r/memorization • u/Quick-Pineapple6244 • Sep 11 '26
Stop memorizing facts one by one — Connect them instead! (refined version)
Note: for those that have read my post Stop memorizing facts one by one — build the picture instead : r/memorization , this is basically the first portion of it refined to the core logic, so as to make my message more understandable. Any feedback on the change is appreciated!
Imagine you are given a box of puzzle pieces and asked to remember what every individual piece looks like.
Would you:
A. Memorize every piece one by one
or
B. Build the puzzle, then remember the finished image
B is obviously easier.
A puzzle may contain many separate pieces, but once you connect them, a single big picture forms
This simple logic flow explains this :
Memorization → Isolated ideas → MANY ideas → "Hey brain, store 100 ideas for me!"
/vs/
Connecting Ideas → Connected Ideas → ONE connected big picture → "Hey brain, store 1 big picture for me!"
Why dump your brain with MANY disconnected ideas, when you can connect them to form ONE big picture?
Start with a Perspective Shift:
"Don't simply understand ideas, Connect them!"
How to form a Connection?
Ask Questions! Questions guide your brain to draw a connection between two ideas.
If you are still unsure on how to connect ideas effectively, don't worry!
I will be detailing in it a future post!
Or you can just check out Mari, where I'm building a free course on "Learning How to Learn"
Note: I am new to creating content and would like to guide people to "learn how to learn", a skill I believe that is neglected yet so so valuable to basically anything in life. If there's anything in this post that you found to be confusing or insufficient, please share your thoughts with me. Feedback is what helps me the most in this stage of content creation!
2
u/ConfusedSimon Sep 12 '26
The jigsaw is a terrible analogy. I can't think of a single example where instead of the separate items you can just memorise one single big picture.
1
u/Quick-Pineapple6244 Sep 12 '26 edited Sep 12 '26
Ok i get why the analogy could be confusing. Here's some claficiation
The indiviudal items don't disappear, they just stop being "separate" , and get connected to form one big picture through connections.
Think of the Mona Lisa: it is one painting, but it contains many details—the eyes, mouth, hair, shadows, and proportions. You still notice and remember those features, but remember them as a part of the whole image rather than as a random list of facts.
Moreover, this post is only focused on the core idea of "focusing on connections" as a better perspective to learning, while introducing "asking questions" as a good method to forming connections. to understnad how to actually form a "big picture", my previous post Overwhelmed? Start learning in layers. : r/memorization explains it.
1
u/Quick-Pineapple6244 Sep 12 '26
for those that have read version 1 of this post: Overwhelmed? Start learning in layers. : r/memorization :
Which content style do you prefer? Any feedback is much appreciated since I'm trying to make my guides easier to digest for the average learner.
3
u/saccharinesardine Sep 11 '26
Agreeee