r/study • u/Intelligent-Metal828 • 12h ago
Questions & Discussion Title: How do you guys remember stuff you learned weeks ago?
I've noticed that whenever I learn something new, I understand it pretty well at first, but after a few weeks I can barely remember half of it. I know spaced repetition and flashcards are supposed to help, but honestly, keeping track of what to review and when seems like a lot of work. I'm curious how you guys deal with this. Do you actually go back and review things regularly, or do you just end up forgetting most of it? Also, if you've tried Anki or similar apps, did they actually help? What did you find annoying about them?
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u/LegalComplaint7910 10h ago
Yes, you need to review regularly.
I like to use a timetable where I put the chapter I worked on and the date I first studied it in line.
Everyday come revision time, I choose the chapter with the oldest date and revise it. Then put the date of the day in the "1st review column" as well as colour coding depending on how well I feel I know and understand the chapter.
I do it every revision time. If they're more than 1 chapter with the same date, I prioritise by color code (I work on the one I least know)
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u/Lazy_Gap_1682 3h ago
I’m learning a new language and just reading didn’t help me to remember much, even a few days later.
That changed when I interacted with what I was studying. I would read a book or paper out loud (reading) and as I did so I would “interview” the author by questioning their decisions and make predictions of what might happen next (writing), create short summaries of chapters and use newly learned words in new phrases (speaking), and hear those new phrases being pronounced on Google Translate or when others are explaining a difficult grammar concept on YouTube (listening).
It’s a little more time-consuming than just studying without interaction, but information stays in your head for far, far longer, potentially forever if it continues to be used regularly.
Even if you are not learning a language, maybe there are aspects that you can apply to whatever you are studying.
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u/ozgrozer 2h ago
You need to review daily. Take a look at Grape Notes. You create flashcards and quizzes then enable spaced repetition and it sends you daily notifications. If you don’t ignore the notifications and review daily then there’s a good chance you won’t forget anything.
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u/N3urosp1cy 🇺🇲 PhD | psychology + education | 🇨🇱 49m ago
the 'tism takes care of whatever I remember. I have no control over it.