--- title: 'How to Learn Everything So Quickly!' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=f89OeqSU7dY' video_id: 'f89OeqSU7dY' date: 2026-08-03 duration_sec: 1513 --- # How to Learn Everything So Quickly! > Source: [How to Learn Everything So Quickly!](https://youtube.com/watch?v=f89OeqSU7dY) ## Summary This video addresses the common problem of exam stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed by a large syllabus. The speaker identifies five 'hidden villains' that hinder effective studying: the illusion of competence, catastrophizing, procrastination, imposter syndrome, and caffeine/sleep deprivation. For each, they provide practical, evidence-based techniques to overcome them, such as active recall, spaced repetition, the Pomodoro Technique, and reframing nervousness as excitement. The video also includes a sponsored segment promoting the ACCA qualification as a career alternative. ### Key Points - **Illusion of Competence** [01:34] — Passive reading (reading, highlighting, making notes) creates a false sense of understanding. Recognizing information is different from recalling it. The antidote is Active Recall: read a paragraph, close the book, and write down what you remember. This forces the brain to work and strengthens memory. - **Spaced Repetition** [04:43] — Reviewing material at increasing intervals (e.g., day 1, day 3, day 7, day 14) is more effective than cramming. This is because when you are about to forget something, studying it again is most effective for long-term retention. - **Catastrophizing** [06:10] — The brain turns a small problem (not understanding a chapter) into a disaster (career ruined). This is a cognitive distortion. The technique to counter it is 'reframing nervousness' – interpreting physical symptoms of anxiety (increased heart rate, butterflies) as excitement and readiness, which research from Harvard shows can improve performance. - **Procrastination is Emotional Regulation** [16:23] — Procrastination is not laziness; it is an emotional regulation problem. The brain avoids the pain of feeling overwhelmed or fearing failure. The solution is the Pomodoro Technique: study in 25-minute focused blocks with 5-minute breaks, repeating four cycles before a longer break. This makes tasks feel manageable and releases dopamine, maintaining motivation. - **Imposter Syndrome and Comparison** [19:35] — Comparing your behind-the-scenes struggles with others' highlight reels leads to imposter syndrome. A reality check: others are likely as stuck as you are. Change your mindset from 'I don't know it' to 'I am learning.' Ask yourself if comparative thoughts are facts or assumptions – 99% are assumptions. - **Caffeine and Sleep Deprivation** [21:33] — Caffeine mimics anxiety symptoms, artificially stressing the brain. Sleep deprivation impairs memory consolidation – information is only transferred from short-term to long-term memory during sleep. Staying up all night to study is counterproductive. Use the primacy-recency effect: study difficult topics first or last for better retention. - **ACCA as a Career Alternative** [08:35] — The video promotes ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) as a global finance qualification that can reduce career stress. It offers global opportunities, higher salaries, and flexible exam structure. The sponsor, FPA EDU, provides guidance and free counselling. ### Conclusion The video concludes that exam stress is manageable by addressing these five psychological and physiological villains. It emphasizes that your worth is not defined by a marksheet, and encourages viewers to consider long-term career paths like ACCA to reduce stress. ## Transcript 2:00 in the night and there are many books lying on the table. You're finished with your fifth cup of coffee. Your eyes are burning and you're still stuck on chapter three. Moreover, there are only two days left for the exam and you have covered only 20% of the syllabus. And now you are wondering how to cover the remaining 80% syllabus within just two days. If this situation has happened to you or is happening to you then believe me you are not alone. Every single student of ours has passed through this place at some point or the other. And ? Hey brother, why are you feeling stressed? Be a little normal and chill a little. Or some people also give such advice that just focus, everything will be fine. Look, I personally feel that giving this advice is as useless as telling a drowning person to swim, brother. How simple it is. My friend, if that person knew how to swim then why would he be drowning in the first case. So stop listening and understanding the advice of these useless people and watch this video till the end because in this video I will cover five such hidden villains which become a hindrance in your focus in studies. The obstacle became a little more Hindi. I don't generally speak this much Hindi. And along with these villains or problems, I will also give you tips on how to deal with them. Here you will not find any motivational knowledge, any all is well or any believe in yourself funda. You will yourself funda. You will then remember to like this video for the algorithm and play it at 1.25x for better experience. Because we have to cover maximum things in minimum time. And let's start with the villain and problem number one, the illusion of competence. But this concept is very simple. Let me try to explain this to you with an example. Suppose I show you a movie. And then you sit for 2 hours and watch the entire movie attentively. You understand the whole story. You remember everything from the very beginning till the end. Now if I tell you to recreate this movie scene by scene, dialogue by dialogue. Tell me one thing, will you be able to do it? Obviously not. Why? Because there is a huge difference between seeing something and doing it exactly. Why? Because there is a huge difference between seeing something and doing it exactly. understand that exactly the same thing