What to Do If You Easily Forget Things After Reading (Research Proven)

You spend the whole day studying privately but can't recall what you've been going through just a few minutes after leaving the table?

That's the ordeal a lot of students face and they eventually lose their passion for studying in the long run after series of frustrating efforts to get over it.


It's really as bad as what it seems to you.Every successful scholar needs a long-term memory to stay active in classes and pass examinations. You would never get anywhere if you easily forget things after studying.

If you ain't got that ability to remember, don't worry.  We're sure you'll get better after going through this post.

Let's get going!

A short-term memory is one that retains a small information for a little period of time, usually in the order of seconds (if not rehearsed).When rehearsed, the information is transferred to the long-term memory which has an indefinite storage capacity.

With the exception of Anterograde amnesia where the patient has the inability to store new facts in the long-term memory, every normal human being has the same storage capacity.

Yes! You can store as much information as you want and also be able to recall them.

How To Make Sure You Do Not Easily Forget What You Have Studied 

1.Prepare For Each Study Session 

Studying is a game of the mind and therefore should be done when the mind is adequately rested and concentrated on the topic you intend to study on. When something not related to the topic comes to mind, you tend to lose focus.

Hence, before you study, get rid of all sorts of distraction E.g television, cell phone etc.
If it's a class study, then stay away from those who will draw your attention away from what is going on.



Research has also noted that individuals who study in a quiet environment are more likely to recall what they have studied. Therefore, it is advisable to choose an unexposed, quiet place as your study center.

Do not study when you're under stress or you may doze off with your heads faced down in your book.

2.Grab One At A Time 

Trying to store a lot of information in the long-term memory at the same time might be the reason why you end up remembering none.

Study gradually and isolate the main points from your study material. Note that it is not the volume of material covered that really matters, but how thoroughly you're able to cover it.

If you feel tired at some point, then take a break, cool off and get back to study when you're set.

If you're the teacher, then we advise you figure out when your students have reached their elastic limit.Else, you'll be pouring water on a duck's back.

3.Study Broadly 

Considering other information related to the topic gives you a wider knowledge.

For instance, you might come across the term 'budgeting' while studying a topic 'financial education'. Seeking more information about this term will give the person wider knowledge of what financial education really is and can also serve as the basis to remember what is studied.

Set limits too with regards to additional information you will be hunting for or you will deviate from your study topic along the way

4.Employ A Paper And Pen 

Ever heard the saying that a short pen is better than a long memory? Yeah, it's true, but you gain even more by having both (short pen and long memory).

Writing down what you are studying, goes a long way in helping you recall. What is contained in a line of what you have written down, can help you remember tonnes of other information.

5.Create Examples 

Illustrations can help you recall more quickly than anything you can think of. Therefore as you study, create fitting examples in your mind's eye for each main point in your study material.

You could create a vivid picture of accident scenes in your mind while studying the topic 'First Aid' to enable you to understand better which first aid procedure applies to different accident cases.

6.Rehearse 

Teachers have confirmed that when a student is made to go through the same lesson over and over again, the information is stored in the long-term memory and is difficult to forget. 

Immerse yourself in the information you want to store, by spending ample time with it. Do not only read or say the exact words (cramming).If you can, rewrite the same idea in your own words and study it. Thus, you become the original source of the idea, making it difficult to forget. 

7.Teach 

This is a trial version of how efficiently you can recall what you have studied. Teaching someone else (perhaps a junior) from what you studied also heightens your knowledge on the topic.
Urge your student(s) to ask you questions while you try to give them satisfying answers.

Conclusion 

Studying becomes more interesting and worthwhile when you improve your powers to store and recall what you have studied. We are confident that following these steps can help you achieve this.

Anything we missed?
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