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The Law of Diminishing Returns 📉

2023-11-02 · Short · Ali · recording, 0:59 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Productivity and time (also: Learning and studying) · mode: Explanation and tutorial · tags: Aimed at students

In a Short, Ali explains the law of diminishing returns, where each extra hour of studying brings smaller gains as energy runs out, and gives three ways to avoid it: prioritise, delegate and take regular breaks.

What is said

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

00:00:00 — The law of diminishing returns in studying and beyond

  • ★★★ If your grades are not improving although you study for longer, Ali says it may be the law of diminishing returns: early hours bring big gains in understanding and retention, later hours as your energy runs out only marginal gains. — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Ali says the law of diminishing returns applies well beyond studying, for example to practising sports, buying tech or marketing your company. — 00:00:00

00:00:29 — Three things to try: prioritise, delegate, take regular breaks

  • ★ To avoid diminishing returns, Ali's first step is to prioritise high-impact tasks, which cuts the time and energy spent on low-impact things. — 00:00:29
  • ★ Ali's second step against diminishing returns is to delegate: at work, lean on other people's strengths and take things off your plate. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Ali calls taking regular breaks one of the most productive things you can do, because a rested brain tackles a task far better and wastes less effort. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Understanding the law of diminishing returns, Ali says, lets you find the sweet spot in allocating your resources that maximises both productivity and overall happiness. — 00:00:29

Threads in this video

  • refine · How many hours a day should you work? — If your grades are not improving although you study for longer, Ali says it may be the law of diminishing returns: early hours bring big gains in understanding and retention, later hours as your energy runs out only marginal gains. (00:00:00)

Mentioned

Central: diminishing returns

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