Two Ways to Use the ‘Blurting’ Method to Study

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For a while there, the “blur” method of reviewing notes was ubiquitous on TikTok, making it somewhat of a study trend. Whether or not he’s still popular on social media doesn’t matter; This is still a strong retention technique that can help you anchor information in your long-term memory.

There are actually two ways to blur when you’re studying, and both are helpful for retrieval practice and overall retention, but only if you do them instead of scrolling, so read this, put down your phone, and get going.

How to let slip some study notes

One way to express yourself while studying is to read your notes and materials, then put them away and grab a blank sheet of paper. From there, you write down everything you remember about the topic, which improves your use of active recall to retrieve information from your memory.

Don’t worry about how long it will take you the first time. Instead, focus on getting every detail you remember on the page. When you’re finished, go through your notes and documents again to identify anything you forgot to include, then write that information on the blurred page, using a different colored pen. (The colors you use when taking notes are more important than you think.) Don’t be discouraged by anything you forgot to include; This is useful for identifying which concepts you understand and which ones you need some additional practice with.

You can repeat this process each time you revise or add to your notes, strengthening your memory’s grip on the new information and training you to retrieve it when you need it. This will make testing much easier when the time comes.

How to blurt out loud

The second way to go about blurring actually involves, well, blurring. Instead of writing down everything you remember, try saying it out loud. Make a voice note instead of written notes, exploiting the production effect to anchor the information in your brain. When you’ve exhausted everything you can say on the topic, go back and listen to it again as you go through your notes, paying attention to anything you might have missed.

Re-record yourself sharing all the information you remember and anything you forgot to say. Ultimately, you will create a complete “personal podcast” that will be useful for your studies. You can listen to the full voice note wherever you are, enjoying the memory benefits of not only speaking out loud, but also listening to the information over and over again.

When to mix blur

This is a solid approach in itself because it allows you to check, in real time, how much you are keeping. But you can mix it with other study methods, to pack more punch.

• Blurring is a useful part of double coding, or combining verbal and visual cues as you study. Try using visuals rather than written explanations, creating a timeline or memory chart before checking your recall against your notes or text. Just make sure to leave spaces in your visuals so you can easily fill in anything you forgot during the message.

• During an SQ3R study session, in which you write down ideas and questions to look for as you read and then review them, you can use blurring as part of the recitation section (the “R” in SQ3R).

• If you engage in a pattern of overlearning, which is when you revise something until it becomes absolutely second nature, try adding some fuzziness into your weekly review.

The best part of this is that it can be combined with other approaches or simply used alone for a quick brain refresh. TikTok trends come and go, but a quality study method is forever.