Give me 2 minutes and I’ll show you how to remember everyth…

Often, we listen to a podcast or read a book and feel enlightened.

We see the world in a new light.

It appears fresh; different.

We vow to take that information forward, only to find...

1 week later, we can’t remember any of the material.

Then comes a bigger issue...

Because we’ve absorbed material previously, we feel informed and spread the message of our newfound enlightenment.

Then, we find out we can’t remember what we heard.

Therefore, we can’t form a position.

You see, there’s a difference between being informed and understanding a topic deeply.

Being informed = being aware

Understanding = being certain

You might feel given today’s world, it is impossible to hold on to information.

We constantly face exciting, new and interesting stimuli like a drip feed.

However, with a bit of understanding of how our memory works, you can overcome this with absolute ease.

Memory has 2 categories:

Working memory and Long-term memory.

Long-term memory is the hub of understanding.

It allows us not only to remember facts, but more complex networks of understanding - also known as ‘schemas’.

Over time, the more schema we build in our long-term memory, the more our understanding of the world increases... exponentially.

Imagine it like a stock portfolio.

You start off with $1000.

After 30 years, you have $5,000,000

Our long-term memory functions the same way.

That’s why it is so important we keep adding information into our long-term memories.

It’s so we can develop a thorough and rich understanding of the world.

However, there’s a problem with this in today’s culture...

For us to commit something to long-term memory, it has to go through the first stage:

Working Memory.

This is when information is brand new to us.

We can juggle anywhere between 2 - 4 pieces of new information at a time.

The working memory is the part of our brain that decides what gets committed to long-term memory.

Think of it as a filter to discard irrelevant information.

We don’t need to remember the dentist’s phone number for a long time, for example.

However, if you don’t spend prolonged time with ideas, your working memory won’t commit them to long-term memory.

They will become forgotten.

Because of today’s culture, we overload our working memory.

Our brains are constantly... forgetting.

They don’t know what is worth committing and what isn’t.

So, what can we do to improve our long-term memory?

There are 4 steps and techniques:

1. Delete notifications

Stop flooding your brain with pointless dopamine.

Not only is it killing your dopamine receptors, but it’s affecting your ability to remember.

Practice focusing on singular tasks.

Meditate. Do deep work sessions. Go to the gym with no phone.

2. Recall

After you’ve read or watched something, look away.

Repeat what you’ve read.

Spending just 30 seconds recalling the ideas of a book chapter after finishing it skyrockets the likelihood of committing it to long-term memory.

3. The Feynman Technique

This comes from world renowned physicist Richard Feynman.

1. Take something you want to understand
2. Write out an explanation as if you were teaching someone
3. When there’s a gap in your knowledge, return to the material

4. Spaced Repetition

Stop thinking of the brain as a computer.

Think of it like a muscle.

It can atrophy.

Instead of cramming information in, spend time with ideas in repeated sessions.

The 4 steps to improved long-term memory:

1. Turn off phone notifications
2. Recall what you learn
3. Use The Feynman Technique
4. Learn in reps, not in a single sprint

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Thanks for reading. https://t.co/AXiaNa1iYu

Give me 2 minutes and I\u2019ll show you how to remember everything you learn:
— VIERA (@itsandrewviera) July 20, 2022

Give me 2 minutes and I’ll show you how to remember everything you learn:

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