Learning
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Improve reading speed by reading more frequently over time.
Practice makes perfect; with practice, you can understand material with less time.
- Some people do not retain information when they speed read.
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- Read for short periods, such as 5 minutes, whenever you have spare time to build cumulative volume.1
- Choose books on subjects you are genuinely interested in to naturally increase reading speed.1
Use the 'see one, do one, teach one' method for learning tasks.
It has worked since childhood.
- Based on one person's experience.
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- Adopt the 'learn one, do one, teach one' cycle.2
Email the paper's author directly to request a free copy, as they are often legally permitted and willing to share it.
Authors typically do not profit from paywalls, want their work read, and understand students' financial constraints.
- Unsolicited emails from unknown senders may be ignored.
- Some authors transfer copyright to publishers and may need to negotiate reprint rights.
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- Contact a university or public librarian via online chat or email to request access to paywalled articles through institutional partnerships.3
Break books into bite-sized daily emails containing a quote, key idea, real-world example, and action step.
This tool helped one person keep ideas fresh.
- Based on one person's experience
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reading, information, time, study73
Write notes by hand multiple times instead of typing them.
To thoroughly read a book, review the table of contents, introduction, conclusion, and pick 2-3 chapters.
Authors often state their arguments and main points in the Intro and Conclusion.
- Most chapters have subsections, so reading only first/last paragraphs may not help.
- You won't get proper research without doing proper research.
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Remove phones, tech, and even clocks from your reading space to eliminate distractions.
Clocks can distract you with thoughts about how much time has passed versus how much you have read.
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Remember why information is true rather than that it is true.
You will remember it better.
- Based on one person's finding.
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Start a document named after the book and write down your thoughts and good insights whenever you stumble upon them.
Writing your thoughts about the book helps it stick with you.
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Meditate and breathe intentionally for 15 minutes before reading to calm your mind.
Calms the brain down and allows you to approach material with a quiet mind.
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Look slightly above and between words to catch 2-3 words at a time and bounce to the next grouping, avoiding subvocalization.
It allows you to catch multiple words at once rather than reading each word individually in your mind's voice.
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Combine various study techniques.
To get the most from learning, save time, and reduce stress.
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Read 'The Shallows' by Nicholas Carr to understand how internet distractions scatter the mind and reduce focus on linear texts.
The book explains how links, videos, and quick site exits make minds scattered and unable to focus well on linear texts.
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Identify and write down the specific confusing parts of a summary to avoid fooling yourself into thinking you understood fuzzy explanations.
One person found that writing the 'confusing part' highlights exactly what needs to be looked up again when they start hand-waving.
- Based on one person's method
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Listen to epic or movie music you have heard many times so your brain filters it out.
Familiar songs get filtered out by the brain, allowing focus.
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Write notes by hand multiple times instead of typing them.
Writing in longhand is highly effective for memorization; repeating it a few times allows you to retain the content.
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Skim textbooks by reading section titles, the first sentence of every paragraph, and sentences surrounding bolded words or boxes.
This allows you to cover far more material in a set amount of time.
- Does not work well with engineering, law, math, or physics textbooks.
- Important details might be missed, leading to test failures on seemingly unimportant content.
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Be cautious when applying high-speed reading techniques to highly technical material.
High comprehension rates at high speeds may not apply to complex texts.
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Isolate important parts from source material and study only those key points.
It helps recall key points years later.
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- Highlight passages while reading and revisit them periodically.1
Tell people what you have recently learned.
It helps me remember it.
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Drink coffee or listen to white noise (such as coffee shop ambiance) to stay focused on dense material.
It helps keep you in tune with what is on the screen.
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Watch a YouTube book summary before reading to gauge interest and find key ideas.
It helps find books that will help you.
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Share your wins with others to help them stick in your memory.
it'll stick around
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Read text out loud to break down vocabulary and add to sentence comprehension.
It helped one person break down terms and add to comprehension.
- Based on one person's college experience.
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Rewrite information in your own words to retain it.
It is described as the single best way to retain information.
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If you prefer reading over taking the course, read the book 'A Mind For Numbers'.
It is applicable to all types of subjects.
