that show relationships between concepts. Start with the main idea in the center, then branch out into related details. This method works well for more creative or non-linear subjects.

Conclusion

Which method is best? That’s up to you. Try out different methods and adjust them based on the class you’re in. History notes might need a different approach than math notes.

At this point, you should know how to come prepared, what to focus on during the lecture, and how to take notes using different methods. In a future video, we’ll go over how to review your notes, but for now – just take some good notes!

Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time. If you’d like to support Crash Course, you can do so on Patreon to help keep the series free for everyone.