1. Running in the wrong direction.
2. “Over-learning” – too much or too late – and struggling the next day with a learning hangover that drags your concentration down to nothing.
3. Incorrectly habituated entry rituals that trigger a quick dopamine burst (cell phone, emails, cleaning), pulling you back into the distraction trap every morning.
4. Deepening favorite topics too much at the expense of other heavier material.
5. Being caught off guard by the questions in the exam due to completely wrong assumptions about how a study plan should look like.
6. Perfectionism that slows down, e.g. reading every book from cover to cover and trying to understand every sentence.
7. Learning the material according to the “hammer method” (90-95% of all learners unconsciously follow this learning technique). Completely wrong track!
8. To rely on antiquated learning methods, which do not contribute anything to the real deep understanding, like the loci method or the index card system.
9. Losing sight of the application.
10. Putting too much emphasis on reading and memorizing instead of processing, structuring, coding and reducing the info.
All of these things waste countless hours of time and energy. They rob you of your last nerve and only cause stress.