Netflix has recently lost over 200,000 subscribers and expects to lose 2,000,000 over the coming months.

While the success of Netflix may have once seemed inevitable, nothing is guaranteed. 

Here are 3 things we can learn from the decline of Netflix:

Change is the only constant.

Once upon a time, Blockbuster was the king - then came Netflix. For a while, Netflix had a monopoly, but then came the competition.

Things change, whether they seem likely or not. Don't become complacent with success and prepare for uncertainty.

Content overload.

How often do you struggle to choose something to watch on Netflix? Now contrast this with your physical movie collection. When is it easier to decide?

More isn't always better, and can often hamper decision-making. If you sell products, keep this in mind.

Quality matters.

We are overwhelmed with non-stop content, particularly on the internet. But it's not only the amount of content we have access to, the quality also matters.

Keep this in mind with your own content, quality is sometimes more important than quantity.

A lot of Twitter is people boasting about their successes, but not many discuss their failures or regrets. 

Here is a list of mine and the lessons I've learned:

Not going to university sooner.

I talk a lot about why it's a good idea to prolong going to university; however, going at 25 was too late for me. Instead, I stayed in a job I didn't enjoy for too long. 

If you hate your job, leave as soon as you realise things aren't improving.

Staying in a job I hated too long.

Following on from the previous tweet, some jobs never improve, your boss doesn't change, and the company doesn't change.  Save an emergency fund and jump ship, don't go down with it. 

Buying an expensive car.

If you can't buy the car twice - you can't afford it. Just because you can buy something with 90% of your savings doesn't mean you should; I learned this the hard way and almost bankrupted myself by purchasing an expensive liability. 

Don't be me. 

Staying in a relationship too long.

Sometimes we stay with our partners through fear of being single rather than because they're suitable for us. This benefits neither party and wastes the most important resource you have - time. 

Make a decision and commit to it.  

Waiting too long to start.

How many ideas do you have that just sit there, never being actioned or put into practice? What if you used one of these ideas, committed to it for several weeks and see what happens?

That is what I'm doing here, and I have no regrets - give it a try!

My Biggest Regrets

"Why are the truest compliments said about the people we love when they can't savour and relish them."

I recently watched an interesting TED talk by Andrea Driessen, discussing the idea of giving loved ones eulogies while they're still alive, here's why we should:

A grace note, the term Andrea coined for a living eulogy, is a way to show people how much you care while they're around - and they're beneficial for both parties. 

For those giving the eulogy, it's an opportunity to speak your mind and tell the people you love how much they've impacted your life.

For those receiving the eulogy, it is the peace of mind of knowing they've done a good job - something we rarely speak about. 

Living eulogies allow us to minimise regret and ease the pain of death for both the dying and the living. 

Regret is something we are guaranteed to feel as we age; while it may be unavoidable, it can be minimised. 

We can reassure our loved ones that their lives mattered and made a difference in the world, instead of us simply remaining silent and assuming they know. 

For the full video check out: https://www.ted.com/talks/andrea_driessen_the_profound_power_of_gratitude_and_living_eulogies?language=en



Living Eulogies

Being in education for almost 4 years now, I've learned a lot about how to make the most of university.

Here are the top 4 things I've learned during my university career so far:

Opportunities won't come to you.

There are a wealth of opportunities at university; societies/clubs, sports teams, volunteering and even the opportunity to publish your work.

But most of these are unlikely to be offered freely, so put yourself forward - you won't regret it.

First-class degrees are not enough - thousands of students graduate each year with a first-class, go the extra mile and stand out. This could be through volunteering, work experience or publishing research. 

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. 

Most of the time at university you will study multiple topics, and your overall grade will be an average of these. 

Start strong early in the year and take some weight off for the latter exams.

Prioritise but enjoy. 

For some people, university is solely about the grades; for others, it's about networking, and then some are there exclusively to get drunk.

Understand why you are there and prioritise this, but don't write off other aspects of university life. 

Making the Most of University

I recently listened to @fortelabs on the @DeepDivePodcast, which was fantastic. If you're interested in productivity or knowledge management, give it a listen. 

Here are 6 lessons I've learned from the episode: 

Limit your time available to work.

When you impose a limit on your time, you have no choice but to prioritise because something will be left undone - whether you like it or not. 

Limiting the amount of time you can work forces you to focus on what is necessary.

Productivity does matter.

As Tiago said in the episode, productivity allows us to make the most of our lives by reducing waste.

Reduce the time you spend on busy work and free up time to focus on what matters.

More options = less productivity.

