not harder
SMARTER is the acronym for
Spaced repetition, Motivation, Attention, Retrieval Practice, Thinking (cognitive) Load, Emotions, Revisiting (Interleaving).
Have you ever been so focused on preparing a work presentation that time flew by and suddenly it was midnight? You skipped meals, ignored your phone, and felt more energized than tired. That’s flow: being completely absorbed and working at your best.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1975) found that flow happens when the challenge of a task matches your skill level.
Try checking participants’ knowledge before training and adjust the difficulty to fit. This balance keeps learners interested and productive.
Have you ever found a manual confusing, but understood right away when someone drew a simple diagram? Too many words can be overwhelming, but adding helpful visuals makes ideas clearer.
Richard Mayer (2001) showed that people learn best when words and pictures work together, not when slides are filled with long text.
Keep slide text brief and use visuals to support what you say, instead of repeating the same words on the screen. Also, avoid reading your slides out loud. People either focus on reading or on listening, not both at the same time.
A Netflix trailer ends right at the most suspenseful moment, making you want to watch the movie to see what happens next. Unfinished tasks stay in our memory longer than completed ones.
Bluma Zeigarnik (1927) noticed that waiters could easily remember orders that weren’t finished.
In training, try ending modules with cliffhangers or open questions to help learners remember and motivate them to come back.
Have you ever tried to explain your complicated job to your parents, only to see them lose interest? When you know something well, it’s hard to remember what it’s like not to know it. You might talk too quickly or skip important basics.
Colin Camerer (1989) called this the “curse of knowledge”: experts often assume others know what they know.
Test your material with beginners, use simple examples, and ask often, “Does this make sense?”
Have you ever checked into a hotel, got your room number, and then forgotten it minutes later if you didn’t have the keycard?
Without review, we forget about 70% of new information within a day. Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885) showed this with a steep forgetting curve.
Spacing out reviews on day 1, 3, and 7 helps you remember more over time.
What keeps you training for a marathon, even when the weather is bad? It’s not just the medal. It’s feeling in control (autonomy), feeling skilled (competence), and feeling connected to your running group (relatedness).
Ryan & Deci (1985) found that meeting these needs creates motivation that lasts longer than rewards.
In training sessions, give people choices, show their progress, and help them connect with others to keep them engaged.
While studying, do you ever stop and wonder, “Am I really learning, or just rereading?”
That’s metacognition, or thinking about how you think. John Flavell (1979) described it as planning (“How should I start?”), monitoring (“Do I understand this?”), and evaluating (“What should I change?”).
Teach these skills with reflection journals or self-quizzes to help learners learn more effectively.
Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) explains that working memory can only process 4 to 7 items at once. John Sweller identified three types of cognitive load:
1. Intrinsic cognitive load: Material complexity varies — solving 2+2 is easier than a differential equation. With experience, difficult content becomes easier. Balance intrinsic load to support learning.
2. Extraneous cognitive load: Poor presentation (disorganization, unnecessary details) creates confusion. Reduce this load — for example, use numbered steps instead of long paragraphs or avoid jargon.
3. Germane cognitive load: This is productive mental effort connecting new ideas to existing knowledge. Encourage this by asking, ‘What does this remind you of?’ For example, VR simulations help medical students understand how organs connect.
Have you ever had a question in a meeting, but when your boss asks, “Any questions?”, you stay silent? You might worry it’s a “stupid” question or that you’ll look unprepared. That moment shows how safe it feels to speak up.
Amy Edmondson (1999) describes psychological safety as a shared belief that it’s safe in a team to take interpersonal risks: asking questions, admitting mistakes, or disagreeing without fear of embarrassment or punishment. Teams with higher psychological safety talk more openly about errors and learn faster.
Learning truly begins when people feel safe enough to say, “I don’t get it yet,” try something new, and fail in front of others. Design and facilitate sessions where questions are welcome, mistakes are treated as learning moments, and you show that behavior yourself.