Partly curious question-asking and partially advice-seeking, but how do you reconcile the power of working memory with the limits of human capacity? I personally have a terrible memory with almost zero ability to remember dates, names, or quotations. I know the way is not rote-memorization, but the only thing that seems to fix this problem is when I blunder and make incorrect assertions when conversing with others. And while that's definitely effective, it's also akin to learning from the rear-view mirror. One experiment I have been trying is to organize references on topics that interest me, using Mendeley in the case of hard-science topics and org-mode (Breaking big topics into lists upon sublists) for more general topics. I have friends that set up personal wikis for information pertaining to their hobbies, too. In different ways, it is both a step-up and step-down from the quality of note-taking in lectures. I end up with more citations of primary literature, but without regular revisions, the information quickly falls out of date with what is in my head. It's too early to tell if the experiment will be worthwhile, but without it, subjects not visited for months quickly fade away... I guess the question I ask you is: Do you organize your knowledge in some sort of tangible way? Does it work?
Some people have more than others. It's a muscle, just like everything else. Use it and it builds. Neglect it and it atrophies. Well, there's your ritual. Funny thing - I write notes, but I never read them. However, the act of writing them cements their content in my memory. If it doesn't, going back and reading my notes does not jog my memory. It's a ritual, not a reference. I only remember the things that are interesting to me, by and large. On the plus side, I find many things interesting. Yogi Berra misremembered lots of things. It made him famous. You could do worse. If I'm doing research for a screenplay or novel or something I really need to go digging for, I use Novamind and have done since 2003 or so. Learning curve has gotten steeper, though. Using it, on the other hand, is a really good way to cement things in your head… and give you something you can reference later....how do you reconcile the power of working memory with the limits of human capacity?
I personally have a terrible memory with almost zero ability to remember dates, names, or quotations. I know the way is not rote-memorization, but the only thing that seems to fix this problem is when I blunder and make incorrect assertions when conversing with others.
One experiment I have been trying is to organize references on topics that interest me, using Mendeley in the case of hard-science topics and org-mode (Breaking big topics into lists upon sublists) for more general topics. I have friends that set up personal wikis for information pertaining to their hobbies, too.
Yeah, that was my problem all through grade school. Science was interesting and, consequently, easy, but I couldn't care less about early American literature and consequently struggled hard. It's only been recently that I've started to fill in all the gaps left from daydreaming during US history classes. (Ironically?) My resources now are targeted towards that age when I was more interested in wandering in the hills than reading about the federalist papers.I only remember the things that are interesting to me, by and large. On the plus side, I find many things interesting.