How To Remember Everything You Learn

Summary

In this informative video, the host shares seven effective tips to enhance memory retention for the things we learn. Starting with the importance of understanding the broad concept before diving into specifics, the tips include 'just-in-time learning,' following curiosity, sharing knowledge to reinforce learning, and using tools like Readwise for low-friction resurfacing of information. The host emphasizes active recall as a crucial method for solidifying memories, suggesting that testing oneself is more beneficial than passive rereading or note-taking.

Takeaways

• 😀 Discover the Map: Start by understanding the broad strokes of a new topic before diving into specific areas to avoid missing out on related areas of knowledge.
• 🎮 Just-in-Time Learning: Learn when the knowledge becomes practically applicable to you, rather than learning 'just in case' it might be useful later.
• 🔍 Follow Your Curiosity: Engage with topics that genuinely interest you to improve recall and retention of information.
• 🗣️ Share What You've Learned: Teaching or explaining what you've learned to others can significantly enhance your own memory of the material.
• 💡 Apply the Protege Effect: The act of teaching or sharing knowledge helps deepen your understanding and makes the information more memorable.
• 📚 Utilize Interactive Platforms: Use platforms like Brilliant for engaging and interactive learning experiences in subjects like math, data science, and computer science.
• 📝 Write Regularly: Writing about what you've learned, such as in an email newsletter, can reinforce your memory and provide a record of your learning journey.
• 🔄 Low-Friction Resurfacing: Use tools like Readwise to revisit highlights from your reading in a low-effort way, which aids in memory retention.
• 📉 Active Recall: Actively testing yourself on the material you've learned is more effective for memory retention than passive rereading or note-taking.
• 📈 Test Yourself Regularly: Incorporate self-testing into your learning routine to solidify memory connections and improve long-term retention.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is about learning and remembering new information effectively, with seven simple tips to enhance memory retention.

What is the first tip mentioned in the video for improving memory retention?

The first tip is to 'discover the map', which means to understand the broad overview of a new topic before diving into specific areas.

Can you explain the concept of 'just in time learning' as mentioned in the video?

'Just in time learning' is learning something at the moment it becomes useful and necessary, as opposed to 'just in case learning', which is learning something that might be useful in the future.

What does the video suggest about the relationship between curiosity and memory retention?

The video suggests that curiosity is a natural compass that helps in remembering information. People are more likely to remember things they are genuinely curious about.

How does sharing knowledge with others help in learning according to the video?

Sharing knowledge with others, also known as the 'Protege effect', helps in reinforcing the learner's own understanding and memory of the information.

What is the benefit of using Brilliant as mentioned in the video?

Brilliant is an online platform that offers interactive and engaging lessons on various subjects like math, data science, and computer science, which can enhance learning experience.

Why is writing a weekly email newsletter like 'Sunday Snippets' beneficial for the author?

Writing a weekly email newsletter helps the author to remember what they have learned by sharing it with others and also adds value to the readers by teaching them new things.

What is 'low friction resurfacing' and how does it help in memory retention?

'Low friction resurfacing' is the process of revisiting information in a low-effort way, such as receiving daily emails with highlights from previously read material, which helps in recalling the information.

What is the significance of 'active recall' in the context of learning and memory?

'Active recall' is the act of actively trying to remember information without looking at the source material, which strengthens memory connections and aids in better retention.

How does the video suggest using the Readwise app for memory retention?

The Readwise app is suggested for its ability to store highlights from reading material and send daily emails with random highlights, facilitating low-effort resurfacing of learned information.

What is the final tip given in the video for remembering more of what you learn?

The final tip is to practice 'active recall' by testing oneself on the information learned, which is more effective for memory retention than passively rereading or summarizing.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Discovering the Map for Effective Learning

The video begins with an analogy of learning to a video game map, where the initial step is to uncover the entire map before delving into specific areas. This approach is suggested for learning new topics, where understanding the broad strokes of a subject allows for a more informed decision on which areas to explore further. The speaker uses marketing as an example, highlighting the importance of not just focusing on one aspect like email marketing, but understanding the full spectrum of marketing strategies available. The key takeaway is to maintain a zoomed-out perspective to avoid missing the bigger picture while learning.

