"How to Win at College"

"How to Win at College," by Cal Newport, 2005, is full of useful and practical tips for students. Here I share tips on Time Management, When to Quit and Memory.

Time management

1. Block out obligations.
2. Assign hour-long blocks to specific projects.
3. Set aside at least one block for slack and emergencies.
4. When knocked off your schedule, re-organize your blocks.
5. Time blocking is more effective than daily todo lists.

When to quit

Define "Productive" as efficiently accomplishable and in a reasonable amount of time.

If you're sure you won't be able to solve it without outside/extra information/help,

or if you can't specify a time frame within which you will be able to solve it,

or if you've put in a long time but you are still unable to finish it off,

then, you should give up.

Memory

1. Quiz and Recall : Make yourself recall specific information.
2. While reviewing or reading, jot down your recall questions.
3. Then, quiz.
4. Then, articulate with emotions, using multi-senses etc.

This Quiz and Recall technique has the same effect as TDD (Test-Driven Development) or TFD (Test-First Development) in software development. You are very clear about your objectives and you are also very clear about whether you've made it or not.