Study Hacks

A Marathon on a Cruise Ship

My first encounter with graduate student and blogger Chris Guillebeau, was an article he wrote about running a marathon…on a cruise ship. He did this for no real reason; it just seemed interesting at the time. My next encounter was an essay posted on Zen Habits about arriving in a small Macedonian town, at 4 am, with nowhere to stay, and subsequently wandering into a all-night street party.

Then I noticed he has traveled to 83 countries and plans one day to visit all 198. He also maintains an excellent blog, The Art of Nonconformity, and he will be releasing on Tuesday a free PDF manifesto titled The Art of World Domination — something I’m eagerly waiting for.

With all this in mind I knew I had to meet Chris (pictured above, chatting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu). He was nice enough to answer some questions about his life philosophy and what it means to become a nonconformist student.

Can you talk about your experiences in college and then the unconventional path you followed afterwards?

“I started college when I was 16, and finished in about two and a half years. I wasn’t incredibly smart or anything; I just registered for lots of classes at multiple schools and then transferred everything at the end to graduate. I’m not sure I would recommend that method to others, since my focus was definitely on completing my degrees instead of learning, but it worked for me.”

“When I was 20 I went to graduate school and needed a way to make some money. I started selling random stuff on eBay (this was 1999, the early days of online auctions) and ended up building a small wholesale business that later expanded to consulting and design projects. I wish I could tell you it was strategic, but it was initially motivated by a strong desire to avoid working for someone else.”

“By far the most important life change I made was moving to West Africa in 2002 to volunteer as an aid worker. I spent four years working with government leaders and villagers in nine different countries there, and the experience affected me profoundly. I came back to the U.S. in 2006 to return to grad school, but I have spent every break since then traveling to as many places around the world as possible.”

What advice do you have for a college student who is wearied by the “traditional” options before him?

“My advice is pretty simple: you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to. This includes parents, professors, and even peers. If you’re wearied by the system, you have to decide exactly how wearied you are. Most people complain about the traditional paths but don’t bother trying to make their own. If it bothers you enough, you’ll probably find something else sooner or later.”

I’m interested in your notion of how to become “remarkable.” Could you describe your philosophy here?

“It begins with the observation that most people are what I call unremarkably average. It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean they are bad people; it’s just that they do what everyone expects them to and they kind of amble through life. A remarkable person is not innately special– rather, to become remarkable (or noticeable), we really have to find our own way somehow.”

“By the way, I’m not interested in telling people how to live their lives. What I’m interested in is showing that there are alternatives out there and you don’t have to be like everyone else.”

What’s the one misconception, commonly held by college students, that you would most like to dispel?

“I just finished a master’s degree at the University of Washington, and during that time I got the chance to hang out with a lot of other students, both graduate and undergraduates. I would never say this is universal, but I did notice that a number of students tend to think that the school has a responsibility to find them the job of their dreams after graduation. There is inevitably a lot of disappointment when this doesn’t work out, and I think it’s far better to take personal responsibility for your own plans from the beginning.”

What are some specific things a college student could do right now to transform their life from conformist to nonconformist?

“Well, the fact is that most people are conformists, and I don’t necessarily think everyone should change. But for those who want to do something else, I think it starts with clearly understanding what it is you really want and how you can cause that to happen. Then, you have to think as well about how you can help improve the lives of others, because most people are not ultimately satisfied with a life focused only on themselves.”

“Once someone knows what they want and how they can help others, the plan of attack is to start taking it step by step. One thing that helped me in college, both undergrad and the grad program, was always asking the question, “Is there another way to do this?” If your advisor is sending you in a direction you are uncomfortable with, I’d push back a little, or suggest an alternative, or just get a new advisor. There are usually multiple ways of accomplishing any goal, including academic goals, and it has greatly helped me to think a lot about the alternatives instead of just doing things they way everyone else does.”

Interesting Posts from The Art of Non-Conformity

• The decision to be remarkable.
  
• The plan of attack.
• Follow your passion?

Can College Work Be Fun?

