1. Break the information I am learning into small elements to account for the limited capacity of working memory (4 + or -1 items) and the limited duration of working memory (15 to 30 seconds)

2. Create flashcards of those elements (elemental flashcards) that I can generate answers to on a space repetition schedule in order to encode those elements into long term memory. 

3. Organize or consolidate those encoded long term memory elements into ordered groups of elements called reference frames or schema.

4. Continue reviewing flashcards and now answer them by generating my previously built schema each time using hand drawings and and speaking out loud (ie. ‘drawing out loud on a spaced repetition schedule’). 

5. Generate schema enough times so that they automatically generate themselves when presented with a flashcard question (schema automation) and begin embedding schema within schema (schema embedding) and linking schema to other schema (schema linking).

6. Send entire embedded schema + linked schema (schema constellations) from long term memory into working memory so that one of the 4 slots of working memory is now filled by an entire schema constellation (working memory expansion). 

7. Use schema constellations to predict new element input from the environment and compare the new element input to the existing schema constellation to determine whether the element should be added to the constellation (schema updating) or ignored.

8. Continue this prediction and updating process indefinitely and incrementally update my schema and schema constellations as new data elements are assessed. 

Anyway, that’s a quick outline of Spaced Generation Learning and how it takes advantage of Human Cognitive Architecture to enhance the learning process. I would measure any supplement or device as to whether it enhances or inhibits that entire process. 

Here’s another fantastic article by Sweller explaining from an evolutionary perspective why we have a small capacity, short duration working memory and a large capacity, long duration long term memory. It can reasonably be argued that this cognitive architecture is a large part of what makes us uniquely human. Truly amazing stuff.

Master the fundamentals of Spaced Generation Learning:

1) The 20/10 Method: Study 20min, rest 10min, study 20min, rest 10min, study 20min. (10/2 or 10/5 works well too; working memory gets depleted, rest restores it) See The Lag Effect https://thedecisionl…ases/lag-effect and Working Memory Resource Depletion https://core.ac.uk/d…f/293753316.pdf  The 20/10 Method https://www.lostfalc…he-2010-method/

2) The Generation Effect/Retrieval Practice: ‘generate’ answers and DO NOT re-read unless necessary. (create flashcards during the 20/10 segment and begin generating answers as quickly as possible) https://en.wikipedia…neration_effect

3) Spaced Repetition: practice generating answers on a spaced repetition schedule. (I use Anki; SuperMemo is good too) See Spaced Repetition https://en.wikipedia…aced_repetition    Anki https://apps.ankiweb.net/

4) Generate Reference Frames: answer flashcards by physically drawing reference frames by hand with the answer embedded within the frame while speaking your thought processes out loud. This is the part I need to explain more fully using videos. Coming soon. 

5) Massive Interleaving: Discover connections between all of your reference frames and weave them into one massive mental model. I’ve co-opted the principle of interleaving from the learning and memory literature and made my own use of it. Here it is in it’s actual form: https://www.scientif…oosts-learning/  

Anyway, those very simple steps (in addition to MANY others related to learning/memory) are the foundation of my high performance. The most important step imo is drawing flashcard answers instead of just thinking them silently OR answering with just words OR flipping the card over before answering, etc. (don’t cheat!). I’ve had huge results just from that. If you ‘draw your answers out loud on a spaced repetition schedule’, then your results will explode. That will give you an advantage over just about every other person out there because almost no one does this in combination.

Here is an excellent free full text article explaining that:

1) Long Term Memory formation is the primary cause of expertise/understanding.

2) There are two different sources of input into working memory: a) input from the outside (environmental input), b) input from the inside (your long term memory sends input into your working memory).

3) Working memory has limited capacity for environmental inputs AND almost unlimited capacity for Long Term Memory inputs.

Key Takeaway: Build a massive long term memory base and practice sending those long term memories into working memory. This is the essence of expertise. 

Key Example: Chess experts

https://link.springe…648-019-09465-5

There are a thousand other gems in this paper and I would suggest digesting the whole thing in order to begin to understand the theory behind Spaced Generation Learning. I’ll start making YouTube vids soon because I really need to explain this verbally and pictorially. Written words are pretty feeble. This article is a great place to start though. I hope it improves your lives. Enjoy!

So, I think it might be time for me to start posting again (I’ll start with a few posts as an experiment…since I love experiments…and see what happens). I’ve been waiting until my life settles enough so that I actually have time to share what’s been working so well for me.

I’ve pretty much completely transformed my life in the last 5 years.

I graduated with a 3.9 gpa from a top 5 business school in the US, got hired to work in IT (cybersecurity) for a Fortune 500 company, achieved multiple promotions pushing me well into six figures, and passed two technology certification exams on my first try (one of which is the notoriously difficult CISSP). My girlfriend even calls me ‘brilliant’! I’ll take what I can get. ha

How did I transform my life, you may ask? Answer: I tirelessly scoured the cognitive psychology learning and memory literature, performed thousands of trial and error experiments, and combined all of the best techniques into what I call ‘Spaced Generation Learning’ (SGL). 

