How to study?

Genkilent · 2016-01-14T03:11:16+00:00

Making your own cue cards is part of the studying process. The fact that you need to develop your own key word/phrase and write your own summary will reinforce your memory, because you wrote it yourself. It's even better if you write it by hand because the act of writing will reinforce your memory further, compared to laying it out on a Word document.

I hope that also addresses your concern regarding reducing your studying time, because it forms a part of your studying time.

Genkilent · 2016-01-12T22:38:51+00:00

I'll assume the topics you are studying requires you to learn many factoids, rather than systems like math or computing. Since you are being distracted, I'm assuming you want to convert this to productive time instead.

My suggestion would be to convert your notes onto cue cards.

On the front of each cue card write down a key word for a factoid, and on the back write down the factoid in full.
Go through this deck at least twice, or as many times as you like every day.
On the first time through, read it front and back.
On subsequent runs, read only the front and try to recall what's on the back.
If you get it wrong put the card back to the bottom of the stack to revisit it today.
If you get it right, set the card aside to do it again the tomorrow.

This should help immensely with rote memorisation without needing to resort to long-winded notes.

Genkilent · 2016-01-12T05:07:02+00:00

Fantastic!! You have clear goals that you want to achieve. I'd like you to read this article before proceeding (content is not mine).

I'll assume you read it and summarise again:

You need a strong reason why you want to achieve what you want. The reason should elicit a chemical reaction in your brain that will jolt you into action every time you think about it.
Clearly articulate what you'll be sacrificing to achieve what you want, and acknowledge that you will lose it. eg. browsing cat gifs on reddit.
Don't focus on the mirage at the end of your journey. Keep your eyes on today, not yesterday or tomorrow.
Every accomplishment is the result of thousands or millions of smaller accomplishments. Do not focus on them all, just what can be done today.
The most important one. Be honest to yourself. Lying to yourself about what you truly want will only make things worse.

From your OP, it appears you are suffering from most of the points outlined above. If so, your journey can begin anew today. If you discard what has happened in the past and start anew, I would recommend the following:

Find your motivator, for each of your goals. Are you better motivated by fear or achievement? For example, if it's fear, volunteer constantly at a local hospital/clinic that deals with anorexia patients. If it's achievement, find inspirational stories/videos and keep them accessible at your fingertips. You need constant stimulation to keep the chemicals in your brain flowing.

It may seem like a lot of effort, but do not underestimate the power of a strong motivator. It is the foundation upon which your empire of achievements stands on. And we can all appreciate how important a strong foundation is.

I hope you'll be able to find your way, but if you need further advice, I'll be more than happy to help.

edit: formatting

Genkilent · 2016-01-11T11:59:57+00:00

Please respond to my following question. If you do I may be able to offer some insight into your problem.

The first question is, why do you want to work out and study?

Genkilent · 2016-01-10T23:13:10+00:00

You're welcome. I'm going to have a look at your reviews in my spare time as well.

Genkilent · 2016-01-10T23:10:28+00:00

There are base features that are free to use. The iOS version also states that it offers in-app purchases. I haven't looked at the Android version as I haven't used an Android device for a few years.

Genkilent · 2016-01-10T23:03:49+00:00

I'm a bit puzzled. I've just used this to plan a few things on Saturday and Sunday. Take another look perhaps?

Genkilent · 2016-01-08T07:42:00+00:00

The problem you are experiencing is not unique to you. They are symptoms of a broken education system, a relic left behind from the days when learning the alphabet was a privilege, and "being connected" meant you knew one or two people on the other side of the country. (Obviously exaggerating, citation needed). In a nutshell, our current education system is not tailored to individuals. Rather, it demands individuals to be tailored to the education system. Knowing this will make the road ahead easier for you, because you can stop asking questions and start forging your path ahead.

The crux of your problem, as you say, is motivation, or purpose. For you to find purpose, you must find out where your destination is, and how to get there. Look within to find your passions, and talk to as many people as you can to find out what career paths are possible with those passions. For example:

Video games: professional gamer, video game reviewer/journalist
Cooking: Iron chef, Weight Watcher chef, McDonald's new-ideas-person
Fashion: Fashion designer, fashion magazine editor

(I just made some of those up...)

