We all think we forget things. But, what if we are thinking incorrectly? What if we never forget anything we learned- we just don’t know how to retrieve it- now or quickly?
Think of your brain as a card catalogue in the library (you remember those, don’t you?). Every book has its own card. The cards are arranged by author. Some catalogues are also arranged by title. Some catalogs even go far enough to arrange by subject matter.
But, what if you are like me? I read 200 to 500 books a year. I rarely remember the title or the author- unless I really love the book and tell everyone I know to read it. So, trying to find the book again by title or author is of little use. And, the subject of the book is problematic. When I read the book “Devil in the Blue Dress” by Walter Mosley, I could have classified it as noir, Blacks in LA in the 50’s, Easy Rawlins, or even cross-racial love. Not a quick find- and that is one for which I recall the title and author.
It is not atypical for me to pick up a book (one older than 8 months), begin reading it, and become immediately disgusted. I read it already, darn it! And, I liked it the first time. (Obviously, I like the author or the subject, so I wanted to read something like that again.)
That is exactly how our brain works. If (therein lies the rub) we learn something, truly learn it, it gets secured into the recesses of our brain. We have almost unlimited storage capacity. The problem is recalling it. When someone asks me for my phone number, I don’t tell them it’s Sunset 5 3291- because that was my first number. Or, Sunset 1 5116 (that was the other number, the one I was not supposed to use, because it was for my dad’s use. It was the only way he could access the phone for work, since my mom “owned” the phone from 8 AM to 6 PM and my brother and I tussled for rights between 6 PM and 10 PM.). I could go on through the rest of my numbers (and cities)- but that’s not the point. You want my number NOW, not from a decade or two or three ago. (Most of us rarely can recall our older phone numbers- our brain has ‘forgotten’ the link to that information as a favor to us.)
Which brings up the next point about our brain and memory storage. Instead of cramming information into it, as if we are constructing a house of wooden blocks, one upon another- we should interleave our learning sessions. It’s what I did when I coached little league (and for which many parents took issue with me- until they began to see the results).
I didn’t schedule a practice twice a week, with each session practicing hitting or fielding or stealing or strategy. No, each 60 minute practice involved moving the kids about- from one skill to the next. It even included another major learning moment- waiting their turn. No one realized that over the course of the first month, they actually learned how to hit better, how to field better, or even some modicum of patience. Because I didn’t drill it into them- they picked it up, drip by drip, interleaved with the other skills they were learning. Those imperceptible changes were great improvements- better than they would have achieved in a similar time by spending each practice devoted to a single skill or issue.
Which leads me to the next thing. We never practiced in the same field twice in a row. So, we could learn how different terrain affected our play. And, also, to insure that the skills learned would never be associated with one specific place. Which would make it harder to recall and use in a different location.
Yes, that means we should not only study in one place. Move around, go from your study to the library. Walk when you are trying to learn new things. You will be more able to recall the facts. I once had to convince a professor to give me credit for a fact that I could not specifically recall, but knew it was on page 127 of my notes, lower left hand corner, in red ink. (Don’t get too excited- this was an open book test, and I did not know it was- until I walked in to take the exam.)
So couple these facts with the “waiting game” I discussed two days ago. You will be amazed at your learning, your knowledge, and your recall.
I love your analogy of the library card catalog. I spent many years filing and pulling cards from card catalogs.
I will try your suggestion of moving around, walking and going to new places to read and study. Thank you for another fascinating article.
Janette Fuller recently posted..Book Review: Quick and Easy Guide to Branding Your Business and Creating Massive Sales With Pinterest
I have my own card catalogs from my post-graduate days… All my articles are catalogued and numbered…
Glad you liked the post, Janette.
Unfortunately, Douglas Adams helps me file my memories. It goes something like this…
“You hadn’t exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anyone or anything.”
“But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a torch.”
“Ah, well the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look you found the notice didn’t you?”
“Yes”, said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of The Leopard”.
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It is not surpising that a post titled “Infinite Storage Capacity” is thought provoking.
I find the point about relating the knowledge or skill picked up, to the surrounding you are in very interesting.
James DeBono recently posted..The First Step in Learning How to Become an Entrepreneur: Answer these 3 Questions!
Thanks for your thoughts, James!
Glad you found the post interesting and thought-provoking (was there a pun in there somewhere?)
Roy
But…But ROY! You are talking about REAL learning, and not just temporary memorization! That’s now what we were taught in school, Roy, and I’m getting uncomfortable lol…or I am giving you applause because that’s the way I like to learn 😉
I am glad you still like to learn. Too many don’t- and that’s what leads to yesterday’s post!
Thanks for the visit, Lisa…
Roy, I loved the fact that you can’t recall all the names and titles of books you liked reading, but would find yourself disgusted to find you had picked up one you had read before. I do the exact same thing. I used to keep a list of all the Earl Stanley Garner Perry Masons I read and called that a collection. I wish I had kept it up. I hate buying a book and finding I had already read it. Now if there were some way to access that card catalog, that would be great.
As for learning, I am learning a new language now. I love learning.–Annie
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That’s the only spirit to have, Annie!
And, sometimes, I am pleasantly surprised to be reading a book a second time- one that was well written. (Scott Turow, Michael Connelly, and Walter Mosely come to mind, right off the bat (or is that falling out of the card catalogue…
Once again, you are making us think, laugh, appreciate and learn from your posts. I read this blog today relating to my recent running hardships. If I run the same paths, I get “tired” at the same places because I recall the pain at those certain points every time. When I add variety in the trails and the challenge to cope changes, then I have a better/different experience. Holding on to knowledge is useful only if it can be used again, and we learn or associate something from the process, just like your ball players (aware or not) they were learning strategies (thought strategies). Our problem is always going to be never knowing when and if we will recall something we learned so our story is never-ending…just like learning should be…just like learning is.
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Veronica. And, I’m glad you liked the post. Maybe visiting here is like your trekking on the trails- it reminds you ofthe good thoughts- so you come back for more 🙂