How to Remember Verses For the Rest of Your Life

So – you’ve done it. You’ve memorized more than you ever thought possible. Verse by verse, you’ve laid up texts like treasures. Congratulations.

One task remains. Keep these treasures from slipping away.

Repeat Every Day for Two Weeks

When you learn the last verse of a story, you’re almost ready to stop saying the whole story every day. But to make sure you’ve learned the last few verses well, keep saying the whole story every day for about another two weeks.

Two weeks is an estimate. We could try to work out the most efficient reviews possible, but that would mean a complex schedule. Let’s keep this simple. Say the whole story every day for two more weeks. Polish any rough spots.

Then, Repeat Once a Month

After those two weeks, get out your calendar for the next year. Mark one day each month (perhaps Sunday) to recite this story.

For instance, if you learned the Christmas story from Luke, write “Lk 2a”. (You learned the first half of chapter 2.)

Once a month will be more often than you need. But it’s easy to schedule.

If you ever get shaky on a story, simply repeat it every day until you’re confident again. When you’ve polished your memory, you can wait and say the story again at your next monthly recitation.

Then, Enjoy Spaced Repetition

Next year, you can probably say the stories every three months. After that, once or twice a year should be plenty.

That’s how spaced repetition works. Once you’ve done many early repetitions, you can wait longer and longer as time goes on.

With a few well-timed renewals, you’ll remember these words for the rest of your life.