Further Reading: Chapter 29

Annotated Bibliography for Building Your Study System

Foundational Works

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58.

This is the definitive academic review of learning techniques, rating them on efficacy from "high utility" (practice testing, distributed practice) to "low utility" (highlighting, rereading). If you want the original research behind the 80/20 hierarchy of techniques described in this chapter, this is the paper. Dense but accessible for motivated readers; the summary tables alone are worth the read.

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery.

The most practical popular book on habit formation. Clear's four-law framework (make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying) maps directly onto the study system design principles in this chapter. Particularly useful for the sections on cue design and friction reduction. The concepts of "implementation intentions" and "habit stacking" are directly applicable to building a study routine.

Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central Publishing.

Newport's concept of "depth" — the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks — provides the philosophical foundation for protecting deep work blocks in your weekly schedule. The distinction between deep work and shallow work maps usefully onto the distinction between elaboration-focused study sessions and routine spaced review.

On Systems Thinking and Learning

Young, S. (2019). Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career. HarperBusiness.

Young's accounts of extreme self-directed learning projects contain useful systems-level thinking about how to structure intensive learning campaigns. His "metalearning" concept — learning about learning before beginning a project — directly complements the monthly review and system design practices in this chapter. The chapters on directness and drilling are particularly relevant.

Foer, J. (2011). Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. Penguin Press.

A journalist spends a year learning competitive memorization techniques and wins the US Memory Championship. The book is a beautifully readable exploration of what deliberate practice and systematic technique application can do for memory. Useful both for the specific techniques and for the motivating narrative of system building over time.

On Spaced Repetition Specifically

Ebbinghaus, H. (1885/1913). Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology. Teachers College, Columbia University.

The original work on the forgetting curve. Ebbinghaus's self-experiments — memorizing thousands of nonsense syllables and testing himself at various intervals — established the foundations for modern spaced repetition. Historical and accessible; remarkable that the core findings have held up for 140 years.

Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380.

The quantitative synthesis of spacing research that establishes the diminishing returns curve discussed in this chapter. Technical in places but the main findings are clear: spacing produces dramatically better retention than massing, and there are optimal spacing intervals for different retention goals.

For Building an Anki Practice

Branwen, G. (2009). Spaced Repetition [website]. gwern.net.

Gwern's extraordinarily comprehensive essay on the science and practice of spaced repetition. Covers the history, the algorithms, the practical setup of Anki, and the philosophical case for SRS as a learning tool. Updated regularly. If you want to go deep on spaced repetition beyond what this book covers, start here.

Matuschak, A., & Nielsen, M. (2019). How can we develop transformative tools for thought? numinous.productions.

A thoughtful exploration of how digital tools (including spaced repetition software) could better support deep knowledge work. Relevant for learners who want to think carefully about how to design their digital learning environment rather than just adopting tools off the shelf.

On Weekly and Monthly Review Systems

Allen, D. (2001). Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Viking.

Allen's GTD system is less about learning than about productivity generally, but the "weekly review" concept — a regular audit of your commitments, projects, and actions — maps directly onto the monthly system review recommended in this chapter. The core idea: an external capture system reduces cognitive overhead, freeing your brain for actual thinking.

Holiday, R. (2014). The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. Portfolio.

Not a learning science book, but the Stoic framework of treating challenges (including bad weeks where your system collapses) as information rather than failure is practically useful for maintaining a sustainable learning system. The "fall off the wagon" strategy in this chapter draws on this kind of philosophical resilience.