How do you retain information

[Night]

How do you do it, because I sure as fuck can't. 

 

[Blake]

I just... do?

In school, I definitely didn't retain as much, but it was because I couldn't be bothered to actually pay attention (also fuck later math), but when I care about learning something I just do. Same goes for memories, which can be triggered after years and years for no apparent reason. Be it music, a scene, etc.

So I guess... get interested in it somehow? I just enjoy learning about the world and things, and there's so much endless info to glean.

also the broken line in your sig is making me mad

[mitchermitcher]

If you're not interested in the subject then don't bother. You're not gonna retain shit. I learned more Japanese in a year than I did French in four years because I was a lazy fuck who didn't realize the value of foreign languages and liked Japanese because anime.

 

If you're interested in it, you will learn it well. Seriously. It's another thing if you have some kind of mental defect though but, in general that holds true.

[Night]

In school, I definitely didn't retain as much, but it was because I couldn't be bothered to actually pay attention (also fuck later math), but when I care about learning something I just do. 

If you're interested in it, you will learn it well. Seriously. It's another thing if you have some kind of mental defect though but, in general that holds true.

 

I would be inclined to agree but seeing as though the thing I'm currently trying to learn is graphic design and there's probably nothing on the planet that interests me more than that, in theory it should be easy. And it always has been when I was learning it for the sheer fuck of it, now that I'm actually "studying" the subject it's literally fucking impossible. 

 

I assumed this shit would happen when I decided to properly get into the field, I didn't think it would actually be this hard though. 

[mitchermitcher]

I'd guess that learning art overall is pretty difficult when you actually sit down to study the theories or technical aspect of it. Art is fun when you do it, but not when you learn what you should or shouldn't do, or why you're doing it.

 

I'll also guess that it'll get easier for you after a while, once you get used to it, or once you 'retain' the fundamentals they're teaching you. If you can bear it, I say stick with it for a while longer and see how it goes.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

To be honest I don't retain information. At least not intentionally. Some information just sticks in my head and some doesn't. I don't think I have a method.

[Night]

I'd guess that learning art overall is pretty difficult when you actually sit down to study the theories or technical aspect of it. Art is fun when you do it, but not when you learn what you should or shouldn't do, or why you're doing it.

 

bingo

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

I generally have to write stuff down; depending on the subject.

For stuff like programming (which I sort of hate right now), calculus and other things; the above holds true.

 

Other things, I can probably remember on my own without having to write stuff.

 

Names of people IRL; usually a couple repetitions and I'm fine.

(Obviously I have to learn names of classmates in college; and to an extent, names of kids I help teach at my karate club [I know most of their names, but some are still WIP])

 

----

Non-academic related, I have to note down EV training for anything Gen 5 and earlier for Pokemon; because I am prone to forgetting; especially when doing multiples.

[Cin]

It depends on the type of information, if it's something I like I find I can remember it easily, but usually it's just a case of revisiting it often so writing it down is helpful.

[Yasυ]

Read a lot on the subject, try to become familiar with it.

 

Identify the keywords, link the main ideas together (make some concept maps), relate what you're learning with any previous knowledge you have... and if you don't have any, just relax and start from the beginning (crash courses and the 'for dummies' books can be life savers), google what you don't understand, etc.

 

For me, knowledge is all about associating facts, I have horrible memorization skills and struggled with anatomy until the moment I started to see it from a clinical point of view. 

 

In my opinion, effective learning never feels like a chore.

 

 

 

[Agro]

Tbh in art-related fields I find it more helpful to understand concepts than individual facts. If you have an understanding of a concept, it can become easier to relate it to specific techniques and then individual pieces of art, etc.

[Aix]

Considering how you have done a ton of art before, when thinking about concepts, relate it in your head to art pieces that you have done?

[Toffee.]

I ONLY REMEMBER/MEMORIZE/ETC THINGS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO MYSELF/MY INTERESTS
...
And I typicaly forget everything else, unless it's oddly specific.

I'd guess that learning art overall is pretty difficult when you actually sit down to study the theories or technical aspect of it. Art is fun when you do it, but not when you learn what you should or shouldn't do, or why you're doing it.

Because in this regard, they want you to make what other people want, when really, you should be making what you want.

[Icy]

Combination Autism + Aspergers helps. As well as a superhumanly strong sense of smell. I also dont feel boredom normally (my medication can induce it and I hate it but its necessary), so everything is interesting to me. And why would anyone forget something that makes them excited?

 

@Armz: More accurately you go to school to learn how to do certain aspects and learn how to make people want what you want through your art.

[Thar]

My brain corresponds information with objects. Iow, if I learn something while looking at a certain object in the room, that information comes up in my mind every time I look at that object. I've been experimenting with it by having some random objects with me when I'm studying, so when I learn something new, I read it aloud to myself while focusing on one of those objects.

[Spinny]

I remember things... But don't realise it....
Literally, I'll try to think about doing something in my head and will forget how to do it, if someone else gives me a question or tests me, I know it.
I'm strange :/

[Fusion X. Denver]

I'm not the best at retaining information, usually I do it when it's connected with a passion of mine. For academics, it usually amounts to cramming, which I recommend to literally no one.

Repetition helps too. I met a girl last week who I called Ellen when she introduced me 15 minutes earlier as Maggie. Embarrassment aside, I'm never gonna forget her name now.

[Tentacruel]

I'm sorry Night can you repeat that?  I wasn't paying attention. 

[Darj]

I noticed that one of my methods or tricks, so to speak, is to simplify stuff and re-name things with my own words. I cannot think of any specific example at the moment, but for instance:

1. If the name of X or Y is too diffcult to remember, I will just re-name it with a more familar word.

2. If X or Y involves a complex definition, I will give it a simpler one for my own use.

 

In other words, I kind of make my own personal keywords and definitions, which of course, are often easier to remember, and/or makes easier to get an idea of what those things are about.

I have noticed some people are a bit puzzled when, in a discussion, I call X or Y with a different name, or describe them in a different way, that may be unrelated to the current subject.

 

Maybe this could work as an example:

In thermodynamics, there is this concept of entropy. So, in my own words, I would call this as "the energy of chaos or disorder" and define it as "some kind of leftover energy generated from every reaction that cannot be used as fuel or transformed so it is just stuck there in the Space". It may not exactly be accurate, but is enough for me to keep in mind the general idea.

 

Or if there is a process that in one way or another stops or slows something, I may refer to it as a "lock" (Yeah, sometimes I use words and terminologies from games or unrelated subjects for my convenience).

 

However, I really don't know if this a common thing to do, or if I am among the weird ones that do it.

[The banterbus is in town]

I like to decide what I'm going to learn. Buy a fresh pad of paper. A nice pack of pens and just practice until I understand it 100%. Repetition is neat. I'd imagine the same goes for arts?

[bury the year]

-snip-

Looks like you're paraphrasing. Very good skill to have professionally, and it's what kept me going through APUSH. My massive amounts of notes were condensed down to less-massive double column study guides by paraphrasing everything.