Additional thoughts:
The whole idea was to build in repetition and make that as painless as possible.
So reading the chapter before the lecture is usually the first exposure to the material. I would highlight important parts for later. Then going to the lecture was the 2nd exposure. 3rd was doing homework. 4th might be an assignment. 5th was reviewing the highlighted parts of the chapter. And all this was before taking the test. When spread out over weeks, this repetition was INCREDIBLY powerful.
The next trick was probably the single greatest trick in my entire educational experience. And one that so many overlook.
I realized that the first test in every class is the easiest. Not only that I was freshest, mentally, at the start of a semester. SO I would work my ass off from day 1, learning all the material for that first test. If I didn't score a perfect score then I would always score a high A.
This would do two things for me:
1) It would set the precedence and get me started off in a class properly.
2) It would help set my grade high so that when I approached the final, it was much easier.
VERY often I would walk into a cumulative final exam having to make like 75% (middle C grade) or higher to keep my A. There was one test I only had to made a 56% on the final to keep my A.
Now imagine the pressure relief to know that all the work had been done and I simply have to score a C to keep an A. It was an incredibly powerful feeling. Now I wouldn't let myself relax because I still had to make that C and often I wanted to make an A and get the highest grade in the class. Let them chase me and worry about my grade instead of the other way around. :)
Also - I ignored anyone that would tell me that getting straight As didn't matter or that grades aren't really important because it's more about your portfolio or whatever. Grades were important to me and therefore that's really all that matters. They actually are important for the other reasons I stated before.
Finally - I'd ignore the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) feeling. I would hear people say "Dude, you don't need X or Y class. You can skip forward. After all, you don't want to fall behind others." The specific person that told me this disappeared somewhere during my Junior year and I never saw him again. Our last conversation was about him failing Calc 2 again and he was actually taking calc 2 and calc 3 at the same time so he wouldn't fall further behind.
I realized that to get the degree we all have to take the same classes and just because I take a class next semester doesn't mean I'm falling behind. When I'm making 4.0/4.0 grades, I'm most certainly NOT falling behind.
So part of the journey was also about whom to listen to? Should I take advice from someone who's failed multiple times even if they're a persuasive and likable person? Should I take advice from someone who reminds me of old me? OR should I trust my own judgement, set my own path through the degree and then stick with the people who are actually succeeding? Well I chose to be VERY careful about who I let influence me because old me still hasn't completely died off. lol