How to memorize more using the 50/50 method

What is the essence of the method

To make information easier to remember at the right time, it is necessary to initially structure it correctly and link it with the knowledge you already have. It is also important to return to the material as often as possible, using it in practice.

Spend only 50% of your time studying information and the other 50% processing it.

To remember information from a book, it is not enough just to read it in its entirety. And even repeat twice or thrice. Therefore, do not waste your time and do not try to master everything in one day.

Read a few chapters and spend the rest of the time retelling and discussing them with someone, or just jot down the key points you’ve learned. This way you will remember what you read much better.

Why it works

According to a study by A rebuttal of NTL Institute's learning pyramid, students remember about 90% of information if they immediately use it or explain it to someone else.

This happens because for this you have to strain your brains, think over the material and reformulate it.

American journalist and publicist Daniel Coyle in his book says that people who read ten pages, and then close the book and write a summary of what they read, remember 50% more material in the long run than those who read the same 10 pages four times in a row and just tries to remember them.

It's all about effort: the more of them when working with information, the better the learning process goes. Superficial reading and simple repetition require almost nothing of you. And in order to make notes or retellings, you need to identify key points, process and organize them.

How to apply the 50/50 method

Take notes

Every time you learn something new, read a chapter of a good book, or listen to an important lecture, take a moment to write down the key ideas.

Better yet, forcing yourself to take notes while learning.

Returning to what you learned again, you interrupt the forgetting process and help the brain to consolidate new information. Psychologists call this the testing effect.

To make learning even more effective, take notes with pen and paper. Scientists claim The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking that it creates a stronger cognitive connection with the material being studied, compared to using a keyboard. The reason is that we type too fast and the brain does not have time to absorb information. And even if we write by hand more slowly, we remember more and better.

Explain material to others

Don't worry if you don't know much about the topic yourself, and don't worry about how many people you have to retell it to. It doesn't matter at all. The key is to focus on what you are learning and how you can share it with others.

You can start blogging and write down new ideas that you have learned. Try recording podcasts or creating videos and sharing your knowledge on YouTube. You will see progress regardless of whether you have readers or listeners.

This approach has a lot in common with the technique of the American physicist Richard Feynman. He is renowned for his ability to popularly explain complex topics like quantum physics. His way of teaching is precisely to transfer knowledge to other people in the simplest possible language. This way you can quickly identify gaps and see what you yourself have not yet figured out. In other words, you teach others for your own sake.