I'm certainly no expert but the two methods I know about are spaced repetition [0] and mnemonic devices ([1]?). The basic idea of spaced repetition is that we

I'm certainly no expert but the two methods I know about are spaced repetition [0] and mnemonic devices ([1]?). The basic idea of spaced repetition is that we tend to forget things on an exponential curve with some exponent. As the item is re-enforced in our memory, the exponent gets smaller so that we remember it longer. Many flash card systems use some type of spaced repetition [2], using information on what item you got wrong to adjust the estimated exponent. For practical purposes, this means reminding yourself of an item you just learned in the next minutes, hours and days will help re-enforce it and then reminding yourself in the coming days, weeks and months to help keep it. The basic idea behind mnemonic devices, as I understand it, is that we are predisposed to remember experiences rather than facts, so turning facts into experiences helps with recall. This is one tactic to help people recall large numbers of digits of Pi, say, by converting the digit sequence into an experience (walking through a house with each number representing an item, color, etc.). I've also heard this is why people with synethesia are better at recalling some types of information. There are many articles about memory competitions and various methods to help prep for such competitions [3]. There's also a cottage industry of memory coaching [4]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic#Applications_and_examples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic#Applications_and_exam... [2] https://faqs.ankiweb.net/what-spaced-repetition-algorithm.html https://faqs.ankiweb.net/what-spaced-repetition-algorithm.ht... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Memory_Championships https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Memory_Championships [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htbVrli2fvA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htbVrli2fvA