05:01

🕒 Just-in-Time Learning vs. Just-in-Case Learning

The second paragraph discusses two learning strategies: 'Just-in-Case' and 'Just-in-Time'. The former involves learning something that might be useful in the future, without immediate application, while the latter is learning something immediately useful for current needs. The speaker advocates for 'Just-in-Time' learning, using medical school and marketing as examples to illustrate how practical experience enhances the retention of knowledge. The summary emphasizes the importance of applying theory to real-life situations to make learning more effective and memorable.

10:01

🔎 Cultivating Curiosity for Better Retention

In this paragraph, the speaker emphasizes the role of curiosity in learning and memory retention. A study is mentioned that shows a direct correlation between curiosity and the ability to remember information. The speaker shares personal examples, such as learning about nuclear bombs after watching a film, to demonstrate how curiosity can act as a natural compass for learning. The summary underlines the idea that pursuing knowledge out of genuine interest significantly improves the likelihood of remembering what is learned.

🤔 Sharing Knowledge for Enhanced Learning

The fourth paragraph focuses on the concept of sharing knowledge as a method to reinforce learning. The speaker cites studies that show teaching or explaining information to others enhances one's own memory, a phenomenon known as the 'Protege' effect. Personal anecdotes from traveling and learning about historical sites are shared to illustrate this point. Additionally, the speaker discusses a team practice of creating monthly presentations on what each member has learned, highlighting the benefits of this practice for both the individual and the team as a whole.

💡 Sharing Learnings Online for Long-Term Retention

The speaker discusses the benefits of sharing what one has learned online, drawing from their own experience of writing a weekly email newsletter called 'Sunday Snippets'. This practice not only helps the speaker remember the information better but also provides value to the readers. The summary explains how sharing knowledge publicly can solidify one's understanding and recall of the subject matter, as well as contribute to a broader community of learners.

🔄 Low-Friction Resurfacing with Readwise

In this paragraph, the speaker introduces Readwise, an app that helps in the process of low-friction resurfacing of learned material. By linking to various reading platforms, Readwise stores highlighted content and sends daily emails with random highlights, allowing for periodic review of previously read material. The speaker shares their personal experience with Readwise and how it aids in recalling quotes and information from books, emphasizing the app's effectiveness in enhancing memory retention.

✅ Active Recall for Strengthening Memory

The final paragraph concludes with the concept of active recall as a powerful learning technique. The speaker explains that actively testing oneself on learned material strengthens memory connections more effectively than passive rereading or note-taking. Various methods of self-testing are suggested, such as practice tests, online quizzes, and creating content about the learned material. The summary reinforces the idea that remembering is about retrieving information from the brain, which in turn, solidifies the memory.

Keywords

💡Memory retention

Memory retention refers to the ability to remember information over time. In the video, the theme revolves around improving memory retention for learned material. The script discusses various strategies such as 'discovering the map' and 'just-in-time learning' to enhance the ability to recall information, illustrating the importance of effective memory techniques in the learning process.

💡Discovering the map

'Discovering the map' is a metaphor used in the script to describe the initial phase of learning where one gets an overview of a broad topic before delving into specifics. This approach helps in understanding the bigger picture and makes it easier to remember details by providing context. The video uses the example of learning about marketing to illustrate how starting with a broad understanding can prevent one from missing out on important areas.

💡Just-in-time learning

Just-in-time learning is a concept where one learns something at the moment it becomes practically useful or necessary. The script contrasts this with 'just-in-case learning,' suggesting that learning becomes more effective and memorable when it is directly applied to real-life situations or problems. The video provides the example of medical students learning about heart attacks by first witnessing the event and then studying the related medical protocols.

💡Curiosity

Curiosity is presented as a natural compass for learning and remembering information in the script. It is described as a driving force that can significantly enhance one's ability to recall learned material. The video cites a study that shows people are more likely to remember information about which they are curious, and it encourages leveraging this innate desire for knowledge to improve memory retention.

