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To remember information you have learned, practise recalling it, review it over time, and connect it to something familiar. To remember to do something later, put a reminder or cue where you will see it when it matters. These approaches address different kinds of forgetting; none is a guaranteed fix for every lapse.
First, identify what you are trying to remember
Forgetting a fact from a book and forgetting to bring something tomorrow are different problems. The first is about retaining learned information; the second is about remembering an intention at the right time. Retrieval practice, spaced review, and meaningful connections support learning. Reminders and other external cues are especially useful for future intentions.
1. Retrieve the information instead of only rereading
How to do it
- Read or listen to a short section.
- Close the material and try to recall its main points, answer a question about it, or explain it aloud.
- Check the original material, correct any errors, and note what you missed.
This is often called active recall: you make an effort to bring information to mind rather than simply looking at it again. Kathleen B. McDermott’s 2021 review in Annual Review of Psychology describes how practising retrieval shortly after learning can slow forgetting. The review discusses benefits across different kinds of material, ages, learner abilities, and tests; it does not make recall effortless or guarantee that every detail will stick. Read the review.
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Build spaced practice into your routine
Return to important material in later sessions instead of doing all your practice in one sitting. At each session, first try to recall the ideas, then look back to check and correct them. Spacing the sessions gives you repeated opportunities to retrieve what you learned.
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For example, you might review a topic the day after studying it, revisit it a few days later, and check it again the following week. Treat that as a starting example, not a proven best schedule: the reviews by Carpenter, Pan, and Butler (2022) and by Weinstein, Madan, and Sumeracki (2018) support spacing and retrieval practice, but do not establish one timetable that works best for every person, subject, or deadline. Carpenter, Pan, and Butler’s review and Weinstein, Madan, and Sumeracki’s tutorial review explain the learning strategies and evidence.
3. Connect a new idea to something familiar
Turn a fact into an explanation you can recall
- Read the concept or fact you want to remember.
- Put it in your own words and link it to something familiar, a concrete example, or a vivid mental image.
- Cover the source and reproduce your explanation from memory; then check it for accuracy.
For instance, if you are learning a technical term, make up a familiar everyday situation that illustrates it, then explain how the example matches the definition. The connection gives you another route back to the idea, but it should not replace the accurate definition. Weinstein, Madan, and Sumeracki’s 2018 review includes elaboration, concrete examples, and dual coding—combining words with images—among six supported learning strategies. It describes these strategies as most useful alongside retrieval practice, not as substitutes for it.
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4. Put future intentions where you will encounter them
Attach a cue to the time or event
For something you need to do later, use a calendar alert, checklist, or visible note tied to the relevant time or event. Put an item to bring by the door before leaving, for example, or set an alert for the time you need to make a call. A cue is most useful when it appears where and when it can prompt the action.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThis approach supports prospective memory: remembering to carry out an intention in the future. A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis by Jones, Benge, and Scullin covered 73 intervention studies involving 3,749 middle- to older-aged healthy adults and clinical groups. The studies examined mnemonic strategies, cognitive training, external memory aids, and combinations. The authors reported a positive result for external memory aids (Hedges’ g = 0.805), while cautioning that this evidence often came from small-sample or case-series designs. That figure is not a percentage, a guarantee for an individual, or proof that aids improve general memory. Read the review and meta-analysis.
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Choose the trick that fits the lapse
| What you keep forgetting | Try first | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| A fact or idea you studied | Retrieve it from memory, then check your answer | Creates a chance to practise recalling learned information. |
| Material that fades after a study session | Schedule later retrieval-based reviews | Spreads practice across separate sessions. |
| A concept that feels abstract or hard to explain | Make a familiar comparison or concrete example, then recall it | Builds a meaningful connection that can help you reconstruct the idea. |
| An errand, appointment, or item to bring | Set an alert or place a cue at the relevant time or location | Supports remembering an intended future action. |
The evidence behind these methods concerns different strategies and outcomes, so it does not rank the four as competing tricks or show how many everyday lapses they prevent. They are practical ways to support learning or prompt an intention—not a diagnosis or treatment for the cause of persistent forgetfulness.
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