Most people struggle with historical literacy.

When did the last dinosaur die? When did the Younger Dryas event take place? Where did the first civilisation emerge?

We struggle even with relatively recent events, let alone those from thousands or millions of years ago. Maybe you remember bits and pieces from school, or maybe from your kids' recent history assignments, but you’re never quite sure. Nobody told us why it might be interesting or important, and even those facts we knew got buried under events that happened during our lifetimes. Now we have adult obligations and time is scarce, so studying history can feel intimidating.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Don't loose hope. You must persist here, as history helps you see patterns from the past, become a better person (it’s one of the humanities, after all), and it’s fun! Plus, it adds context to every other field of study.

In this article, I’ll explain — in under 10 minutes — how you can start learning history again, for its own sake, without stress, and with maximum efficiency!

General Learning Tips

These are the standard study best practices. You may already know them, but here’s a quick reminder:

Time

Set aside a daily time slot for studying, free of distractions — maybe 45 minutes of reading. Stick to it. Make it a habit so you don’t have to wrestle with yourself every day.

Notes

Ideally, take notes on the bits that spark your attention. Highlight passages in your Kindle or pencil them in the margins. Store them somewhere (like a Zettelkasten) if you want future reference. If you’re not into notes yet, skip this step until you like the process.

Tests

Regularly test yourself. Ask: “What can I recall right now?”. Make parallels with your environment. Be creative, for example have ChatGPT formally quiz you. It's surprisingly fun, and you'll get an accurate evaluation of what you know and what gaps you have.

Gaps & Spaced Repetition

Take short pauses (e.g., 30 seconds) after reading to let your hippocampus process. Revisit your notes later to reinforce your memory.

Motivation

Keep in mind why you started. Skip boring details. Your genuine engagement is more important than perfectionism, but be sure you got the basics.

History-Specific Studying Framework 

History is linear by nature, but studying it is iterative. There is no chance you’ll get everything from one go, so you’ll be revisiting topics multiple times to develop a clear mental picture. For periods you find especially interesting, you’ll zoom in with more detail and with more frequency.

The Script

1. Define your timeline

2. Read the entire story

3. Pay attention and try to remember the most crucial points

4. Repeat

I like to think of it as a circle-like fractals: you have a grand story you loop through for repetition, and within it, over time you focus on more detailed sub-stories whenever your interest deepens.

Practical Example

1. Maybe you’re not that intrigued by pre-dinosaur eras, so you set your big timeline from Sumer, 5500 BC to USSR Dissolution as last major geopolitical event in XX century, 1991 CE

2. You “close” it into a circle — an ouroboros you’ll keep looping through as long as it takes to capture all major events

3. Inside that big circle, you kinda zoom in for more details, and thus smaller circles emerge (e.g., Ancient Egypt, Medieval Europe) that reflect your natural interests. You can zoom in as far as information and your curiosity allows, though practically speaking it is rare to go down more than 5 levels. Skip or quit circles when you’ve had enough and move on to maintain momentum.

Here is a handy visualisation:

Tips & Tricks 

Make It Fun

Connect the material to your life. If you’re reading about pottery, try a pottery class. If you stumble on an old Sumerian stew recipe, cook it. Visit archaeological sites and museums, which are way more interesting when you have context.

Traveling is my go to option. If I am not in expedition to Mesopotamia or Asia Minor, I might even play some history-related games: Civilization, Assassin Creed related parts (Odyssey, Origin, etc), God of War.

You’ll find yourself picking up some historical topics easily, and some will bore you to death. That’s fine. Don’t force yourself to study things you genuinely dislike—focus on what sparks your curiosity.

Draw Timelines

It’s a simple way to grasp order and cause-and-effect. You don’t need exact years, just the sequence of events.

Use Feynman Technique

Pretend you’re teaching the material to a child (or write mini-essays) to break down complex topics and cement them in your memory.

Common mistakes

Don't Memorize Dates Without Context

It leads to superficial understanding. Instead, link dates to causes, effects, and overall narratives.

Over-Relying on Popular Media

Movies or TV often prioritize entertainment over accuracy. Use them as a spark, but confirm details with more scholarly and primary sources. Leverage GPT to evaluate your studying list.

Presentism

Avoid judging the past by modern standards can distort your view. Try to understand historical figures/events within their own timeframe and social context (while still engaging critically).

Why Bother?

If you learn history the wrong way, it’s just a scattered collection of events and trivia. Learned properly, though, it reveals patterns, connections, and deeper insights about how we got here. It expands your worldview and helps you make better decisions in the present.

Resources

If your history knowledge is rusty, start by refreshing the general timeline. I recommend these three resources:

1. A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich

A great, easy-to-grasp introduction suitable for all ages. Downsides: not super detailed if you already remember a lot from school or crave more depth.

🔗 GoodReads

2. The Penguin History of the World by J. M. Roberts & Odd Arne Westad

🔗 GoodReads

A serious, comprehensive overview of the world history for those who ready for a long haul. It covers all major periods but is quite long — literally a “6-in-1” book of somewhat 1200 pages. Patience required!

3. Khan Academy World History by Sal Khan

Ideal if you prefer a bit of interactivity. Free, well-structured lessons, quizzes, and video explanations. Eventually, though, you might still return to books for deeper learning.

🔗 Khan Academy

💁‍♂️ If you’re not big on reading yet, YouTube documentaries can be a starting point. Just don’t rely on them as your sole source. Once you have a decent general grasp, ChatGPT (or any other LLM really that works for you) can help you create personalised reading lists matching your interests. And remember, history pairs wonderfully with literature and philosophy; together, they’re cornerstones of the humanities.

☝️ Remember, you’re not competing with anyone out here. There are no grades or performance reviews for this knowledge, so there’s no pressure to “pass or fail.” That freedom is valuable—if you genuinely want to learn, you’ll do it at your own pace and in your own style.

Enjoy the process! 

You can get wherever you truly want to be. Just stay curious, keep exploring, and have fun along the way 😉 

I am Rick, and I write pieces on Ancient History and related topics as I progress towards my PhD in 10 years starting from zero 🚀 

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