When I was a student, I had trouble remembering things that I read.

Whether it was key facts from textbooks or events from literature, I had difficulty memorizing the information for exams or essays.

There were certain things I would retain, but most of them just evaporated from my mind.

As a result, my grades were affected negatively.

Luckily for me, one of my teachers noticed my problem and offered to show me some studying techniques.

The two that I found most useful were making mental links and writing down key highlights.

How to Remember What You Read

Making Mental Links

The first method, making mental links, is done by linking information from the text to something in your life.

This could be done by making a connection between events from your life, something happening in the world, or something from pop culture to the information from the book that you’re reading.

For example, if you’re reading about The Spanish Flu, you can link some of the facts or events from this time period to more modern events, such as the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The key thing with this method is to think critically and create a relationship between the two entities so that you can understand the facts from the text better.

Doing this will help you remember the information.

Writing Highlights

The next method is writing and making highlights.

As you read the text, highlight and write down all of the important information and all of the things that are interesting to you.

You can write them down on an index card and then use them to study. Or you can write them in your notebook as part of your notes. You can also type them up in a notetaking app, such as Notion or OneNote.

For instance, I liked to highlight keys things, such as definitions and dates and examples and whatnot, in the text, and then copy them into my notes by hand.

I also wrote down my thoughts and/or mental links here as well.

This helped me make sense of the lectures and their connection to the information from the textbook.

It also helped me remember the facts better because there’s something about physically writing things down that boosts memorization.

Alternatively, you can use Ryan Holiday’s method for taking notes.

Ryan Holiday’s System for Reading

This technique is similar to how I write down notes.

But the key difference is that he waits a while before transferring his highlights to index cards. I write them down immediately after I finish an assigned reading.

Holiday also keeps and organizes all of his index cards in a tidy common place book (storage for all of the information and quotes that you saved). I just keep it in a notebook.

How Students Can Use This System

As a student, you can create a common place book in a notebook (or notepad) or in a word document.

To do it digitally, instead of writing down the facts and whatnot onto index cards, you can just create a word document and place them there.

You can also save it in a notetaking app.

To organize the notes, label each document as the unit or topic it’s from, and place the notes in their respective ones.

Additionally, make use of headlines as you go from one chapter to the next. This will help keep your notes organized.

Then, when you need notes from a particular chapter for a research project, for instance, you can quickly find it and review it.

However, as I stated earlier, writing the highlights down by hand does increase memorization.

So, keep that in mind.

Other Methods You Can Use to Remember What You Read

These are the two methods that I prefer. But there are other things you can do to remember what you read.

You can write a summary of what you read. You can write a short review of the novel or short story. Or you can create/find and answer a set of analysis questions as you read.

Final Thoughts

Remembering what you read is crucial for getting good grades.

The majority of the information that we have to intake for school is via reading texts and literature.

This is why you need to keep the information that you ingest organized because it’ll help you retain it better.

Thus, start implementing these two methods and remember what you read. Your grades will improve because of it.

When I was in high school, I had this friend who always used index cards to study.

I didn’t know why she did it, as it was extra work. She had to re-write the class notes on the cards and write down important information from the textbook on them too.

To me, studying from my notes and the textbook was enough.

I didn’t think it was necessary to nerd it like my friend. And this is probably how you study as well.

But now that I know more about learning, my friend’s way was the better method of studying.

What is Active Recall?

By using the index cards to study for exams, she was using active recall.

This learning technique uses memory stimulation to actively retrieve information.

It forces you to try to recover the information needed (via digging through your memories for it). It’s kind of like giving yourself a quiz every time you study.

According to a research report from 2013 that analyzed hundreds of studies about effective study techniques, active recall is one of the best methods for effectively retaining information.

Via Ali Abdaal:

“On the basis of the evidence…we rate practice testing as having high utility. Testing effects have been demonstrated across an impressive range of practice-test formats, kinds of material, learner ages, outcome measures, and retention intervals. Thus, practice testing has broad applicability.”

This differs from how I (and most likely you) studied. What I was doing was just passively remembering information, which doesn’t bode well for long-term memory.

I just read my notes and tried to understand and remember the important stuff.

This is okay for short-term memorization, but not good if you want to remember the facts beyond the exam date.

Thus, you need to apply this study method.

How to Create and Use Index Flashcards

So, here’s how you can start using index note cards and active recall to study:

Creating the Index Flashcards

1. Buy a pack or two of index cards (you can also cut up sheets of paper into small rectangles)
2. On one side, write down 3-5 of the most important facts on a topic. Keep it short though. Try to write one short sentence for each fact; just summarize it. Any longer and it’ll be difficult to remember
3. On the other side of the notecard, write down the topic in question form. For example, “What is a simile and what are 3 examples of it?” (P.S. If you’re curious about that answer, you can click here to find out on this article about literary devices.)
4. If needed, create multiple cards for each chapter
5. Create a set of index note cards for each unit as you go through the class/course

Using the Index Flashcards to Study

1. Read the question or topic side first
2. Try to answer it (active recall)
3. Then, flip over the notecard and read the information side
4. If you forgot a fact or got something incorrect, try to remember the correct fact for the next study session
5. When studying for midterm exams or final exams, break up the study sessions into multiple sessions, and review each unit individually. This will make it easier for you to remember the information

And that’s pretty much how you would use index flashcards for learning.

