I promised to continue from where I stopped on the tips to make our learning permanent. So here we go again;
6. Write about what you've learned.
This sounds like the previous tip, right? It's based on the similar principle: once you reword the information, it has a better chance of staying in your memory.
6. Study in short, frequent sessions.
It has been proven that short bursts of concentration repeated frequently are much more effective than one long session. So, even if you only have ten minutes, DO IT. Take a break. Then study another 10 minutes.
This "distributed learning" approach is highly efficient because it honors the way the brain likes to work. The brain needs recovery and recharging time for "protein synthesis". The rest periods are when your brain assimilates your effort. They are a powerful tool which many teachers do not acknowledge. To sit and study for hours is not only boring, it creates fatigue, stress, and distraction. You cannot learn if you are fatigued, stressed, and distracted.
7. Take Guilt-free Days of Rest
This follows same principle as above, but on a longer, daily time cycle. The reason for resting is to refresh oneself. However, if you feel guilty ("I really should be studying") then your precious rest period has been used to create more stress. The brain will not absorb new data if it is stressed. On days off from studying, really enjoy yourself and do not feel bad about not studying.
8. Honor your emotional state.
Do not study if you are tired, angry, distracted, or in a hurry. When the brain is relaxed, it is like a sponge and it naturally absorbs data without effort. If you are emotionally stressed, your brain literally repels data. Forcing yourself to sit and study when your mind is on other things is a complete waste of time.
9. Review the same day.
When you learn something new, try to go over the points the same day. If you wait a few days and then make efforts to review the material, it will seem much less familiar. However, a quick review later in the day will tend to cement the information into your brain so that the next"official" study session, you will recognize it and it will seem easy.
Respect "Brain Fade".
It is normal for the brain to have an attrition rate and to forget things. This does not mean that you are stupid n instead of getting mad about this fact, you should expect it and deal with it accordingly. See your brain as depositing layers of knowledge.
As you place more information on top, the lower layer become older and less available to your immediate recall. The trick here is simply to review. Since we can anticipate the effectual fading of our memory, creating a review aspect to our study session will solve the problem.
Once every two or three study sessions, simply review older material that you will be still needing to remember. Often, a quick overview is sufficient. Sometimes, a complete detailed study session of the older material is required. "Brain fade" is completely normal. (Unless you are gifted with a photographic memory, which is extremely rare.)
To be continued...
Great one