How to remember everything we learn: The nexus method

There might have been times when we actually finish reading a book or listening to a podcast that we thought was “fascinating”, but then we never can remember any of it. Well, to our surprise, we are not the only ones. This experience has a name : Lethomanthia- the state of finding something deeply interesting, but instantly sensing the feeling of not being able to repeat or remember it later. In the world of information overload, lethomanthia is practically a daily event.

But, before we start to dread this, Psychiatrist, neuroscientist and philosopher Lain McGilchrist proposes a remedy: The nexus method. This process is designed to help us externalise the concepts we once memorised.

Forgetting as we learn

McGilchrist himself once faced this challenge and in his words, I wrote down 70 words that were nexus, the center of a nexus of ideas,” he says. “I cut up pieces of paper and put one nexus word on each. I would look at what I was writing and try to cluster my notes under those 70 headings. Then I moved them around on the drawing-room floor to try and find a way of relating them

He added steps that one can follow to memorise better, these are:

Step 1: Make theme cards

The best way to memorise a concept, learn a new word or a fact is to memorise through theme cards. Start by choosing a theme, that is the core idea or topic from the book, podcast or play. Write each theme on a separate card. Give every theme card its own space, do not over crowd them. Eventually, when we start reading the cards theme by theme, we can build a map of meaning from what was just a jumble of facts for us. This will in turn, make us active consumers of information, rather than passive. It lets us associate with each topic or theme as its our own.

Step 2: Research

The second step in the nexus method is to conduct research. Research lets us actively collect data and gather information that is relevant to each theme such as by reading books, listening to podcast, watching tutorials. The goal is to collect ideas, facts and insights that can later cluster and organise under the chosen theme cards, enriching each concept. Enhancing our cognitive abilities to learn and retain better.

Step 3: Add ideas
Add own thoughts to the theme cards. After researching and gathering all information, begin writing down specific insights and learnings that have been gathered throughout the process. Place these notes under the same corresponding theme cards. Not only will this step give one tagine learning but also will help establish relationships across different themes.

Step 4: Make connections

Just as we like to establish connections with people, places and events in our lives, start making connections between different themes and ideas that one has gathered. This step involves actively moving the cards around both physically and conceptually. By clustering related themes and notes altogether and rearranging them, one can create a web or nexus of ideas that can deepen our understanding and ensure that information is more firmly embedded in the memory. This is like a web or a framework of knowledge, making it easier to recall and apply what one has learned so far.