So how do you remember everything you've read once, to the point where you don't have to go back to your syllabus again just to remember it again?
Well, what if I told you that you can do that in just two simple steps?
I've been using this two-step system pretty much my entire high school and university, studying in STEM as well as dental, med school, memorizing physiology items, etc.
And it's this exact system that got me an average of 98% in my high school.
Honestly, there is no need to overcomplicate anything.
Just follow these two steps religiously and you'll be able to remember everything you've read.
Let's get on with the video.
Before we start this video, you could do these tips on this video itself, so that you could have a little bit of practice before heading into your own syllabus.
So yeah, just letting you know.
So first you need to understand that our brain understands better when we link information together.
And understanding comes so much easier the moment a piece of information is fitted into a specific context.
For example, let's take a look at the example of the physiology of a single nephron.
Let's say the textbook reads, the single unit of the kidney is the nephron.
Now, the first mistake that most students make is that they just memorize that fact.
Or more specifically, they just memorize that statement.
And that's also a big problem when it comes to flashcard users.
They just end up memorizing the flashcard itself without really memorizing or understanding the concept around it.
So in their heads they just imagine oh okay, I'm just going to memorize the fact that the nephron is the single unit of a kidney.
Without really understanding why that is, they just end up memorizing the sentence itself.
They don't really ask what this nephron thing fits in the bigger picture.
Because the issue of memorizing the fact before depth is the fact that you end up finding yourself having to reread the passage a lot of the times just to understand the context or the depth of the fact.
But if you understand the depth of the fact before memorizing the fact itself, you will end up forgetting the particulars, but you will still remember the whole context of that specific fact.
For example, in this case, if you purely memorize the fact that the nephron is the unit of the kidney, then later on you might remember the term nephron, but not what it really means.
And you might have to end up reviewing the information again later on.
However, if you take a bit of time to understand the information, knowing the full context of the piece of information, you will remember it better.
In this case, if you tell yourself okay, this entire structure filters out blood and this is considered one complete filtration loop, hence why it's called the unit of the kidney.
And there are many structures like this in the kidney.
Just putting it in that way makes you understand the fact in a much deeper depth and, in return, it makes you remember the fact more effectively.
Alright.
So the next thing we need to know before the two-step method is that you need to stop passive reading.
And this is a very common advice, but a lot of people still do it.
And I'm here to put an end to it.
You need to stop passive reading.
And the problem is, you might be doing it subconsciously even without realizing it.
The problem with passive reading is that it's very, very easy to do.
It doesn't take much of your brain power to passive read, hence why, whenever you do it, it almost feels intuitive.
The problem is, effective studying is actually very uncomfortable.
Effective studying means retrieving information from your brain, understanding information in your own words and more.
The problem with passive reading, however, is that you're not actively using your brain.
You're just passively putting words into your brain and this is just a friendly reminder that when you're reading, just don't passively read the text.
A good way for me to know that when I'm passive reading is when I notice that I'm not having a hard time understanding the passage.
Unless you're, of course, familiar with the passage already.
If there isn't really much friction between you learning the information and your brain, then probably something's wrong.
Now, speaking of effective learning, this part of the video is sponsored by Brilliant.org.
Brailliant is an interactive platform that makes learning math, science and computer science not just effective, but actually fun.
Brailliant teaches you these topics in a very visual, fun way, instead of bombarding you with texts and concepts.
It allows you to interact with different problems, allowing you to learn the topic more by doing.
For example, right now I'm doing their Learning Path on Programming and CS, specifically the Thinking in Code course, and using it as a supplemental tool.
I'm able to understand certain concepts of coding by just doing their practice problems.
So, whether you're just brushing up on the basics or diving deep into topics like neural networks, logic or quantum mechanics, Brilliant's courses are built for curious minds at every level.
New users would receive both a 30-day free trial and a 20 discount on the premium subscription.
So head down to brilliantorg slash kainnotebook.
We're scanning the QR code on the screen right now.
Anyway, back to the video.
Now, before we head into the two step system, do note that this system will take a bit longer to process information compared to just passive reading.
But, trust me, the retention will be a lot higher and more effective, meaning that you won't generally have to go back to reread the information, since you already had the grasp of the general concept and context.
Alright, moving on to the two-step system.
If you need to remember any fact or any information, just follow this two-step system and it will help you understand and you won't have to reread the thing you're reading, because you will probably remember it.