is happening to you in studies also. When you opened the chapter, read it carefully, highlighted important points , made notes, then thinks, wow brother, I am a genius. Understood everything. I have absolutely everything when you sit down to solve practice questions or take out sample papers, you become completely blank after reading the first question. some song that you were listening to remains in the background. Now this simple trick is called the illusion of competence. Where you feel that you know everything but in reality you do not know anything properly. Because recognizing and recalling are two completely different things. For example, if you see Shahrukh Khan anywhere, you will recognize him immediately. This is recognizing. But if I ask you to tell me all his movies in chronological order without Googling, it will be very difficult for you. This is called recall. And you know what the worst part is? You don't get this realization when you are you read the question, you feel that oh friend, I just remembered it, it was in my mind, your mind suddenly goes into panic mode and it starts running here and there. why the song always remains in your mind in the exam hall? Now you have understood the problem but also understand how to beat it. So look how you guys were studying earlier. You opened the book, read it, highlighted important points, made notes and you closed the book. This is called passive reading. And this is exactly what creates the illusion that I have understood everything. Now if you want to find a cure for this poison, then there is an antidote for it, which is called Active Recall. In this active recall technique, you force your brain to remember things and how will you do this? Let me explain this to you in a very simple way. First you will read a paragraph, then you will close the book and then you will ask yourself what did I just read? Look, I know that you will not remember it completely but this is completely normal. Actually this is the activity your brain needs. Look, understand with simple principles when muscles are built in the gym ? When there is strain on the muscles. That is, when there is resistance. Similarly, Whenever your brain struggles to remember something, actual learning is taking place. So the formula for this active recall is very simple. Read something first, then stop and close the book. Then after this try to recall. Try to write down what you remember without looking. Now it is not that you will not Write it down. And then open the book again and check what you missed out. Now these things which you missed out are your weak points. Now you have to revise these weak points again. This technique is very simple but also very effective. And along with this you can also use space repetitions. Meaning, whenever you revise, give some gap in it. Like if I study today then I will not revise tomorrow. I will revise on the third day. Because maybe if I read it today, I will be able to answer it tomorrow. But on the third day my memory slowly starts draining. That thing starts disappearing from my memory. And whenever you are almost about to forget anything, then if you study it, then that study is most effective. Because at that very moment your brain has to So that is why I would recommend you to study on day one. After that you will give a first revision on day three. After that you will give a second revision on day seven. And then you will give the third revision on day 14. If you do just this, your work will be done. You will do just this, your work will be done. You will my exams, I used to break big information into small pieces. Because the processing power of our brain is very limited. That's all he can process at one time. That is, for example, if you read two-three pages at a time, he will be able to remember only one page. Now if I know that he is going to remember only one page then why don't I read that one page carefully and then read the remaining second or third page after some time interval. Look, if you try to finish the entire chapter in one shot, you'll never be able to remember it. Try the two-three techniques that I just told you immediately. You will start seeing instant effects in the next two-three days. Now there is no need to be too happy because after solving all these things, another new villain comes who is called Catastrophizing. And this is the most important villain of this video. Look, your mind is a very talented script writer. He cooks that imaginary pulao very well. Let me explain this to you with a very simple scenario which all of you will be able to relate to. Look, when you are studying and you don't understand a chapter. Then what should be a normal reaction of your mind? Maybe your mind's reaction should be that I should give him some more time. Maybe if I read it slowly, I will understand. But starts writing a full dramatic movie story in his mind that if this chapter is not done then I will miss my exam and if I miss my exam then my marks will be low. If I get my marks then my percentage will fall. not get a good college. If you do n't get a good college, you won't get a good job. And if I do n't get a good job then my career is over. And then that dialogue of Papa comes to your mind. Just learn from Sharma ji's son, he is a topper. What is he doing something from him. Did you see what happened here? You just did not understand one chapter and within 10 seconds you reached Sharma ji's son. This is called catastrophizing. That means your brain turns a small problem into a world-ending disaster. And this happens to you every time. For you, the worst case scenario becomes your only case scenario. No other possibility exists in your mind. So how do we beat this catatifying effect ? Wait a second before you understand this. When I told you this scenario, you will not get the degree, you will not get a job, your career will be ruined. I told you that this is a drama of your brain. But have you ever thought that this drama can