Jordan Peterson's Ultimate Advice for Students and College Grads - STOP WASTING TIME

Key wellness & productivity strategies (from the subtitles)

• Stop wasting time (measure it)

  • Ask yourself how many hours per day/week you waste.
  • Watch less / avoid “inefficient study,” and especially content you don’t even care about.
  • Treat wasted time as a major life-cost, not a small annoyance.

• Build the core skill: writing (for thinking & effectiveness)

  • Universities often assign writing but don’t explain why writing matters.
  • Writing is framed as the “power tool” that:
    • strengthens thinking,
    • improves how you speak and argue,
    • helps you organize ideas clearly enough to succeed socially and professionally.
  • Effective communication is portrayed as a major advantage: if your points are coherent, you’re harder to beat.

• Create a schedule—without making it a prison

  • Set the schedule up so the day is the best version of the day you want, not a punishment.
  • Include responsibility/obligations plus reward (not all work, not all avoidance).
  • Use a “negotiation” mindset with yourself:
    • e.g., do ~1 hour of responsibility, then allow a short 15-minute break (or whatever ratio fits you).
  • Prevent “digging a hole”:
    • a day should leave you no worse off at the end than at the start.
  • Track accuracy goals:
    • aim for ~50–51% of your plan at first (e.g., “hit it with 70%” if you can, but at least better than zero),
    • progressively improve so you reach a positive “loop.”

• Maintain mental health with routine

  • “You cannot be mentally healthy without a routine.”
  • Pick a consistent wake-up time (and stick to it) to stabilize circadian rhythms and mood.

• Accept shared responsibility; understand ripple effects

  • Your actions and inactions affect others through networks (“ripples in a pond”).
  • Responsibility isn’t just personal fate—it can affect the people connected to you.

• Choose responsibility over easier nihilism

  • Nihilism is described as appealing because it removes responsibility (“payoff” = less burden).
  • The alternative is a “meaningful path,” but it requires shouldering responsibility seriously.

• Fix what’s broken in your immediate sphere

  • Look within your direct sphere of influence and fix issues that are clearly in need of repair.
  • One major reason people don’t get what they want: they don’t define what success actually is.

• Plan for what would truly be good for you (not just what you want)

  • Sit down and ask:
    • “What remarkably stupid things am I doing regularly that screw up my life?”
  • Ask with seriousness and honesty—this isn’t just saying words.
  • Formulate criteria for success; don’t rely on stumbling onto it “randomly.”
  • Expect iteration:
    • move toward the goal,
    • realize your initial idea might be off,
    • reformulate as you get more information.

• Aim for success by increasing probability

  • The core method is: reorient your life to make the outcome more likely.
  • Asking isn’t treated as casual wishing—it’s treated as being “deadly serious” and setting yourself up properly.

Presenters / sources

• Jordan Peterson
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (referenced)