Alright, moving on to the two-step system.
The first step in this system is to simply blurt and understand.
Now, what does that exactly mean?
Well, blurting is a technique of reading a specific passage of a book or PDF and then, while looking away, reciting the passage in your own understanding and in your words.
This technique essentially does two things.
Active recall and Feynman's technique.
Active recall, in a sense that when you're looking away, you're trying to retrieve the information you just read from your head.
Not only does this retrieval practice solidify your memory of that information, but it also somehow forces you to state the information in your own words, aka the Feynman's technique.
Just by trying to state it in your own words, you are, in itself, trying to understand the information itself.
So, let's try an example.
All right, so let's try with this fact of a physiology passage of the muscles, stating that acetylcholine is the new transmitter responsible for converting nerve impulses to muscle impulses.
Now, the mistake that most students make is that they just take this statement and face value.
They just accept the fact that okay, this chemical that I've just learned is responsible for converting nerve impulses to muscle impulses, and they just memorize that fact.
Like, okay, seriously, we can do so much better.
First, let's try blurting this information out.
So after we read the passage, we take it away and then we try and regurgitate the information in our own words.
So, for example okay, I remember that this chemical called acetylcholine is responsible for when a nerve impulse wants to convert into a muscle impulse.
But how though?
And why?
After asking those questions, read more of the passage and try to create a bit of context or story for yourself.
For example, why does this chemical exist?
Oh it's, because there's literally a space between a neuron and a muscle cell and obviously electrical impulses can travel through space.
So then, how does this chemical play in the bigger picture?
Oh okay, so this chemical activates sodium channels in the muscle fiber after being released by the nerve impulse, causing sodium ions to enter, which eventually causes muscle contraction.
And just from reading and understanding the full context, when going back to the statement acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter responsible for converting nerve impulses to muscle impulses you understand that statement even more.
Such that when you come across the question in a test or quiz, you will be able to remember, because you understand the full process and context around that question.
Acetylcholine is not just a quote-unquote chemical, it's a part of a process now.
And now that you took the time to understand that, it's time to move on to step two, which will actually prolong your memory on the topic, which is to test.
The only way to prolong your memory in the long run is to repeatedly test yourself throughout time, or at least bring it up within a spaced repetition.
Get it?
Spaced repetition?
I have crippling depression.
If you're just going to learn a specific fact without retrieving it time and time again, you will just end up forgetting about it.
Unfortunately, there is no secret sauce of just memorizing it once and then remembering it forever.
You will have to test yourself again and again because we're naturally people who forget things.
However, the good thing about our brain is that you don't have to test every day, as we remember better the longer we space our repetitions as time and time passes again.
And the way you can keep track of this is to have a simple application or system that will repeatedly expose you to the information.
Now, this could be either a flashcard app or an ocean tracker. or whatever you can think of.
Personally, I use Anki, which is the flashcard app.
Typically, whenever I study, I tend to put flashcards into my Anki database.
This is so that whenever I'm done studying, I just have to review the flashcards.
And the good thing about Anki is that it uses spaced repetition, meaning throughout time.
As I study information, the interval between each repetition is a lot longer as time passes on, meaning that I don't have to study the same piece of information as often as the start.
I did make a video about my exact study routine, so you guys can check that out.
Now, another method is to use a different tracker.
For example, my Notion tracker allows me to track the revision of each subject, showing me how many days it's been since I reviewed a specific subject, meaning that it allows me to see which subject I haven't studied in a while.
Whatever method you use, as long as you test yourself and retrieve the information from your brain, it will help you remember much better in the long run.
And finally, the last thing I need you to know is that not everyone is the same.
Now just because you have trouble remembering doesn't mean that it's not working.
Maybe you just need to understand a bit more and you need to retrieve the information a bit more.
Unfortunately, that's just the way things are.
Some people are just better at memorizing than others.
However, just because you're good at memorizing doesn't mean that you will automatically succeed.
Time and time again, research shows that people who have perseverance, compared to people who are naturally good at learning, will last longer and will succeed better than the general population.
You can read that more in the book grit, which i highly recommend.
I've made a video about this before.
It's like my book recommendations video, so yeah anyway, i hope you guys enjoyed today's video.
A new school year is coming up and i hope you guys will have a wonderful school year, and i hope it'll be a fruitful school year as well.
Don't forget to drink your water and i'll see you in the next video bye.