💡Protégé effect

The 'Protégé effect' is a learning phenomenon where teaching or explaining a topic to others enhances one's own understanding and memory of that material. The script highlights the benefits of this effect, suggesting that sharing knowledge not only helps others but also solidifies the teacher's grasp of the subject. An example from the script is the practice of team members creating presentations to share what they've learned, which reinforces their own memory.

💡Active recall

Active recall is a learning technique where one actively tries to remember information without looking at the source material. The script emphasizes the effectiveness of this method over passive rereading or note-taking, stating that actively testing oneself strengthens memory connections. The video encourages using active recall to improve the ability to remember learned material.

💡Low-friction resurfacing

Low-friction resurfacing refers to the process of easily bringing previously learned information back to the forefront of one's mind. The script introduces an app called 'readwise' that sends daily emails with random highlights from the user's previous readings, serving as a low-effort way to review and remember important points. This method is highlighted as an effective tool for reinforcing memory.

💡Just-in-case learning

Just-in-case learning is the practice of learning something with the possibility that it may be useful in the future, even if it is not immediately applicable. The script uses this term to describe a less effective learning approach compared to 'just-in-time learning,' where learning is tied to immediate practical application. The contrast is illustrated through the example of medical students memorizing textbooks versus learning from real-life patient encounters.

💡Teaching

Teaching, in the context of the script, is a method of learning where one explains or shares information with others to reinforce their own understanding and memory. The video suggests that the act of teaching, even in a casual sense, can significantly improve one's retention of the material. It is exemplified by the practice of sharing interesting facts with friends or family after learning them.

💡Sharing knowledge

Sharing knowledge is the act of disseminating what one has learned to others, which the script identifies as a powerful tool for enhancing personal memory retention. By sharing insights or lessons learned, one is more likely to remember the information. The video provides the example of writing an email newsletter to share weekly learnings, which benefits both the writer and the readers.

💡Learning strategies

Learning strategies refer to the various methods and techniques one can use to improve the learning process and memory retention. The script outlines several strategies such as 'discovering the map,' 'just-in-time learning,' and following one's curiosity. These strategies are presented as ways to make learning more effective and to ensure that the information is remembered over time.

Highlights

Seven simple tips are shared for improving memory retention of learned material.

Tip one emphasizes the importance of understanding the 'map' of a new topic before diving into specifics.

The 'map' analogy compares learning to exploring a video game, unlocking areas as you learn.

Marketing is used as an example to illustrate the concept of a broad learning 'map'.

Tip two introduces 'just-in-time learning' as opposed to 'just-in-case learning'.

Medical school is cited as an example where 'just-in-time learning' can be particularly effective.

Tip three encourages following curiosity as a natural compass for remembering information.

A study is mentioned that links curiosity with the ability to recall learned information.

The 'Protege effect' is introduced in tip four, where teaching others reinforces personal memory.

Sharing knowledge through presentations, like 'level up Looms', is suggested for team learning.

Tip five recommends sharing learned information online to solidify one's own understanding.

The host shares his practice of writing a weekly newsletter, 'Sunday Snippets', to reinforce learning.

Tip six discusses 'low-friction resurfacing' using an app like Readwise for daily review of highlights.

Readwise is praised for its ability to send daily emails with random past highlights, aiding memory recall.

Tip seven focuses on 'active recall' as a study technique, supported by numerous educational studies.

Active recall involves testing oneself to strengthen memory connections, rather than passive rereading.

The host provides a link to a video for students on how to apply active recall to exam preparation.

The video concludes by emphasizing that remembering is about retrieval, not cramming more into the brain.

