Think and Be Like a Genius A+ Student – Part 1
By SuccessMuslimMost of us have something to study always. It is 
something don’t end with our college (formal schooling). You might be preparing for a competitive exam. You might be studying a new topic of interest to your career. Or you might be interested in doing a research of your own and have lots of reference materials to skim through.
Take a deep breath and relax. Studying is about to become easier than you ever imagine. What top students know is that it’s not how hard you study that counts, it’s how smart you study that matters most.
Initially I thought I would have this article as “7 ways to improve your studying skills’. Then I thought – what my readers want is a complete way on how to study productively and have fun while doing it. And I cannot justify it – if I condense it to 7 steps.
So I decide to split this as a multi-part article series – for each part, we will cover a particular section, and see how we can implement them to our life. Part 1 : Setting Clear goals for your study
1) You need to have clear goals
There is one thing about geniuses : they all operate from clear goals. Clear goals result in clear action. Stop here for a moment and think about it : What are your goals? As you read through every word on these next pages, take time to write down your own goals down.
Write down “why” and the goal behind your studying. Be sure you think about your goals and not somebody else’s (like your parents or society’s). If you are doing only one thing in this article : do this activity.
2) How to set clear goals, step-by-step
Below questions are part of an NLP process called “meta-outcome”. To create a well-formed goal, ask yourself each of these questions for your goal.
1. Who do you want ? Ask the question : What do I want to achieve here ? Once you come up with an answer, ask yourself
- Is this goal stated in the positive ? It is VERY important to state what you DO want and not what you don’t want.
- Is this goal stated in the present tense, as if you have already achieved it ? (For eg, I have a 3.98 GPA is better than I will have a 3.98 GPA)
- Is this goal specific enough ? The more specific, the better (Eg, I want to do well in School Vs I want to earn a 3.98 GPA or higher)
- Can this goal be controlled by you ? Is it totally within your control to achieve it ?
2. How will you know you’ve achieved you’re goal ? What is your evidence
- Act “as if” you have already achieved your goal. What will you be doing once you have achieved your goal ? What is the evidence that you have achieved your goal ?
- Define the evidence using your five senses. What exactly will you see, hear, feel when you have achieved your goal ? What will other people see, hear and feel when you have achieved your goal.
3. What will achieving your goal really do for you ?
- How is having achieved your goal of value to you ? How is it important to you ?
- Once you have achieved your goal, what will that allow you to do or have to be ?
4. What is the first step to achieving your goal ?
- Is the first step specific and actionable ? What is the second step ?
Difference between a wellformed goal and non-wellformed goal
Well formed goal : I have enough grades, test scores, and other activities that will allow me to be considered by a top college (or company)
Vs Ill-formed goal : I want to get into Stanford (or work at Apple). This is not a wellformed goal because you might not be able to get in for reasons that are outside your control.
3) Have a Powerful guiding question :
All of us have “guiding questions” that run through back of our mind in different situations. A guiding question is like a virtual question that directs our attention. It is not something we are actually thinking consciously. It is like a silent question that is always present in the back of our mind.
Straight A+ students has really powerful guiding questions that directs their attention in and outside they are studying their materials.
Few example of poor guiding questions :
- How do I please everybody here ?
- How can I get through this ?
- How do I impress the other students here ?
- How much longer do I have to sit here for ?
- When can I check Facebook ?
Few powerful guiding questions :
- How is this relevant ? – This is a great learning question because you can find value in everything you learn
- How is this [what I am learning] going to help me in life ? – With this question, you feel a sense of purpose and a reason for studying this material.
- What’s important to pay attention to and spent my time on ? – This question makes you focus on maximizing your efficiency.
Few other well defined guiding Questions
- What is important to spend my time on here ?
- How is this relevant in the real world ?
- How can I easily retain this knowledge
- How can I make this fun and interesting ?
Make sure you have one powerful guiding question with you always – throughout your study process.
Part Summary : In this part, we learned the power of having a clear goal for your study, the “Why” behind your studying, and set of questions to ask to help you come with wellformed goals and outcomes. We learned about guiding questions and how important it is to have a powerful guiding question for our study.
If there is one thing you want to take away from this session, do the well-formed outcome question. Having a clear well-defined goal is so important to your study that – by doing this activity, you made sure you are ready for winning this great journey called – studying !
Next part : Developing genius study habits. Stay tuned !
Category: Career Mastery