ever be real? No, I am not asking you to take stress at all. I am just asking you this seriously. Look, what is the reality of this traditional path today? That we did school, completed 12th, took admission in college, got a degree. But then what? Then this placement stress will come upon you that what will happen if you don't get the job? And if it happens, how much will it cost? 3 lakh, 4 lakh. What happens in this time these days, friend? And what is the guarantee going down so much. The economy is down. And this cycle never ends. Suppose even if you get a good job, then the stress of growth comes upon you. Friend, it has been 5 years but I am still stuck at Rs 7-8 lakh. And then comes the pressure from your family as to when will your son settle down? When will you get your own house and your own car? When one of your stresses ends, your next cycle begins. And it never stops. And the worst thing is that your options are very limited because your geography and looking for a job, then your options are very limited. But there are some people in the same finance field but their scene is a little different. They are working as hard as you but their growth is faster. They have options global. Why? Because he chose the right qualification in the beginning. which is called ACCA. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Maybe you have heard it and maybe not, but do not skip it because you would have never thought about it the way I am going to tell you today. First of all let me you would have never thought about it the way I am going to tell you today. First of all let me ACCA is a globally recognised finance qualification. It was created in the UK in 1904 and is recognized in more than 180 countries today. Just think about this thing that you are just studying while sitting in India and you get a global access and now you can work in London, Dubai, Singapore , Toronto, Sydney, wherever you want, you will get opportunities there and your salary will also be good. Don't consider this as a type of degree. In a way, it tell you straight forward about the salary because let's be honest, this is the actual reason for stress as to how much you will get. Will this be enough or not? So in India, the starting package of a completely fresh ACCA is ₹ 5 to ₹8 lakh per annum. Are you understanding this thing? This package is for a fresher. His first job experience. You should look at it internationally because that is where you will actually enjoy listening to it. If you are ECCA qualified in the UK, you can earn between £ 40,000 and £70,000 per year. That means roughly ₹45 lakh to ₹80 lakh annually in Indian Rupees. And Dubai, Qatar and Saudi Arabia then you can every month. And these are just starting and mid- level figures. If you look at senior positions like finance manager, finance controller or CFO level, this explain to you what type of job roles you can get after doing ACC. You can get a job role of a financial analyst or a management accountant or an auditor, tax consultant, risk manager, business consultant and these big four like Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG all If you are still not convinced then go and check on Lindin. In fact, M&A, banks, consulting firms, fintech startups all actively hire them. Basically, the whole world of finance will open up for you. Now after hearing all this, this thought might be coming to your mind that if it is such a big qualification crack it. Eligibility will also be very difficult here. But you will be surprised to hear that there is nothing like that. After class 12th you can get direct admission here. And here commerce background is preferred but not mandatory. That means you can do this course irrespective of your background. you get exemption for up to five papers. That means you skip five papers directly. And if you have cleared CA Inter in both the groups then you get exemption of up to six papers. And suppose if you are CA Final or Qualified CA then you US CMA get exemption of five to six papers. Now understand how this entire course is structured. There are total 13 papers which are divided into three levels. In which first come three papers of Applied Knowledge. These are basics, foundation skills. After that come six papers of applied skills. These are exactly core financial skills. Like taxation, audit, financial reporting, extra. And then after that come the like strategic thinking, business decisions. And another good thing about it is that their exam structure is very flexible. You have completely up to you. Whether you have to give one paper or two papers. You that you have to complete everything in one shot. Therefore, its passing rate is also 40 to 50%, which is very healthy as compared to other professional exams where the pass rate is only 5 to 10%. And if I talk about the duration of this entire course, then with exceptions you can complete it in 2.5 to 3 years. That say, just compare it and see. In the traditional path, you take a degree. Then you struggle with placement. After that, one gets an NAM job for Rs 4 to 5 lakh. Where there is slow growth and you remain limited to India only. And what do you get in the end ? Stress at every stage. And on the other hand, if you do ACCA then you get a global qualification. Global recognition is achieved from day one. After that you can start from India itself with 8 to 12 lakh per annum. if you want to grow internationally, open for you and if you look at it comparatively, your stress reduces because you see more options by doing the same hard work in the same time. So if you are genuinely interested and want to explore this seriously then check out FPA EDU. I have given its link in the description below. It Here you get proper guidance on which paper to give and when, how to get exemptions, how to prepare. They will guide you in all these things. Moreover, there is regular exam preparation and placement support is also provided here. Plus, these people also provide free counselling on