How to Turn Any Lesson into Simple If-Then Rules

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a mountain of information after a lesson? You are not alone. The secret to making knowledge stick is not memorising everything—it is creating simple if-then rules that tell you exactly what to do next. These practical guides transform chaos into clarity, helping you spot when a concept applies and what steps to take.

Think of your knowledge like a home. Without rooms, new furniture ends up in a pile. Simple if-then rules are those rooms—they give new facts a place to go. When you write these rules yourself, you are not just memorising; you are building structure that lasts.

Review Your Lesson

Start by revisiting what you have just learned. This is not passive reading—it is active thinking. Ask yourself:

• What are the core concepts?
• When would I use this information?
• What problems does this solve?

Spend a few minutes looking thoughtfully at your textbook and notes. Your goal is to understand the essence, not memorise every detail. This foundation makes the next steps far more powerful.

Write the Rule

Now comes the magic: distil your lesson into two or three plain if-then statements. Write them in your own words—this is crucial. For example, instead of copying a textbook definition, you might write: 'If I see a word ending in -ly, then it is probably an adverb describing how an action happens.'

The effort of creating your own rules deepens understanding. You are deciding what truly matters and when it matters. This is the difference between knowing something and being able to use it.

Define the Edges

Rules become truly useful when you understand their boundaries. For each if-then statement you have created, add:

• One clear example where the rule applies perfectly
• One 'near miss'—a situation that looks similar but where the rule does not apply

This step clarifies exactly when your rule works and when it does not. It is like adding fine print to a menu—your brain loves knowing the exceptions just as much as the main rules.

Test Your Rule

The final step is where confidence builds. Take a mixed set of problems or questions and apply your rules. Can you recognise the patterns? Do your if-then statements guide you to the right approach?

When you test your rules, you are not guessing—you are acting on patterns you have identified yourself. This is the kind of knowledge that travels with you, adapting to new situations rather than staying locked in one context.

With practice, you will feel less lost when questions change format or combine multiple concepts. You have built a framework that gives every new detail a place to land, transforming study sessions from overwhelming to empowering.

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