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Record lectures and listen to them multiple times at higher speeds for study purposes.
One person reported getting great grades using this method in college.
- Ambient noise such as sneezing, coughing, or typing can drown out the speaker.
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Re-read material, write it down, or tell it to yourself to commit information to memory.
Every time you do this, you are committing the stuff to memory.
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Rewrite your notes to be succinct and organized by topic, adding drawings or diagrams instead of copying text verbatim.
It is an elaborative learning technique that can halve study time and increase grades.
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Have fun in life.
Stay motivated
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Flip your phone over while reading.
This prevents distraction from other apps.
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Draw out concepts when you are unsure to aid understanding.
One person reported this helped them through many study sessions.
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Loop thread around a button several times before stitching just the fabric and tying the knot.
Otherwise it won't last long.
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Avoid counting hours and study volume.
Save time, reduce stress
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Keep flashcards on key topics and review them throughout the day.
This can help you retain more information than expected.
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Condense material at least once per page or section to help retain information.
The act of condensing helps you retain the information.
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Convert notes into flashcards and review them before every reading session.
This prevents forgetting what you read the previous day, which is when memory drop-off is highest.
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Practice actively to strengthen recall.
To improve recall and save time.
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Focus on regular reading habits before attempting speed reading techniques.
Your mind needs to get used to reading first.
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One approach that helped: speak your notes out loud in a fake accent to prevent exhaustion and improve engagement.
Using a normal voice caused exhaustion, but practicing an accent felt better.
- Studies do not mention talking with an accent; this is a personal discovery.
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Exercise before studying or testing to improve memory retention and calm your head.
One person found that exercising helped them remember more from classes and stay calm before tests, leading to top-of-class results.
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Accept that knowledge of things you don't regularly use will fade away.
That is how everybody's brain works.
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Simplify explanations to their bare bones to demonstrate a firm grasp of the subject and ability to view it from different angles.
Cutting things down to bare bones is a sign of firm grasp and ability to look at subjects from different angles.
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Take up active learning by drawing tables, creating summaries, and covering parts of charts to recite them back, rather than passively reading.
One person reported this changed their life during grad school.
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Break information into small, digestible groups.
To save time and improve memory.
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Use flashcards with memorable thought associations, such as puns, to recall facts.
Using mnemonics can help magically recall pointless facts from months ago.
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Practice speed reading with simple, familiar fiction where you won't stumble over words, so you can get engrossed and forget the act of reading.
Getting engrossed in a story makes you forget that you're reading.
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Review your highlights regularly instead of just collecting them.
Collection without review is hoarding; you may feel productive but won't retain the information if you never look back at it.
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Speak information out loud while studying to force deeper processing and strengthen memory connections.
Using your voice lights up the brain more than silent reading; stumbling or mispronouncing builds stronger neural connections.
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Walk in circles while talking through study material to check for true understanding.
It helps you quickly notice if you are babbling or missing necessary background information.
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Research key terms from the index on Wikipedia to familiarize yourself with topics, then quickly skim the relevant textbook pages.
One approach that helped when behind schedule.
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Focus on answering past papers and doing practice examples as they produce significant results in a study system.
These aspects of studying produce more results than other methods.
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Imagine images while reading to anchor memories.
One person reported remembering everything from a 900-page book because they remembered all the images as they read.
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Read the introduction and conclusion of a research paper first to get an idea of what to expect.
It may help you enjoy the paper more and lessen the suffering of complicated or boring content.
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Study without internet access to eliminate distractions like scrolling and dopamine loops, forcing deeper engagement with the material.
Removing accidental distractions allows for slower but deeper retention.
- It is inefficient because finding information takes longer without search tools.
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Study related concepts in small, alternating chunks rather than blocking them sequentially.
To learn broadly and holistically.
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Look for diagrams, charts, bullet points, and summaries in academic papers to find valuable information quickly.
The real gold is often in these sections.
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Tie abstract concepts to concrete things or visuals you can easily remember.
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Involve multiple senses in the learning process.
This multimodal learning approach is better because more senses involved leads to better results.
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Connect academic concepts to real-life situations instead of memorizing them.
It makes learning stick.
