A quiet place to study.

Developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s and named after a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro is Italian for tomato). You work on a single task for a fixed stretch, then take a short, real break.

How to do it

1. Pick one task and write it down.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work only on that task.
3. When it rings, stop and take a 5-minute break away from the screen.
4. After four sessions, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

Why it helps: a short, fixed block makes a big task easier to begin, and regular breaks help you notice when attention is slipping. The 25 minutes is a starting point, not a rule. Adjust it to suit you.

Instead of rereading or highlighting, you close the book and try to bring the information back from memory. Studies of the "testing effect" have repeatedly found that practising retrieval leads to better long-term retention than reviewing the same material again.

How to do it

1. Read or listen to a section once, carefully.
2. Close your notes and write down, or say aloud, everything you can remember.
3. Open your notes and check. Mark what you missed or got wrong.
4. Turn the gaps into questions or flashcards and test yourself again later.

Why it helps: it feels harder than rereading, and that effort is the point. Rereading makes material feel familiar. Recall shows you what you actually know.

You review material several times, with longer gaps between each review. This builds on the "spacing effect", first described by the psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in the 1880s: we forget quickly after learning something, and each well-timed review slows that forgetting.

How to do it

1. Learn the material and test yourself on it the same day.
2. Review it again after about 1 day, then 3 days, then a week, then two weeks.
3. If you get something wrong, bring it back to a shorter gap.
4. Use a paper flashcard box (the Leitner system) or a flashcard app to keep track.

Example review days after first learning the material

Why it helps: cramming the night before can get you through a test, but most of it is gone a week later. Spacing works best when combined with active recall.

Named after the physicist Richard Feynman, who was known for explaining difficult ideas in simple words. The steps below are a popular summary inspired by his approach, rather than a method he wrote down himself.

How to do it

1. Write the name of a concept at the top of a blank page.
2. Explain it in plain language, as if teaching a younger student.
3. Wherever you get stuck or reach for jargon, go back to your textbook or notes.
4. Simplify your explanation again, and use an example or analogy.

Why it helps: if you can't explain it simply, you've found exactly the part you need to study next. It works especially well for science, maths and any subject built on ideas rather than lists.