Rewriting notes by hand
Copying the same material out longhand, daily, until it sticks
Studying by writing the page out by hand, then doing it again the next day, and the next, instead of reading or highlighting. It is slow by design. People with attention or memory difficulties in particular describe it as the only method that makes information stay, and the physical act of writing seems to matter more than the notes themselves. A pen, paper and several hours a day are the whole system.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- David GogginsDoes it
Retired Navy SEAL · Can't Hurt Me
For his paramedic exams he writes every page out by hand, every day, until he can picture the page during the test. Four hours plus a day, including material he has already passed exams on.
Source: Huberman Lab: David Goggins: How to Build Immense Inner Strength“I have to go over the same page over, and over, and over, and over again … I go through and have to write everything down every single day.”
Huberman Lab: David Goggins: How to Build Immense Inner Strength (opens in a new tab) · 1 Jan 2024
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
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Daily reading
A fixed daily reading block, usually books rather than feeds
Backed by 19 of 44 stacks: 17 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Early rising
A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
Backed by 9 of 44 stacks: 8 do it, 0 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Phone-free first hour
No email, news or social media until you have done something of your own
Backed by 4 of 44 stacks: 2 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily writing
Write something every day, published or not
Backed by 3 of 44 stacks: 3 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Thinking retreats
Blocks of time cleared of the schedule to sit with one hard problem
Backed by 2 of 44 stacks: 2 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily design
Writing the day ahead in the past tense, then scoring it out of ten at night
Backed by 1 of 44 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.