It’s not just about watching your games; the real value comes from analyzing them after playing. Take the time to reflect on the game you just played—recognize your mistakes, but also celebrate your improvements. This is the moment to take notes, and that’s why, as one of my students, you have access to the Mistake Tracker. If you’re not a student yet, you can easily apply here!

The Mistake Tracker is an incredibly useful tool for your AOE training. It helps ensure that every game you play has a specific goal—to improve on a particular weakness each time. Instead of playing without purpose, you can focus on correcting specific issues.

It’s up to you to create your own “homework”. Anything you identify as needing correction should be added to the Mistake Tracker. After you correct a mistake several times, the tracker will give you the option to remove it, as it likely means you’ve improved and the mistake has become natural for you to avoid.

As you write down your mistakes, make sure to keep your notes as clear and concise as possible. Use keywords that you will recognize quickly instead of long sentences. This will help you stay efficient when reviewing your mistakes. You can also note the timing of the mistakes, so your brain can link the timing with the mistake to correct, while playing. This technique works not only for Age of Empires, but for other subjects as well—and it’s proven to be effective.

For example, instead of writing, “Idle town center in Dark Age,” write something like, “Produce VILLAGERS during the BOAR lure.” This way, you focus on the specific moment where you struggle, and the keyword “BOAR” will help trigger your memory. Keep in mind that, as we both know, sometimes we get lazy and don’t read everything carefully, so simple and recognizable keywords will work best.