It takes a little more work to create, but in the long run, it’s a more efficient and more effective revision technique.

You’ll actually save time studying because you’ll remember more information for a longer period of time with this method.

Conclusion

Using active recall via index note cards is a great way to study.

You’ll remember more in a shorter time period.

So go out, buy a pack from your local office supply store, and start creating and studying.

As a student, are you having trouble improving your grades, despite putting in a lot of work? Are you finding it difficult to pick up or understand concepts or skills quickly?

Well, the problem isn’t that you don’t understand what you are learning. The problem is how you are learning it.

Most students practice (or do homework) just to complete the assignment.

They don’t do the exercises to deeply understand the concept or to understand the steps.

They just do it to it to get it finished without thinking about why a step is necessary, for instance.

But this is the wrong way of practising. It won’t help them improve much.

Rather, if you want to improve your understanding quicker, you should do your homework with intention. You should practice deliberately.

What is Deliberate Practice?

Deliberate practice, according to author and photographer James Clear, is:

“…a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic. While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, deliberate practice requires focused attention and is conducted with the specific goal of improving performance.”

How to Use Deliberate Practice to Improve Grades

To do this type of practice, you have to create a system that suits your goals, needs, and abilities.

So, you have to first figure out what your long-term goal for achieving this skill is.

Then, you have to figure out and plan what you need to do (things you need to practice) to achieve this skill.

As you practice deliberately, you have to keep an eye out for what step is working and what step is not.

If a specific step is hindering your progress, remove it and/or replace it with a new one if necessary.

As you’re going through the practice sessions, remember to take breaks and reward yourself when you have a breakthrough.

At the same time, however, remember to make the steps more challenging as things start to feel easier.

Additionally, as things become more complex, you have to get a coach, such as a tutor or a teacher, to guide you.

They’ll help you improve your training system and be someone you can rely on for assistance if you need help.

How Deliberate Practice Can Be Applied To Schoolwork

So, how can you use deliberate practice in school?

Well, let’s use practising algebra as an example.

First, figure out why you need to practice solving algebra. Is it to improve your grades? Or is it to help you solve more difficult math questions later on?

Next, you have to figure out the best way to practice and memorize the steps.

In algebra, there are many steps you have to do to solve an equation. And the steps increase and become more complex as you go up in grade.

Thus, you have to be mindful and remember the fundamental steps. You have to find a way to understand why one step has to go before the following step, and remember it.

Some methods you can use to improve your memory are to use active recall when studying or practising, think about the steps critically as you go over them, and asking a tutor or teacher to quiz you and check on your understanding.

Once you have a hold on the fundamentals, congratulate yourself. You can also take a break.

But after you are refreshed, you have to go back at it again, but with more challenging questions.

And you just have to keep recycling these steps until you have mastered algebra (or reached the intended goal).

Some Things to Take Note Of

Deliberate practice can be energy-consuming.

Since you are being mindful and focused on your work, studying can take a toll.

So, pay attention to your concentration and energy levels. If you feel burnt out, take a break.

If you try to fight through it, you are probably going to hinder your progress because you are overworking your brain.

Just like a horse, if you keep pushing it without letting it take a break, it just gets slower and slower until it can’t run anymore, and the progress that was initially made dwindles.

So, take a break and let your brain rest. Once you are rejuvenated, go back to work.

Conclusion

Deliberate practice is a great way to master a skill or concept that you may be having trouble with.

It’ll force you to focus and be mindful of the steps that you are doing as you do homework.

So, give this study method a try and improve your grades.

Are you the type of student that lets emotions clog up your thinking? Do you dwell too much on the past and worry too much about the future? Are you often stressed?

Well, stoicism can help alleviate these concerns. By learning and practising this philosophy, you’ll be able to focus on the present and the task at hand.

Stoicism is a western philosophy that was developed (and practiced) in ancient Greece and Rome. Its core doctrine is to use logic to fight against the fear of pain and to accept the present moment as it is.

Be a Better Student with Stoicism

Having this ideology will help you be a better student because it will prevent you from pondering about the “what ifs.”

It will allow you to be brave and confident in your ability to solve problems (any problem; not just equations and such).

Stoicism will encourage you to be analytical and critical so that you can discover the roots of your problems and fix them at that level.

So, here are 11 quotes from the Stoics that will help you be a better student:

Lessons from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations:

“Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside.”

“If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment now.”

“Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time. The twining strands of fate wove both of them together.”

