Best ways to Improve Your Memory
These techniques are really helpful for students and also the other people.
Practice creating vivid
images/concepts in your head - using all of your senses. Analyze your
surroundings by sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Being aware all of your
senses will give your mind more ways to associate (and thus remember) when it
is time to recall something.
These techniques are really helpful for students and also the other people.
Having problems
forgetting appointments, to-dos, errands, feeding your children and pets,
picking up after yourself, getting out of bed... not to mention forgetting
birthdays, and even anniversaries?
If you are like many people, you will often find yourself forgetting something. In an age of computers, PDA’s, and many other devices - this my be ok for some folks, unless you forget where you put those devices. Others may want to increase their ability to memorize things - luckily there are a few creative ways you can improve your long and short term memory.
If you are like many people, you will often find yourself forgetting something. In an age of computers, PDA’s, and many other devices - this my be ok for some folks, unless you forget where you put those devices. Others may want to increase their ability to memorize things - luckily there are a few creative ways you can improve your long and short term memory.

This is like form of
meditation -- which is good for your brain in a variety of ways. Practice this
tip of simply being more aware of your surroundings everyday and you will find
your general memory greatly improved.
If you need to memorize
something specific try using humor or vulgarity as a memory aid.
Make a nasty or funny
limerick or poem about something that needs to be remembered and you'll have a
hard time forgetting. (Great tip for students).
Example: Guitar students
are sometimes taught to remember the common 5 string tuning of EADGBE with
this:
Every Asshole Does Good But Eddie
There has been a lot said
about the power of positive thinking. Recently, a huge bandwagon of new-age
positive thought = positive outcome theories have been on tips of everyone's
tongue from Oprah to your local convenience store clerk. Just do a google
search for "Law of Attraction" or "The Secret" if you
aren't in the cult loop.
Negative thoughts fog our
minds, but clearing out the negative and focusing on the positive also improves
memory & concentration.
Stress is a big brain
buster, so minimize stress and negative thoughts to keep your wits.
Apt Quote: “What
to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack in the ground underneath a giant
boulder you can't move, with no hope of rescue. Consider how lucky you are that
life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to
you so far, which given your current circumstances seems more likely, consider
how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer.” - Douglas
Adams
Have trouble remembering
to-dos, appointments, meetings, deadlines, birthdays and other future events?
Here is the secret: When
you know you have an upcoming event you don't want to forget, picture yourself
at the event. What are you doing, who is there, what does it smell like?
Imagine the event...even better: imagine yourself taking the steps that lead to
the event.
For example... let's say
tomorrow you have to call the someone. Picture yourself in your home/office,
picture yourself picking up the phone, imagine dialing the number and talking
to the person of the other end.
Association is among one
of the easiest and most used tools in learning. This is the process of taking
the information you wish to memorize, and linking it mentally to something else
that is natural to you. When learning something new, try to associate the new
concept with one to which you are already familiar.
Couple association with
being aware using all of your senses and you will have a higher rate of
successful recall.
Chunking information is a
great mnemonic method to remember multiple items. Many people naturally use
chunking to remember phone numbers: Instead of thinking "17342876642"
we chunk it as 1-734-287-6642.
The concept of chunking
comes from a famous 1956 paper by George A. Miller: The Magical Number
Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing
Information. If you are a sucker for classic works in the history of
psychology.
We generally think of
"writing things down" as a means to NOT have to remember something.
The paper does the work for -- we just need to remember where we put that piece
of paper...
But, writing things down
has another effect: you clear your mind and take away the stress of
"having to remember", and by doing so you actually have more room in
your noggin for remembering stuff. I know that explanation wasn't scientific,
but it works.
To-do lists are
championed by business gurus and soccer moms alike. Try writing everything down
for a week or two and see how much this improves your memory & focus.
Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1160832
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