How do you memorise things? Record, Retain, Retrieve, Repeat

Memory is a skill which you can easily learn and the 4 Rs are a fundamental part of any memorising technique.

Picture of the ‘Forgetting Curve’ created in 1885 by Hermann Ebbinghaus.

Memory is not a physical part of your brain, but a mental function or a skill that can be learned and improved. To learn any new skill you find the best techniques and then practise them. The same goes for memory.

Key to any technique though are the 4 Rs:

1. Record

2. Retain

3. Retrieve

4. Repeat

The ‘Forgetting Curve’ pictured was created in 1885 by Hermann Ebbinghaus to demonstrate how we forget information, but is a nice little motivator for when you think the information you are trying to learn is just not sticking.

After we learn a thing, it starts to fade from our memory over time. We can reverse the decline by reviewing or refreshing the information in our mind. With review, the strength of the memory is increased - we retain more of it and for longer. So work smart: by strategically spreading out the time between review sessions, you can review the same information less often but still strengthen your knowledge.

To really make the information stick though, you need to build connections and do it with intention. Keeping checking this blog for some of the finest and most effective techniques.