Transcripts

hey friends welcome back to the channel

so if you ever have that feeling where

you read or watch or listen to something

and you think you've learned something

new but then a few days or weeks later

you try and recall or remember it and

you find that you've forgotten

everything that you thought you learned

the only problem is

I can't remember what I've forgotten so

in this video I want to share seven

simple tips for how you can remember

more of the things that you learn and

we'll go over some common mistakes that

people make along the way as well let's

get into it okay so tip number one is to

discover the map so if you play a video

game you start off in a very very small

portion of the map and the whole map is

yet to be uncovered and as you explore

different areas you're slowly unlocking

and uncovering different areas of the

map and so relating this back to

learning new stuff the way I think of it

is that a new topic or a new area that I

want to learn it's like this whole map

in a video game and before I dive into

any one specific area what I want to do

is just understand where are the blocks

on the map where are the different areas

of the map that I could potentially

explore if we take something like

marketing for example which is a skill

that you have to learn as an

entrepreneur again there are multiple

different areas on the map and if you

just dive fully into just deep into

email marketing for example you miss

other things like paid ads and organic

and referrals and Affiliates and these

other things and you might not even know

that these other things exist whereas if

you start off Broad and you think okay I

want to learn about marketing I want to

get more leads or sales or whatever for

my business whatever the thing is let me

just understand the very broad brush

Strokes of what marketing actually is

and then once I know what's in the map I

can then choose which area to dive into

based on what my own needs are if you go

full into the detail initially you sort

of Miss the forest from the trees

whereas if you keep a zoomed out

perspective and understand where the

forest broadly is it means that when

you're diving into a specific tree to

mix metaphors it's way easier to

understand and to retain the information

that you're trying to study all right

tip number two is about just in time

learning now this is in contrast with

just in case learning so just in case

learning is when you're learning

something in case it becomes useful

further down the line it's not

necessarily practically applicable to

you right now but you are learning it

just in case whereas just in time

learning is where you learn a thing at

the moment that it becomes useful and

necessary for you to learn the thing in

medical school for example one way of

learning is by trying to memorize a

textbook you are learning just in case

and then you go to the wards and you see

some patience and you see some stuff and

then you like try and correlate the

thing that you've read to the thing that

you've seen and that's one way of doing

it but actually what I would suggest a

better way of doing it is to flip it the

other way around encounter the things

first and then learn about the thing

later yes of course it's important to

have the map it's important to have the

very broad foundations but when you've

encountered something in real life like

if you've seen someone having a heart

attack right in front of you then all of

the stuff that you read about the

advanced life support algorithm and how

to manage myocardial infarction and all

the drugs to give and how a crash

trolley works and how the crash Team

Works reading all that stuff becomes 10

100 times more useful when you've

actually seen the thing happen in real

life whereas you could read so much

stuff and when you see the thing happen

in real life you'll realize oh my God

it's completely different and it's it's

hard to correlate those things similarly

to use a marketing example let's say

you're thinking of starting a business

but you've never sold anything and so

you could read a bunch of books about

sales and marketing but if you've never

actually tried to sell anything a lot of

that stuff is not going to be that

applicable and you're going to fall into

that trap of being like oh I've read all

these books about sales and marketing

but I don't remember any of it and the

reason you don't remember any of it is

because you have no practical experience

upon which to hang the knowledge or the

information whereas instead if you swap

theory in action you start off with

action first and then do Theory second

what that would look like is that you'd

make a random product and you would just

try and sell it try and sell it to your

friends your family whatever and in the

process of attempting to create and sell

something you'll be like ah okay and now

when you read all the information about

sales and marketing it will become way

more applicable it'll be way more

practical because you're applying it

just in time and it means that you're

much more likely to remember the thing

all right tip number three is to follow

your curiosity now there's a really fun

study that they did which I actually

mentioned in my book if you're a

productivity link down below um but

there's a fun study that they did where

they tried to measure the impact of

curiosity on participants ability to

recall information that they'd learned

so essentially they gave people a list

of questions with answers but then they

also asked them how curious are you

about that piece of information and

perhaps unsurprisingly they found that

the people who were more curious about

things were way more likely to remember

the things rather than being able to

remember facts and stuff that they

weren't actually curious about and so

curiosity becomes this natural compass

that you can use to remember more of the

things that you learn I.E if you learn

about things that you have a genuine

curiosity for your way more likely to

remember the thing so practically

speaking the way I apply this to my life

is whenever I find myself with a

question of like huh I wonder how that

thing works I'll recognize oh I'm

curious about this thing therefore if I

learn it right now I am way more likely

to remember that thing for example I

watched Oppenheimer the other day great

film by the way and afterwards I was

like huh I wonder how a nuclear bomb

actually works because I didn't quite

understand it and so I went on YouTube

and watched a veritasium video about how

nuclear bomb works and because I sought

out the information in that moment of

curiosity after seeing the film I'm now

way more likely to remember how a

nuclear bomb Works whereas if I try to

seek out information about how a nuclear

bomb Works before without actually being

curious about it or I'd learned it in a

history class where when I didn't

actually care about the topic it would

have been a lot harder to remember that

information because generally when we

tie learning to an experience in real

life or to Something That We're

genuinely curious about in the moment

again that makes us way more likely to

be able to remember the thing now an

easy way to learn stuff and test

yourself in an engaging and interactive

fashion happens to be by using brilliant

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video brilliant is a fantastic online

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personal favorite courses on brilliant

are the computer science ones when I

applied to med school I was kind of torn

between medicine and computer science

and I went with medicine in the end but

I always harbored a little bit of a

crush on computer science and actually

thanks to the courses on brilliant over

the last few years I've managed to brush

up my knowledge of the fundamentals of

computer science and in particular their

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watching Oppenheimer and becoming

interested in like physics and maths and

stuff and so I'm starting to now work

through the maths courses and Brilliant

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University and he said it really levels

up your thinking and I've never really

studied maths beyond the basic level so

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me on this interactive engaging Learning

Journey and you can head over to

brilliant.org forward slash Ali abdull

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video alright tip number four is to try

