How to Become a Straight-A Student

Key takeaways

• Learning equals time spent multiplied by intensity of focus, so raise the intensity
• Study early, alone, in 50 minute blocks with real breaks between them
• Plan each day in 5 minutes with a calendar and a single list
• Quiz yourself out loud instead of rereading your notes
• Essays are won by thesis hunting and research done before the first draft

Inside this bit

1. The big idea

   Cal Newport wrote this book while still an undergraduate, after interviewing dozens of students at top American colleges who earned the highest grades while seeming to work less than everyone else. The pattern he found was not talent or 12 hour library sessions.

2. Work equals time times intensity

   Picture two students the night before a chemistry test. One sits in a hostel common room with notes open, phone buzzing, friends drifting in and out, for 6 hours.

3. Plan in 5 minutes a day

   Newport's time system fits on one sheet of paper. Every morning, spend 5 minutes looking at a calendar of deadlines and events, then write a short list of what to do today and roughly when.

4. Quiz and recall, never reread

   Rereading notes is the most popular study method and, according to Newport, one of the least effective. His top students studied by recalling instead.

5. Papers are won before writing

   For essays and research papers, Newport's students spent most of their time before the first sentence. Start by hunting for a topic that genuinely interests you and is narrow enough to argue.

6. Put it to work

   This week, try one 50 minute study block early in the day, alone, phone in another room, and compare how much you covered against your usual evening session. Start a one-page daily plan tomorrow morning and give it 5 minutes.