Avoid Overstudying - Andrej Karpathy

This is a very important lesson I’m trying to get better at. All of my life, grades have been the most important thing. Parents tell you that you have to have good grades. Teachers tell you you have good grades. Everyone around you agrees that you should work hard and have good grades. So, all of my life, especially after 9th grade, I’ve worked hard and had good grades, usually the best in my class. Currently, in second year of university, I am the top of class, and damn-it it feels so good. I’m THE TOP STUDENT. No one better than me.

Of course, that’s all a farce, being 1st or 5th doesn’t matter that much. No one cares. Except you and your parents.

But, the time cost of being 1st is so great. I’ve spent hours upon hours of studying a subject, after I knew I would get a very good grade. Because I wanted to do everything to get a perfect grade. So, I studied more, and built less. Explored less. Experienced less. Career-wise. To get a 98% instead of a 90%.

I want to ditch the desire for the perfect grade, but it’s not very easy. Everyone around you focuses on grades. Peers, teachers, parents, etc. But these are not the people whose opinions are important.

The people whose approval you seek want to see what you’ve built. How you think. How you’ve encountered challenges. Your grade is just the first filter they check to see if you’re not a clueless person.

So it’s crucial to avoid over-studying. And that’s what I will do. Build more, and study less.