What I’ve Learned In One Minute…

Hi friend,

In high school, studying used to feel… manageable. You’d open the textbook, highlight a few lines, and somehow, it worked. Back then, I could brute-force my way through anything. I’d stay up late, rewrite my notes, and repeat until it stuck. And for a while, it did. Nine A*s and one A at GCSE. Three A*s and an A at A-levels — one of them self-taught.

At the time, I thought that was what studying was: working until you couldn’t anymore. But university showed me otherwise. The content got heavier. The time got shorter. Suddenly, “working hard” wasn’t enough. You couldn’t out-highlight thermodynamics or memorise your way through fluid mechanics. The gap between effort and understanding got wider — and I realised something had to change.

That’s when the quote from Sal Di Stefano hit me:

So over the past few years, I’ve been learning not just how to study, but how to enjoy studying. To make it something that fuels me, not drains me.

If you hate the process, you’ll always be counting down the days. But if you love the craft, even just a little, time starts to disappear.

🧠 Brute Force vs Fulfilment

Brute force can get you far. But when the work gets harder, that approach starts to fall apart. University doesn’t test how much you know — it tests how quickly you can learn. How fast you can go from confusion to clarity. That’s what makes this stage so challenging and so rewarding at the same time. It forces you to move from memorising to mastering, from repetition to reflection.

And the sooner you learn to enjoy that process — the uncomfortable middle of learning — the easier it becomes to stay consistent.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes figuring this out, but I’ve also learned a few things that have completely changed how I study — and I think they might help you too.

HOW TO STUDY AND ACTUALLY ENJOY IT

1. The A-Star Mentality

When I used to tutor GCSE students, the first thing I’d teach wasn’t a formula. It was belief. The A-Star mentality isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about believing that you can become one. If you walk into every study session already convinced you won’t understand something, your brain stops trying.

But when you start believing that clarity will come — even if it’s not today — you give yourself permission to keep going. And when it finally does click, you’ll realise it was never a lack of ability. Just a lack of belief.

2. Iterate, Don’t Repeat

Repetition is doing the same thing over and over again.

Iteration is doing it again, but smarter, because you’ve learned from the last attempt.

That’s how high achievers study. They don’t wait to “feel ready.” They test early, get things wrong, and use that feedback to improve. Every mistake becomes a small lesson. Every correction, a small win. It’s less about perfection and more about progress.

You don’t need to get it right straight away — you just need to keep getting less wrong.

3. Ask “Why?” and “What If?”

One of the biggest shifts in my studying came when I stopped taking notes at face value. Instead, I started asking questions. Why does this happen? What if this variable changes? Would the same rule still apply?

Those two questions — why and what if — changed everything. They turned studying from memorising to problem-solving. They made me curious again. And sometimes, that “what if” question ended up being the exact one that appeared in the exam.

4. Work in Blocks, Not Marathons

I used to think long study days were impressive — until I realised I was spending half of them re-reading the same page. Now, I work in blocks. Ninety minutes, one goal. No marathon sessions, no endless hours pretending to focus.

And if I don’t understand a concept by the end of that block, I stop. I write down what’s confusing and move on. I call it one strike and you’re out. It’s not about quitting — it’s about cutting the friction. Parkinson’s Law is real: the more time you give a task, the more time it’ll take.

5. Study Retrospectively

Most people follow fixed timetables: Monday for Thermo, Tuesday for Mechatronics. But I found that my time was better spent following my weaknesses. That’s what retrospective learning does. You don’t just go through topics in order — you go through them in priority.

Weak areas come back more often, strong ones less. It’s not as satisfying as ticking boxes, but it’s so much more efficient. It forces you to face what you avoid, which is usually exactly what’s holding you back.

6. Start with Exam Papers

I used to save tutorials and exam papers for the final stretches of revision— like the big test of whether I’d done enough. Now, I try to start with them as soon as possible.Not because I know the content, but because they teach me what actually matters.

Past papers show you how your knowledge will be tested — not just what you know, but how well you can use it. And the sooner you start testing yourself, the faster you’ll close that gap between studying and understanding.

THE TRUTH IS…

Studying isn’t just about discipline — it’s about design. Designing habits, systems, and mindsets that make learning feel natural instead of forced. Once you start working with yourself instead of against yourself, studying stops feeling like survival mode. It starts feeling like growth. Because at the end of the day, the man who enjoys walking will always walk further. And that’s who I’m learning to be — one block, one mistake, one quiet win at a time.

TL;DR

Studying isn’t just about discipline — it’s about design. Once you start enjoying the process instead of chasing the result, learning stops feeling like survival and starts feeling like growth.

Wins & Lessons

Wins

• This past Monday, I would've gone on a run everyday for the past 50 days. I had no idea something like that was achievable and it’s taught me so much mentally out out, productivity, showing up and more.

Lessons

• If you always take the same road, a single roadblock can leave you lost.Spiritually, I’ve learned that it’s wise to stay sharp — to keep your guard up — because you never know when life will ask you to adapt. Don’t wait for the battle to begin before you sharpen your sword.

QUESTION FOR YOUR THOUGHTS (QFYT)

How would your approach to learning change if your goal wasn’t to finish the content, but to truly understand it?

That’s this week’s What I’ve Learned Wednesdays. I’d love to hear what you’re taking away from it — sometimes your reflections teach me as much as the writing does.

I’ll also be sharing my answers and thoughts on the questions you send in. You can drop a comment on each issue or message me directly — I’ll feature my response right here.

In a bit,

Motheo

PS. I’ve been working on something special — a retrospective-based study timetable designed to help you focus on what you actually need to revise, not just what’s on your list. I’ll be giving exclusive early access to newsletter readers before it goes public. Keep an eye out in the coming issues.