I learned a system for remembering everything

Summary

The video script explores the challenge of retaining information from the numerous books we read. The host, struggling with memory recall, interviews Ryan Holiday, a prolific reader and author, to uncover his methods for remembering what he reads. Holiday shares his system of active reading, which involves taking notes, highlighting key points, and organizing these notes on note cards by theme, effectively creating an 'external brain.' The video emphasizes the importance of not only reading but also engaging deeply with the material, and the benefits of having a system for retaining and categorizing information. It concludes with the host's experiment adopting Holiday's system, highlighting the value of taking time to digest and apply what is learned, and the potential of both analog and digital methods for memory enhancement.

Takeaways

• 📚 Reading and retaining information from books can be challenging for many people, but there are strategies to improve memory recall.
• 🧠 Our memory is often unreliable and tends to prioritize frequently or recently used information, which can make recalling specific details difficult.
• 💡 Ryan Holiday, an international bestselling author, suggests being kind to oneself and recognizing the value in remembering even just one or two impactful ideas from a book.
• 📒 Holiday's reading method involves folding pages, making notes, highlighting, and transferring key points to note cards organized by theme, effectively creating an 'external brain'.
• 🔍 The process of note-taking and organizing information helps reinforce memory through heuristic memory processing, which prioritizes information based on usage and relevance.
• ✍️ Writing down ideas and categorizing them not only aids in memory retention but also provides a tangible way to review and apply the knowledge.
• 📈 The effectiveness of memory retention systems is rooted in how our brains process and sort information, making it easier to recall what we deem important or frequently used.
• 📖 Ryan Holiday prefers an analog approach to reading and note-taking, suggesting that physical engagement with the material can enhance recall compared to digital methods.
• 🤔 Matt D'Avella, the video's host, experimented with Holiday's system and found that while it slowed his reading process, it potentially made the information more 'sticky'.
• 🌐 The video also promotes Squarespace as a tool for bringing ideas to life, highlighting its ease of use and customizable features for building websites.
• 🔄 The importance of starting with an imperfect system and evolving it over time is emphasized, as the act of engaging with the material is more crucial than achieving immediate perfection.
• 🔍 Looking ahead, Matt D'Avella is planning to explore building a 'second brain' using digital systems to manage and organize the information consumed, suggesting a future blend of analog and digital memory techniques.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker is addressing in the video?

The speaker is addressing the issue of poor memory recall when it comes to remembering the content of books they have read.

What is the significance of the number of books Ryan Holiday has read?

The significance is that despite reading over 3,000 books, Ryan Holiday demonstrates exceptional memory recall, which the speaker is interested in understanding and adopting.

What is the first step of Ryan Holiday's system for remembering what he reads?

The first step is to take notes while reading, highlighting and folding pages to mark important sections.

How does Ryan Holiday organize the information he has gathered from books?

He transfers the most impactful information onto note cards, writes down the thoughts or stories that inspired him, and then categorizes these note cards by theme.

What does the speaker believe is the advantage of using an analog system for note-taking?

The speaker believes that there is an advantage to going analog as it allows for a deeper engagement with the material and may enhance recall.

What is the role of heuristic memory processing in retaining information?

Heuristic memory processing helps prioritize information that is frequently used, recently used, or likely needed for decision-making, which aids in retaining more of what we read.

What is the main takeaway from the video regarding the process of reading and learning?

The main takeaway is that becoming a better learner involves putting in the work, reading, taking notes, studying, and making use of the information taken in, and enjoying the process.

How does the speaker feel about the process of taking extensive notes while reading?

The speaker feels that the process is slow and methodical, which can be frustrating at times, but they understand the importance of digesting and engaging deeply with the information.

What is the speaker's approach to organizing their notes after reading?

The speaker plans to take their best notes and put them onto note cards, then organize these into different categories and themes, creating a systematized way of storing the information.

What is the speaker's opinion on the necessity of remembering everything from a book?

The speaker realizes that it's not necessary to remember everything; rather, the key is to store important information outside of the brain in an organized manner.

What advice does Ryan Holiday give to the speaker regarding the number of takeaways from a book?

Ryan Holiday advises the speaker to be kinder to himself, emphasizing that even one or two important takeaways that could change one's life are valuable, considering the cost of the book.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Discovering Memory Mastery

The video begins with the host expressing his struggle with memory recall after reading numerous books and materials. He sets out to explore how highly intelligent individuals retain information by learning from Ryan Holiday, an international best-selling author known for his exceptional memory. The host recalls a few points from 'Steal Like An Artist' and '48 Laws of Power', acknowledging the challenge of retaining information from non-fiction books. The video introduces the concept of varying memory capabilities among individuals, including photographic memory, and raises the question of whether memory can be improved.

