Rereading notes feels productive but is one of the least effective ways to retain information. These three techniques are backed by decades of memory research and work far better.
Active recall
Instead of rereading a chapter, close the book and try to write down everything you remember. The struggle to recall is what strengthens the memory — rereading skips that struggle entirely.
Spaced repetition
Review material at increasing intervals (a day later, then a week later, then a month later) instead of cramming it once. This is why concepts you learned years ago in school still stick, while last week's cram session is already fading.
The Feynman technique
Explain the topic out loud in the simplest possible language, as if teaching a beginner. Every place you stumble is exactly the gap in your understanding you need to go back and fix.