David Masters, a student, self-described “part-time peace activist,” and blogger, has an appealing worldview: life should be creative and playful. Here’s where it gets interesting: David doesn’t let students off the hook. He argues on his thoughtful blog, Be Playful, that undergrads should enjoy their academic efforts. Indeed, studying should even be, dare I say it: “fun.”

After hearing this claim I knew I had to interview David. There is something downright Zen about his take on student life, so, considering our recent conversations, I thought we should poke around a bit and see if we can’t figure out what makes this fun-loving student tick.

First things first: the major. What’s your advice here?

Choose a subject that you love and that you’re passionate about rather than focusing on what gives you the best career prospects. I chose a combined major of Theology and Social Sciences for two reasons: I love searching for meaning, and I’m passionate about social justice and making the world a better place. [ed. Daniel Pink would agree.]

What does it mean to connect your classes to everyday life?

Making your studies meaningful to you means that they become a part of who you are; it also makes studying a joyful experience rather than a slow drudge, because you can see how what you are studying makes an impact on you (or the world) right now.

For example, in my Political Theology class we’ve been learning about how the state maintains its power through violence. It’s interesting to apply this idea to news about different countries, like how China has been treating pro-Tibet protesters, and how America shows off its power through the war on terror.

I’ve heard you mention an interesting trick regarding the bibliography for a paper…

When choosing books to read for a writing assignment I try to make sure that the majority of books in my bibliography aren’t on the course reading list. Choosing books that aren’t on the reading list makes your paper stand out to the professor; it will be different from the pack and will read as more independent and creative.

You claim you can make studying more like play. Let’s say it’s a typical day for David. What does it look like?

This may initially sound like a contradiction, but the key ways in which my studying is playful is that it is structured and focused. Sports and games, though playful, are very structured, and it is this structure that allows for great feats and achievements.

I know the best time for me to study is in the morning, so I study then. I read the assignments, and I work on the paper. I prefer working at the desk in my room, so my notes are handy to compare different ideas; if I’m in the library, I’ll find a quiet corner desk near to the shelf I’m researching. I like to be done by 4pm to have time and space to socialize and relax.

I guess what is different is the way in which I engage with my studies. When I read through the assignments, the most important thing I am looking for is new concepts, or old concepts seen in a new way, and connections to other things that I have read, and I’ll mark up these. [ed. Scott Young would agree.]

What’s the biggest mistake you see your fellow students make in how they approach their academic lives?

Failing to be organized and to structure their study. I guess many students see this as freedom, but in my mind, they’re a slave to deadlines. Having a structure means that you can work at your own, relaxed pace, and you don’t feel guilty or worried about unknown looming deadlines, because you know exactly what’s coming up.

Any final unexpected nuggets to share with us?

I think one of the best things that students can do is to contribute to the world in some way. It’s best to choose just one thing to give your time to, so you don’t end up over-scheduling yourself.

I loved the Study Hacks story of Tyler and how he applies what he learned in his past studies to make a different to the world doing cancer research.

Disruptive Thinkers is a semi-regular series that features interesting people with interesting ideas about college, achievement, or life in general.

How to Become Good

Marty Nemko is good at becoming good. As he outlined in a recent blog post, when he set his sights on becoming a career coach he eventually logged over 2800 clients. When he decided to parlay this expertise into writing, he landed a career columnist gig first for the San Francisco Chronicle, then the Los Angeles Times, then transformed this into a contributing editor slot at U.S. News & World Report. He wanted to learn the art of rose hybridizing, now three of his varieties are sold nationwide. He wanted to try playwriting and won the “Roar of the Crowd” award for the best Bay Area entertainment of the week. His first screenplay caused a stir. He has a radio show.

And the list continues…

To use Study Hacks parlance, Marty is a finisher. He doesn’t just tackle projects that pique his interest, but he also manages that rarest of the rare skills: to consistently push them into the elite strata of noteworthy accomplishment. Fascinated by his approach, I asked Marty to share some of his famously unconventional advice on how to become good at becoming good.

What do most people get wrong when they set out to become good?

The average person isn’t smart enough to tackle lots of things, yet they try and thus become dilettantes. They need focus, unrelenting focus — until the world has provided sufficient signs that it is interested or not interested in that person’s focus.

