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