I came across a brilliant method to learn and retain new information. It is from Shane Parrish of the blog Farnam Street. Basically, when you are learning something new, from a course or a book, take out a blank sheet of paper and write down what you already know about the topic/subject – in a mind map form.

After you finish a session (or a chapter), spend a few minutes adding to the map with a different color. Before you start the next session, review the page. When you’re finished with the course or the book, put this “mind map” into a binder that you periodically review.

I am doing a course Building A Second Brain by Tiago Forte and started doing the mind map. It’s incomplete but looks something like this:

It works well because the blank sheet primed my brain for what I was about to learn. When I put down on paper what I already knew, it forced me to search my memory. As you went through the course I added to my current knowledge. I removed things that I thought were incorrect and added new things as I learned them. The method not only improves retention but helped me connect ideas.

One caveat is, to use your own words and not that of the author. Try to connect it to something you already know — a memory or another idea. Also, make note of any unanswered questions you have while learning. And, on the side, write down the main ideas of the book/course using your own words.