Building Long Term Memory
- id: 1754482083
- Date: Aug. 6, 2025, 2:23 p.m.
- Author: Donald F. Elger
Goals
- Explain how to build LTM (Long-Term Memory) of anything.
- Build LTM for anything you want.
What?
Building LTM means encoding information or skills into your long-term memory, so you can recall and use them easily, even after days, weeks, or years.
Examples
- You remember how to balance chemical equations accurately.
- You swing a golf club skillfully. (Often called “muscle memory,” but
it’s actually stored in the brain.)
- You speak French fluently in conversations.
- You write computer code easily and confidently.
- You explain legal principles clearly and apply them in real-world
cases.
- You remember people’s names and key facts about them.
Rationale
If you can build things into your LTM, you can learn.
If you can learn, then you can get worthwhile results. Great results
benefit you, your groups, and they feel rather good.
How
To build Long-Term Memory (LTM), follow this powerful 4-step cycle:
1. Encode
Get the information into your brain in a way that’s meaningful.
- Focus your attention on the key idea or skill.
- Use your own words or visuals to make sense of it.
- Connect it to something you already know.
- Break it into parts if it’s complex.
Tip: The brain remembers meaningful and connected information best.
2. Sleep
Help your brain consolidate what you’ve learned.
- Sleep the night after learning — this is when memory gets
stored.
- Avoid cramming; instead, revisit the material briefly before
bed.
- Rest and recovery support long-term retention.
Tip: Sleep is like pressing “Save” on your memory.
3. Apply
Put the memory to work in a meaningful way.
- Practice recalling the idea from memory (don’t just reread).
- Use it in real-world situations or targeted practice.
- Get feedback that shows what’s working and what needs
improvement.
- Focus on fixing the issues that matter most.
Tip: Active use strengthens memory far more than passive review.
4. Repeat
Revisit and deepen your understanding over time.
- Go back to your sources to gather more depth, clarity, and
nuance.
- Ask better questions with each pass.
- Use spaced repetition and spiral back to old material with a stronger foundation.
Tip: The learning loop doesn’t end — it layers upward like a spiral staircase.
Bonus Strategies
- Use multiple senses: see it, say it, write it, move with it.
- Mix up practice: vary the context or type of problems
(interleaving).
- Teach it to someone else: explaining helps you find what you do and
don’t know.
- Visualize it: mental rehearsal builds memory just like physical practice.
Summary
To build long-term memory (LTM), follow this repeatable pattern:
→ Encode → Sleep → Apply → Repeat
Each cycle makes the memory stronger, deeper, and easier to use.
Task: Explain how to build a great golf swing into your long term memory (LTM).
Tasks With Feedback
Explain how anyone can build a great golf swing into their long-term memory (LTM).
You can build anything into long-term memory — like a great golf swing — by repeating this 4-step learning cycle:
→ Encode → Sleep → Apply → Repeat
→ Encode (Get Good Information and Figure it Out)
- Focus: Pay close attention to one specific part of the swing (e.g., grip or follow-through).
- Understand: Watch slow-motion videos of pros and take lessons to understand the mechanics.
- Make it meaningful: Use analogies that make sense to you — e.g., “swinging like a pendulum.”
- Break it down: Learn the swing in parts — grip, stance, backswing, downswing, follow-through — before combining them.
→ Sleep (Consolidate Information in Your Brain)
- After practice, get a full night’s sleep to help consolidate what you’ve learned.
- Review key thoughts or visualize your swing before bed.
- Avoid cramming or watching new swing advice late at night.
→ Apply
- Use the swing in drills and in real-world settings.
- Practice recalling and performing the motion without looking it up.
- Get feedback (e.g., from observations of ball flight, videos, peers, coaches, and so on).
- Use deliberate practice: isolate weak points and fix them with intent.
→ Repeat
- Revisit the skill regularly — especially weak areas.
- Use spaced repetition: practice today, then again after a few days, and so on.
- Spiral back to the basics over time to deepen understanding.
- Add variations: different clubs, lies, and shot goals to build flexibility.
With each cycle of Encode → Sleep → Apply → Repeat, your golf swing becomes smoother, more automatic, and easier to adjust under pressure.
Takeaway
Long-term memory isn’t built in a day — it’s built in loops. Repeat the cycle and refine each pass. That’s how learning sticks.
How can you tell if something is in your long-term memory?
If you can recall and use it easily after a long delay, it’s in your long-term memory.
How does practice build memory?
Practice strengthens memory by helping you recall, use, and refine what you’ve learned.
What is declarative and nondeclarative knowledge?
Declarative knowledge is what you can describe or explain.
Nondeclarative knowledge is what you know but can’t easily explain, like
riding a bike.
What is encoding?
Encoding is figuring out new information so it makes sense and sticks in your memory.
What is knowledge?
Knowledge is useful and accurate information stored in long-term memory.
What is LTM and STM?
LTM (long-term memory) stores information for a long time — days to
years.
STM (short-term memory) holds information briefly — seconds to
minutes.
What is memory?
Memory is the ability to store, recall, and use information.
What makes something memorable?
Things are more memorable when they are meaningful, connected, emotional, or repeated.
Why is feedback important for learning?
Feedback shows what’s working and what needs fixing — it helps you improve faster.
Why is sleep important for memory?
Sleep helps your brain consolidate what you’ve learned — it’s like pressing “save” on your memory.