Cramming can actually leave learners feeling more satisfied. In fact, those who space out their learning often report feeling that their learning is inferior to cramming—even when they’re presented with their own objective gains in long-term retention.
Read moreCramming: I don't have time to study
One reason cramming feels good is that it requires very little planning. Most of the time, we’re faced with several different courses, all competing for our precious study time and with their own exam schedules. With the rapid march of each upcoming exam, it’s easier to just focus on what’s next. But you might have more time than you think.
Read moreCramming: The "Perks"
Most “professional” students will at some point find themselves in situations where the amount of material they need to learn far exceeds the amount of time they need to prove mastery. In this mini series, we will explore a couple of the factors at play, and how to tip the scales in favor of durable knowledge and the most efficient (and fun!) ways to achieve it.
Read moreChunking: A Simple Way to Improve Memorability
Memory palaces nudge users into the practice of chunking, which is breaking down a larger pile of information into memorable groups so that it’s easier to remember. Here’s why that matters.
Read moreSpatial Memory in 2D: A Case for Taking Nonlinear Notes.
Are you someone who always remembers where on the page you wrote something? A simple note-taking method can harness that instinct to jumpstart your recall of new information.
Read moreHit the Ground Running: A Quick Guide to Mastering the Memory Palace Before School Starts
We’ve received a few messages recently from people who are starting a professional school this year. While we love the memory palace technique, there can be a significant barrier to use, especially if you're about to enter a high-stakes learning environment. Here's an easy one-month ramp up to mastering the palace technique before you start a new learning adventure.
Read moreShould I Reserve Special Memory Palaces Like My Home?
Should special memory palaces (like your home) be reserved for more important topics? Alex shares his approach to palace allocation.
Read moreWalking on Sunshine
Rain or shine, we're out here walking our dog—turns out that helps with memory! A recent NY Times article reports that daily walks, even as short as 10 minutes, can give your memory a boost. Read the article, and Cathy's musings, here.
Read moreFighting Palace Fatigue with Interleaved Practice
Interleaved practice is great for keeping things interesting and making sure you can do a quick mental jump to the relevant locus. Research has shown that training this way can improve learners' problem solving abilities.
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces to Learn Chinese: Handling Characters & Homonyms
I've been focusing on spoken Chinese, but I've gotten some questions about character memorization. Here's how I'd approach characters with the help of memory palaces.
Read moreWhy I Never Erase Old Memory Palaces
You might consider making an active effort to erase "ghost images"--images on loci you want to reuse. I never actively clean palaces, whether for memory sports or learning projects. Here's why.
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces to Learn Equations: An Updated Guide
In the case of equations, true understanding should be achievable, so memory techniques should generally take a backseat. That said, I do use memory techniques for specific pieces of equations I find difficult to remember. Here's how.
Read more3 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Memory Palaces (and Not Only Standalone Images)
Standalone mnemonics are also a relatively simpler yet still effective way for, say, an absolute beginner to pick up new foreign language vocab. When it comes to carefully learning structured material, however, I’ve found there to be three main arguments in favor of palaces.
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces to Learn Chinese: Putting the System into Practice [Video]
In this video, I walk through a memory palace-based learning session, focusing on examples and the different tools I use. This one builds on my earlier two blogs describing the system. Here's how to make tricky tones and endings really stick. (26:02)
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces to Learn Pharmacology: Tetracyclines [Video]
In this video, I discuss my memory palace-based mnemonics for learning high-yield facts about the antibiotic class tetracyclines, as taken from the medical student review book First Aid. Here's how to make pharm really stick. (18:09)
Read moreWhy You Shouldn't Stress Over Visual Clarity
Here's a question I've gotten a lot recently, in some form or another: How clear should my visualizations be? The visuals themselves aren't that important. Here's why.
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces (& Memrise) to Learn SAT English Vocab [Video]
In this video, I discuss how I use memory palaces—with a little help from Memrise—to learn English vocabulary. Here's how to make SAT vocab really stick. (21:38)
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces to Learn Chinese: Part 2
In Part 2, I discuss the memory palace-based Chinese system in more detail—complete with examples, tweaks I made to Serge’s approach, and issues I faced. I'm over a year in and still loving it.
Read moreWhy You Should Learn Memory Techniques, No Matter Who You Are
Back to basics for this week's Question of the Week: What are applications of memory techniques? Why should I learn to use them?
Read moreMy Home for Spaced Repetition: What My Anki Setup Looks Like
My Anki is broken into three parent decks: Medicine, Languages, and Memory Sports, each with a few subdecks (e.g. Pathology, Chinese). Here's what my day-to-day home for spaced repetition looks like.
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