Methodology
Overview
This document is for idea discovery and learning science exploration only. It describes a human workflow for using the ETR study pattern to improve retention. It is not a specification of the ETR Study API, database schemas, API contracts, or product behavior. Implementation details, contracts, and authoritative domain rules live in System design and internal API docs.
Fixing weak retention — short overview
When information disappears soon after reading or watching, the usual failure mode is passive consumption without effortful retrieval. The ETR framework is one way to move from consumption to durable understanding: capture lean cues during intake, consolidate immediately in your own words, then rehearse on a schedule with feedback.
A practical bundle that works well together:
- During intake: a three-column cue sheet (anchors only, not full lecture notes).
- Right after: one dense paragraph plus bullets (explain simply).
- After that: spaced active recall on a predictable schedule, with an error log to fix weak cues.
ETR at home (with notes)
Below, Extract is bounded consumption with capture, Transform is recall and compression without the source, and Retrieve is scheduled rehearsal from the single master conspectus (cue + dense paragraph + bullets).
| Step | What to do | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Extract (~50 min consumption) |
Use a clean three-column cue sheet. Column 1: keywords (one to three words). Column 2: questions or gaps (e.g. “What are the three steps of X?”). Column 3: one- to three-word hints or answers only. Do not take conventional notes — capture anchors. Pause every 5–10 minutes. Limit to one or two pages. Add one quick sketch per major idea if it helps. | Lower cognitive load and surface gaps while reading or watching. |
| 2. Transform (10–20 min, immediately after) |
Close all sources. Work from Column 2: try to recall aloud or on scratch paper; use Column 3 only as a last resort. Then write one dense paragraph (at most five sentences) and turn it into five to seven bullets explaining the idea as if to a colleague. Use a Feynman-style check: simplify, connect to your work, teach it plainly. | Force elaboration and integration, not copy-paste. |
| 3. Retrieve (spaced) |
Use the single master conspectus from Transform. Cover it completely: try to rewrite the bullets and speak the paragraph aloud. If you fail, peek, log the error, correct, then re-cover and retry until you succeed twice in a row. Speak aloud every session. Spacing starts about an hour later, then next day, then weekly and beyond — see Retrieve: slots, tags, and cadence. | Turn one-time study into durable memory through retrieval practice. |
Example daily schedule
One possible same-day rhythm (adjust to your calendar):
| Time | Duration | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00–9:50 | 50 min | Textbook or video + three-column cue sheet (pause every ~5 min); one sketch where useful. |
| 9:50–10:05 | 15 min | Transform — dense paragraph and five to seven bullets with sources closed. |
| 10:05–10:15 | 10 min | Rest — no new input (consolidation). |
| 10:15–11:15 | 60 min | Free time. |
| 11:15–11:20 | 5 min | Retrieve today’s conspectus (cover, rewrite, speak aloud). Move to Slot B in your four-slot system. |
| Evening | ~5 min | Pick three random older conspectuses from Slot A; explain aloud and rate easy or hard; place each in the appropriate slot. |
Retrieve: slots, tags, and cadence
A simple four-slot mental model (whether you track it in an app or on paper):
- Slot A: today
- Slot B: tomorrow
- Slot C: in three days
- Slot D: in seven days, then fourteen, thirty, and so on as you extend the ladder
Tag each conspectus easy, hard, or forgot. If recall is easy, advance to the next slot. If it is hard or failed, return to Slot A. Daily review can stay short (about five to ten minutes) if you are consistent.
Use an error log for misses: record the weak question, keyword, or explanation so the next Transform pass targets the real failure mode.
Example retrieval cadence for one conspectus
| When | What to retrieve | Method |
|---|---|---|
| ~1 hour later | Same conspectus | Cover → rewrite bullets → check. |
| Next day | Same conspectus | Four-slot system — Slot B. |
| 3 days later | Same conspectus | Four-slot system — Slot C. |
| 7 days later | Same conspectus | Four-slot system — Slot D. |
| Evening (daily habit) | Random conspectuses from any slot | Explain aloud (Feynman); re-slot by difficulty. |
Out of home — no access to notes
When you cannot use your cue sheet (e.g. walking with headphones), you can still run a light ETR loop:
| Phase | What to do |
|---|---|
| During the walk | Every 5–10 minutes, pause the audio and say aloud: “The last few minutes were about ___ . The one thing to remember is ___ .” That rehearses the gist in working memory. Optionally record 30-second voice memos for later. |
| Within an hour after | Transcribe memos or write from memory, then feed the result straight into Transform (dense paragraph + bullets). Do not re-listen to the whole episode — retrieval is the work. |
See also (engineering)
- ETR methodology and research — bridge from product docs.
- Welcome — Internal docs.
Page history
| Date | Change | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Added Page history section (repository baseline). | Ivan Boyarkin |