How to Remember 🎗️ Things
Nicky Case reminds us (see what we did there!? 😝) of spaced repetition — an effective, long-term memory technique. Case's view is that it's not so widely practiced because new habit forming is hard. But, looking at how and why it's so effective, it is clearly worth the effort. Google does not replace your 🧠 brain … unless you let it.
Memorisation is required for creativity and critical thinking. And, like most things, you lose it if you don't use it! So, like muscles, you have to exercise brains. In fact, spaced repetition is a little like periodisation training — using different techniques and intensities at different times.
Periodisation … the organised, systematic, long-term planning of training to optimise performance at a given time point … achieved by the manipulation of program variables at specific times and the division of training into smaller phases, each with a different emphasis … breaking up a long term program into smaller stages is to ensure the athlete’s body is being adequately challenged … Defining Periodisation.
At the risk of stretching the analogy … recall is training after rest and is part of the learning process of building stronger neural pathways … mental 'muscle memory' after exercise.
The best recall schedule involves increasing gaps because each time you recall at a point of forgetting something it slows memory decay (atrophy) allowing memories to remain longer and help build deeper understanding.
Things to Learn? 🫵
- Languages
- Music
- Cooking
- Coding
Learning Apps? 🫵
Learning Times? 🫵
- Before work
- During commute
- After work
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