I've noticed that people who have a hard time in intro-to-physics classes usually fail in a fairly predictable way: they see a problem, don't know how to solve it, and stop. But there's a trick to solving physics problems when you're not sure how. The general method is:

1. Make a diagram or something, to depict what you know about the problem and make it easier to figure out stuff you don't know.

2. Look at the problem until you can derive something you don't already know. Even if you have no idea how it will help (or if it will help) do the calculations, and write them down.

3. Repeat step 2 until you see how to get to the answer.

The problem is when someone, not seeing a way all the way to the solution, stops trying instead of looking to make incremental progress.

I'm sure this applied to more than introductory physics problems. It's very similar to Terry Tao's advice on how to do math:

I don't have any magical ability. I look at a problem, and it looks something like one I've done before; I think maybe the idea that worked before will work here. Nothing's working out; then you think of a small trick that makes it a little better but still is not quite right. I play with the problem,

The first place I saw the claim that a huge amount of life success is encapsulated in many simple life optimization "tricks" (or "cheat codes" in your terminology) was in David Allen's book "Getting Things Done" which is full of many such tricks (plus motivational exhortations) organized around the rough theme of efficiently increasing the number of one-off embarrassingly parallel actions you accomplish per day.

I prefer the term "technique" personally because when I tried using Mr. Allen's term "trick" it sometimes backfired and confused people into thinking that there was bad moral intent involved. They could teach me one, and I would be happy and exclaim "That's an awesome trick!" and they would get defensive instead of take it as the compliment I intended it to be. I suspect that your term "cheatcodes" will run into this problem even more dramatically because it literally contains the word cheat in it.

The term "technique" primes for things like skill development, kung fu, painting, and technology rather than "violation of social norms" so it is safer to use, but all of these terms are im... (read more)

I really love the idea of spaced repetition, and I really love Wikipedia. I wish, however, that there was a fusion of the two spaces. Imagine surfing Wikipedia, reading an interesting fact you'd like to remember, and simply clicking a button next to it that added that fact to your daily spaced repetition learning database.

Also, while there are good spaced repetition programs/databases out there (like Anki), the databases aren't collaborative like a Wiki, and in general could be much better. Actually, collaborative abilities aside, I think even a very well kept but closed database could be quite valuable (more so than Rosetta Stone or other such software for learning a language for instance).

Tackling some of these ideas is something I'm planning on doing once I finish up my current projects, but if someone else jumps on them first, all the better.

I don't want to sound like too much of an evangelist, because I'm not amazingly skilled myself, but when I saw the heading "cheat codes" I immediately thought "lifting weights."

If you're interested in looking (conventionally) good, feeling well, and making progress in physical performance, and if you don't have any physical problems that make it impossible, free weights are sort of the "secret weapon" that most people aren't using. Quite a few people who can't lose weight (or fat) with cardio, can once they try weights (this is true of me, on a small scale.) The added advantage is that you save time. (>8 mile runs may be pleasant on occasion, but they sure do take a while.)

When you're feeling depressed for no good reason, force yourself to laugh. It triggers happiness almost as well as externally-induced laughter. Eventually, you will noticeably condition yourself to release seratonin (or endorphins, or something) every time you notice that you're seratonin-deficient.

It's been effective for me. I started it as a moody teenager and it quickly became self-perpetuating. Google suggests I'm not alone. It's got a whiff of wire-heading, I admit, but ideally you're using it to solve a brain chemistry defect, not an external problem.

Well, since you mentioned expert violinists...most people find that guitar is alarmingly easy to learn once they sit down with it. With a 1 hour lesson per week and 30 minutes of practice 3 times a week for 10 weeks, most people can get to the point where they are affirmatively entertaining -- much more fun to listen to than silence or small talk. Being able to play an instrument reasonably well is good for making friends, impressing people, expressing emotions, achieving flow, and improving self-esteem.

Unless you're a perfectionist, extremely busy, or extremely lazy, you will probably find that after the first 5 hours or so of time-investment, both the lessons and the practice can be a lot of fun -- you don't have to follow a rigid system; you can just see interesting techniques used and then copy whichever ones interest you as best you can, and music comes out.

For improving writing skills, the two most effective methods I know are:

1. Participate in National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to write a 50,000 word work of fiction in 30 days, without fretting over quality too much. If you do this, you will learn a lot. It's unavoidable. (Plus, you get a book with your name on it. That's a great feeling.)

2. Write blog entries, and post them somewhere people will see and discuss them. Less Wrong, for instance, or Hacker News. If you know you're writing for an audience, it forces you to clarify your thoughts, and put mo

Any data on how long in advanced for spaced repetition to be effective, say if you're studying for an exam or something ?