for the lazy student who waited until the eve and needs a real plan
Goal
Triage to the top 3 topics and drill them, ignore the rest.
Source principle
When you've waited until the eve, triage ruthlessly: drill the top 3 topics, not the whole syllabus. : from How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport.
The plan
- 📋6:00-6:15 PMList every topic, rank by likely exam weight.
- 🎯6:15-6:30 PMPick the top 3 only, ignore the rest.
- 🧠6:30-7:15 PMQuiz-and-recall topic 1, no notes.
- 🍽️7:15-7:30 PMDinner break, off the desk.
- 🧠7:30-8:15 PMQuiz-and-recall topic 2, no notes.
- 🚶8:15-8:30 PMWalk + hydrate.
- 🧠8:30-9:15 PMQuiz-and-recall topic 3, no notes.
- ✍️9:15-9:45 PMWrite 5 likely questions across the 3 topics.
- ✅9:45-10:15 PMAnswer them from memory, no notes.
- ✏️10:15-10:30 PMMark the worst gaps, that's morning's only task.
- 😴10:30 PMLights out, sleep beats another hour of cramming.