12 Learning Strategies to Help You Retain Information Fast

Learning is the input for growth and acts as a crucial aspect of life. If you want to experience growth in all avenues, then you need to invest in learning strategies.

However, learning takes time, and time is a rare asset. So, how can you maximize your time by learning and retaining information fast? Here are 12 powerful types of learning strategies that can widen your horizon and help you maintain information at lightning speed.

1. Hone Your Note-Taking Skills

I have found out that the old-fashioned way of taking notes is more effective than typing your notes on the sticky notes provided by your device. If you want to learn faster, forget the laptop and use your pen and paper to take notes. Research showed that students who use paper and pen to take notes in class retain more information than those who type their lecture notes on a laptop.^[1]

Writing skills utilize different sections of your brain than reading. When you spend time writing thoughts in your notepad, having reviewed the material, you will have additional opportunities to cover the concept again. This will interest visual learners while the auditory learners can read the content aloud in addition to writing it down.

While it may be difficult and slower to take notes by hand instead of typing, writing fosters retention and comprehension. You retain information longer in your mind when you write with your hand, which means you can quickly recall information and perform better during an examination.

Quality notes aid faster learning. Developing the capability of taking accurate notes will assist you to grasp concepts and gain a thorough understanding of the subject matter. Therefore, it is better to learn the art and strategies of note-taking before you learn a new idea.

This skill will help you to organize your class notes into digestible bits. For instance, if you are participating in an online course, don’t just watch, and do the following:

• Listen, summarize the knowledge gained and then take notes.
• Create lines and spaces between the main concepts so you can add more info subsequently during revision.
• Use symbols and abbreviations to save time.
• Write in phrases instead of complete sentences.
• Pull out the necessary info and neglect the trivial ones.

You can also take a look at these 7 Simple Note Taking Techniques for Efficient Learning.

2. Study, Sleep and Study More

Do you have an important presentation, but you were unable to find time to prepare?

Most individuals who find themselves in this situation would rather stay overnight and cram before the presentation. The exciting thing is the hard work will surely be compensated even if you are exhausted the following day. However, that’s not the most effective amongst different learning strategies to retain information fast.

Research says that there is a correlation between sleep and learning. Sleep aids learning by optimizing your focus. ^[2] You cannot focus if you deprive yourself of quality sleep. Not only that, but sleep also facilitates memory consolidation, which is crucial for learning.

Getting some sleep empowers your brain to recall quickly. Deep sleep before learning new information can strengthen memory. If you study and get some shut-eye, you will not only be able to explore more, but you will attain peak performance in your learning experience—a prime example of learning strategies for students.

3. Tweak Your Learning Strategies & Processes

Someone says you cannot repeat the same process and achieve a different result. Making some adjustments in recurring practice lessons will empower you to gain a new skill faster instead of adhering to a routine.

You can learn a skill by watching YouTube videos, play games, or read a guide in a textbook. Another related example is changing the size of your racket when perfecting your lawn tennis game.

4. Use a Mnemonic Strategy

The mnemonic strategy is one of the time-tested learning strategies. You can learn anything faster by trying a mnemonic approach — sounds, letter patterns, or other methods that help you learn a concept. This was extremely popular in kindergarten to learn the alphabet. Children can ‘know their ABCs’ thanks to the alphabet song and retain this information.

Mnemonics will help you summarize, simplify, and compress the information so it can be easier to retain. This learning strategy is useful for medical or law students or individuals studying a language.

So, if you want to retain substantial information, adopt a mnemonic method, and you will discover you can recall information beyond your examination.

5. Discover Your Peak Moment When You Are the Most Attentive and Alert

You have sharp focus at some specific period during the day, which differs from person to person. Some are early risers, while others are night owls.

Discovering your uniqueness will assist you in knowing what period of the day you can retain information faster. Watch this video to find out more:

6. Focus on Topics One After the Other

Some concepts require an additional amount of concentration to grasp fully. Jumping from one topic to the other can make your efforts fruitless, which will limit you in retaining the information. This stems from crucial learning strategies for students to help them study more effectively.

7. Pause

We always want to rush through a material anytime we are reading. The outcome is obvious-limited retention.

Absorb info in small bits, pause to think on what you have read, revise the concept, then proceed.

8. Make it Pleasurable

If you are struggling to learn a topic, personalize it. You can do this by finding out how it applies to your personal life or career.

9. Utilize Brain Breaks to Regain Focus

Information overload is real. Do you know that your brain needs to communicate signals to your sensory receptors to store new information?

Your brain automatically shuts down when you are anxious, confused, or overwhelmed. You can notice these among learners during a long lecture. They will stop paying attention to what’s being taught.

One of the best learning strategies to handle this is to go on a ‘brain break‘ or divert your attention to something different. You could see a five-minute motivational video to unclog your mind or do something that interests you.

10. Stay Hydrated

You have read that water is beneficial to your body system and skin. It optimizes your body performance and boosts your immune system. Now staying hydrated also impacts your cognitive performance positively. You can become smarter when you drink water.

A study found out that students who take water to the examination hall performed better compared to those who did not. ^[3]

11. Link What You Learn with Previous Knowledge

You will grasp new information faster if you link new concepts with an existing idea you already have. In the book, Make it Stick, the authors wrote that related study habits are most times counterproductive. They may establish an illusion of comprehension and mastery, but the knowledge fades away from our memory quickly.

Memory is crucial when it comes to implementing difficult cognitive tasks like the application of knowledge to new tasks and the drawing of inferences from already known details or facts. By discovering the means of aligning new knowledge with previous experience, you will find extra layers of understanding in the new topic. This will help you learn faster and retain information at lightning speed.

Guess who loves using this learning strategy? Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla. Elon compares knowledge to a semantic tree. He advises ensuring you grasp the principles — the trunk and the branches before diving into the leaves or details. That way, you will find something to hang on to. You supply the mental hook when you link new knowledge to the old. ^[4]

12. Teach Learning Strategies to Others

If you find it challenging to explain a concept to others, you might as well find it challenging to retain the concept. Studies have found out that the average individual retains 90% of what was learned only when they teach others or practice the idea immediately. You can discover your weak points when you apply or teach a concept.

Do you want to retain info faster? Then, revisit the material until you become confident enough to transmit that piece of information to others.

Bottom Line

Great learners are still learning how to learn. Since learning is a lifelong affair, discover the learning strategies that work for you. Don’t try to rush through a concept, learn the simple concepts, and build on the previous knowledge while taking complex concepts. The more you practice those learning strategies, the better you become at being a great learner.

More About Learning

• 13 Reasons Why Online Learning Is an Effective Way to Learn
• 4 Learning Styles to Help You Learn Faster and Smarter
• How to Apply the Adult Learning Theory to Learn Faster
• 13 Ways to Develop Self-Directed Learning and Learn Faster

Featured photo credit: Joel Muniz via unsplash.com