What’s the role of talent versus strategy in becoming good?

Strategy is absolutely necessary….but insufficient. Talent and drive (or luck — damn those lucky people) are required.

Many people who focus on something for a long time can get pretty skilled, but have a hard time making that transition to the big-time. How does one make that final push from amateur to expert?

Become an amazing and relentless marketer. That skills is usually orthogonal to (the less accurate term is “incompatible with”) becoming expert at something, yet it is critical, alas, especially in this society where the stupid public responds to marketing hype more than to excellence. Why else would dishonest idiots like Oprah be more beloved than, for example, Christopher Hitchens on the Left or Larry Kudlow on the right..

What advice would you give a young college student looking to make a name for himself in something?

Forget passion unless it’s a rare one. Too many other people will be passionate about it, eviscerating your chances of “making a name for yourself.” Don’t be a lemming. Make a name for yourself in some pursuit that top people rarely pursue: Be the most amazing undertaker, industrial acid broker, advocate for the most under-served and worthy kids (in my opinion: intellectually gifted boys in elementary school.) Even if the field seems mundane, you will feel more rewarded and better about your life being a vanguard in a dull field than a soldier in a “cool” one.

[For more on Marty, check out his popular website, which includes, among other content, his new blog and a collection of his most popular articles on life, goals, work and achievement.]

Disruptive Thinkers is a semi-regular series that features interesting young people with interesting ideas about college, studying, or life in general.

The Randomness Factor

In early May, 2007, Ben Casnocha, a college student, entrepreneur, author, and all-around big thinker, posted a blog article titled: Expose yourself to bulk, positive randomness. The idea, which was later developed in more detail in his book, My Start-up Life, proposed a simple change: If you want interesting, grand things to happen in your life, stop trying to plan out every last detail. Instead, go out of your way to expose yourself to randomness. Lots of it. And then put in an effort to follow-up.

This pro-randomness philosophy runs counter to the cult of systematization that pervades much of the productivity blogosphere — which is why it intrigues me. So I asked Ben to walk us through the concept…

What is your randomness philosophy?

The philosophy is based on the difficulty of predicting which projects will ultimately be most successful. Sometimes it’s the random projects that turn out to be most important. To wit, we ought to “expose ourselves to randomness.” We should proactively generate opportunities that might seem random…but who knows?

“Randomness” includes, among other examples, conferences no one else is going to, obscure books, and the odd person you met who you’re not quite sure is interesting.

What are some examples from your own life where randomness paid off?

Some of the most interesting things that have happened to me — experiencing exotic situations abroad or getting my book published — have in part resulted from seeking out randomness. Without an overarching career goal in life, I can follow these various threads of randomness to their end. Once I was at a funeral, and met someone, and followed up, stayed in touch, and the person became one of my most important business mentors. This counts as randomness because I didn’t meet him at a business networking function. It was at a funeral.

What can a fellow college student do to live this philosophy?<

Take classes you might not otherwise take; go on that trip you’ve been putting off; make unusual choices; go to as many visiting speakers as possible. Try to build the most rich and diverse “input stream” as possible.

What are the pitfalls?

If you take a meeting with some random e-mailer, there’s a chance he turns out to be uninteresting and a dud [ed: or a serial killer]. There’s also a chance he could go on and be your future co-founder. So you need to apply some filter. The key is to use a different filter than everyone else to pick up on people and ideas that others might miss.

Of course every day can’t be an experiment in randomness. Every day shouldn’t be random meetings, random web surfing, and random walks through the park. Allocate certain time to pursuing unusual paths — but it shouldn’t be your whole day.

Let’s do the Michael Pollan thing: summarize your philosophy in seven words or less.

Be open to random opportunities. Who knows?

This post is the first in a new, semi-regular series I’m calling Disruptive Thinkers. Each entry in this series will feature an interesting person with a provocative idea about college, studying, or the educational process in general.

Scott Young Doesn’t Study

Scott Young just started his second year of college. He is no stranger, however, to big ideas that get big notice. As captured in a recent Flak Magazine profile, Scott Young has transformed his eponymous blog into one of the top 50 productivity blogs on the Internet.