05:02

📖 Ryan Holiday's Reading and Memory System

Ryan Holiday shares his reading method, which involves folding pages, highlighting, and making personal notes during the reading process. As a writer, he then transfers impactful information onto note cards, organizing them by theme to create an 'external brain'. The host tries out Ryan's system using his latest book 'Courage Is Calling'. The system is broken down into three parts: taking notes while reading, revising notes after completion, and categorizing and filing notes. The effectiveness of this system is attributed to how our brains process and retain information, prioritizing frequently or recently used data. The host emphasizes the importance of engaging deeply with the material, suggesting that an analog approach may offer advantages over digital for memory retention.

10:03

🔍 The Evolution of Memory Techniques

The host discusses his experience with Ryan's note-taking system, noting that it slows down the reading process but aims to make memories and ideas more 'sticky'. He then outlines his process of transferring notes onto note cards and organizing them, which he acknowledges as a slow and methodical process. The host reflects on the necessity of actively remembering information and the impossibility of retaining everything, advocating for a systematized approach to storing knowledge outside the brain. He concludes by sharing his adaptation of Ryan's system and encourages viewers to start their own systems, imperfectly if necessary, and to stay tuned for a future video on building a 'second brain' using digital systems.

Keywords

💡Memory Recall

Memory recall refers to the ability to remember and bring back information from the past. In the video, it is the central theme as the speaker discusses the challenge of remembering what they read and explores methods to improve this ability. The concept is illustrated by the speaker's own struggle to remember the content of books they have read.

💡Photographic Memory

Photographic memory is a rare ability where individuals can recall images and information with extreme precision and in detail, as if they were looking at a photograph. The video mentions this as an exceptional type of memory that some people possess, contrasting it with the average person's more unreliable memory.

💡Note-taking

Note-taking is the act of recording information in written or digital form for later use or reference. The video emphasizes the importance of note-taking as a method to enhance memory recall. Ryan Holiday's system of note-taking, which involves highlighting, making notes, and using note cards, is presented as a strategy to remember and categorize information from books.

💡Analogy

An analogy is a comparison between two things that are usually different, to help explain or understand a concept. In the context of the video, the analogy of an 'exterior brain' is used to describe the system of organizing notes on note cards, which helps in remembering and categorizing information.

💡Heuristic Memory Processing

Heuristic memory processing is a concept that explains how our brains prioritize information based on its frequency of use, recency, or importance for decision-making. The video discusses this in relation to how we can improve our memory recall by focusing on information that meets these criteria.

💡Explicit Memory

Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, is the type of long-term memory that involves the conscious recollection of facts and events. The video touches on this when discussing how the brain sorts and retains information over time.

💡Categorization

Categorization is the process of organizing items into categories or groups based on common characteristics. In the video, the speaker uses categorization as a method to sort and remember the notes taken from the books they read, which aids in memory retention.

💡Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday is an international bestselling author mentioned in the video for his exceptional memory recall abilities. His system of reading, which involves note-taking and organizing information, is highlighted as a method that others can adopt to improve their memory.

💡Squarespace

Squarespace is a website building and hosting platform that is mentioned in the video as a sponsor. The platform is used as an example to illustrate how one can take an idea, such as teaching people to improve their memory, and create a website to share that idea with the world.

💡Digital System

A digital system refers to an organized way of managing and storing information using digital tools or software. The video hints at the idea of building a 'second brain' using a digital system to store and organize the information consumed, which can aid in memory recall.

💡Elaboration

Elaboration is a learning strategy that involves the process of adding new information to existing knowledge to enhance understanding and memory. The video suggests that by taking notes and organizing them, one is essentially elaborating on the information read, which can lead to better memory retention.

Highlights

The ability to remember almost everything from a book is a superpower memory recall that some people seem to possess.

Our ability to remember things varies widely from person to person, with some having terrible memories and others having photographic memories.

The average memory is messy and often unreliable, making it easier to remember events that provide a deviation from our typical sensory experience.

Ryan Holiday, an international bestselling author, has read over 3,000 books and has an exceptional memory recall.

Ryan's reading system involves folding pages, making notes, highlighting key points, and transferring impactful information to note cards organized by theme.

The system creates an 'external brain' that organizes the information taken from books.

Taking notes while reading, revisiting and revising notes after finishing the book, and categorizing and filing notes are the three main parts of the system.

The system is effective because it aligns with how our brains process information through heuristic memory processing.

We tend to prioritize information that is frequently used, recently used, or likely needed to make decisions.

Becoming a better learner involves putting in the work - reading, taking notes, studying, and making use of the information.

Ryan finds that people who listen to audiobooks or read eBooks tend to have worse recall compared to those who engage deeply with physical books.

