I live somewhere where travelling by train is limited to basically local journeys, but love when I see this site get mentioned anywhere, because it reminds me of what the internet can be!
Something I've been doing recently that has really helped me find the right word faster is using flashcards.
One side will say "Explain the concept of x" and the other side be a paragraph or so of the concept.
I use both sides, so I will look at the abstract and try and remember the "x" naming word for it.
I don't think how you do, however I do often learn things in my own way, describing things internally using the "wrong" terms, This helps me link my internal thought processes to correct terms faster.