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Avoid multitasking while reading or watching videos to ensure retention.
Multitasking is not possible and results in little retention from the experience.
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Keep your inner monologue active when reading literature or dialogue-heavy texts.
It preserves the pauses, cadence, and emotional immersion.
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Share interesting findings with others to reinforce memory through social interaction.
One person reported this helps them remember it later.
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Review information at specific intervals: 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month after initial exposure.
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Read articles, especially important parts, out loud to improve retention.
It was taught for retention.
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Repeat information until you can recite it to build solid memory anchors.
Repetition builds more available connections with the material, making anchors more solid.
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- Teach the same material repeatedly to deepen your understanding beyond simple memorization.1
Read Wikipedia pages listing recent scientific discoveries to broaden general knowledge.
It helps you become more literate and educated about current events in science.
- Some listed 'discoveries' may be questionable.
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Teach a family member specific vocabulary or pronunciation of a language you are learning to help yourself retain that information.
One person reported this helped them retain the same vocabulary they were teaching.
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Avoid underlining and summarization as study techniques.
They are among the least effective techniques.
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Generate intense urgency and focus through aerobic exercise, ice baths, or intense breathing before studying.
This triggers plasticity via adrenaline and acetylcholine.
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Do not attempt to eliminate subvocalization completely, as it is interwoven with text comprehension and necessary for retention.
You will not retain much without subvocalizations.
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Avoid speed reading for literature or texts requiring deep contemplation, as it may cause you to miss important subtleties and beauties.
Reading is about comprehension and contemplation; one person realized they were missing subtleties when reading fiction fast, and another noted that philosophy requires understanding rather than mnemonics or speed.
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Use minor jokes or connect material to everyday concepts to keep listeners' attention during presentations.
It makes the presentation more entertaining.
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Choose a quiet environment and avoid distractions like cell phones to maintain concentration.
Avoiding distractions and multitasking allows you to read faster.
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If you struggle with retention, read only topics you are genuinely interested in.
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Talk to your parents or pets about test information to review material.
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teach, teaching, explain, learn31
Teach the material to someone else to cement your knowledge.
Let the learner perform the task while you explain it, rather than doing it for them.
Most people learn better this way.
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- Let learners perform the task themselves after you demonstrate it, correcting them as they go to prevent bad habits and critical mistakes.1
Teach new hires at work to reinforce your own knowledge.
It helps when asked about something I don't know.
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Adopt the mindset of 'Learn so as to teach' to guide your study habits.
This principle appears in the Jewish text 'Ethics of the Fathers'.
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Teach the material to someone else to cement your knowledge.
Teaching helps retain information better.
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- Teach the material to colleagues to reinforce your own knowledge.1
- To reinforce learning, imagine how you would teach the concept to someone else.2
- Consume the material with the intention of later explaining it to another person.4
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Study a subject first, then give a lecture on it to empty air to clear conceptual doubts.
It is an effective way to learn and clears up misunderstandings.
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If you feel impatient while teaching a physical skill, learn it alongside the student using your non-dominant hand or foot to build empathy.
It helps you understand the difficulty of the task and prevents you from getting mad at mistakes, which discourages trying.
- Some argue this makes you appear incompetent.
- Ambidextrous people may find this ineffective.
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Have a partner ask questions based on inaccurate media so you can explain why it is wrong.
It provides a confidence boost.
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Stop pushing through and ask why you are actually stuck before increasing effort.
Everything got easier for one person who did this.
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Use labels for tasks like wiring if you are not doing them every day.
Professionals can work without labels because they do it daily; without that frequency, you need labels.
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Ask a tutor or peer to have you explain a concept back to them after finishing it.
This improved grades immensely.
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Be nerdy, engaged, and interested in the material.
It helps a ton.
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Explain the material in your own words, pretending to teach an alien with no prior understanding.
It makes more neural connections.
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Explain your problem or subject matter to an inanimate object, such as a rubber duck, to expose flaws in your logic.
This technique helps find lost items and exposes logical errors.
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Look up Rubber Duck Debugging and explain the material to someone else.
If you are forced to explain it, you have probably already understood it yourself.