The process of taking thorough notes slows down reading by 30-40%, but aims to make memories and ideas more 'sticky'.

The note-taking process involves systematically organizing notes into different categories and themes.

You don't remember things by accident - you need to systematize and organize information to improve memory.

Storing important information outside of your brain, such as on note cards, is a key part of the system.

Ryan has evolved his system over the years and has 7 boxes of note cards in his office, one for each book he has written.

The important thing is to just get started with a system, even if it's not perfect initially.

Ryan's system will continue to evolve, and there may be a digital version in the future.

The main thing is to be consistent with the system and continually improve over time.

Transcripts

- Imagine being able to pick up any book,

read it, and remember almost everything from it.

This kind of superpower memory recall might feel

like fiction, but there are people in the real world

that seem to carry an incredible ability

to hold on to information

and I'm definitely not one of them.

I've read hundreds of books, blogs, and newsletters,

but my ability to recall any of it is terrible.

So I decided to finally look into this blind spot,

to learn about how the smartest people

in the world remember information

and to uncover their systems so I can use them for myself.

This video is brought to you by Squarespace,

I'll talk more about them later in the video.

If I were to show you a non-fiction book

that you've read over the past year,

whether it was for school, work,

or your own personal development,

how likely are you to be able

to remember five facts from the book?

How well could you explain the book to someone else?

All right, let me give this a try for myself.

"Steal Like An Artist" being creative means getting inspired

by other people and you should steal like an artist.

It's really a book about-

(lip trills)

I just read this book so this one's a little bit unfair.

What else was it?

What else was in this book?

Great ideas are really simple and clear.

I think that's all I got.

I can't even remember one of the 48 laws.

I just read it, I just read this book like a month ago.

There's not much of a point of reading non-fiction books,

particularly books about personal development

if you're not actually going to absorb

and implement the insights,

but remembering everything might be a bit of a stretch

for the average person.

After some research, I discovered that our ability

to remember things varies wildly from person to person.

Some have terrible memories, others exceptional,

and even others have photographic memories.

As you might have guessed, the average memory is

body, messy, and often unreliable.

It's easier for us to remember events that provide

a deviation from our typical sensory experience.

Like getting hit in the face with a ball,

that interesting thing you learned from that self-help book,

not so much, but my question is can we change that?

I knew exactly who I needed to speak with.

I read online that you've read

over 3,000 books is that true?

- I don't know, I think it's probably bad form to count,

you know, like with the romantic partners.

- I don't know about you, but that number,

well, it wouldn't take me very long to add up.

Ryan Holiday is the international bestselling author

of great books like "The Obstacle Is the Way"

and "Ego Is the Enemy" and while I can't remember much

of what I read in these books,

I do remember them being really good.

Ryan, thanks so much

for being here. - Of course.

- [Matt] One of the things that I was struck by

when I first interviewed Ryan back in 2019,

was his memory recall.

He pulled quotes and stories effortlessly

from the books that he's read over the years.

- Eisenhower, he had this line, he said,

"William James talked about this.

I have a quote in the intro from Blaise Pascal.

Buddha and Marcus Aurelius and Seneca and Confucius and-"

- I seriously needed to know his secret.

So I jumped on a video call with him so we could get

to the bottom of it.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to chat with you is

because I have this problem where I read a non-fiction book

and then I completely forget about everything.

Like I can look at that book and be like,

"I don't remember one or two things from this book."

How can we get better at remembering what we read

and putting into practice what we read?

- First off, I'd be a little kinder to yourself.

Having one or two things that you take from a book,

if those are important things that could change your life,

you know, you paid $11 for this book like is it so bad

that you only got two life changing things from it, right?

So like I think sometimes people are like,

"I don't have perfect recall of the book,"

I mean, the book was supposed to take you on a journey

and leave you with something.

I started in publishing as a research assistant.

I work for this amazing author named Robert Greene

and he showed me a way of reading

that I practice to this day that I think could be valuable,

which is basically, as I read a book,

I fold pages as I'm reading and then I make notes to myself.

I'm highlighting the things that I'm liking

and then what I do as a writer because I want to use a lot

of this information is I then transfer the stuff

that I really liked or that really impacted me

and I put them on note cards and so I just write the thought

that I had that it inspired or I write down the story

and then I sort those note cards by theme.

So I'm kind of creating like an exterior brain

that organizes the stuff that I took from the books.

- So I decided to put Ryan's system to the test

and try it out for myself and what better book to start with

than "Courage Is Calling,"

that's Ryan's latest book by the way.

All right, so I've got my tools here, highlighter, pen,

my post-it bookmarks here, and a stack of note cards

and, of course, my book, let's see how this works.

So when you really break down Ryan's system,

there are three main parts.

