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LSQ Newsletter

A newsletter for lifelong learners looking to improve their processing, retention and recall of everything they learn.

Written by

Ray Blakney

What Should You Actually Learn? A Framework for Picking Wisely

Why "follow your passion" and "learn what's marketable" are both terrible advice on their own, and what 40 years of motivation research suggests instead.

Ray Blakney

The Science of Study Music: Why Lo-Fi Beats Aren't Just a Meme

Apr 30, 2026

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8 min read

The Science of Study Music: Why Lo-Fi Beats Aren't Just a Meme

The science of why some music makes you smarter, why some makes you slower, and why the answer to "should I listen to music while studying" is genuinely "it depends."

Ray Blakney

The Grind Is the Enemy: Why Slowing Down Will Make You Learn More

Apr 29, 2026

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8 min read

The Grind Is the Enemy: Why Slowing Down Will Make You Learn More

The actual research on academic burnout, why "more hours" is one of the worst possible learning strategies, and how the people who learn the most are usually the ones who refuse to grind.

Ray Blakney

How to Actually Have a Life While Learning Something New

Apr 29, 2026

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8 min read

How to Actually Have a Life While Learning Something New

Why the "go all-in or fail" school of self-improvement is mostly wrong, and how to fit learning into a life that already has guitars, gardens, and Friday game nights in it.

Ray Blakney

You Are What You Eat (And So Is Your Hippocampus)

Apr 28, 2026

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8 min read

You Are What You Eat (And So Is Your Hippocampus)

How diet shapes your ability to learn

Ray Blakney

Drink More Water, Learn More Things: The Boring Truth About Hydration and Your Brain

Apr 28, 2026

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8 min read

Drink More Water, Learn More Things: The Boring Truth About Hydration and Your Brain

The cheapest, most-ignored cognitive enhancer on the planet, and the surprisingly tiny amount of dehydration it takes to start sabotaging your focus and memory.

Ray Blakney

How Leaning on AI Quietly Undermines Your Learning

Apr 27, 2026

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8 min read

How Leaning on AI Quietly Undermines Your Learning

The new research on what happens to your brain when you outsource your thinking, and why "AI as tutor" is good but "AI as answer machine" is quietly disastrous.

Ray Blakney