How does your memory work? How can you remember more? Prevent forgetting? These questions lie at the heart of anything you’ll ever learn, do or experience. Your memory impacts everything you do, from how well you’ll do in school, your career, life and even your sense of self and happiness. This is a topic that […]
How to Take Notes While Reading
Note-taking is an incredibly powerful tool for learning. Notes extend your memories. I’ve explained before how writing can be seen as an external enhancement of your brain, allowing you to think more complicated thoughts and solve harder problems. Notes you keep, therefore, act to expand your memory. Notes enhance your focus. The act of taking […]
How to Get Feedback
Feedback is essential for learning. Whether you’re studying for a test, trying to improve in your work or want to master a difficult skill, you need feedback. The challenge is that feedback can often be hard to get. Worse, if you get bad feedback, you may end up worse than before. In a systematic meta-analysis […]
Ultralearning Environments: Why Where You Learn Determines How Much You Learn
Why are we suddenly getting much better at Tetris? Author and vlogger, John Green, raises this very interesting question in a recent video. Tetris was released for the Nintendo in 1984. At that time, far more people were playing Tetris than there are today. And yet, performance on Tetris is better now, than it was […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.