your best to share what you've learned

with the people around you and there's a

bunch of studies that show that when we

try and teach a particular thing or try

and explain a particular thing or share

it with someone else again we're way

more likely to remember it ourselves and

this is something called the Protege

effect which I also talk about in the

book link down below it's a good method

for field of productivity for how to do

more of the things that matter to you

but it also really helps when it comes

to learning and remembering stuff for

example a couple of weeks ago I was in

turkey with my family and we went to a

bunch of mosques and a bunch of museums

and stuff and in those museums I was

like on my phone like I was learning

stuff and then on the walk to the next

place I would be like hey guys I've just

learned something cool about the Blue

Mosque do you want to hear it and I'd be

like yeah sure and then I'll explain the

thing about like where the word

turquoise came from and it kind of comes

from the word Turkish because that was

like what the French people who saw the

Blue Mosque and I went back to France

and they were like turquoise it's like

the Turkish blue and now that's that's

the thing that I'm going to remember for

a very long time because I've shared it

with someone else now I found this was

so true back when I was in medical

school as well in that whenever I was

learning something I was keeping in mind

the fact that I would want to teach the

thing to younger medical students and

that's why there's that classic thing of

like if you really want to learn

something well find a way to teach it I

think teachers can be a bit of a

grandiose word it can be quite high

pressure but the way I think of it is

literally just sharing the thing with

other people now we actually do this

within our team which is that every

month every person in the team creates

what we call a level up Loom so Loom is

a software that lets you record your

screen and every month for the last few

months we've been encouraging our team

to spend their Wednesday afternoons

doing some level of professional

development where they learn something

interesting that's relevant to their job

and at the end of every month everyone

in the team has to create a mini

presentation about what they've learned

that month now this has a bunch of

benefits so firstly when you know you

have to create a presentation on

something it makes you way more likely

to actually do the work because you know

you're going to have to present it in a

bit secondly it's great for the whole

team because now we can learn from

everyone else's experience but thirdly

it's great for the person actually doing

the learning or the leveling up as we

call it because as soon as you have to

teach them something it means you start

to engage with it in a much deeper level

and it means you're personally way more

likely to remember the thing on a

somewhat similar vein tip number five is

to share what you have learned online

and this is basically why I've been

writing a weekly email newsletter since

2018 it's been five years now and it's

called Sunday Snippets you can subscribe

down below it's free but basically every

Sunday I just write some stuff share

some thoughts about what I've been

learning recently for example the one I

wrote this week was about emotional

blockers when it comes to

procrastination and something I've

learned in that the one I wrote last

week was about 10 things that I learned

from the Journey of writing and

Publishing this book and it's really

nice because now over the last like five

and a half years I can literally look

through my email newsletter every single

week and I can see what was happening in

my life and what what's something

interesting that I was learning at the

time and the fact that I write this

every week and share it with my audience

even at the start where I didn't have

very much of an audience means that I am

personally way more likely to remember

the stuff and this is great because

they're great for you because you learn

the thing and then you're more likely to

remember it which is the point of this

video but it's also great for the world

because now you're adding value to the

World by explaining or teaching

something that you have just learned to

yourself and you don't need to be an

expert in this you're not trying to say

I'm a world expert therefore listen to

me you're just saying hey I'm a fellow

traveler along the same path I've just

