/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.16024278]

Anyone have any suggestions for someone having issues retaining information? I can barely remember the contents of a book even after having just read it.

[Anonymous No.16024287]

memorize pi

[Anonymous No.16024288]

Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein is about how he learned a bunch of ways to improve his memory.

But also... just write like a couple sentences about what you read right after you put your book down. That will ratchet up your retention much more than you expect, I suspect.

[Anonymous No.16024295]

>>16024278
Read slower. I used to have that problem, so I started reading a chapter at a time. I can basically explain the gist of every single event and conversation from A Confederacy of Dunces off the top of my head, because I read it slowly, over the course of two months, even though that was four years ago.

I don't believe in taking notes on fiction, that's for pretentious dipshits like literary theorists, but taking it slow and savouring the contents is the key.

[Anonymous No.16024296]

Annotate. Engage in the book actively, not passively.

Reread books.

Discuss them online after you finish reading it.

Keep a journal and write your thoughts on what you read that day.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » !!oI3er5KKetj No.16024316]

>>16024278
Yes.
Delete all your woejacks. Disconnect your internet. Stop and think about the chapter you just read for a while. Take notes as you please.

[Anonymous No.16024462]

>>16024278
>>16024296


I understand your frustration. I am often conflicted if I should be taking notes when reading material on stuff I'm trying to learn. When I do however I also feel as though I am writing down the wrong things.

[Anonymous No.16024513]

>>16024278
Is it a shitty memory or easily forgettable shitty books you are reading

[Anonymous No.16024622]

>>16024513
Pretty sure I am the problem

[Anonymous No.16024653]

information is retained in structures

until you form the various individual atoms of what you've learned into a meaningful structure, you won't remember it

once the structure is in place, even if you forget some individual atoms, they will be easy to remember because they are defined in reference to the other elements and overall shape of the structure

you can't force structures into existence, they mostly happen through immersion and familiarity in ways you didn't expect, but you can gradually get a feel for how your mind creatures structures and what they "feel" like when they "click" for you

you can then start to intuitively feel your way through any new subject by wading into it, immersing yourself, and partly letting the structures form themselves but partly encouraging them and guiding them to form

but before you can do any of that you have to learn what it feels like for them to form in the first place which means you have to immerse yourself in something you love and learn it inside and out because you love it, not because you want to memorize it as an exercise

however once you learn to learn things, you will also learn the value and often ignored power of rote memorization and repetition, especially effective in conjunction with more relaxed and automatic structure formation by your unconscious mind

go learn something you love inside and out, learn it because you love it, visualize it and play with your visualizations of it, but also try memorizing things through mnemonics and rote memorization, make it into a game, have fun with it, and over time it will become the bedrock for learning how to learn in other areas too