The Learning Life

How to remember WHAT YOU LEARN

By Lowell Anderson

Learning can be very difficult, but that doesn’t mean it is complicated. It all really boils down to only two basic things: understanding what you are learning and then remembering it.

Both understanding and memorizing are important. It’s ineffective to try to memorize if you don’t understand the material and thus what is really important to remember. However, understanding alone won’t do any good if we can’t find a way to retain it so we can access and use it later.

If we return to the analogy of learning as trying to fill a leaky bucket, we can see that not only will the bucket only hold so much at one time, but that what we decide to put in there is constantly trying to leak out. So, not only do we need to limit how much we try to learn and remember at one time, but we also need to find a way to plug the holes that allow what we’ve learned to disappear.

Although most people hope they will memorize something by simply seeing it (or putting it in their bucket) a few times, it doesn’t usually work that way. Effective learning isn’t passive. Instead you need to actively read, think and take notes. The same goes for memorization.

Memorization in learning has to be intentional. In other words, it usually takes hard work.

There are many different types of memory techniques that can be learned and used, including visualization, mnemonic devices, creating patterns or memory palaces, and actually using what you are trying to remember. Repetition also eventually works, however it is most effective when combined with other techniques. There are many books and online resources to help learn these techniques. But what really matters is that you pick a few that work for you and get really good at using them.

One key to effective memory is impact. In other words, how important is what you are learning to you and your life. We all have memories from our pasts that are burned into our minds and which we will never forget. Even though we didn’t intentionally try to remember them, they had such a huge impact on us that we couldn’t forget them even if we wanted to. Create impact by clarifying why you are learning, by getting excited about it, and visualizing what impact it will have on your life.

The other thing to remember is that memory is like a muscle that gets stronger the more you use it. In general, our minds are capable of much more than what we use them for - they just have to be trained and exercised. By practicing memorizing, you’ll get better at memorizing and will be able to learn and remember more.

The Learning Life