Effective learning, effective fitness - some common threads

Effective approaches to learning feel less effective than actually less effective alternatives. Effective learning is usually gradual, and gradual progress is easy to miss.

Sudden progress is viscerally pleasant and easy to notice. It usually doesn’t last.

The all-nighter before the test? An actor getting a pump before a scene.

Cramming in the weeks before finals? A crash diet before an important event.

Pleasurable learning supported by spaced repetition? Gradual fitness. Lasting health.

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