The 8 most important study techniques I use in medical school

The speaker introduces their dedication to studying, having spent over 5,000 hours in the past two years. They emphasize the importance of study efficiency and introduce their first video sponsor, Grammarly, a digital writing assistant that offers both free and premium services to enhance writing quality and save time. The speaker shares their personal use of Grammarly for various writing tasks and provides a discount link for viewers. Additionally, they discuss the significance of preparation before studying, such as getting good sleep, exercising, and maintaining a positive mindset, and introduce the Pomodoro Technique as an effective study method involving focused study sessions followed by breaks.

This paragraph delves deeper into the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method that breaks work into intervals separated by short breaks. The speaker details their personal implementation of this method, typically using 25-minute study sessions followed by 5-minute breaks, and suggests gamifying the process with apps like Forest to stay focused. They also discuss the importance of using breaks effectively to rest and reset the mind, recommending activities that differ from the study session, such as walking or cleaning. The speaker also mentions tools like the Bee focus timer and the self-control app to enhance the Pomodoro experience.

The speaker introduces the Feynman Technique, named after physicist Richard Feynman, which involves explaining complex concepts in simple terms as if to a child. They discuss the method's steps: identifying the information, teaching it simply, finding and addressing gaps in understanding, and refining the explanation. The speaker provides an example of explaining inertia and diabetes using this technique, highlighting its effectiveness in deepening one's own understanding and ability to teach others. They also suggest using tools like a phone to practice explaining concepts to friends.

The speaker discusses the effectiveness of active recall and practice testing in enhancing learning. Active recall involves working to remember information, while practice testing uses tests or questions to reinforce knowledge. They differentiate between active recall and passive reading, emphasizing the importance of the brain's effort in learning. The speaker recommends tools like Anki for flashcards and spaced repetition, which involves reviewing material at increasing intervals to improve retention. They also mention their own study plan video that integrates active recall, practice testing, and spaced repetition.

The speaker explains the concept of making connections between different pieces of information to enhance memory retention, referencing Hebbian theory. They suggest linking new information to existing knowledge to improve understanding and recall. The speaker also highlights the importance of planning, both for daily tasks and weekly schedules, as a way to reduce stress and increase productivity. They mention using specific goals and tools like Notability and Notion for planning and organization.

In the final paragraph, the speaker introduces mnemonic devices as a set of techniques to aid memorization. They discuss various methods such as memory palaces, where one visualizes information in familiar spaces, acronyms that use the first letters of words to remember lists or sequences, acrostics that form sentences from the initial letters, and chunking, which breaks down large pieces of information into smaller, more manageable chunks. The speaker emphasizes the effectiveness of these techniques in memorizing complex information and provides examples to illustrate their use.