Want to quadruple your memory? Write down what you’re learning so you activate more of your senses.
If we only hear information, within a day or two we typically recall 10% to 20% of what we heard.
If we write it down, we can double our recall from 20% to 40% because we can now see it. Writing is also kinesthetic so we absorb more through motion. And some of us sub-vocalize what we write, so we hear the information again.
Then if we review what we’ve written, we can double our memory again from 40% to 80% because we anchor the material from different perspectives at another time.
Remember the three key steps to learning: recall, write, review.
