Thread by @SahilBloom

Lifelong learning is the way.

But if it doesn’t stick, all of that learning can go to waste.

Here's a tactical framework for improving your retention:

Growth is fundamentally driven by the long-term accumulation and compounding of usable knowledge.

We accumulate and compound this knowledge through consumption and retention.

Consumption is the inputs—what comes in.

Retention is what remains after any leakage.

Consumption is easy—if you read the right books and articles, listen to the right podcasts, and follow the right accounts, you're well-positioned.

Retention is harder—most people have no idea how to mitigate leakage.

This thread shares my framework for improving retention:

The retention framework I use involves five steps:

(1) Inspired Consumption
(2) Unstructured Note-Taking
(3) Consolidation
(4) Analogize
(5) Idea Exercise

The structure is sequential, but it is often dynamic & iterative.

Let's walk through the steps...

Step 1: Inspired Consumption

Retention starts with consumption.

I bucket consumption into two types: Forced and Inspired.

Forced is—as its name implies—compelled, either internally or externally.

If you've ever been in school, you know what forced consumption looks like.

Forced consumption is the book you're told to read, despite the topic being of zero interest to you.

It's a foundation of much of the traditional education system—yet another reason why so many of us are bad at learning retention!

Inspired consumption is different...

Inspired consumption is driven entirely by your internal inspirations.

When you feel genuinely pulled to consume. When you enjoy the consumption process.

It also requires the willingness to "quit more books (or content)" (h/t @JamesClear) when the genuine inspiration fades.

Inspired consumption is important for retention for two key reasons.

(1) Inspiration is a precursor to flow. More flow state, more retention.

(2) Inspiration fuels engagement. Engage with the content, retain the content.

Inspired consumption is the foundation of retention.

Step 2: Unstructured Note-Taking

When you start consuming, you should have a note-taking system in front of you.

I use Notion, but there are probably 10 other options out there.

The old fashioned way—pen and paper—works too, with the caveat that searchable notes are ideal.

On the first pass, keep your notes as unstructured and free-flowing as possible.

What to take note of:
• Foundation-building ideas
• Novel insights
• Questions or confusion
• Strong reactions

This first pass of notes is intended to be unstructured—writing helps ideas stick.

Step 3: Consolidation

Zoom out and review your unstructured notes.

What are the most interesting, novel insights or ideas? What are the most confusing?

Consolidation is where you re-consume with a specific focus on building structure to your notes in these particular areas.

If unstructured note-taking created a bunch of dots, consolidation is where you start connecting them.

It doesn't have to be perfect, but you should start to form a clearer picture as you re-consume the content for this purpose.

Consolidation is when knowledge begins to stick.

Step 4: Analogize

Analogizing is the most effective—and least well-known—retention tool.

This is where you take your newly-learned information and place it within your broader mental maps.

You make clear comparisons and connections between new and existing information.

Here's a real example from my work:

I did a bunch of research on Morris Chang and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for a thread.

It struck me that TSMC's novel pure-play chip manufacturer model had enabled independent chip designers to start their own companies.

https://twitter.com/SahilBloom/status/1353369463190560773

I searched for a connection point.

Then, it hit me: this looked very similar to what @tobi and @Shopify had done in creating infrastructure that enabled independent players to sell online.

I had created context for the new learning within my broader mental map—it would stick.

https://twitter.com/sahilbloom/status/1353369494849130496

Step 5: Idea Exercise

Think of the new idea as a muscle—if left on its own, it will atrophy.

You have to exercise it—early and often.

How?

Bring it up in conversations, talk about it with a friend, try to teach it to someone.

If you exercise the idea, it will stick and grow.

So to recap, my framework for better retention:

(1) Inspired Consumption
(2) Unstructured Note-Taking
(3) Consolidation
(4) Analogize
(5) Idea Exercise

I will be expanding on this in a newsletter to be released soon. Subscribe so you don't miss it: sahilbloom.substack.com

Follow me @SahilBloom for threads on frameworks & more.

If you are a job seeker aiming to leverage improved retention skills in your career, check out my job board, where I curate roles at high-growth companies in finance and tech.

New roles every week! pallet.xyz/list/sahil/jobs