A couple of years ago, I found myself sitting at my desk, surrounded by books, notes, and half-empty coffee mugs. I was trying to learn too many things at once, and nothing was sticking. I’d spend hours on one subject only to completely forget it a week later. Sound familiar?
It wasn’t until I stumbled onto two concepts—chunking and interleaving—that I started learning smarter, not harder. What’s more, these aren’t just strategies for students or professionals; they can help anyone trying to juggle new information, whether it’s for work, personal growth, or a new hobby. Let me walk you through how I use these methods in my everyday life, with a few practical tips you can implement today.
What Is Chunking?
Chunking is like organizing a messy closet. Instead of trying to keep track of everything as individual items, you group similar things together. Your brain likes patterns and order, so it can process groups much better than one-off bits of information.
How I Use Chunking
1. Break It Down:
When I was learning about financial analysis, the sheer amount of material was overwhelming. So I broke it into chunks: basic formulas, case studies, and advanced strategies. I focused on mastering one chunk at a time before moving to the next.
2. Use Labels:
I create simple, memorable labels for each chunk. For instance, when studying negotiation strategies, I labeled them as “Prep,” “Dialogue,” and “Close.” This gave me a mental framework to recall later.
3. Make It Visual:
A while back, I started mind-mapping. It’s like creating a visual cheat sheet for your chunks. For a leadership course I took, I created categories like “communication,” “decision-making,” and “team-building” and wrote down sub-points under each.
Practical Tip:
Next time you’re overwhelmed, ask yourself: “How can I organize this into 3-5 groups?” If it feels manageable, your brain will agree.
What Is Interleaving?
Interleaving is about mixing it up. Instead of focusing on one thing at a time, you rotate between topics or skills. Think of it like circuit training at the gym: working on different muscle groups keeps you engaged and makes the workout more effective.
How I Use Interleaving
1. Rotating Tasks at Work:
At one point, I was deep into operations strategy and struggling to tie everything together. So, I started switching between reviewing vendor data, studying industry benchmarks, and preparing presentation slides in one session. The context-switching forced me to connect dots I hadn’t seen before.
2. Learning New Skills:
When I learned to cook (yes, I had to teach myself), I alternated between knife skills, baking, and sauces in one session. I’d chop for 15 minutes, then whisk a sauce, and then work on the dough. Each skill complemented the other, making everything click faster.
3. Practical Application:
If I’m preparing for a meeting, I don’t just read through the agenda in one go. I’ll spend 20 minutes reading, then switch to brainstorming questions, and finally, reviewing potential challenges. This keeps me sharp and fully engaged.
Practical Tip:
Mix two to three tasks or subjects in one session. For example, spend 30 minutes on one topic, then 20 minutes on another. It feels counterintuitive, but you’ll retain more.
How I Combine the Two
Here’s where things get fun: chunking and interleaving aren’t competing strategies—they work best together. For example, when I prepared for a big certification exam, I chunked all the material into five categories. Then, I interleaved my study sessions, alternating between chunks. On Monday, I’d cover Category 1 and 3. Tuesday, Categories 2 and 4. By the end of the week, I had touched on everything multiple times without feeling like I was drowning in monotony.
Why It Works
The science is simple: chunking reduces cognitive overload, and interleaving strengthens connections between ideas. Together, they trick your brain into thinking, “Hey, I know this stuff!”—and you actually do.
Practical Steps You Can Try Today
1. Audit Your Learning Style:
Ask yourself, “Am I cramming too much at once?” If yes, start chunking. If you feel bored or stuck, start interleaving.
2. Plan With Intention:
Use a notebook or digital planner to map out your chunks and how you’ll rotate between them. Even 15 minutes of planning can save hours of wasted effort.
3. Test Your Recall:
At the end of your day, see if you can recall what you learned in chunks. If you’re interleaving, test your ability to switch contexts without losing the thread.
4. Start Small:
Pick one area of your life to experiment with these strategies. For me, it was organizing my workday. For you, it could be learning a new skill or tackling a big project.
Here’s the thing: learning doesn’t have to be a grind. Chunking and interleaving make the process feel lighter, more organized, and—dare I say it—fun. You’ll stop feeling like you’re spinning your wheels and start making real progress. So go ahead, try it out. If it worked for me, I promise it can work for you too.
Let me know how it goes—I’d love to hear your story!
Maverick 