Master evidence-based study techniques including active recall, spaced repetition, deliberate practice, and accelerated learning. Build efficient learning systems that maximize retention and skill acquisition.
Complete framework for learning faster and retaining more using evidence-based study techniques.
The Learning Pyramid (Retention Rates):
Teaching Others: 90%
Practice: 75%
Discussion: 50%
Demonstration: 30%
Audio-Visual: 20%
Reading: 10%
Lecture: 5%
Key Insight: Active learning beats passive consumption every time.
## Learning Goal: [Skill/Topic]
**Specific**: [Exactly what you want to learn]
Example: "Learn to build REST APIs with Node.js and Express"
**Measurable**: [How you'll know you've learned it]
Example: "Build 3 functioning APIs with CRUD operations"
**Achievable**: [Breakdown into sub-skills]
Example:
1. HTTP methods and routing
2. Middleware and error handling
3. Database integration
**Relevant**: [Why this matters / how you'll use it]
Example: "Need this for upcoming job role"
**Time-bound**: [Deadline]
Example: "Complete in 4 weeks"
**Success Criteria**:
- [ ] Can explain concept to non-technical person
- [ ] Can build [specific project] without documentation
- [ ] Can debug common errors independently
Skill Decomposition:
## Skill Breakdown: [Main Skill]
### Level 1: Foundation (Week 1-2)
- [ ] Sub-skill 1: [Estimated time]
- [ ] Sub-skill 2: [Estimated time]
- [ ] Sub-skill 3: [Estimated time]
### Level 2: Application (Week 3-4)
- [ ] Sub-skill 4: [Estimated time]
- [ ] Sub-skill 5: [Estimated time]
### Level 3: Mastery (Week 5+)
- [ ] Sub-skill 6: [Estimated time]
- [ ] Sub-skill 7: [Estimated time]
Example: Learning Python
Foundation:
- Variables, data types, operators (2 hours)
- Control flow (if/else, loops) (3 hours)
- Functions and scope (3 hours)
Application:
- Working with files (2 hours)
- Error handling (2 hours)
- Building CLI tools (5 hours)
Mastery:
- Object-oriented programming (8 hours)
- Working with APIs (5 hours)
- Building real projects (20 hours)
Technique 1: Active Recall
Instead of re-reading, force retrieval from memory.
How to Practice:
## Active Recall Session: [Topic]
**Step 1**: Study material for 25 minutes
**Step 2**: Close all resources
**Step 3**: Write down everything you remember
**Step 4**: Check what you missed
**Step 5**: Focus next session on gaps
**Questions to Answer** (without looking):
- What is [concept]?
- How does [X] work?
- When would you use [Y]?
- What's the difference between [A] and [B]?
Technique 2: Spaced Repetition
Review at increasing intervals to fight the forgetting curve.
Spaced Repetition Schedule:
NEW MATERIAL:
Day 1: Learn
Day 2: First review (1 day later)
Day 4: Second review (2 days later)
Day 7: Third review (3 days later)
Day 14: Fourth review (7 days later)
Day 30: Fifth review (14 days later)
Day 60: Sixth review (30 days later)
MASTERED: Review every 3-6 months
Tools:
Technique 3: Feynman Technique
Teach the concept as if explaining to a child.
Process:
## Feynman Technique: [Concept]
**Step 1: Learn**
[Study the concept]
**Step 2: Teach**
Explain it in simple terms:
[Write explanation as if teaching a 12-year-old]
**Step 3: Identify Gaps**
Where did your explanation break down?
- Gap 1: [What you couldn't explain]
- Gap 2: [What you got confused about]
**Step 4: Review & Simplify**
Go back, learn the gaps, simplify even more.
[Improved explanation]
Example:
Concept: REST APIs
Simple Explanation:
"A REST API is like a waiter at a restaurant. You (the client) tell
the waiter what you want (make a request), the waiter goes to the
kitchen (the server), gets your food (data), and brings it back to you.
Just like a waiter has a menu of what they can get you, an API has
endpoints that define what data you can request."
Gap: I couldn't explain WHY we use GET vs POST. Need to review HTTP methods.
Technique 4: Interleaving
Mix different topics instead of studying one topic for hours.
Bad (Blocked Practice):
Monday: 3 hours of JavaScript syntax
Tuesday: 3 hours of JavaScript syntax
Wednesday: 3 hours of JavaScript syntax
Good (Interleaved Practice):
Monday:
- 1 hour JavaScript syntax
- 1 hour HTML/CSS
- 1 hour problem-solving
Tuesday:
- 1 hour JavaScript functions
- 1 hour CSS layout
- 1 hour algorithms
Wednesday:
- 1 hour JavaScript objects
- 1 hour responsive design
- 1 hour debugging
Why It Works: Forces brain to retrieve and discriminate between concepts.
Technique 5: Elaboration
Connect new information to existing knowledge.
Elaboration Questions:
## Elaboration: [New Concept]
**Connection Questions:**
- How does this relate to [something I already know]?
- Why does this work this way?
- When would I use this vs [alternative]?
- What would happen if [X] changed?
- How is this similar to [other concept]?
- How is this different from [other concept]?
**Example:**
Learning: React Hooks
Elaboration:
- Hooks are like state management in class components, but functional
- useState is similar to this.state, but you can have multiple
- useEffect is like componentDidMount + componentDidUpdate combined
- You'd use useEffect for side effects, useState for component state
Practice with focus on weak points, not just comfort zone.
