“Blurting” & Productivity

If you’ve been here for a while, you know we’re fervent promoters of anything related to active recall.

Simply put, active recall is retrieving information from your memory—like when you answer a flashcard question or take a quiz instead of just reading or listening.

Methods we analyzed in the past, like the Feynman technique or spaced repetition, are all different executions of active recalling. And today, we’ll examine another - particularly Tik Tok famous one - called the blurting method.

What is “blurting”?
When someone is “blurting”, that means they’re abruptly sharing information out loud and without putting much thought or reflection prior to speaking.
In the same way, the blurting technique is a studying method where the student passively acquires information and then actively recalls it by scribbling down what stuck to their memory without overthinking it.  
By blurting out information, you instantly construct a blueprint exposing areas that need further review.

*Best* Step-by-Step Way to Implement It

📃First is passive learning
Read one chapter, highlight, take notes, or do anything else that allows you to familiarize yourself with the content.

⏰Set a Timer

To make blurting effective and ensure impulsive and quick jotting down of the information, we need to distil some urgency to the process.  Set a timer for a specific time, e.g., 3 minutes, adjusting the time based on the size and complexity of the chapter.

📝Start Blurting

Start writing down everything you can recall related to the chapter you just reviewed passively.
In order to avoid overwhelm and chaos, you can use a mind map form - one main idea connecting to the rest of the chapter with arrows - or just write in bullet points.
The key is to work swiftly and to cover as much information as possible before the timer runs out. Invest yourself in the process, and it can literally feel like a game!

📍Time to review

Once the timer stops, review your blurting against your textbook or your previous notes.
Helpful tip: use a different color pen for corrections to clearly identify the areas you need to focus on in your next revision session.

📒Repeat the Process for the rest of the chapters

This method is not just about passive learning; it’s about actively testing whether you have absorbed the knowledge or not...

It helps in getting used to the pressured time constraint and simulating exam conditions.

And the best part? It can easily be combined with other active recall study techniques. Be creative and try to find a compilation of methods that work like a charm for you.

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