whether ECCA will be right for you or not. Plus these people will be able to guide you better than me as to what your career talk to them in detail then go to the link given in the description below and this was an option you should have known about. I know this video was about exams and their stress. But in the long term, your stress can be reduced only when your career path is clear. That's why it was very important for me to tell this today. So think about it carefully, research it properly because the decision is yours. Let us now understand how to cure this catastrophization? What is its session? Look, whenever a chapter is not finished in your mind, it means everything will be over. If you start dreaming like this, then use a powerful technique called reframing your nervousness. What happens to you before the exam in general cases ? Your heart beat increases, your hands become cold. I start feeling a little butterfly in my stomach and normally you people think that I am getting nervous. And this is very bad for me. I will definitely fail. But if you reframe it as my body getting ready to perform. This is energy, not fear, so your outlook on dealing with that situation completely changes. In fact, this thing was also proved in a research conducted by Harvard University. In which researchers noticed that those students who interpreted their nervousness as excitement were actually able to as excitement were actually able to perform better in the exam. Because if you think about it, there is Adrenaline is released and triggers the same psychological response. nervous about anything or if you get into panic mode, always tell yourself that this is not fear. This is actually readiness. My body is preparing me to give my best performance. Basically, you are reinforcing a false belief in your mind so that it actually becomes true. And another thing that helps a lot in this is environmental preparation. Generally, you just have to take care of two-three things in the environment. Like don't lie down on the bed, getting cozy, covered with a blanket. Sit at a proper desk , set up a chair, remove distractions, and create a silent environment. Basically you have to create the environment like it is Because your memory is context dependent. That means, you will be able to recall that thing better in the same type of environment in which you read it. So if you are going to write sitting on a desk in the exam hall, then no scene. Basically, the energy in a positive direction. Remember, do not let that energy go waste because it can become your fuel during exam preparation. Your brain basically goes into a fight or flight situation and here you have to So let's move on to villain number three which is procrastination. And I is procrastination. And I that generally people think that procrastination means laziness, that I am just lazy and do not want to work hard. But this thing is completely wrong. Procrastination does not mean laziness. This is an emotional regulation problem. I will not be able to explain it to you better than this example. Imagine you have a You have to hold the cup directly and its heat is reaching your hands. Now tell me one thing, will you hold that cup like this? No, right? If your hand is burning, you will leave it immediately. signal that brother, if you hold it for a little longer, it will be very painful for you. So leave it as soon as possible. And the exact same mechanism works in your studies also. leave it as soon as possible. And the exact same mechanism works in your studies also. Fear of failure comes. You start feeling overwhelmed that there is so much syllabus, how will I cover it? And thinking about all these things is mentally painful for your brain. So what does your brain do here ? He gives a very simple response that brother, stay away and avoid it. And then what do you do? You suddenly pick up your phone Or you go to the kitchen and open the fridge and start looking to see what Understand that you are not avoiding work here. You are avoiding that feeling. You are avoiding that feeling. And gradually this thing turns into a vicious cycle. Suppose today you run away from studies and waste one hour on Instagram, then the If you keep piling up 1 hour of study every day like this, then by the time of exam, there will be so much burden on your head that you will not be able to even imagine. And when suddenly everything comes to your head at the time of exams, you will feel guilty and ashamed that it would have been better if I had studied earlier. So friend, how should we students tackle this thing? So the problem here is that when you think of reading five chapters, it seems like a huge thing to you and your brain immediately gets into an avoidance mode. But if you break it down and just think that I have to study for only 25 minutes, then it does not seem like a manageable task to your mind. Your mind thinks that brother, this is very doable. I can do this much at least. And this is the logic of the Pomodo Technique. Basically, here you just have to study with full focus for 25 minutes. Put your phone away, turn off your notifications and just study and nothing else. After that you get a break of 5 minutes where you get up, drink water or do anything else. Just stay away from the screen. Then you sit down to study for another 25 minutes. You have to repeat four such cycles. And then 15 to 30 minutes. Now do you know why this technique works so well ? Because after every 25 minutes you are what does it release in your mind? Dopamine. For this reason, your motivation remains intact after every 25 minutes. And because of that 5 minute break you do not feel much bored. Do you understand how to do this? Just set a timer on your phone for 25 minutes and get started. And remember to take a break of only 5 minutes after those 25 minutes are over. Don't take a 5 hour our fourth villain which is Imposter Syndrome and Comparison. What can I say about this thing brother, it slowly eats away your