[백성호의 현문우답] The Harvard student calendar is ten days early… ‘Study Secret’ seen by Professor Jae-Chun Choi

#Landscape 1

The amount of study by Harvard University students in the United States, which is considered one of the best in the world, is murderous. It’s hard to say, “After Havard, life is so easy” is a word that goes a long way among students. You have to read several books each week, write essays, give presentations, and even take exams. During the exam, Harvard students study 18 hours or more, sleeping only two or three hours a day.

Not only that. At Harvard, just studying well doesn’t make you the best. You must be very active in club activities and volunteer activities, and you must study well to be treated as an honors student. At that time, I get the evaluation of “She studies a little.” Are not you curious? No, what the hell would you do and how would that be possible? Will I be able to cover my murderous schedule of study while taking time to do extracurricular activities such as club activities? Surprisingly, there was a’secret’ there.

#Landscape 2

I met Jae-cheon Choi, chair professor at Ewha Womans University, who served as the first president of the National Institute of Ecology. He holds a PhD in Biology from Harvard University. At first, he said it was very difficult. No matter how much I studied, he said it was difficult to keep up with my classmates. He didn’t have enough money, and he worked as a superintendent at Harvard’s dormitory. It was to raise tuition fees.

Many students live in the dormitory. The superintendent can watch these students very closely. He was curious. “There is also an honor student in this dormitory. They study well and do club activities well. How on earth do you study?” I usually seem to be playing around, but there were some students whose grades were amazingly good. He began to look very closely at the way his friends studied.

Then I discovered a surprising fact. They had a’secret to study’. It was an invisible secret. It’s not just study. It was also the’secret recipe’ for everything in the world.

#Landscape 3

Professor Jae-Chun Choi, who was talking, paused for a moment at this point. And he said, “Oh, this really can’t be done with a bare mouth.” Even if you say that, it is a’secret of the secret’ that it cannot be overlooked. For everyone. For students studying, for office workers at work, and for housewives living at home. Because everyone is going to work. No matter how much work is poured out, it is said that it is the secret to be able to handle it without being chased by it.

I was so curious. I said, “Please let me know as soon as possible,” and Professor Choi gave me a tip on the secret. It is none other than’Get rid of the forecast 10 days first.’ In other words, you get to work 10 days ahead of your schedule. Books to be read, essays to be submitted, preparation for presentations, etc. are all done ten days in advance.

Professor Choi said, “Of course, it is difficult at first. I have to subtract ten days’ worth of progress in advance. Because of the old habits, it sometimes goes through trial and error for a while. However, if you subtract your progress and start working 10 days earlier, your life cycle will change. From then on, a new life begins to unfold.”

#Landscape 4

Actually, I applied ’10 days to get rid of it first’ in my life. The results were amazing. First of all, if the stress intensity of 100 when working on a deadline was 100, this was only about 20-30. The real deadline is still 10 days left. I was able to work with much more freedom of mind.

Not only that. Since I had been working ten days earlier, I could continue to refine for the remaining period. When I drink coffee, when I go to bed, when I listen to music, I suddenly think of it. Then, should I fix this like this or that like that? The more I did, the more the waste fell off, and the result was more elaborate.

The biggest effect was also’relaxation of mind’. Because that is directly related to the intensity of stress. Eventually, while I was able to do more, I was under a lot less stress. At that time, I met Professor Choi in the university’s lab. There were post-its on his desk. Various requested manuscripts and tasks to be done were recorded in abundance. Just looking at it, I thought, “You’re so busy.” However, there was plenty of room on his face. I finally knew why. He was living ten days before others.

#Landscape 5

I took a look at the secret of the work process of’getting it out of the 10th first.’ There was’the reason for thinking’. Studying and work too. After all, it is planting the seeds of thought in the field of my heart.

However, the seeds that were sown one hour before the deadline and those that were planted 10 days earlier were inevitably different. Seeds sprout, stems rise, leaves grow, and the process of fruiting couldn’t have been the same. Seeds planted an hour before due to the deadline must be’cropped’ as soon as they sprout. I have to submit it right away. There are no waiting, ripening, and refining.

So what happens if you plant the seeds of thought 10 days first? The buds sprout early. Then you can keep shaving and trimming. Ideas continue to sprout for ten days. Eventually, the closer the deadline is, the closer the result is to’completed’. So is Beethoven, a composer who is revered as’the wickedness. When the evil image came to mind, I sketched first. And sometimes over the years, I cut and polished songs. Actually, the score he wrote was hard to read because he was rewriting it.

#Landscape 6

‘Getting out 10 days first’ is the secret to getting things done well. It doesn’t just apply to school work or work. Everyone is chasing back and forth to make their own lives. There is also a hint of wisdom that allows you to live without being chased for a lifetime in’Getting Out of the Sun 10 Days First’.

It is difficult to realize the effectiveness of this method only by reading someone else’s writing or listening to someone else’s story. I had to do it myself. It seemed to be understood only after experiencing the ’10 days to get rid of it first’ by manually applying it to your specific daily life. So how about testing 10 days ahead of the deadline?

Get rid of it 10 days first. After the experience, my mouth burst into “Aha!”. I wonder what kind of excitement will burst in your life.

Written by = Religious reporter Baek Seong-ho, vangogh@joongang, photo = Hyuk-jae Kwon, photo reporter