The summary.
FAMILIARITY IS NOT KNOWLEDGE
Recognising something is different from recalling it. Rereading and highlighting feel productive and achieve little.
Close the book and test yourself. Each retrieval strengthens memory far more than each reading.
SPACE YOUR WORK AND MIX YOUR TOPICS
Forgetting slightly and recovering strengthens memory more than immediate repetition.
All the effective methods feel worse than the ineffective ones.
NOTES SHOULD PROCESS, NOT TRANSCRIBE
Write in your own words, and mark what you did not understand — that is the most valuable thing in any set of notes.
Review them the same day. They make far less sense a week later than you expect.
DECIDE WHAT YOU NEED FROM A TEXT BEFORE READING IT
Abstract, introduction, conclusion, headings. Then read closely only what serves your purpose.
Record source details immediately — finding them later costs far more.
AGAINST PROCRASTINATION, DEFINE THE NEXT PHYSICAL ACTION
And write a deliberately poor first version. A bad draft can be improved; a blank page cannot.
Motivation frequently follows action rather than preceding it.
COVERAGE IS NOT CAPABILITY
Produce something that uses what you are learning, and find someone who will look at your work.
