21 Life Lessons for Teenagers

2021-02-10 · Long video (solo, talking head or whiteboard) · Ali · recording, 15:01 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Mindset, motivation and happiness (also: Learning and studying, Goals, purpose and life design, Relationships and personal life, Business and entrepreneurship, Money and investing) · mode: List of tips or lessons · tags: Aimed at students, His medical past, Lesson from a book, Sponsor segment present

Ali gives 21 pieces of advice to his 18-year-old self about to start university: keep asking what game you are playing, build compounding skills, document what you learn, be the friend who connects people, study a little every day with active recall, skip lectures and fall behind in term if needed, try money-making side projects, enjoy the journey, and learn evidence-based study techniques early; a bonus point says to start investing young.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Intro: 21 bits of advice to his 18-year-old self

00:00:07 — The game you are playing; skills that compound

★★★ Ali tells his 18-year-old self to keep asking every few months what game he is playing and whether he still wants to play it, ignoring the sunk cost of choosing medical school at 16. — 00:00:07
★★ At school the game is getting good exam results to get into university, Ali says, but at university that is probably no longer the game, and playing it should be intentional rather than accidental. — 00:00:07
★★ Ali advises starting at 18 or younger to develop skills that compound over the long term, which teenagers focused on the short term do not appreciate. — 00:01:05

00:01:25 — Posture, more photos, being a documentarian of what you read

★ Ali urges his younger self to pay attention to his posture: hours hunched over a computer cause no pain at 18 but he may regret it by 26. — 00:01:25
★ Ali advises taking many more photos at university than seems necessary, because those years never come again and the recorded memories are always welcome later. — 00:01:47
★★ Ali advises being a documentarian: after reading a book or article or hearing a podcast, spend 10 or 15 minutes writing what you learned and how your thinking and behaviour changed. — 00:02:10
★★ Putting such notes on a public website builds domain value, Ali says, so his own brand would have grown much quicker had he documented what he learned. — 00:02:54

00:03:08 — Being a connector, going to events, a doorstop, not being mean, Bitcoin, nothing good after 2 a.m.

★★ Since any friendship group needs someone to bring it together, Ali advises being that connector at university: setting up the WhatsApp group, inviting people round, organising events. — 00:03:08 · WhatsApp
★ Ali reassures new students that literally everyone worries about making friends when they go to university. (overstated) — 00:03:08
★★ Ali advises choosing the event over a night in, because the more you expose yourself to other people, the more your surface area for serendipity increases. — 00:03:51
★★ Ali advises getting a doorstop to keep the door open and inviting people to interrupt your studying, since late-night chats compound into friendships while extra productivity is forgotten. — 00:04:40
★ Ali tells his younger self not to be mean to people, because he will only ever regret it. — 00:05:13
★★ Ali's advice to his 18-year-old self: buy some Bitcoin and under no circumstances sell it. — 00:05:17
★ Nothing good ever happens after 2 a.m., Ali says: hangouts are useful until then, after which it is better to send people away and sleep than waste the next day. — 00:05:21

00:05:47 — A little bit of work every day

★★★ Ali advises a little studying every day: with active recall and spaced repetition, small daily work over a long time becomes long-term memory, while cramming for an exam does not stick. — 00:05:47 · active recall, spaced repetition
★★ As a doctor asked anatomy questions by surgeons, Ali says, he wished he had kept up his anatomy and physiology with a little work every day. — 00:06:02

00:06:41 — Seek forgiveness rather than permission; stop worrying what people think; how hard should this really be

★★ When starting a business, website or YouTube channel at university, Ali advises seeking forgiveness rather than permission instead of asking the university or college tutor first. — 00:06:41
★★ Ali urges students to stop worrying about what other people think of them, because others are not really thinking of them but about their own anxieties and problems. — 00:07:02
★★ Ali says 30% of the people a student meets at university are struggling with mental health problems that others will not learn about for years. — 00:07:02 · Mental health
★★ When struggling with something, Ali advises asking how hard it should really be, and Tim Ferriss's question of what it would look like if it were easy. — 00:07:33 · Tim Ferriss
★★ Ali says that in his first year of medicine at Cambridge he convinced himself it was very hard and sabotaged himself, realising by the second year it was not so bad. — 00:07:44 · University of Cambridge

00:08:16 — Skipping lectures and falling behind with university work

★★ Ali says it is absolutely okay to skip lectures, since lecturers often just read out the notes students already have; go through them on your own time in a cafe. — 00:08:16
★★ Citing Make It Stick and evidence-based study tips, Ali says taking notes is for the most part a waste of time, so do not summarise lecture notes. — 00:08:26 · Make It Stick
★★ Ali says it is okay to fall behind with university work during the eight-week terms and catch up in the long holidays, rather than putting work before the social side of term. — 00:08:44

00:09:31 — Sources of passive income

★★ After reading The 4-Hour Workweek, Ali tells his younger self to pursue sources of passive income: side projects bring no returns for years, but eight years later he is glad of them. — 00:09:31 · The 4-Hour Workweek, passive income
★★ Ali says side projects are less about money than skills: trying to make something and charge for it is one of the best learning experiences, so neither obsess over money nor treat it as evil. — 00:10:02

00:10:25 — Journey before destination; sharing with friends; the serenity prayer

★★ Ali advises enjoying university rather than focusing on the destination: it is fine to aim for a first class, but not to forget to enjoy oneself climbing the greasy pole of achievement. — 00:10:25
★★ Ali sums up the point with Brandon Sanderson's words from his fantasy books: life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination. — 00:11:03 · Brandon Sanderson, journey before destination

“Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination.”
★ Ali tells his younger self to read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive sooner than he did. — 00:11:03 · Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson
★★ Ali advises sharing work freely with friends without tit for tat, treating the exam as a collective enemy rather than competing with friends or the year group. — 00:11:10
★★ Ali advises carving the serenity prayer into your heart: do not worry about what you cannot control, and focus on improving what you can. — 00:11:55 · stoicism

00:12:16 — Learn how to study efficiently for exams

★★★ Ali urges learning to study efficiently early: rereading, summarising and highlighting notes waste hours to months, and there is a lot of scientific evidence on what makes effective studying. — 00:12:16

00:12:40 — Skillshare sponsor read for his study class

00:14:09 — Bonus: start investing in stocks and shares early

★★ In a bonus point, Ali advises investing spare money in stocks and shares as early as possible instead of leaving it in the bank: 18, 14 or even 11 is not too young. — 00:14:09

Threads in this video

refine · How do you find your purpose or what to do with your life? — Ali tells his 18-year-old self to keep asking every few months what game he is playing and whether he still wants to play it, ignoring the sunk cost of choosing medical school at 16. (00:00:07)
refine · Which skills should you learn now? — Ali advises starting at 18 or younger to develop skills that compound over the long term, which teenagers focused on the short term do not appreciate. (00:01:05)
restate · How do you remember what you read? — Ali advises being a documentarian: after reading a book or article or hearing a podcast, spend 10 or 15 minutes writing what you learned and how your thinking and behaviour changed. (00:02:10)
refine · Should you write online or start a newsletter? — Putting such notes on a public website builds domain value, Ali says, so his own brand would have grown much quicker had he documented what he learned. (00:02:54)
refine · How do you keep friendships and avoid loneliness? — Since any friendship group needs someone to bring it together, Ali advises being that connector at university: setting up the WhatsApp group, inviting people round, organising events. (00:03:08)
restate · Is success a matter of luck or hard work? — Ali advises choosing the event over a night in, because the more you expose yourself to other people, the more your surface area for serendipity increases. (00:03:51)
refine · How do you make the most of university? — Ali advises getting a doorstop to keep the door open and inviting people to interrupt your studying, since late-night chats compound into friendships while extra productivity is forgotten. (00:04:40)
refine · How do you avoid regrets in life? — Ali tells his younger self not to be mean to people, because he will only ever regret it. (00:05:13)
refine · Should you invest in crypto? — Ali's advice to his 18-year-old self: buy some Bitcoin and under no circumstances sell it. (00:05:17)
refine · How do you sleep better? — Nothing good ever happens after 2 a.m., Ali says: hangouts are useful until then, after which it is better to send people away and sleep than waste the next day. (00:05:21)
restate · Should you cram or study a little every day? — Ali advises a little studying every day: with active recall and spaced repetition, small daily work over a long time becomes long-term memory, while cramming for an exam does not stick. (00:05:47)
refine · Should you plan things out first or just start? — When starting a business, website or YouTube channel at university, Ali advises seeking forgiveness rather than permission instead of asking the university or college tutor first. (00:06:41)
restate · How do you handle criticism and comparing yourself with others? — Ali urges students to stop worrying about what other people think of them, because others are not really thinking of them but about their own anxieties and problems. (00:07:02)
refine · How do you study effectively for exams? — Ali says it is absolutely okay to skip lectures, since lecturers often just read out the notes students already have; go through them on your own time in a cafe. (00:08:16)
restate · How should you take notes when studying? — Citing Make It Stick and evidence-based study tips, Ali says taking notes is for the most part a waste of time, so do not summarise lecture notes. (00:08:26)
refine · How much effort should you put into getting top grades? — Ali says it is okay to fall behind with university work during the eight-week terms and catch up in the long holidays, rather than putting work before the social side of term. (00:08:44)
refine · Can you build passive income, and should you aim for it? — After reading The 4-Hour Workweek, Ali tells his younger self to pursue sources of passive income: side projects bring no returns for years, but eight years later he is glad of them. (00:09:31)
refine · Should you start a side hustle, and which one? — Ali says side projects are less about money than skills: trying to make something and charge for it is one of the best learning experiences, so neither obsess over money nor treat it as evil. (00:10:02)
refine · Should you set goals, and how? — Ali advises enjoying university rather than focusing on the destination: it is fine to aim for a first class, but not to forget to enjoy oneself climbing the greasy pole of achievement. (00:10:25)
refine · Should you study alone or with other people? — Ali advises sharing work freely with friends without tit for tat, treating the exam as a collective enemy rather than competing with friends or the year group. (00:11:10)
refine · How do you reduce stress? — Ali advises carving the serenity prayer into your heart: do not worry about what you cannot control, and focus on improving what you can. (00:11:55)
restate · Should you highlight and reread when studying? — Ali urges learning to study efficiently early: rereading, summarising and highlighting notes waste hours to months, and there is a lot of scientific evidence on what makes effective studying. (00:12:16)
refine · How should you start investing? — In a bonus point, Ali advises investing spare money in stocks and shares as early as possible instead of leaving it in the bank: 18, 14 or even 11 is not too young. (00:14:09) → refers to How to Invest for Beginners

Mentioned

Central: compounding

Also: People: Brandon Sanderson · Tim Ferriss

Works: Make It Stick · Mistborn · The 4-Hour Workweek · The Stormlight Archive

Organizations: University of Cambridge

Concepts: active recall · how hard can it be? · journey before destination · luck surface area · Mental health · passive income · spaced repetition · stoicism

Products: Bitcoin · WhatsApp

Also centred on compounding: The Book That Changed My Financial Life 🤑

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