As with all effective things, it’s ridiculously simple (and beautifully elegant imo):

1. Use some variation of the 20/10 Method (10-5 or even 10-2 is fine) for initial exposure/acquisition (See my article here: https://www.lostfalc…he-2010-method/ )

2. Create flashcards during the 20/10 process and begin attempting to ‘generate’ answers immediately (I use https://apps.ankiweb.net/ for flashcards). Only use re-reading to refine your answers (your ‘generations’). Focus on ‘generating’ AND ‘refining your generations’…do NOT focus on ‘absorbing’ information. The brain is a prediction engine…it builds mental models based on past experiences, makes predictions about future input based on those mental models, and compares incoming data with those model-based predictions. Therefore, start modeling and making predictions as quickly as possible so that you can get feedback and incrementally refine your model in order to gradually make better predictions. (Note: Think about it…the front of a flashcard forces you to make a prediction about what is on the other side. That’s why they are SO effective even though they NOT EVEN CLOSE to the whole story). Let’s talk about the most beautiful part of the story…

3. During the process of flashcard review begin to physically draw an overarching reference frame on which to hang all the individual items of data. A reference frame is a simple, connective, visual structure on which to hang all the individual items of data and show relations between them (relative sizes, relative positions, causal relations, temporal relations, etc). It should be drawn by hand using pencil and paper while speaking your thought processes out loud (I’ll explain why later). (See Theoretical Neuroscientist Jeff Hawkins’ work here for more on how the brain uses reference frames: https://www.amazon.c…/dp/B08VWV2WDK/ )

4. Study your flashcards on a spaced (the ‘Spaced’ part of SGL) repetition schedule (use Anki) and by ‘study’ I mean this: a) read the front of the flashcard b) physically sketch your reference frame using pencil and paper while speaking your thought process out loud (DO NOT just silently answer the question in your head and DO NOT answer the question without drawing your reference frame; ALWAYS draw your reference frame while speaking your reasoning process out loud (I call this ‘Drawing Out Loud’); the brain has 1,000 trillion synapses…massive connectivity…use that staggering connectivity to your advantage!), c) locate the answer to the flashcard question within your reference frame, and d) draw the answer within your reference frame while simultaneously speaking the answer out loud. ALWAYS make at least a quick sketch of your reference frame and locate your answer within it. DO NOT answer a question without understanding the web of ideas it is located in. This solves the problem of ‘disconnected’ information that many people run into when using flashcards. Answer a question by ‘drawing a picture out loud’ and locating the answer embedded within that picture. This is absolutely beautiful and astonishingly powerful. I’ve learned things I never thought I could learn using this method and I’ve started seeing mind-blowing connections between seemingly disparate areas of human knowledge. ‘Drawing Out Loud on a Spaced Repetition Schedule’ works because the brain is not only a predictive modeling device, it is also a ‘sensory-motor’ device. You MUST include motor outputs (drawing with your hand, speaking with your lips and tongue) as essential parts of the learning process. This activates more brain regions which ‘distributes’ the memory more fully throughout the brain AND provides visual feedback (ie. you get photonic input into your eyes from the reference frame you are drawing), auditory feedback (ie. you speak out loud which inputs sound waves back into your ears), and motor feedback (your drawing hand feeds back into your brain AND your moving lips and tongue send motor feedback back to your brain). See the sensorimotor homunculus for why the hands AND mouth/tongue are so important to learning and memory: https://en.wikipedia…ical_homunculus ). All of these simultaneously activated brain areas provide a massive number of qualitatively different cues that aid future recall. Welcome to your new genius brain!

5. Interleave your reference frames from multiple subjects together in order to create a massively connected mental model of your entire noetic structure and all of reality (This is a VERY advanced technique so don’t worry about this for a while. I have hundreds of thousands of cards from various fields interleaved so that I can recombine disparate fundamental ideas from multiple disciplines in idiosyncratic ways that no other human ever has. I’m just weird like that. lol Hold off on this part until you’ve mastered the basics of SGL. Here’s a little about interleaving: https://www.scientif…oosts-learning/ )

Whew! There is a seemingly infinite amount more that I could say but that’s enough for tonight. I’ve transformed myself with these techniques and this is just the Planck-lengthed tip of a universe-sized iceberg. I haven’t even touched on combining Spaced Generation Learning (SGL) with cognitive behavioral therapy to create Spaced Generation Therapy. I’ve been developing this as a treatment for depression (since so many people over the years have asked me to help them with depression and I never felt good ‘prescribing’ supplements). Anyway, we’ll get to that soon enough. 

For now, let’s call it a night. I hope everyone reading this is doing wonderfully! Falco, out.