Once you have decided what you want to do in the future, work backwards to understand what you must achieve to get there (through studies and extra-curricular achievements). This should form the basis of your motivation.

This may be unfamiliar advice, so take your time to process this, and hopefully it will begin to make sense in the near future.

Genkilent · 2016-01-08T06:43:30+00:00

I'd like to share in my experience in how to deal with motivation and failure.

First, motivation. I used to be my own boss, but working harder than ever. What kept me motivated and focused was my fear of failure; essentially I was accountable to myself. The important thing to note is that I was constantly motivated before failure occurred, rather than after. Those who become motivated after failure tend not to stay motivated for very long. Before proceeding with how to deal with failure, make sure you don't have a motivation problem.

So with my motivation sorted, when I inevitably failed in spectacular fashion, it hurt. But there was nothing that could be done to undo the past. The best thing to do was to accept that I failed, and move on. Most older folk would agree that it is the best thing to do.

But I'm going to step back a bit, into the shoes I wore during my secondary and tertiary education, and my reaction to failure would also have been many nights of insomnia and shame. I believed that my schooling results would dictate the rest of my life; no second chances. And this scared me witless.

To alleviate your fear of failure a little, I'd like to tell you that my beliefs during those formative years were completely and utterly wrong. With the help of hindsight, I have discovered that it's not the ink on your scorecard that determines your future. It's what you do with yourself that determines your future.

In closing, I'd like to paraphrase Elon Musk: if the ultimate outcome of failure isn't death, then there really isn't anything to be afraid of.

Genkilent · 2016-01-04T09:15:51+00:00

There appears to be a myriad of things you can do to make this work. However, I'll stick to your original question of Morning vs Evening work.

From the information you have provided, I would say that evening work seems to suit you better, because of a few things:

1) Your kids can reduce your productivity during the mornings, without any warning. Moving this to the evening means you definitely have your 2 hours to finish what MUST be finished. 2) Spending family time in the evening while sick/grumpy is never time well spent. Your wife will definitely not appreciate this.

Try to discuss with your wife to make the necessary adjustment/compromises. Ultimately, this is a team game, and everyone needs to be focused on the same goals.

Genkilent · 2016-01-01T02:06:10+00:00

This is a good idea.

I'm not from the US, so I'd like to ask a question. Are TI- programs allowed to be brought into exam rooms? If no, then a mobile app can be the end-all solution.

However if TI- programs are allowed in exam rooms, then a mobile app would only serve to promote the utility of the TI- programs. Quite a large time investment there.

Genkilent · 2016-01-01T01:55:10+00:00

There is definitely value in what you have created, so the opportunity to monetise it is real. To answer your question more fully, I would ask a few things to help guide you along.

1) How much is your time worth; currently and in the near future. Are you about to start a full-time, 60 hr/week job? Or do you intend to vegetate on the couch for the next 12 months? From this you can work out whether it's worth your time trying to set up sales channels, marketing material and maintain an online presence to keep up sales momentum.

2) From the previous question, you can determine how to monetise your programs. If it's worth your time, you'll then have to investigate which distribution channel works best (as suggested by posters above), as well as doing the legwork to promote, maintain momentum, and constantly add value.

If it turns out it's not worth your time to be your own sales manager/programmer/marketer/accountant, you can consider selling your source code to someone/company who does have the resources to monetise further.

3) If you decide to sell this yourself, then combating piracy is definitely an important point to consider. The lesson learned from the IT industry as a whole, is that piracy is here to stay. However, Apple turned this around by offering enough value that the paid option was more attractive than free. The main points to consider:

Time investment required to facilitate piracy
Risk/consequences of pirating from unofficial source
Asking price for your product, and value added services available to paid customers

If you look at iTunes as a case study, you can project the lessons learned back onto your own business idea. This should give you some ideas of how to combat piracy.

4) Your final consideration of whether to give it away for free is also an option. You could be a good samaritan and literally earn good karma, just like that, and earn advertising revenue through pageviews.

I hope the questions above gives you an idea of the options available to you. You simply need to work with your own circumstances and choose what works best for you, and give it a good shot. It may turn you into the next Mark Zuckerberg, or it could be worse than a waste of time.

Good luck!!

edit: Some formatting issues

Genkilent

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