Deliberate Practice Framework:
## Deliberate Practice Session: [Skill]
**Specific Goal**: [One sub-skill to improve]
Example: "Improve algorithm problem-solving speed"
**Targeted Weakness**: [What you struggle with]
Example: "I'm slow at recognizing when to use hash maps"
**Practice Plan**:
1. [Specific exercise] - [Time]
2. [Specific exercise] - [Time]
3. [Specific exercise] - [Time]
**Full Attention**:
- [ ] Phone off
- [ ] Timer set
- [ ] No distractions
- [ ] Just beyond current ability
**Immediate Feedback**:
- [ ] Check solution immediately
- [ ] Understand why it works
- [ ] Note what you missed
**Reflection**:
What improved? [Answer]
What still needs work? [Answer]
Next session focus: [Answer]
The 3 Stages of Skill Acquisition:
Stage 1: Cognitive (1-2 weeks)
GOAL: Understand what you're trying to do
├── Mental model of the skill
├── Watch experts
├── Read guides
└── Break down into steps
FEELS: Awkward, need to think about every step
Stage 2: Associative (weeks to months)
GOAL: Consistent execution
├── Practice with feedback
├── Identify errors
├── Build patterns
└── Speed increases
FEELS: Still effortful but more natural
Stage 3: Autonomous (months to years)
GOAL: Effortless performance
├── Skill becomes automatic
├── Can focus on strategy
├── Continue deliberate practice on weak areas
└── Teach others
FEELS: Natural, can do while thinking about something else
Chunking:
Group information into meaningful units.
PHONE NUMBER:
Bad: 4 1 5 5 5 5 1 2 3 4 (10 items to remember)
Good: 415-555-1234 (3 chunks)
CODE CONCEPTS:
Bad: Memorize 20 individual functions
Good: Group into categories (Array methods, String methods, Object methods)
Mnemonics:
Acronyms:
SOLID principles: Single responsibility, Open-closed, Liskov substitution,
Interface segregation, Dependency inversion
HTTP Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE (CRUD: Create, Read, Update, Delete)
Method of Loci (Memory Palace):
1. Choose familiar location (your house)
2. Place items to remember at specific spots
3. Walk through mentally to recall
Example: Learning Git commands
- Front door: git init (initialize repo)
- Living room: git add (stage changes)
- Kitchen: git commit (save changes)
- Bedroom: git push (upload to remote)
Stories:
Weave facts into a narrative to make them memorable.
Example: Remembering OSI layers (7 layers of networking)
"All People Seem To Need Data Processing"
(Application, Presentation, Session, Transport, Network, Data Link, Physical)
Dual Coding:
Combine verbal + visual learning.
WHILE LEARNING:
- Draw diagrams
- Create mind maps
- Sketch concepts
- Use colors and shapes
- Visualize processes
Weekly Learning Plan Template:
## Learning Schedule: Week of [Date]
### Weekly Goal
[What you want to accomplish this week]
### Daily Schedule
**Monday**
- 7-8am: [Topic] - Active recall
- 12-12:30pm: [Topic] - Practice
- 8-9pm: [Topic] - Build project
**Tuesday**
- 7-8am: [Topic] - Review spaced rep cards
- 12-12:30pm: [Topic] - Deliberate practice
- 8-9pm: [Different topic] - Interleaving
**Wednesday**
[Continue pattern]
### Practice Projects
- [ ] Project 1: [Build X]
- [ ] Project 2: [Build Y]
### Review Schedule
- [ ] Day 2 review: [Topics from Monday]
- [ ] Day 4 review: [Topics from last week]
- [ ] Day 7 review: [Topics from 2 weeks ago]
## Learning Plan: [Skill/Subject]
### Goal
- **What**: [Specific skill]
- **Why**: [How you'll use it]
- **Deadline**: [Target date]
- **Success criteria**: [How you'll know you learned it]
### Current Level
- **Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced**
- **What I already know**: [List]
- **What I need to learn**: [List]
### Resources
- **Primary**: [Main course, book, or tutorial]
- **Practice**: [Where to practice - projects, exercises]
- **Community**: [Where to get help - forum, Discord]
- **Feedback**: [How to get feedback - mentor, code review]
### 4-Week Breakdown
**Week 1: Foundation**
- [ ] Sub-skill 1 (Est: X hours)
- [ ] Sub-skill 2 (Est: X hours)
- [ ] Mini-project 1
- **Milestone**: [What you can do by end of week]
**Week 2: Application**
- [ ] Sub-skill 3 (Est: X hours)
- [ ] Sub-skill 4 (Est: X hours)
- [ ] Mini-project 2
- **Milestone**: [What you can do by end of week]
**Week 3: Integration**
- [ ] Sub-skill 5 (Est: X hours)
- [ ] Sub-skill 6 (Est: X hours)
- [ ] Project combining week 1-2 concepts
- **Milestone**: [What you can do by end of week]
**Week 4: Mastery**
- [ ] Final project
- [ ] Teach concept to someone else
- [ ] Review all weak areas
- **Milestone**: [Final capability]
### Daily Commitment
- **Time**: [X hours/day]
- **Best time**: [When you focus best]
- **Minimum**: [If busy, at least this much]
### Checkpoints
- [ ] Week 1: [Specific achievement]
- [ ] Week 2: [Specific achievement]
- [ ] Week 3: [Specific achievement]
- [ ] Week 4: [Final achievement]
| Don't | Do |
|---|---|
| Re-read notes passively | Practice active recall |
| Highlight everything | Write summaries from memory |
| Study one topic for hours (blocking) | Mix topics (interleaving) |
| Cram the night before | Spaced repetition over weeks |
| Only consume (videos, books) | Produce (projects, teaching) |
| Stay in comfort zone | Deliberate practice on weaknesses |
| No feedback loop | Get feedback early and often |
| Learn without applying | Build projects immediately |
Spaced Repetition:
Note-Taking:
Practice Platforms:
Learning Science:
/writing-coach - Improve written communication/habit-design - Build consistent learning habits/productivity-gtd - Manage learning projectsLast Updated: 2026-01-22