Two Spanish learning specialists say the secret to better memory is not how many hours you put in but how you use them, and they have built a science-based system around that idea.
Ferran Ballard, an expert in rapid memorization techniques, and Alejandra Scherk, a specialist in neuropsychology applied to training, developed what they call the Ballard Method after asking why some people retain information with ease while others struggle despite long hours of effort. Both hold university degrees in Law and Business Administration, teach at The Brain School, and have focused their careers on what they describe as teaching others to learn better.
Their book, Aprender con estrategia, outlines neuroscience-based techniques for organizing the mind, directing attention, understanding material deeply, and memorizing in a way that lasts, all of which they say allows people to learn in less time with stronger results.
The Real Problem With Memory
Ballard and Scherk argue that the true challenge with memory is not storing information but getting it back when you need it. To illustrate, they offer a scenario: if someone asks what you did on a specific date two years ago, you would likely draw a blank. But if that person mentions that the two of you were in Rome, stepped into a trattoria in the city center, and ended up ordering a pizza so large it barely fit on the table, the whole day suddenly comes rushing back.
The memory was never lost, they say. It just needed the right key. According to Ballard and Scherk, the connections a person makes between ideas, facts, emotions, and sensory perceptions are what determine whether a memory can be unlocked later. More connections mean a stronger mental network, deeper understanding, and more durable learning.
They also point to two simple habits that support memory. Writing content by hand, they say, can stimulate memory, improve learning, and help structure ideas. Going for a calm walk lets concepts settle and find new connections in the mind.
Why Traditional Studying Fails
The biggest problem in education, according to both specialists, is the myth that studying more leads to learning more. Ballard says the most common reason people forget material they worked hard on is not a lack of effort but a flawed technique. Most students repeat, reread, and highlight without actually processing what they are looking at. Even after spending hours on material, they have not built a durable memory because the brain has no signal that the information will ever be needed again. He says the brain must be convinced that information is worth keeping, and it must be linked to things already known, otherwise it treats the new material as disposable.
Three Techniques That Work
Scherk describes evocation as one of the most powerful tools in the Ballard Method. Rather than passively reviewing material, the learner actively tries to pull it from memory. A student working through a history chapter, for example, should close the book and say out loud everything they can recall. They then compare what they retrieved with their notes, correct any gaps, and restudy whatever they could not remember. The effort involved in this retrieval, Scherk says, is precisely what makes the memory stronger over time.
The second technique is schematizing: organizing ideas into a hierarchy that shows what matters most and how concepts connect. Scherk notes that professionals already use this instinctively when building presentation slides or preparing a verbal pitch before a committee, gathering key concepts and giving them structure. The same approach applies to any material a person needs to internalize.
The third technique is thinking in images, and Ballard traces it back to human evolution. For thousands of years, he explains, people had to remember visual information, such as the path to a food source, in order to survive. The brain is still wired for that. Placing an image beside a block of text, or sketching a picture to represent a word that is hard to pin down, makes both significantly easier to recall.
Ballard says he used this method early in his career when he worked in magic and had to remember the names and faces of an entire audience. To remember someone named Ferran, the same as his own name, he would picture a Ferrari driving across that person’s face. When he saw the person again, the image returned and so did the name. The same approach, he adds, works just as well for a grocery list or any other sequence of items. World memory champions, he says, use exactly this strategy, converting any information they need to learn into images and then connecting those images together.
