Have you thought of getting a small digital recorder? Then you could record and organise instructions, to-do lists, briefings or whole lectures. Or just record your thoughts before they get away.

Some people use their phone for this, but a recorder usually has a better microphone and can store more, plus you can index what you record and transfer recordings easily to a laptop or PC.

There are some quite cheap ones available. They’re out of fashion now so getting cheaper!

The other thing is mind maps. You probably know how to do a basic mind map, but if not, have a look at this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nTuScU70As&pbjreload=10

You might have found already that you can easily learn something you're intensely interested in. It’s as if your mind opens up and you approach the subject from lots of different angles at once - from books, videos, conversation, TV, podcasts, just looking around you. You quickly build up a sort of three-dimensional understanding or mental model of what you're interested in. Much more alive and memorable than a list of facts.

Whatever you're going to study, I would aim to get to know your subject before your course begins. I don't mean the details, I mean to get an overview of how the different aspects of the subject fit together - get a sort of map of the field into your head before you start.

The more you know when you go into a lecture, the more hooks the new information has to hang on. So I would be looking at videos, TedTalks, podcasts or TV programmes that relate even slightly to your subject, and talking to anyone who has experience of it. This make books easier to use, too. You will know what you are looking for and be able to go straight to it, rather than wading through page after page.

If you can’t do it their way, do it your way.

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