First, take notes while you read,

second, revisit and revise your notes

when you're finished with the book,

and third, categorize and file your notes.

The reason why this kind of system is so effective

at helping us retain more of what we read comes down

to how our brains process information.

Over time, we've developed a sorting process

to help us determine what information to hold onto

in our explicit memory.

That's the type of long term memory that's concerned

with recollection of facts and events.

Thanks to what's known as heuristic memory processing,

we tend to prioritize information that is frequently used,

recently used, or likely to be needed to make decisions.

So becoming a better learner is all about putting in

the work, reading, taking notes, studying,

and making use of the information that you're taking in.

In other words, having a system like Ryan's

and while Ryan said that he enjoys audiobooks and eBooks,

he thinks that there's an advantage to going analog.

- I do tend to find that people who are like,

"Oh, I listen to a lot of audiobooks or I listen to-

I read a lot of eBooks," the recall's not there.

They're like, "I do my highlights,

but they just go somewhere on my computer."

I think there is something about getting away

from the screen, sitting down, and engaging deeply

with the world in front of you.

(gentle music) (mug thuds)

- All right, so I have completely finished reading

"Courage Is Calling" and I have taken

extensive notes throughout.

So I am a slow reader in this process of taking

thorough notes throughout the entire book,

definitely slow me down even more probably by 30 or 40%,

but the idea is that hopefully,

this will make these memories and ideas just

a little bit more sticky.

Now, I need to go through this entire book

and take all of my notes, all of the best notes

that I've taken and put them down onto these note cards.

So this video is sponsored by my friends

over at Squarespace.

I've been using Squarespace for nearly a decade

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You start off by going to squarespace.com

to grab your new domain name, mattrememberseverything.com.

Next, you browse through dozens

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With a few clicks, you can add a hero image

to your homepage, you can start your very own newsletter,

and outline your core business offerings.

You could even start doing online coaching

and earn money through your very own E-commerce store.

You could call them Memory Mentorships.

You know, that's actually a really good idea,

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So now, that I've gotten two thirds of the way

into this note taking experiment, it's become clear

that this is a very slow and methodical process.

If you're anything like me,

this can make you feel a bit antsy,

but what I continue to remind myself is that this isn't

about becoming superhuman and devouring books in a day.

It's about taking the time to digest the information,

think critically about it, and to try to find ways to reuse

and repurpose what I'm learning and really more importantly

to actually enjoy the process.

- Reading is a pleasurable activity, I enjoy doing it

and so you would never hear someone be like,

"Dude, I have the fastest sex

you would not believe it," right?

Or like, "You should see how fast I can scarf down food

at this fancy restaurant."

I'm having a conversation with Ernest Hemingway

or Marcus Aurelius or Doris Kearns Goodwin,

these are like the best people in the world at what they do.

I wanna enjoy that like I'm gonna take my time doing it.

- So I have finished taking the best ideas, note stories,

and quotes from this book and put them down onto

about 20 to 30 note cards and now, is the point

in the process where I need to go through

and organize all this.

One thing that I've realized from this process is

that you don't remember things by accident,

which means I need to systematize and organize

all of these notes into different buckets, categories,

and themes.

It's probably too early to tell

whether this system will improve my memory in the long run.

I have a feeling I'm still gonna be

on the goldfish end of the memory scale,

but I've learned something even more important

over the past few weeks of following this system.

You actually can't remember everything you want to,

you just need to store it outside of your brain.

Oh, and if you're wondering

whether I'll keep this up myself, maybe,

but I don't know if it'll look exactly like this.

I don't know how many boxes of note cards I can have

at my place and still keep my sanity.

How many boxes of note cards do you have?

- Well, at least one for every single book

that I've written, but I'm looking I have one, two, three,

four, five, six, I have seven in my office right now.

My system is an amalgamation combination of Rob Greene's

and yours can be your own spin on mine.

- [Matt] Whether you decide to follow an analog system

like Ryan's or go digital,

the important thing is to just get started.

- You're better off starting imperfectly

than being paralyzed by the hope

or the delusion of perfection.

My system has evolved over the years,

it will continue to evolve.

Maybe there's some version in the future

where it does become digital,

but right now, this is what works for me

and the main thing is that I'm doing it always

and I'm getting better as I go.

- Thanks so much for watching this video,

if you liked it, don't forget to hit Subscribe

and especially that little Notification Bell

so you get future videos from me

that way you don't have to work too hard to remember

to watch my videos later.

By the way, my exploration into memory

and learning is only just beginning.

Stay tuned in a couple weeks for new video

about how to build a second brain

by taking all the information we consume

and putting it into an intelligent digital system.

- It's the complete ecosystem of apps

that you use to manage information.

- [Matt] Thanks for watching and I'll catch you next time.