Learning session

Notice: This article is being worked on incrementally.

Pomodoro technique
Most people are probably familiar with the Pomodoro technique: A learning session of approximately 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break, and so on.

The main idea why that works so well, is that by being process-oriented (i.e. time-based) is much more effective than being goal-oriented (e.g. I have to finish at least 10 pages).

Why? Because saying to yourself “I will study for 25 minutes” seems to increase the activity in the insular cortex less than saying “I have to finish at least 2 pages of homework”.

The insular cortex seems to be involved in pain i.e. saying “I have to finish at least 2 pages” causes more “pain”. Again, that’s why the Pomodoro technique is so effective.

Items-dependent learning sessions
If you use particular spaced repetition software like Quizlet, Anki, or SuperMemo, this method will especially become effective.

It’s really simple:"You keep studying until you have at least X “items” (e.g. 30)"What do I mean with “items”? Simply the quantity of (flash)cards like these: In this example, we have 2 different flashcards i.e. 2 items. I also recommend reading this article by SuperMemo for effectively formulating your flashcards to maximize learning:
 * 1) Question: Where is spatial working memory located? Answer: Thought to be in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
 * 2) Question: Where is non-spatial working memory located? Answer: Thought to be in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.

Effective learning: Twenty rules of formulating knowledge

Reasoning Behind Effectiveness of Items-Dependent Learning
Why do I think this method is more effective than time-based learning? Because the quantity of items you learn or get exposed to within X time differs. The introduction of some Wikipedia articles are sometimes enough for 20 items within 10 minutes, while other sources are less information dense.

Personally, I like to limit myself to a maximum of 30 items per source. Once I got and memorized my 30 items, I will move on to a different source (interleaved practice) after a short break (approximately 10 minutes).

As an example, 30 items over 3 different sources, 90 a day, makes it quickly jump up to 33k items per year if everything goes alright.

One should definitely not underestimate long-term (compounding) growth!