A life hack to remember what you learn

After reading this post, we’ll see:

• What is Spaced repetition

• Scientific reason - why it works

• How you can use it to remember what you learn

TL; DR;

Add progressively longer time intervals between study sessions. Your studies will become more effective

Ever felt that studying takes far too much time?

What’s worse, you forget what you learn, shortly after.

There has to be a better way to remember what you learnt.

The simple solution - spaced repetition.

Spaced repetition

It involves adding progressively longer time intervals between study sessions.

It’s not about studying harder. It’s all about studying smarter.

Why it works

Because of a powerful phenomenon called the spacing effect.

The brain forms better connections and remembers things when learning is distributed over time.

The forgetting curve

In the 1800s, Hermann Ebbinghaus ( a German psychologist) developed the forgetting curve, which describes how memories naturally decay over time.

He also found that spacing out effort to memorize significantly reduced total study time.

e.g. memorizing 12 syllables took him:

• 68 repetitions on day one, and 7 on the next,

• But only 38 repetitions when spaced over three days.

The counterintuitive secret

Forgetting is one of the most important parts of learning.

The more you forget, the harder you work to retrieve it.

Implement it: Flashcards ( Leitner system)

• Use different boxes representing different study intervals.

• When you get a card right, it goes to the next box (i.e. You will see it less frequently).

• If you get a card wrong, it goes way back to the first box ( i.e. You will review it more often. )

This helps focus attention on cards that need it most.

Implement it: Apps e.g. Anki

• Rate cards based on difficulty.

• Use this data intelligently to schedule your next review.

• Maximum benefits for each card.

This helps focus attention on cards that need it most. Other choices:

The power of spaced repetition.

• Spend less study time.

• Maximum learning efficiency.

• Build a stronger & more lasting memory.

That’s it!!

I hope this concept helps you become a better learner . If you found this helpful, share with someone who will benefit.

P.S: Did you like this idea? Let me know. I personally respond to each mail.