confidence and you do what typically happens is that in a WhatsApp group, someone or the other sends a message saying, "Friend, I have completed five chapters." Then immediately another person comes and says, hey, I have seven. It was absolutely easy brother. And then the third one comes and says, brother, I am already on revision. My first round is done. And you keep sitting here thinking that brother, I am still struggling with Chapter 2. How did these people get so far ahead thinks here that everyone is moving ahead. Everyone is getting it, but I am not able to do it. Am I the stupidest person in this group ? And this is called imposter syndrome where you genuinely feel that everyone is capable. Everyone is smart. Everyone is sorted. It's just not you. Now look, to tackle this thing, just take a small reality check. That guy who said I have done five chapters. It is and made small notes superficially. Actually, if I ask him to recall, he will know as much as you know and he will be as blank as you will be in the exam. The main point is watching everyone's highlight reels and comparing them with your behind the scenes. day, no one shows their insecurities. Show only your best photos and best moments. Similarly, in studies also, people only tell about their achievements and hide their struggles. No one will come and tell you that brother, I am also stuck on Chapter 2. Every day I also get scared as to how I will study it says that brother I have not studied anything but gets 99 out of 100. And change your mindset a little bit, that your old thoughts are that I don't know it. This basically becomes a closed door for you where your new thinking cannot develop. Change that thought a little bit that maybe I don't know it right now but I am learning. This will help open that door and you will feel more open. What did you do here? There was just a difference of one word and now there is a very practical trick. Whenever any comparative thought comes to your mind, ask yourself whether it is facts or assumptions. 99% of the time these will be lot. Now after this comes your biggest villain and your worst habit which is caffeine and sleep deprivation. And brother, this is the most interesting villain because you yourself have invited him into your life. Just imagine this scene. The exam was approaching. There was a lot of syllabus left. I drank a strong coffee at night so that I could stay up till 2-3 in the night and read everything and now it is that moment you will feel that brother, there is no person like me. There is no dedicated student like me. Look how hard I'm working. But do you know what is happening inside your brain ? Caffeine mimics the symptoms of anxiety. increases. Hands start shaking a little. I feel restlessness. You are unable to settle down and your brain reads these physical signals and concludes that oh, it seems our brother is a little stressed. It seems something is going wrong in his life. This means that you yourself are artificially putting your mind into a stressed state. And that too just because of a coffee. And this sleep deprivation of yours means staying awake at night. Whenever you feel that if I do n't sleep for one night, what will happen, friend, I will sleep after the exam. This thinking of yours is absolutely wrong. When you don't sleep properly, your amygdala, the emotional center of the brain, big to you. Everything seems like an emergency to you and negative thoughts suddenly feel 10 times more powerful. Even a normal situation will scare you a lot. But there is one big point that many people miss. That is memory consolidation. Now understand how it works. When you read, the information first goes into short-term memory. Basically, you can understand it like the RAM of a computer, which is a temporary storage. But when does this information of yours get transferred to long term memory i.e. ? That can happen only when you are asleep. Generally, during sleep, your and stores information. So, in this thing where you stay awake all night to study, the information goes only into the RAM. But if you do n't sleep, you won't be able to save it. She was not transferred. That is why whenever you stay awake all night and reach the exam hall in the morning, appears blurry to you. It looks unclever. You do n't even remember anything. And here I will give you a trick for optimization. Whatever difficult topics you have, either read them first or at the very end. This is called the primacy recency effect. no need to give up this coffee problem immediately. Because one cup is absolutely fine. Actually he is also helpful. But the problem starts when that one cup and then five cups. So it is very important to maintain a balance in life. Otherwise, your body, which is your tool, will become your biggest enemy. So these were our five forests. The number one illusion of competence that gives you a fake confidence. Number two is catastrophizing, which makes every small problem into a big problem, a big disaster. Number three is procrastination, which becomes a mechanism for you to run away from emotions. Number four is imposter syndrome, which makes you compare yourself to others and lowers your confidence. And number five is caffeine and sleep harming you a lot. In the end, I just want to tell you one important thing that your worth is not defined by a marksheet of any exam. This is just an exam, a paper, a chapter of life. Never consider this your complete book. brother, why was I taking so much stress? Brother, today it doesn't matter to me how many marks I get there. This is just a check point. It is think too much about this thing. Don't take too much stress. If you have to stress then just think about your career and give ACCA a try. I have put the link to the FPA ADO in the description below. You can go and check it once and book a free consultation call. I will meet you in the next video with another such valuable topic. Until then, keep hustling, keep learning and as always, keep inspiring.