Lessons from Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic:

“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.”

“Floods will rob us of one thing, fire of another. These are conditions of our existence which we cannot change. What we can do is adopt a noble spirit, such a spirit as befits a good person, so that we may bear up bravely under all that fortune sends us and bring our wills into tune with nature’s.”

“How does it help…to make troubles heavier by bemoaning them?”

“Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.”

Lessons from Epictetus’ Enchiridion and Discourses:

“We should always be asking ourselves: ‘Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?’”

“Take a lyre player: he’s relaxed when he performs alone, but put him in front of an audience, and it’s a different story, no matter how beautiful his voice or how well he plays the instrument. Why? Because he not only wants to perform well, he wants to be well received — and the latter lies outside his control.”

“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.”

“It’s something like going on an ocean voyage. What can I do? Pick the captain, the boat, the date, and the best time to sail. But then a storm hits… What are my options? I do the only thing I am in a position to do, drown — but fearlessly, without bawling or crying out to God, because I know that what is born must also die.”

Conclusion

One thing I noticed going over these quotes is that perception is important to Stoicism.

Your perception (or how you view issues) of the situation will determine how you react to it.

If you have a negative view, your reaction will be negative. You will go down a rabbit hole of all the “bad things” that did happen and will happen.

But if you shift your view and try to find a positive angle to the situation, you will react positively.

You will see the good in the problem and face it differently.

You will (maybe) now try to solve the problem to prevent it from happening in the future rather than drowning in all the (potential) negative things that can happen to you.

And this is what studying and practicing stoicism can do.

So, give it a try and see how it affects your life as a student (and beyond).

P.S. If you want to know how stoicism can help you do better on exams, read this article I wrote on the topic.

On this blog, I’ve talked about a lot of learning and productivity hacks. But the one I’m about to share may be the most effective.

Here’s the scenario: your kid brings home an assignment from school and asks you to help her.

She says that this topic is confusing and she can’t seem to figure it out. She also shows you a quiz that she did horribly on.

You look over the quiz and homework assignment. As you do, you try to see where she went wrong.

You ask your daughter:

“So what’s confusing about this? What don’t you understand?”

She replies, “I just can’t figure out how to solve these types of equations.”

You ask her to try doing one question so you can see her process.

As she’s working on it, you realize that she’s missing a couple of crucial steps, hence the bad mark.

So, you stop her and show her how to do it correctly. She’s able to correctly fix her mistakes on the quiz and do the homework assignment.

She thanks you and leaves. You feel proud that you were able to help your kid with homework.

The next day, feeling curious, you decide to quiz her, you know, just to see if she still remembers the steps you showed her.

You tell her to solve 2 questions from a workbook. She takes a few minutes to do them and then hands it to you.

You look over it and well, she botched both questions.

You’re now sitting beside her, wondering, “What the expletive? Did she even hear a single thing I said yesterday?”

So, you show her the steps again and hope she pays attention and remembers them.

But deep down in your subconscious, you know she won’t.

And you have every right to think this. Kids are manipulative and evil. Never trust them.

How to Help Kids with Homework

When I was a kid (maybe in the second grade), I had trouble doing basic subtraction.

I would do horribly on quizzes. But it wasn’t because I didn’t understand subtraction, I just didn’t know the process.

I also didn’t practice enough, which was why I didn’t remember the steps. I’d rather go outside and play or play video games.

Recognizing this, my dad found me a subtraction video game on the computer (this was a thing in the 90s) and told me to play it.

At first, I had trouble and kept losing -remember, I didn’t know the right steps.

So, he showed me how to subtract and some tips and tricks for solving these math problems. Then, I applied these steps to the challenges in the game.

I immediately did better, albeit slowly. But as I continued to play the game consistently, I got quicker and quicker.

I was also answering more correctly, which helped me beat the levels. And defeating each level boosted my self-esteem.

This led to me understanding the process and improving my grade in school.

And this method that my dad used to teach me math is called gamification.

What is Gamification?

Gamification is a productivity (or learning) hack that gets you to turn any task into a game.

It helps a lot of people accomplish tasks and meet goals because it allows them to, in a way, stack up points to win challenges.

This creates a sense of accomplishment because as they complete assignments, for instance, it feels like they are winning a game (or defeating a level).

How to use Gamification to Help Kids with Homework

There are many ways to use this method to encourage your kid to do homework (and to do it properly).

You can use education apps, workbooks (which you can find here), or create your own learning games.

For example, you can get your kid to do a math worksheet and for every question he gets right that would equal one point.

If he scores a certain amount of points, let him know that he just won the prize of fulfillment and knowledge.

And this is important.

Make sure you don’t give an actual gift. This will lead to your kid learning for the sake of receiving material things and not for the sake of being more knowledgeable.

Other than that, make sure that the games are fun and encouraging.

This is the only way that your kid will continue to participate.

Give gamification a try and see how it helps your kid in school.