Effective Ways to Retain More of What You Learn

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Are you the type of person who can spend time learning something new, and a few days later almost forget everything? If so, you’re not alone. Learning new skills is difficult at first and requires deliberate practice to master. However, with the right strategies and techniques, you can retain more of what you learn and apply it in your everyday life. Read This Article If: You have trouble keeping what you read or hear in mind – perhaps because your mind wanders too much; You struggle to remember specific facts when it’s time to use them; or You feel like there are so many new ideas floating around inside your head that soon they all seem to blend together into one big jumble.

Make Sure You’re Learning The Right Thing

One of the first ways to retain more of what you learn is to make sure you’re learning the right thing. If you’re currently training for a new job and you’re not sure what information or skills you should be prioritizing, ask your employer or someone who has hiring experience. Or, try reading up on the most common skills and areas of expertise employers are looking for in candidates. If you’re trying to recall and apply a specific piece of information, make sure you’re studying the right topic. Try to avoid getting distracted every time a new piece of information comes along. For example, if you’re a student and you’re trying to learn about the history of the Second World War, don’t let every single fact about Hitler, the Nazis, and the Holocaust get tangled up in your head with everything else you’re trying to remember. Instead, focus on a few key points when you’re studying, and then move on.

Write Everything Down

Another simple way to retain more of what you learn is to write everything down. This is especially important in areas like science and technology, where there is a lot of new and constantly evolving information to learn. If you’re taking notes on a computer, it can be easy to get distracted by other programs that might pop up or by the many other tabs open in your browser. You may also get easily sidetracked by what else is going on around you in the room. For these reasons, it might be helpful to write out your notes by hand. This can help you focus more fully on what you’re recording and make sure you don’t miss anything important.

Use Images to Help You Remember

If you want to retain more of what you learn but you’re not sure you’re awesome at taking notes, another easy strategy is to use images to help you remember specific facts and figures. If you’re studying history, science, or another subject that relies on specific numbers and facts, try mapping out a visual timeline or diagram of these facts. You can also use images to remember more general information – like the chronological order of historical events, discoveries, or developments – by making a simple sketch or diagram that you can refer to when you’re studying the material.

Practice Important Skills Over and Over Again

Another way to make sure you retain more of what you’re learning is to practice the skills you’re being taught over and over again. This applies to everything from physical skills like sports or dance to cognitive skills like public speaking. When you’re learning a new skill – whether it’s a new language, a new creative skill, or a new practical skill – you need to practice the material over and over again to master it. This is especially true for new information that is relevant to your career: You need to be able to recall and apply it as easily as you already do the information you already use in your everyday work. Practice also helps you retain more of what you learn because it forces you to concentrate on the material fully, which helps you build mental connections and retain the information more easily later on.

Sum Up Meetings and Conversations

Another simple way to make sure you retain more of what you’re learning is to sum up important meetings and conversations in your mind – and then write them down. If you’re in a meeting or having a conversation that involves a lot of new information, try to summarize what you’ve heard in your day-to-day language. Then, write down what you’ve heard and what it means as soon as you leave the meeting or finish the conversation. It can be easy to let important conversations and meetings slip away from your mind as you’re trying to juggle everything else in your day-to-day life: As soon as you walk out of the building where you just had a meeting, something else in your schedule may demand your attention and new information might start flooding your thoughts.

Commit What You’ve Learned to Memory Before the Meeting Ends

Finally, one last way to retain more of what you’ve learned is to commit what you’ve learned to memory before the meeting ends. If you’re attending a meeting where you know you’ll be hearing a lot of new information, try to anticipate what you’re going to hear before the meeting actually begins. Make a note of the most important things you expect to hear, and try to make connections between these facts and what you already know. For example, if you’re attending a meeting with engineers and you know you’ll be discussing new developments in the company’s product line, try to anticipate what you’ll be hearing.

Finally, make sure you’re learning the right things and are practicing the right skills by focusing on your strengths. If you’re trying to learn a new skill but you’re not great at it, don’t stress out about it. Instead, try to figure out what you’re already good at and focus your attention there instead. It’s much easier to learn and master a skill when you’re already good at it! Once you’ve learned something new, make sure you really retain it by following these simple strategies. Remember: Retaining what you learn is an important part of growing as an individual, so make sure you’re doing everything you can to improve in this area!