In an old lab study, students learned lists of unrelated words. Half just studied them. Half spent a minute or two linking each list into a story. Straight after, both groups did the same. Tested later on all the lists at once, the story group remembered about ninety per cent. The others, about thirteen. Evidence: decent
One lab, one study, artificial word lists. But the reason is sound: a story gives each item a place and a neighbour, and you remember the shape, not the pieces. You've been doing it your whole life with jokes.
Milk, the plumber, Tuesday's meeting, your daughter's form: the plumber drinks the milk in the meeting while your daughter fills in the form on his back. Done.
Same theme: Learning it
Learning it
Coffee after, not before
Want a fact to stick? Have the coffee right after you learn it.
no timeEvidence: worth trying
Learning it
Hook the new thing to something you know
Learning a name, a fact, a process: ask what it reminds you of, and tie it there.
no timeEvidence: decent
Learning it
Learn it last thing before lights out
The thing you need to remember goes in the final fifteen minutes before sleep. Not the phone.
15 minEvidence: decent