I have been talking about productivity for years on this channel.
A big part of what I've been covering in my videos has to do with study methods and techniques,
tips and tricks on how to be more organized and feel more motivated; and although these
methods are all very valuable because they allow you to optimize your work in a more
efficient way, I think that most of the time I fail to underline the most important aspect
of *any work* or study method or any productivity advice, and that is *consistency.*
Consistency is the only thing that makes your methods stick and do their magic.
Without discipline, a foolproof workflow will fail on its tracks.
In fact, consistency is *more important* than your methods because, most of the time, independently
of the method you choose to do your work, consistency will be the thing that dictates
your success.
That is why that after six years studying in college, I have found success while studying
only by taking notes, or mindmapping or simply reading the textbook.
When looking back I was puzzled to notice that it didn't seem like there was a perfect
study method for me - however I concluded that the only thing there was in common in
my success stories was consistency; and the thing there was in common in all my failures
was a lack of it.
Methods are important but secondary.
There is high value in mastering different techniques and understanding what's the type
of workflow or learning process that works best for you; however, forming a habit out
of picking *any* method will be the detrimental factor in your success.
When you experience this, you will notice you can have the same results with different
methods; however, most of the times, these good marks will result from a consistent and
continued undertaking of those methods.
Consistency, of course, can manifest itself in different forms.
It can be seen as a simple habit-tracking formula, where you commit to do a certain
activity, like studying, every day.
It can also manifest into a deeper involvement with the subject-matter - something particularly
important with language learning, for example.
Getting involved with the subject in ways outside the scope of your class will boost
that consistency.
Things like going to conferences, reading articles, talking to people about the subject,
writing an independent paper, watch a documentary; although you're not working in the most traditional
way, you're improving your understanding of the subject in a more organic manner, making
progress and becoming more consistent.
Also, know that there isn't a best method, a best technique or a best piece of tech or
equipment to dictate your success.
There are different ways to reach a certain result and although it's advisable that you
try to adapt to more generally efficient ways to produce good quality work, they are not
exclusive.
Developing your autonomy and re-adapting to the situation at hand is more important than
being stubborn and sticking to the same methods over and over again.
In that way, being a mindful student or a mindful worker that understands how they can
incorporate a steady workflow into a busy lifestyle is more important than spending
hours mindmapping your entire textbook the night before an exam and commpromise your
understanding of the subject.
As I've said, one of the ways to get more involved is to find new ways to learn a subject.
Watching documentaries is one of my favorite ways to get a glimpse out of something I'm
curious about or I don't understand.
I've finished watching Chernobyl this week and I decided I wanted to learn more on the
subject so I started a documentary called called "Nature Fights Back in Chernobyl",
a documentary that exolores the Chernobyl exclusion zone and how the nucclear accident
impacted animal life in the area.
If you want to watch the whole documentary you can do so by signing up for free for CuriosityStream,
who is sponsoring today's video, and is basically the Netflix of documentaries with thousands
of different titles in different categories and was created by the original founder of
Discovery.
As a special gift you can use the promo code "study corner" or click the link in the description
box to have a free 30-day membership, which will give you more than enough time to watch
the docu as well as many other documentaries in their list.
It's also available for a ton of different devices so you can keep learning everywhere
and after your free membership, it just costs 2.99 a month and I think that's pretty cheap
for almost unlimited learning opportunities.
I hope you enjoyed today's episode.
If you love watching videos about productivity, motivation and organization, I create content
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Thank you for watching and I will see you next friday.
Bye guys!