Earlier this year, Scott turned his keen how-to eye onto his own student life, and published a controversy-generating post titled: How to Ace Your Finals Without Studying. In this week’s Disruptive Thinkers interview, Scott explains the ideas behind this bold claim.

You famously claimed that you don’t study before exams. Is this still true? Are you still scoring all A’s?

All through high school I never studied, except possibly out of peer-pressure. In University, I still need to read the textbook or do practice work (if the class is skill-based). But if you mean pulling all-nighters before a test, then no, I don’t study. I advocate a quick skim before the test just to make sure I haven’t missed anything, but that’s like comparing a brief jog to a marathon with the kind of cramming most students do.

My last year’s GPA was a 4.2 out of a 4.5 which hovers between an A and A+.

Before we get to your strategy — Holistic Learning — let’s talk about what it replaces. How do you observe most of your classmates study?

The opposite of holistic learning is rote memorization. Pounding information into your skull with the hopes some of it might shake loose during a test. This is a shallow approach to studying that focuses only on what you immediately need to know.

What is Holistic Learning?

Holistic learning is learning through relationships. Ideas don’t sit independently, but instead are linked back together to form a web. On a narrow level this means that your physics formula relates to other formulas in physics. You understand the relationships and can move between concepts. On a broad level this means all subjects are parts of a whole. Chemistry relates to physics which relates to history which relates to literature.

What are the practical steps a student would have to take to put this in practice?

Go deeper. Don’t try to learn information through repetition, but delve into how that information relates to things you already know. This means using metaphors, visualizations, connecting ideas together and burying deeper into why, not just what.

Holistic learning is less about techniques and more about what your end result should be. Everyone will be different in there exact approach, but the end should be the same.

Let’s still try to get more specific. I’m in, say, my Ancient Asian History class. What am I writing in my notebook? When else between now and my test do look at this information? What do I do with it?

You cheat! You know I actually took an Ancient Asian History class…

First, let me point out that you’re going to use anything you can to each your result of an interconnected web. It would probably start by simply writing down the relevant information and notes. It would probably end with a quick refresher before the test.

What’s different with holistic learning is the mental activities you do in between. Where most students would record information and try to understand that information for the test a holistic learner doesn’t stop there. That person will ask themselves a few questions and the answers should result in a far better understanding:

1. Do I “get” this information? (If you don’t feel in your gut that you understand something, you won’t remember it later)
2. What does this information relate to in my life or other subjects? (If you can’t draw examples, applications, comparisons or links, the information won’t be remembered)
3. What am I missing to understand this further? Go beyond the surface and look in-depth. Whenever I get a formula to use in a class, I break down and write the formula until I understand what each component means in words, not just symbols. I break it down until I can answer an affirmative yes to question one and two.

So if your professor starts talking about Confucius my first steps would be to simply write down the information. First I’d ask if I get this information. After that, I’d try to draw comparisons between Confucius and other world philosopher I already know of. How does his teachings compare to Socrates? Jesus? The Buddha? How does his life compare? If I met him what kind of personality would he have? I would also think back to the time period he lived in and connect him to other historical events. Finally I would ask myself whether I have enough depth to really understand him. If the answer is no, I would do a quick google/wikipedia search to pick out a fuller complement of facts.

That description was overkill. If you feel you really get the information being taught, you can probably make do with just a few of those steps. The point is to get a handle on information you haven’t completely internalized yet.

[Ed: Notice how well this type of thinking fits with a quiz-and-recall style review, in which you can lecture on big ideas however your want…]

From your perspective, what’s the biggest myth students must overcome before they can embrace this approach.

Repetition. This idea that learning involves going over a fact repeatedly. Sometimes brute force is necessary for information that has no deeper layers. But usually this isn’t the case.

I like the “Learn It Once” rule. Basically this rule states that if you only had a chance to look, read or study the material once, what would you do differently. Constant “studying” or trying to relearn information you didn’t get the first time is putting duct tape over a leaky faucet.

Related Resources:

• Scott’s Blog
• Scott’s Posts on Holistic Learning
• Scott’s Free eBook on Holistic Learning