Learning that actually sticks
Most people study hard and forget fast. This blog exists to change that — with practical, science-backed writing on spaced repetition, AI-assisted learning, and the cognitive science of memory.
The problem with how we study
Hermann Ebbinghaus mapped it out in the 1880s: without reinforcement, we forget roughly 70% of new information within 24 hours. Passive re-reading, highlighting, and cramming the night before an exam all feel productive — but they don't move knowledge into long-term memory.
The research on what actually works — spaced repetition, retrieval practice, interleaving — has existed for decades. The problem is it rarely gets explained in a way that's usable. That's the gap this blog is here to fill.
Every article here is grounded in cognitive science but written for people who want to learn better, not write dissertations about it.
"Without memory, there is no knowledge. Without knowledge, there is no learning."— Hermann Ebbinghaus, Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology (1885)
Ebbinghaus spent years testing his own memory to map the forgetting curve. The algorithms behind modern spaced repetition software trace directly back to his work. We're still catching up to what he discovered.
Who reads this blog
Anyone who takes learning seriously — regardless of what they're learning or why.
Students & Exam Takers
Medical, law, and university students who need to retain vast amounts of material under real time pressure.
Professionals Upskilling
Developers, designers, and business professionals learning new tools, languages, or domains on the job.
Language Learners
People building vocabulary and grammar fluency in a second (or third) language who want to go beyond flashcard drilling.
Curious Lifelong Learners
Anyone who reads widely and wants the ideas they encounter to actually stay with them — not vanish a week later.
What we write about
Six core areas — each focused on giving you something you can use, not just something you can read.
Spaced Repetition Science
The neuroscience behind why reviewing at increasing intervals is the single most effective learning technique — and how to apply it practically, not just in theory.
AI-Powered Learning
How large language models are changing what it means to study — from auto-generating questions from your notes to personalized curriculum planning.
Memory Techniques
Practical frameworks — the method of loci, elaborative interrogation, interleaving — explained clearly and tested against real use cases.
Study Strategy
How to plan study sessions, avoid passive re-reading, manage cognitive load, and build habits that stick over weeks — not just the night before an exam.
Research Deep Dives
We read the papers so you don't have to. Clear breakdowns of cognitive science research — what it actually says, what its limits are, and what you can do with it.
Tools & Workflows
Honest reviews and comparisons of learning apps, note-taking systems, and productivity tools — with a focus on what actually improves long-term retention.
The tool behind the blog
This blog is published by LongTerMemory — an AI-powered study platform that puts these principles into practice.
Upload Anything
PDFs, web links, or a topic you type in — LongTerMemory turns it into a structured Q&A deck in seconds.
Smart Q&A Generation
RAG-powered AI reads your material in depth and generates questions that test understanding, not just recognition.
Spaced Repetition Scheduling
Each card is reviewed at the scientifically optimal interval based on your personal recall history — not a one-size-fits-all timer.
Built for Deep Retention
The goal isn't a high score in a practice session. It's remembering what you learned three months from now when it actually matters.
Start retaining what you learn
Reading about spaced repetition is step one. Using it is step two. Try LongTerMemory — upload your study material and let the AI handle the Q&A generation and review scheduling.