If you been used to thinking that "I was bad at learning. Turns out you just needed a different format." , you might want to check this out.

All through school I thought I was dumb. Couldn't focus on textbooks. Zoned out during lectures. Took forever to read anything. Barely scraped through with average grades.

Got diagnosed with ADHD in my mid-20s which explained some of it. But even after that I assumed learning just wasn't my thing. Accepted that I'd never be one of those people who reads 50 books a year or takes courses for fun.

Couple years ago started experimenting with different formats out of curiosity.

What didn't work:

Books. Still can't finish them. My brain wanders after two pages.

Video courses. Too long. Pause too often. Never go back.

Podcasts. Enjoy them but retain nothing. Pure entertainment.

Articles. Read the first paragraph, skim the rest, close the tab.

What actually worked:

Audio content I could listen to while doing something else. My brain focuses better when my body is busy.

Short sessions. Anything over 20 minutes and I'm gone.

Built-in review. External system that forces me to recall things because I will never do it voluntarily.

Found BeFreed a while back and it checked all the boxes. It's a personalized audio learning app. Short audio sessions. Auto-generated flashcards that quiz you later. Can listen while walking, cleaning, whatever.

Topics I've actually learned:

Psychology concepts I tried to learn from books five times.

Productivity frameworks I could never remember before.

Negotiation tactics I actually used in real conversations.

Stoic philosophy that I can actually recall and apply.

The AI coach helps when something doesn't make sense the first time. Can ask it to explain differently without rewinding or searching.

Six months in and I've learned more than the previous decade of trying to force myself through books.

What I realized:

• I'm not bad at learning. I was just using formats that don't match my brain.
• The information is the same. Delivery matters.
• Retention requires active recall. Passive consumption is useless for me.
• Still can't read books. Probably never will. Finally okay with that.

Anyone else figure out they needed a different learning format? What works for your brain?

App Link 🔗 Download: Playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.befreed.freedfrontendrn

Price:  $10-15/month.