Talent has less influence in academics than in other areas.
In academics, there are fewer people with natural talent than in other fields, but good results go to a lot of people, unlike in other fields.
For example, if you rank 3,000th in the nation in soccer, it will be difficult to make a living from it, but if you rank 3,000th in the nation in studying, it will be easier to get into Seoul National University or pass the bar exam.
And in academics, talent means problem-solving skills.
I don't necessarily need to invent a new problem-solving method like Edison. I can get the same results by just going to the supermarket and buying a mass-produced light bulb. Just like that, even if I don't have talent, I can get the same results as someone with talent by learning how to study.
--- p.9, from “Why We Always Fail at Studying”

Because test takers have difficulty accurately assessing themselves and are unfamiliar with the effectiveness of study methods, they often mistakenly believe that poor results indicate a lack of effort or will.
However, studying is not a matter of 'will' but a matter of 'method'.
Moreover, ‘will’ only becomes valuable when it is based on the right ‘method’.
Studying is like deciding in which direction to take the train called 'me'.
The will is the fuel, and the method is the rails.
If you lay the rails properly and refuel, you will reach your destination even if it takes a while. However, if you didn't lay the rails properly in the first place, you will end up going to the wrong place even if you have too much fuel.
In other words, knowing the right study method and starting out is the task of laying the right path to achieve your dreams beyond passing the exam.
--- p.9, from “Why We Always Fail at Studying”

Let's look back at the mindset we have when we start something new.
People who have always studied well will have no problem, but students who want to do well on the midterm exam with a new mindset, office workers who want to start studying English with a new mindset from today, and test takers who want to break away from yesterday's self and go all-in to pass the exam.
Anyone who takes on a 'new task' begins with a reverent attitude.
But this is the problem.
This piety should be about posture and attitude, and if it infiltrates the method, it will cause great problems.
It's about creating goals that are too big and idealistic.
People don't realize that the thought, 'Shouldn't I do this much?' is the wrong first step.
What remains afterwards is only frustration in the process of execution and bitter self-recrimination.
--- p.22, from “What Moves Me”

Simply following the "good test takers" that other people or my subconscious has created without making the effort to find a study method that truly suits me and brings me happiness can cause my study period to be unnecessarily prolonged or sometimes prevent me from reaching my desired destination.
Of course, it is important to refer to the study methods of people who are good at studying and use them as a subject of analysis.
Because it reduces unnecessary trial and error.
However, it is necessary to analyze it, apply it to your own studies, and refine it in a way that suits you.
--- p.32, from “The results should be more meaningful to me than to anyone else”

You may not have been aware of it, but at least when studying for an exam, the object or goal of your study is the 'criteria for solving the problem.'
I call this the 'problem-solving protocol'.
It means that it is my own problem-solving formula.
Whether you study through lectures, books, or any other method, all of that studying is a significant prerequisite for creating a problem-solving protocol.
'I studied hard.
Unfortunately, saying 'the grades just didn't come out' is just an excuse.
Studying doesn't depend on how much you know, but on how well you can create your own formula to solve problems.
Not studying the 'problem solving criteria (or protocol)', which is the output or information needed to solve the problem, is the same as not studying at all.
--- p.97, from “Skipping Unnecessary Intermediate Steps”

I often hear that reviewing is important when studying.
But what exactly is "review"? The dictionary defines it as "repeating something," but is that really the case? (…) In conclusion, "review" should be distinguished into two types.
The first is relearning, and the second is real review.
That is, the review we think of actually has a premise.
This is because repeating what you have learned and making it your own is only possible if you have completely created the object of repetition.
But usually, we don't distinguish between these things and just 're-study' what we learned before after a certain amount of time has passed.
However, since studying is mostly difficult and painful, students can escape the pain of studying by looking at what they know and what is comfortable and familiar.
That's why we always know what we know and don't supplement what we don't know.
--- p.121, from “Distinguish between relearning and review”

For working people, even if they want to study something new, they can't use their time freely due to unpredictable meetings and company dinners.
My wake-up and bedtime from last week, this week, and next week are all different.
Since the beginning and end of each day vary for each person and for each specific period, what principles should we follow to manage our time? The answer is to spend time according to the flow of energy within our bodies.
It doesn't really matter what time you go to bed and what time you wake up.
(…) Such a regular life and the pursuit of efficiency based on numbers are actually nothing more than psychological inducements.
It's just that I wake up earlier than everyone else, feel satisfied and inspired by fitting myself into the ideal human image, and spend the rest of my day feeling good about it.
--- p.141, from “Consider energy distribution rather than wake-up time”

Most of us have probably had the experience of our eyes constantly lingering on the same page while studying, or of seeing something but not remembering it at all, as if it just passed over the words.
Or, you may have planned to take a lot of online lectures, such as "basic lectures," over several months, only to find yourself unable to study at all until you start solving problems and finally come to your senses and start studying.
(…) In this situation, most people diagnose that it is because I lack concentration.
But that diagnosis was wrong.
This problem is caused by incorrectly setting the ratio of input to output, and has nothing to do with innate concentration.

--- p.174, from “Increase the Proportion of Output”