How To Learn Facts 7x Faster (from a CEO)

What if you could do memorize facts 7x faster?

Today I’ll show you how my Quanta Method helped me go from failing 1st year to a top 1% student while still having time to enjoy life.

It’s a 5-step process, and trust me, it works.

Step 1: Automate with AI

Leverage AI tools like ChatGPT to save time. After creating a few initial questions, input them into AI and let it generate more in the same style. This speeds up the process, freeing up more time for reviewing rather than creating questions from scratch.

If I'm learning something or reading a business book I'll often have ChatGPT or Shiken open on my laptop and use the AI to summarize content, create recall questions and more to help me learn faster.

If I'm struggling with a topic the AI can break this down into manageable chunks and I'll often use prompts that follow Bloom's taxonomy of learning to assess my understanding. So something like:

"Give me 10 questions at 3rd year medical school university level for cardiology at Bloom's taxonomy level 4"

As you can see this will produce questions at the analyze level forcing me to go beyond memorization and actually test my understanding by analyzing and interpreting things. Depending on where you are in terms of topic mastery you can customize this prompt.

Step 2: Active Recall + Spaced Repetition

Now that you know what to focus on, use active recall to test yourself and spaced repetition to review regularly. These two strategies work hand-in-hand to improve retention. Use apps like Shiken to automate spaced repetition so you consistently reset the forgetting curve. This makes sure that knowledge stays fresh, without cramming.

Step 3: Remember facts With Visualization

Next, simplify and visualize your content. Your brain loves images, so use them when creating questions and when learning facts.

Our brains are better at remembering images than words. So, the secret is to turn lessons and concepts into memorable pictures. For example:

• The Spanish word for "bread" is pan. Picture a giant frying pan overflowing with bread.

• The capital of Japan is Tokyo. Imagine Godzilla rampaging through the streets of Tokyo.

• People with excess cortisol known as Cushings Syndrome in medicine have centripetal obesity and proximal muscle weakness giving them an appearance of a lemon on sticks.

Make your images as crazy and wild as possible. The more vivid and bizarre, the easier they are to remember.

Step 4: Prioritize Big Topics First

Next focus on the big topics. Don’t waste time memorizing every tiny detail.

Use the 80/20 rule: 80% of your results will come from 20% of the content.

In med school, I prioritized major conditions like heart disease before diving into niche topics. Start with what’s likely to show up in exams, and connect related topics to strengthen your understanding.

This goes for difficult topics too. If you know you're not familiar with a large topic like neurology try and prioritize this first rather than putting it off and leaving it till the last minute.

Step 5: Start with Easy Wins, End with a Review

The final step in the method is to get the ball rolling and build momentum in our study sessions.

I used to do this by beginning each session with questions I'd already answered.

Reviewing familiar material warms up your brain, making it easier to tackle tougher topics later.

By easing into it, you’ll find yourself in a better flow, ready to engage with new, complex material. This also acts as a form of spacing and gives you a motivational boost for the rest of the study session.

Equally to end a study session I'd always try and end on a high note. And I'd do this by going over any questions I'd got wrong. Some software like Shiken and Duolingo actually have this redemption feature built in for free that shows you questions you got wrong at the end.

This forces us to quickly learn from mistakes and ends a study session on a high rather than getting frustrated and burning out.

That’s the Quanta Method: prioritize big topics, use active recall and spaced repetition, visualize topics, automate with AI, and start each session with easy wins and end by reviewing incorrect questions.

This 5-step system helped me learn faster without burning out.