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Have you ever finished reading or studying just to feel like nothing's stuck?
Oh, trust me, I've been there too.
But believe me, it was never your fault, it's your brain.
And no! There's nothing bad with it!
It is just that it didn't evolve to learn in the way modern education expects it to.
In this article, I will tell you what you can do to improve your studying skills and stop forgetting things.
Your Brain Is a Forgetting Machine
Ah, Rodrigo Quiroga and his brainy revelations again!
Perhaps you already know that I took his book "The Forgetting Machine" seriously.
In short, Rodrigo explains that our brain is not good at remembering details.
Just as your phone needs to delete old apps to make room for new ones, your brain needs to let go of less important information to function properly.
Imagine processing all the information we do every day, it is computationally impossible for our brains.
That's why it forgets to work properly.
And that's why you struggle so much with information!
There's nothing wrong with you, it's just your brain's way of keeping things organized.
It's not that you're not capable to study, is only that you were studying wrong.
Or forced to study wrong.
And How Can I Make My Brain's Life Easier?
Remember this:
Make your brain's life easier.
For example, instead of trying to memorize everything that you highlighted, you can try to do space repetition or active learning.
Your brain loves information that is easy to digest:
- Take notes and write down what you learned in your own words.
2. Create mind maps or diagrams.
3. Create brief study sessions with flashcards using Anki.
4. Try to teach a fake audience what you learned.
5. Ask GPT to make tests based on your notes and do them.
By actively engaging with the material, you're giving your brain multiple paths to encode and retain information.
When I started doing this, not only did I stop getting stressed, but I also started having fun while studying!
Hey! And Don't Forget Your Second Brain!
Store your notes and information in another place.
That place can be your notebook, Notion, Obsidian, or even Apple's Notes.
By doing this, you're creating a second brain that's readily accesible whenever you need it.
This second brain is my secret weapon for retaining everything that I read.
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you to understand what you were doing wrong when studying for your exams.
Now you know that it was never your fault.
Now you know that you're not dumb.
Now you know how to improve yourself.
I wish you the best of luck!
Thanks for reading!
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