This month’s O, The Oprah Magazine has tips on how to retain what we’ve learned.

  1. Space Out - Break up learning into separate sessions rather than cram at the last minute. Learning spread over the long term works better than intense, infrequent study.

    This is definitely a habit I want to teach Stephen. We break up his weekly school homework assignment over three days so it doesn’t seem as overwhelming and we do an additional 30 minutes of mommy-assigned work four days out of the week.

    My personal experience has also been that keeping on top of the work is far more effective come exam time than trying to cram the night or even the weekend before. This generally applies to all things in life, including housework!

  2. Sleep On It - Sleep after studying helps your brain “solidify memory” by allowing it to fire in a certain sequence without interruption. This apparently works even after a nap.

    I know so many people who pull overnighters with just 2- 3 hours of sleep before exams. They were also typically below the grading curve yet never seemed to learn that their study strategy wasn’t working. I always got close to a full night’s sleep before exams even if I wasn’t 100% ready. I figured that my brain would be able to retrieve material far better if it were actually awake!

  3. Don’t Overlearn - “Study a lot of material for a little bit of time in one session, rather than a little bit of material for a lot of time.”

    Glad to get this confirmation! I have tried my best to resist drilling Stephen on his weekly spelling even after it’s clear that he knows it. Now I know that I shouldn’t even talk about the spelling the morning of the test. Not only does it put too much pressure on him, but it obviously doesn’t improve long-term retention.

  4. Keep Your Brain Fit - Regular exercise to maintain cardiovascular fitness, mentally challenging activities like reading, social engagement, education, and perhaps blogging all help to maintain brain plasticity. (More from Time.)

What have you been doing to keep your brain fit?