Small Changes, Big Results

The more actively you engage your brain in the process of learning, the more likely you are to retain knowledge, says Janet Sherman, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. In fact, researchers have found that repeating information—the name of a person, a phone number, anything you're trying to absorb—in different ways increases retention. You might try phrases like "So you're saying..." as an opportunity to go over the fresh information and build on it. Or when you hear a story, tell it to someone new; just thinking about it in a different situation will help your mind store the details.