Instead of highlighting a textbook, you should use this method of closing the book and reciting what you just read
Active Recall
This is a popular flashcard app using an algorithm to show you difficult cards more often than easy ones.
Anki
This simple habit helps your brain focus better by preventing tiredness and mental fog.
Sleep
Medical Students use this "See one, do one..." mantra to master skills.
See one, do one, teach one.
This productivity technique involves 25 minutes of deep work followed by a 5-minute break.
Pomodoro technique
This common "study" habit is least effective for long-term retention
Re-reading
this psychological phenomenon describes how our memory of new information drops off rapidly until it is actively reviewed.
Forgetting Curve
this is the state of "effortless concentration" where a person is fully immersed in a task
flow state
This method involves learning through specific stories or patient scenarios rather than abstracts facts.
Case-Based learning
This specific hardware tool allows students to "smash"through flashcards wirelessly, often while standing or walking to improve speed and reduce "screen-hunch.
Anki remote
This technique involves taking a blank sheet of paper and writing down everything you know about a topic from memory.
This is the ideal time to review a piece of information to ensure it moves into long-term memory.
Just before you are about to forget it.
This common study mistake—checking your phone, switching tabs, or doing multiple tasks at once—actually makes it harder for your brain to focus.
multitasking
This memory device uses a "familiar building" to store information in specific rooms.
Memory palace or Method of Loci
Using this "dual" monitor setup allows a student to have their textbook on one side and the their flashcards creation tool on the other .
split screen or second monitor
To truly master a concept, physicians use this method: teaching a complex topic to a child or someone with no background information about the topic.
Feynman Technique
In Anki, these are four buttons you select to determine the next time you see a card
Again, Hard, Good and Easy
Short study sessions with breaks (like the Pomodoro method) help prevent this, which hurts focus.
Burnout or mental Overload
Physicians often use these "short cuts" like "ROY G BIV" to remember lists
Mnemonics
This "rule" suggests that if a task takes less than this many minutes, you should do it immediately rather than scheduling it.
Two-minute Rule
Using an Anki remote to grade yourself on these specific cards ensures you are mentally "retrieving" rather than just "recognizing"
Close Deletions
This is the practice of interleaving which means doing this during a single study session
mixing different subjects or topics together.
This neurotransmitter is released during the "reward" phase of studying, helping to cement habits.
Dopamine
Before delivering important information, physicians pause and focus to improve this skill, which helps patients feel heard and understood.
Active listening
To prevent eye strain during 12-hour study days, physicians use this rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.