learned something and I'm going to share

it with people who are on a similar

Journey now tip number six is low

friction resurfacing and the thing that

I use for that is an app called read

wise I'll put a link down below if you

want to check it out I think we have an

affiliate deal but they're not

sponsoring this video or anything and if

you haven't come across it read wise is

a great app that links to your Kindle

account but also your account on pocket

or insta paper or they've got to read it

later app called reader as well so

whenever I read something on Kindle or I

read an article on the internet on the

reader app I can highlight anything and

everything that I highlight gets stored

into read-wise and So within read wise

there's sort of two main features the

first one is that every single day read

why sends an email to me that just

contains five random highlights now I've

been reading and highlighting stuff on

the internet for over 10 years and read

wise has all of these highlights within

it and that means every single day I'll

just read five of these different

highlights and this is a great low

friction way for me to resurface the

stuff that I've read and the reason I

highlighted it in the first place was

because something about that thing

resonated with me and therefore three

years later I might come across an email

where I was like oh yeah I read that

thing in that book and I highlighted it

and that's going to make it way easier

for me to remember those things and

people always ask you know like whenever

I'm interviewed on podcasts and stuff I

have a pretty good recall for quotes and

stuff that I've read in books and the

reason I do is firstly because of all

the stuff in this video because

generally I read stuff that I'm curious

about and apply it to something I'm

encountering at the moment and try and

explain it or share it with someone else

but also the reason I'm able to recall a

lot of quotes and stuff from books I've

read is because I get this daily email

from read wise and it's very easy and it

just reminds me of a lot of these things

so if you read stuff on Kindle if you

read stuff on the internet if you save a

lot of tweet threads check out read Wise

It's really good affiliate link down

below with a free trial if you wanted

but again they're not sponsoring this

video I just really really really love

the product and finally tip number seven

is about active Recall now if you've

seen my videos over the last six years

talking about how to study for exams you

will be familiar with this basically

almost every study that has ever been

done on how to learn stuff on how to

study for exams anything like that has

found that when you test yourself and

you try and actually actively dredge up

information from your memory that act

solidifies the connection with that

memory way more than for example

rereading the thing or trying to take

notes on the thing and so many students

waste so much time when it comes to

learning new things and studying for

their exams because they're just

rereading or summarizing stuff that

they've got in front of them and there

are so many studies that show that if

you just read something once and then

you try and test yourself on the thing

you're way more likely to remember the

thing then for example if you read it

four times or if you read it and then

take notes on it so if you want to

remember more of the things you read

wherever possible ask yourself how can I

test myself on this information you can

do it by practice testing you can do it

by doing online quizzes you can do it by

again sharing it with your friends and

family which is something we've already

talked about you can do it by sharing it

online you can do it by making a video

talking about the thing for example but

the main thing here is that remembering

stuff isn't about trying to cram more

things into your brain it's instead

somewhat counterintuitively about trying

to get stuff out of your brain and the

act of getting stuff out of your brain

is what strengthens that connection with

the memory and what helps you remember

more of the things that you learn now if

you're interested in how this

specifically applies to exams and you're

a student for example then check out

this video over here which is like my

ultimate guide on how to study for exams

it's completely free and so many

students have said that that has

completely changed their lives so check

that out over there thank you so much

for watching and I'll hopefully see you

in the next video bye