Explain Why You Keep Forgetting Things You Learn

You read the chapter, you understood it, and three days later it is gone. This explains what is actually happening: why retention declines in a predictable curve, why feeling like you know something is different from being able to recall it, and two techniques that work. Then the thing most people do that makes it worse.

Explain in plain English why someone might read something, understand it, and then forget it within a week.

Cover:
1. What the forgetting curve is and why it is not a failure of intelligence
2. The difference between recognition and recall, and why tests fool people
3. Two techniques that have strong evidence for improving long-term retention
4. The one mistake people make when trying to 'study more' that makes retention worse

No jargon. No citations required. One concrete example to illustrate each point. Under 250 words.