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Thread #2//
During college, I had ZERO time to do much of anything but stress out
I was playing college football on a team that would go on to play in two SEC Championship games
I was studying (kept switching majors) anything from engineering, coding, and mathematics
18 hours/semester
Here is what a typical day would consist of during my first 3 years
I had workouts from 6:00 - 8:30 am
Breakfast 8:35 - 9:00
Class from 9:00 - 12:00
Lunch 12:00 - 1:00
Practice 1:00 - 5:00
Film 5:00 - 6:00
Dinner 6:00 - 7:00
FINALLY, I could go home and do my engineering HW
So it wasn't enough that I was doing one activity that would steal away my life and my soul
Noooo I decided that I was going to do BOTH
AT THE SAME TIME
Yeah, I don't know what I was doing either...
Want to know the secret to how I was able to do both?
First, let's see what a typical day would look like for me
I had workouts from 6:00 - 8:30 am
Breakfast 8:35 - 9:00
Class from 9:00 - 12:00
Lunch 12:00 - 1:00
Practice 1:00 - 5:00
Film 5:00 - 6:00
Dinner 6:00 - 7:00
FINALLY, I could go home and do my engineering HW..
So, I was expected to solve complex equations and do calculus problems (which already sounds like so much fun)
While I was physically, mentally, and emotionally EXHAUSTED
I just could not for the life of me care about the homework in front of me
Nope, that's a future me thing
I knew that school and getting a really good degree was important
(although I could care less about learning any of it)
I had to either figure out a schedule and a strategy to do both
Or I would have to quit football and focus full-time on school...
Which sounded like death
My favorite thing to do, was wait until I had a big test the next day
I would spend the night before pulling together all of the information I would need
Then I would get up at 3 am the morning of the exam and CRAM
I mean, I did this for every single class, every single time
I'm not talking about just some throwaway freshman electives either
Classes like
Fluid Dynamics
Calc 1-3
Differential Equations
Mech design
Theory of Statistics
Math Theory
Engineering Economics
There were A LOT of
"How did I just pass that"
or
"Well, Shit I bombed that"
I knew I didn't have the energy, the drive, or even the mental capacity to spend countless hours with 'classic study habits'
I had to develop another method that would allow me to quickly and efficiently learn advanced topics
But more importantly, use them to solve problems
So I developed a new strategy
This strategy is what I used to get me through Engineering & Math
This strategy is what I used to compete for a starting spot before I quit
This strategy is what I used to change my life
This March, I realized just how powerful it could be
Step 1 - Figure out where you want to go
You must make it clear what is the end goal
If you do not create a crystal clear and strong image
Your mind will become cluttered and confused
The solution or goal must be clearly defined and understood
Otherwise, you'll FAIL
Step 2 - Understand the different methods available to get there
This is where depending on your scenario, normally I start with the basics
For math, I would always gather all the different 'strategies' and 'methods' that were laid out in our books
Basically, gather my tools
These tools are what I would use when breaking down the core concepts and problems that I would have to solve
They are the little skills and tricks that you can utilize to solve a problem
In Math, It's important to understand that there are many ways to get the same solution
Step 3 - Analyze and Watch Others Do It
Find successful people and obverse what they did to get where you want to go
For math, it was as simple as using trusty google
"How to prove the division algorithm"
My hope is to find at least 3 different people who utilize 3 methods
Step 4 - ❌ Don't Study What They Do ✔️Focus on why they are doing it
The different details of each individual problem weren't important to me when watching the videos
I was interested in what they were solving and why they chose their desired method
Why is all I cared about
Step 5 - When You Understand the Why Focus on the What
Once you understand why they are doing it
Then you focus only on the important steps and aspects that you need to solve 90% of the process
Let me break it down with a quick math example
Differential equations
So Differentially Equations is essentially where you are solving for a variable you don't have
You figure out what you don't have
You figure out what you do
There are different strategies you would use based on those two above
Pick one that fits your specific scenario
Step 6: Utilize The What To Lay Out A Solution Outline
Let's keep with the differential equations example
My Basic Solution Roadmap
1. Figure out what I'm solving for 2. Figure out what I do and don't have 3. Pick the method that fits my scenario 4. Solve for the value
Step 7: Every day Slowly Add-In The Details
The best way to get learning on something and then to understand it fast is to take that basic outline you have and work with it
Go out and try on your own!
For math, go find a problem and try to solve it
Follow your 7 steps
As you practice
You will start to understand the tricks you can apply to solve the problems in different ways
As you grow, the task that took you an hour to solve
Can be solved with a different formula in 15 minutes
But you couldn't use it without understanding the first one
Now I want you to replace math problems with your problem
Starting an email list and getting subscribers
Growing a community on Twitter and getting followers
Turning your life around and the areas you need improvement
Stick to the same strategy and follow the same steps
Figure out what you are trying to do
Figure out what you have and what you don't
Find the strategy or plan that will best fit your unique situation
Learn from those who have done it before
Figure out the core aspects you need to learn
Then write a simple solution out
This is how I would figure out what was important for me to learn and focus on that before the exam
I would pile all the tools into my brain I could handle
I would focus on what situations would call for each tools
Then I would just wing it on the test and use what I knew
I never got straight A's, but I learned just as much as everyone else
I simply spent many many hours less on learning than them
Plus I learned a new skill I could utilize in every facet of my life
It was one of the biggest skills I learned in school and I use it EVERY DAY
That concludes my thread
I really hope everyone enjoyed and learned something new
Over the next 28 days, we are going to utilize this style of learning to dive into all of the different areas of my life I wanted to 'level up'
The best part
The same method can work for you!
The only problem with this method?
What do you use it on?
Where should you focus your attention?
What activities or problems even need my solution?
Where do I even begin?
Tomorrow, we are going to go into the something everyone is chasing
Something everyone wants to find
If you have any questions
My DMs are always open
Excited to keep growing and connecting with all of you
Let's make May the best month of growth we've ever had