Memory Mastery: The Top Brain Tricks for Remembering Anything
23. The Practice of Metacognition

Metacognition is simply "thinking about your thinking." It’s the habit of consciously monitoring and reflecting on your own learning process. When you're studying, ask yourself questions like, "Do I truly understand this?" or "What parts are still confusing?" This deliberate self-reflection helps you identify gaps in your knowledge and choose the most effective learning strategies. By practicing metacognition, you transform from a passive learner into an active one, gaining a deeper understanding of how your own mind works. This higher-level thinking is a powerful tool for self-improvement and long-term memory mastery.
24. The Serial Position Effect Bypass (Harnessing Primacy/Recency)

The Serial Position Effect states that you remember the first (Primacy) and last (Recency) items in a list better than the middle. You can bypass this weakness by intentionally breaking lists into smaller, distinct sub-groups of 5-7 items (using chunking). Treat each sub-group as its own mini-list, giving the first and last items in that smaller set a bold visual cue (e.g., highlighting them). This trick allows you to apply the natural strengths of Primacy and Recency to every piece of information, not just the beginning and end of the entire study session.