There's no easy path to wisdom

How good are we at retaining knowledge?

A few days ago, I came across a study that shows we forget information quickly:

• Within 1 hour, we forget about 50% of the information presented.

• Within 24 hours, we forget about 70% of new information.

• Within a week, we forget up to 90% of what we "learned."

If this is true, it means we only remember about 1% of what we originally learned by the end of the year. So, the question is:

How can we retain knowledge and become truly wise? 🧠

Take a look at the Learning Pyramid below:

The Learning Pyramid was created in the 1960s by the NTL Institute in Bethel, Maine. If you take a look at it, you might notice something surprising: many of us are wasting time and resources, stuck at the bottom. We often think we know something just because we're dealing with raw facts and figures.

As Paul Graham wisely said, “If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.” This concept extends beyond writing; it’s about how we process and apply knowledge.

The road to wisdom is a long one. It’s not just about memorizing information - it’s about understanding, applying, and sharing what we learn. To move up the pyramid, we need to engage with knowledge in deeper ways, like through hands-on learning, working together, and real-life experience. That’s how we turn knowledge into wisdom and make smart decisions that really count.

In a world where some people write and others don’t, there’s an even bigger challenge: a world of those who think and those who don’t.

Will you be someone who truly understands and applies knowledge at the right time, or will you be full of empty ideas, unable to turn what you know into meaningful action?

The choice is yours.

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Happy holidays from the Collabwriting team! 🎅🏼 🎄

Best,
Gordana
Community manager @ Collabwriting