1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: tip is to create a closed book summary of what 4 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 1: you've just read. Doing this can increase your recall of 5 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: a text far beyond what reading the same text multiple 6 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 1: times can do. Today's tip, like others this week, comes 7 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: from Amantha Ember's new book time Wise. In this book, 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: she shares tips from other people about how to work 9 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: well and feel better about time in general. In the book, 10 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: she cites a study on memory from Jeffrey Karpiki and 11 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: Janelle Blunt from Purdue University. The researchers divided participants into 12 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: different groups and ask them to use different methods to 13 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: study a text. One group was asked to do repeated reviews, 14 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: reading the material over and over again until they felt 15 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: they had learned it. The other group was asked to 16 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 1: do a free recall, which means they read the text 17 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: once closed the book and tried to recall from memory 18 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: what was covered. Then they were tested on the material. 19 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: They were also asked before taking the test how well 20 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: they thought they had learned the information. Curiously, people who 21 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,559 Speaker 1: had reviewed the material repeatedly thought they knew it well, 22 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: but it turned out they did less well than the 23 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: folks who read the material once and then spent some 24 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: time recalling from memory what was covered. So if you 25 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: want to remember a text well, it helps to write 26 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: the equivalent of a grade school book report. Now. Later 27 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: in school we had to write more das tailed papers 28 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: where we advanced a thesis and argued from evidence in 29 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: the text. But back when you had to do elementary 30 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: school book reports, you basically were just saying what happened 31 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: in the book. You wrote that down, And it turns 32 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: out that writing a basic book report now can help 33 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:23,679 Speaker 1: you too. Amantha suggests that when you next set out 34 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: to read an article or book, tell yourself that when 35 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: you finish, you will have to write down everything you 36 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: can remember. Then, when you do finish, open a blank 37 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: document or grab a sheet of paper and write down 38 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: a summary. After you do this, if you feel there 39 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: are elements you are missing, feel free to return to 40 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: the text. You can write them into your summary or 41 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: do a second free recall test where you add the 42 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 1: details from this here second read. One way to keep 43 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: yourself accountable for doing this recall is to make a 44 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: habit of writing summary somewhere like your own blog or 45 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: what site, or for a site like Goodreads. But taking 46 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: the step to recall and reconstruct what is in a 47 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: book can increase your memory and understanding for anything important 48 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: That is probably worth the time. In the meantime, This 49 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 50 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear 51 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 52 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 53 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number 54 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an 55 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That 56 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks 57 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: so much, should I look forward to staying in touch. 58 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 59 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 60 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.