Effortful Retrieval

Retrieving knowledge from memory makes it easier to retrieve next time.

Let's talk about a powerful mental model that accelerates your learning: effortful retrieval.

The idea behind effortful retrieval is simple:

Retrieving knowledge from memory makes it easier to retrieve next time.

Or, in other words:

The harder your brain has to work to remember something, the better you'll remember that thing.

That's right, your brain works like a muscle: make it work, and it'll get stronger.

This phenomenon, first described by Francis Bacon, has been called the testing effect. It's the reason why we're so hard on “dead drilling” in Jiu-Jitsu, where you turn your brain off and mindlessly repeat the same technique over and over again on an unresisting partner. Dead drilling is boring and you don't have to think, which makes for poor learning.

This is where effortful retrieval comes in.

To learn better, you need to make your brain work. You can't be on auto-pilot; the cognitive functions of your brain need to be engaged. You need to be thinking, deliberately, about something. That's what effortful retrieval is, and that's how you accelerate your learning.

Effortful retrieval is why technique visualization is so effective: it's basically a form of effortful retrieval for physical sports.

For a more general (and frankly, probably better) explanation of effortful retrieval, check out this classic article from Farnam Street.

On the podcast:

• Ep. 93: Teaching Kids, feat. Cal McDonald
• Ep. 142: Learning From Instructionals, feat. Matt Kwan
• Ep. 145: The Coach's Guide to Teaching, feat. Doug Lemov
• Ep. 220: Note-Taking for Jiu-Jitsu, feat. Rachel Ranschau

Further study:

• Technique Visualization
• Differential Learning
• Spaced Repetition
• To Learn, Retrieve — Farnam Street
• Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel
• Testing effect — Wikipedia