https://brainretain.app/blog Plain-spoken writing on actually remembering what you read, watch, and listen to. en-us https://brainretain.app/blog/is-forgetting-actually-good-for-you-sometimes-yes https://brainretain.app/blog/is-forgetting-actually-good-for-you-sometimes-yes Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Is forgetting good for you? Often, yes. Your brain clears noise on purpose. Here is the science, plus how to keep the few things you actually want. Alex Dobson Memory Science https://brainretain.app/blog/pocket-is-gone-where-your-reading-queue-should-go-next https://brainretain.app/blog/pocket-is-gone-where-your-reading-queue-should-go-next Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Pocket is gone, and most alternatives just rehome your unread pile. A look at the best Pocket alternatives for 2026 and how to remember what you read. Alex Dobson Apps & Tools https://brainretain.app/blog/one-daily-quiz-for-everything-you-read-watched-and-listened-to-today https://brainretain.app/blog/one-daily-quiz-for-everything-you-read-watched-and-listened-to-today Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Ever think, quiz me on what I learned today? One short nightly quiz across your articles, podcasts, and videos can stop the day from blurring away. Ronan Brew How to Remember https://brainretain.app/blog/the-spaced-repetition-app-for-people-who-quit-anki https://brainretain.app/blog/the-spaced-repetition-app-for-people-who-quit-anki Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Anki fails people at card-building and review backlogs. Here's an easier alternative to Anki that keeps the retrieval and drops the deck-making. Maya Wang Apps & Tools https://brainretain.app/blog/650-reviews-due-how-spaced-repetition-turns-into-a-second-job https://brainretain.app/blog/650-reviews-due-how-spaced-repetition-turns-into-a-second-job Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT If Anki feels too hard to keep up with, blame the compounding backlog, not your discipline. Why the math breaks the habit and a fix that forgives missed days. Maya Wang Apps & Tools https://brainretain.app/blog/i-subscribe-to-so-many-substacks-and-read-zero-of-them https://brainretain.app/blog/i-subscribe-to-so-many-substacks-and-read-zero-of-them Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT I subscribe to so many Substacks and read zero of them. Why subscribing feels like learning, and one small habit that makes the ones you open stick. Ronan Brew Reading Habits https://brainretain.app/blog/i-kept-reading-self-help-books-and-my-life-stayed-the-same https://brainretain.app/blog/i-kept-reading-self-help-books-and-my-life-stayed-the-same Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT I kept reading self-help books but my life stayed the same. The problem was recall, not the books, and one small habit finally made ideas stick. Ronan Brew Reading Habits https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-read-when-you-have-adhd https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-read-when-you-have-adhd Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT Rereading the same page four times with ADHD? Why words never stick, and how to retain information with ADHD using recall and spacing, not rereads. Ronan Brew How to Remember https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-learn-from-podcasts-without-pausing-to-take-notes https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-learn-from-podcasts-without-pausing-to-take-notes Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT You finish a great episode on a walk and by the driveway it is gone. How to remember what you learn from podcasts using recall and spacing, no notes needed. Ronan Brew How to Remember https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-watch-on-youtube-instead-of-forgetting-it-in-a-week https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-watch-on-youtube-instead-of-forgetting-it-in-a-week Sun, 07 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT You watch YouTube videos and lose them within a week. Here's how to remember what you watch on YouTube using recall and spacing, not rewatching. Maya Wang How to Remember https://brainretain.app/blog/the-blurting-method-done-for-you-daily-recall-without-the-handwriting https://brainretain.app/blog/the-blurting-method-done-for-you-daily-recall-without-the-handwriting Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT The blurting method works, but handwriting pages every night wears you out. Why the recall part sticks, and how to keep it without the paper. Maya Wang How to Remember https://brainretain.app/blog/i-save-articles-i-never-read-heres-how-i-stopped-the-pile-up https://brainretain.app/blog/i-save-articles-i-never-read-heres-how-i-stopped-the-pile-up Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT I saved 383 articles and read nine. If you save articles and never read them too, here is the read-now, recall-later loop that ended my pile-up. Ronan Brew Reading Habits https://brainretain.app/blog/your-saved-articles-graveyard-and-how-to-actually-read-it https://brainretain.app/blog/your-saved-articles-graveyard-and-how-to-actually-read-it Sun, 31 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Saving articles feels like progress, but it isn't reading. Why we hoard too many saved articles we never read, and a one-link habit that fixes it. Maya Wang Reading Habits https://brainretain.app/blog/is-it-even-worth-reading-if-you-forget-everything-anyway https://brainretain.app/blog/is-it-even-worth-reading-if-you-forget-everything-anyway Fri, 29 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Is it worth reading if you forget everything you read? Yes. The forgetting is real, but a deeper layer survives, and a light habit lets you keep more of it. Alex Dobson Memory Science https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-read-without-taking-a-single-note https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-remember-what-you-read-without-taking-a-single-note Tue, 26 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT How to remember what you read without taking notes: notes were just a vehicle for recall. Quiz yourself out loud instead, then space the repeats. Alex Dobson How to Remember https://brainretain.app/blog/the-collectors-fallacy-why-saving-an-article-is-not-learning-it https://brainretain.app/blog/the-collectors-fallacy-why-saving-an-article-is-not-learning-it Sun, 24 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Saving an article feels like learning it. The collector's fallacy explains why it isn't, and one small retrieval habit that makes ideas stick. Maya Wang Reading Habits https://brainretain.app/blog/does-cramming-actually-work-what-happens-to-it-a-few-days-later https://brainretain.app/blog/does-cramming-actually-work-what-happens-to-it-a-few-days-later Fri, 22 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Does cramming actually work? Sort of, for a day or two. Here is why the material vanishes within a week, and the lighter study habit that lasts. Ronan Brew Memory Science https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-actually-remember-what-you-read https://brainretain.app/blog/how-to-actually-remember-what-you-read Wed, 20 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Rereading feels productive but barely works. How to remember what you read using recall and spacing, starting with the next thing you finish tonight. Alex Dobson How to Remember https://brainretain.app/blog/why-you-forget-what-you-read-right-after-reading-it https://brainretain.app/blog/why-you-forget-what-you-read-right-after-reading-it Sun, 17 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT You finish a page and it's already gone. Why you forget what you read right after reading it, and the simple recall habit that makes it stick. Maya Wang Memory Science https://brainretain.app/blog/why-we-forget-so-much-of-what-we-read https://brainretain.app/blog/why-we-forget-so-much-of-what-we-read Fri, 15 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Why do we forget so much of what we've read? The forgetting curve clears most of a book within a week. Here's the small recall habit that keeps it. Alex Dobson Memory Science