How to remember what you read: test yourself, do not reread
Rereading gives you the feeling that you know. Trying to recall without looking makes you actually know. A 2006 experiment showed it clearly.
Practice
Exercises and daily habits that turn knowledge into action.
33 articles
Notes by hand or on a laptop? What happened when the famous study was repeated
For years, articles and teachers repeated that handwritten notes are better than laptop notes. The idea came from a well-known study. When it was repeated, the result was less clear, but the main lesson remained.
Desirable difficulties: when learning should feel a little hard
When a lesson feels easy, we feel we are learning. But psychologists have shown that some small difficulties, such as recalling yourself instead of rereading, strengthen memory for longer.
Explain it to yourself: how asking "why?" deepens understanding
Two students read the same worked example. One reads it and moves on. The other stops and tells himself why each step was taken. Research shows that the second learns far more.
Interleaved practice: why mixed-up exercises teach better than ones in order
In most maths books, exercises are grouped by topic. That seems logical. But experiments show that when exercises are mixed, pupils remember and solve problems better a few days later.
Work in blocks with short breaks: the Pomodoro technique and what science says
Why does one long hour of work often yield less than two half-hours with a break in between? The answer lies in how our attention gets used to things and tires.
The "if–then" plan: the simplest tool for keeping a decision
Deciding in advance when, where and how you will act markedly increases the chance that you will. One sentence is enough.
One thing at a time: the hidden cost of switching between tasks
The mind does not do two demanding things at once; it switches between them, and every switch has a cost. Here is how to protect your attention.
How long does a habit take? Not 21 days
On average 66 days, but with a range from 18 to 254. And a comforting finding: one missed day does not wipe out progress.