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Do not react negatively when learners ask questions, as discouragement creates fear of seeking help.
Fear of asking for help can put operations at risk.
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Always listen when someone explains a task, even if you know it, to potentially learn new tricks, correct errors, or maintain politeness.
You might learn something, they might be wrong, or it maintains professional courtesy.
- Unless they are someone you know personally and don't require this formality.
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Prepare for teaching by anticipating potential questions from students to identify gaps in your own knowledge.
Imagining what questions could be asked reveals that you don't have all the answers, prompting you to go looking for them.
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- Allow students to ask questions you didn't anticipate when teaching others.1
Treat teaching as a new learning experience to discover why students struggle and experiment with solutions.
If you learned something easily, you lack the experience of struggling to draw from.
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Teach material to a pet or willing listener to reinforce retention.
Giving a treat after every lesson made it a trained habit, which was super useful.
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Recognize that experts may be poor teachers because they have internalized knowledge too deeply to recall its logical flow.
Experts often don't think about the step-by-step logic anymore, making it difficult for them to teach basics.
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Adopt a coaching mindset focused on coaxing, rewarding, and encouraging positivity rather than lecturing and enforcing discipline.
One person found this approach worked better for them than lecturing.
- Based on one person's experience
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Drop the course if you are unable or unwilling to meet core requirements like reading and participating.
Failing to prepare and participate negatively impacts classmates' learning.
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Accept that sometimes the only lesson taught is patience, love, or compassion, and recognize that this is enough.
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If you struggle with a subject, try teaching the homework to a sibling or peer; one person reported that both parties aced the test using this approach.
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Actually explain material to another person rather than just pretending to do so.
This leverages the Protege Effect for better learning.
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When coaching sports, observe the micro-movements required for skills to appreciate the necessity of repetition.
Seeing the small movements needed is enlightening and highlights the power of repetition.
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authors, request, email5
Understand that some journals require authors to sign over copyright, which may technically prohibit them from distributing the final published version.
Check the bibliography of a paper to find other essays in the same field, even if the main paper is not relevant.
You can find essays you didn't know about previously.
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Understand that some journals require authors to sign over copyright, which may technically prohibit them from distributing the final published version.
Publishers like Elsevier often require reproduction and distribution rights transfer upon publication.
- Authors may need to request ability to self-archive.
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View emailing authors as an opportunity to set a professional connection for future questions about the research.
It creates a channel for further inquiries that the paper itself does not answer.
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Send a follow-up email if you do not receive a reply to your initial request.
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Be aware that requesting papers from authors may take weeks, potentially making the information obsolete by the time you receive it.
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Explain why rules exist to children.
They will follow the rules because they make sense.
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Explain the reasoning behind policies and procedures to enable critical thinking rather than blind adherence.
Understanding the 'why' allows employees to objectively examine situations instead of following rules rigidly.
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Remove distractions before studying by leaving your phone outside the room or bathroom.
Turn off the lights to silence a large, noisy group when raising your voice fails.
The room goes silent, allowing you to regain attention and begin the lecture.
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Announce at the start of a lesson that you will be typing due to noise.
It sets expectations.
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Check phones discreetly under the desk if you must use them.
Open use is considered rude to the professor.
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Organize personal tasks, such as updating planners or making lists, during boring lectures.
It helps organize some aspect of your life.
- This probably didn't help my grade.
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If cheat sheets are unavailable for advanced topics, ask higher-level students or professionals in the field for the biggest 'bang-for-your-buck' ideas.
This is described as the only way to get equivalent information when public resources are scarce.
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Email the professor to request they address noise that prevents hearing or concentrating.
The responsibility to fix it is the professor's.
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Nod or give a thumbs up during remote classes to signal that you are present and understanding.
Instructors cannot see if students are paying attention or comprehending the material.
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Remove distractions before studying by leaving your phone outside the room or bathroom.
Dopamine-driven distractions make studying feel impossible.
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Sit in the back of the classroom to use a computer for other coursework if the professor permits it.
- Only do this if the professor allows students to sit in the back to use computers.
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Provide vocal feedback and show appreciation to engage the professor.
Feedback keeps professors motivated.
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