We tend to think of forgetting as the enemy of learning. After all, what’s the point of studying if you’re just going to forget it later?
But here’s something counterintuitive: Forgetting is not a failure of the brain—it’s a feature. And if we understand how it works, we can design learning experiences that actually stick.
Why Do We Forget?
Our brains are efficiency machines. If we remembered everything, we’d be overwhelmed by useless details. Imagine if you still remembered the WiFi passwords of every café you’ve ever visited.
So, the brain filters out what it considers unimportant. This is why, a few days after learning something new, most of it disappears. Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus called this the “Forgetting Curve.” He found that people forget nearly 75% of new information within 24 hours unless they do something with it.
The key insight? Forgetting isn’t the problem—lack of reinforcement is.
How Learning Should Be Designed With Forgetting in Mind
If we want people to remember what they learn, we have to work with the brain, not against it. Here’s how:
1. Spaced Repetition: Learn, Forget, Recall, Repeat
Instead of cramming all learning into a single session, break it into smaller chunks over time. The brain needs to forget a little before recalling it again.
Example (My Own Learning Struggle):
A few years ago, I tried learning French (horrible decision). I spent hours memorizing words in one sitting. A week later? Gone. Then I switched to spaced repetition—reviewing a few words today, testing myself in two days, again in a week. That’s when things started sticking. However, I couldn’t stick with it, and I’m stuck with basic words and phrases; le garcon, j’aime apelle, comment ca va.
The key? Instead of trying to memorize everything at once, give the brain time to forget—and then refresh it at intervals. Vous comprenez? (don’t search for the meaning of this phrase on google translate).
2. Active Recall: Make the Brain Work
Passively rereading or highlighting text is a trap—it feels productive, but it doesn’t help memory. Instead, force the brain to retrieve information.
Example (Workplace Training):
Let’s say your company rolls out a new customer service process. Instead of making employees sit through a long PowerPoint and assume they’ve learned, try this:
- Have them explain the process in their own words without looking at notes.
- Ask them real-world questions—”If an angry customer demands a refund, what would you say?”
This struggle is good—it tells the brain, “This information is important. Keep it!”
3. Testing as a Learning Tool (Not Just for Assessment)
Many companies only test employees at the end of a course. But tests should be part of the learning process.
Example (My Own Experience With This):
Back in university, I studied by reading pages of notes I stole from my colleagues (i missed most lectures because most of the time I was away from campus chasing gigs)—then forgetting everything during the exam. Later, I switched to testing myself with questions before the actual exam. Even when I got answers wrong, I remembered the corrections.
In the workplace, instead of a one-time exam at the end of training, companies should:
- Send weekly quiz-style questions to reinforce key concepts.
- Create scenarios where employees must apply knowledge—real-life situations, not just theoretical questions.
Even getting an answer wrong helps learning—because the effort to recall and correct strengthens memory. There’s an interesting research paper titled “Retrieval practice facilitates memory updating by enhancing and differentiating medial prefrontal cortex representations” by Zhifang Ye, Liang Shi, Anqi Li, Chuansheng Chen, and Gui Xue that looks at this in depth.
4. Real-World Application: Use It or Lose It
People remember best when they apply what they learn immediately.
A company trains employees on conflict resolution. Instead of just showing slides with “Dos and Don’ts,” let employees role-play real workplace situations. This forces them to recall and apply learning in context.
Imagine you attended a leadership workshop. It is engaging, full of insights. But you took no notes, didn’t apply anything, and within a month—poof, gone. Practice what you learn immediately.
Contrast that with when you read a book on leadership and immediately apply one technique in a team meeting—that technique will stick with you for years.
Final Thoughts
Forgetting isn’t a mistake—it’s part of how the brain decides what to keep. Instead of trying to fight it, smart learning design embraces forgetting and builds in opportunities to recall, test, and apply knowledge over time.
So next time you forget something you just learned, don’t panic. That’s your brain doing its job. The real question is: Will you give it the right cues to remember?