Whenever we have a lot of time, money and freedom, we believe it'll make us more productive, but the opposite is true.

Constraints force you to focus on the most essential work.

Do not multitask; it will only reduce the quality of your work. 

Focus on one thing at a time and have breaks in between to reset because each task requires a different headspace. 

Just in time vs just in case.

Just in time learning is better if you don't know what will happen - as a response to an unexpected event.

Just in case learning is better if you know something is going to happen - university exams, for example. 

Efficiency = freedom. 

Instead of trying to add new levels of thinking in your second brain, use it to make the bottom levels more efficient.

For example, use it to make mundane tasks easier, such as the weekly food shop. This will free up space for more critical tasks. 


Increase Your Productivity - Tiago Forte

Consistently achieving good grades at university is difficult. Fortunately, there are apps that can help; here is my stack:

1. Anki
2. Obsidian
3. TickTick
4. Readwise 

This is why ⬇️

Anki - in my opinion, the only tool you need to learn any topic - however, be careful not to lose the forest for the trees.

Obsidian - this is how I make sure I don't lose the forest for the trees - linking topics together using tags and zooming out (literally) using the map view to see where everything fits together. 

TickTick - part calendar app, part to-do list, part habit tracker, with iOS, Mac, Windows and Android apps that work almost perfectly - what more do you need to plan your time? 

Readwise - for the things you're trying to remember that don't necessarily fit anywhere particular, for example, a study tip that a friend gave you. 

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/ThatStudentRob/RFXYqzR

How to Consistently Achieve Good Grades

Distractions are everywhere; here are four ways to minimise them:

@forestapp_cc - A fantastic app to prevent you from using your phone. Block access to your device or risk killing your tree! You can also plant real-life trees too 🌲

@getcoldturkey - Forest on steroids. Prevent access to any desktop app or web page for as long as you need to. Fantastic software.

Leave your phone in a different room - Basic but effective; the minor inconvenience of walking to your phone is often enough to prevent you from using it altogether.

One task at a time, schedule the rest - Humans cannot multitask, but there is also a cognitive cost of leaving work unfinished. Solve this by focusing on one task at a time and scheduling the rest for later. 

Four Ways to Minimise Distractions

Making money as a student in the UK can be difficult; here are five unique ways you can do so - without online surveys:

Participating in research - the vast majority of universities in the UK have some level of research presence; use this to your advantage by signing up as a volunteer and being paid for your time. Just be sure you know what you’re signing up for. 

Make money tutoring - If you are knowledgeable in your subject, consider sharing what you've learned with other students. @MyTutor, @Tutorful, @firsttutors and Superprof are a few suggestions. 

Upcycling - what is one thing you have a lot of at university? Time. What is one thing you have very little of at university? Money. Fortunately for you, this is what you need to upcycle.

Use your degree knowledge to make money online - if you're in the latter stages of your university career, consider using what you've learned and advertising your services on @fiverr or @upwork. 

Find work through university - universities often have exclusive job portals advertising to currently enrolled students; check them out. 

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/ThatStudentRob/jSulfNL

Five Unique Ways to Make Money as a Student in the UK

For the first two years of university, I was consistently getting 2:2s/2:1s. In my third year, I achieved the second-highest mark in my cohort and finished with a 1:1 overall. Here are three resources that helped me do it:

1. Watching @AliAbdaal's 'How to Study for Exams' class on SkillShare - This is by far the best starting point if you're new to studying. Get a free trial or even pay, it's worth it. For me this class was life-changing. 

2. Using Anki - The king of all revision software, in my opinion. Start early enough and be consistent and this too will work wonders for your grades. I recommend watching @AnKingMed for tips. 

3. Binging Armando Hasudungan's videos on YouTube - If you are a medical or healthcare student this channel is a goldmine of information. Accessible yet detailed enough to be used at the university level, check it out: https://www.youtube.com/user/armandohasudungan/featured

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/ThatStudentRob/B2BsOZl

Three Resources to Improve Your Grades

Parkinson's law - 'work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion'.

I think timeboxing is the solution, here's why (thread):

1. A defined end time - limiting the time you spend on small tasks will subsequently free up time to focus on larger ones.

2. Focus - focusing on a single task during each timebox eliminates context switching costs and prevents you from lengthening your tasks through multitasking.

3. Limiting work in progress - solely working on one project at a time stops you from task switching when you meet resistance. This builds resilience and allows you to make further progress. 

For the full article, check out: https://www.studentrob.co.uk/is-time-blocking-the-antidote-to-parkinsons-law/