Improve Your Memory With These Simple Tips
Create an image in your mind
When you need to remember something important, find a way to create an image of it in your mind that is very funny or bizarre. Your brain easily remembers things that are unusual, or funny, or scary, while it easily forgets things that don’t stand out in any way.
Make a list
Make written lists of what you need to do or to remember. This will free up your brain to remember other things that are more important.
Get enough sleep
Be sure to get enough sleep. Your brain uses its sleeping hours to put new information into long-term memory storage.
Break information
To remember a long string of letters or numbers, such as a telephone number, break the information up into small chunks of two or three numbers or letters at a time, such as 555 – 216 – 9827. Most people will find it very hard to remember 9 or 10 numbers in a row, but they can easily remember two or three numbers in a row.
Give yourself time
When you need to learn and remember something, give yourself time to review the same material the next day for a few minutes and then a week later for a few minutes. Repetition and review will help your brain remember the material better.
Have a short break
When you are studying a lot of material, schedule a break every forty minutes to get up and walk and do something completely different. When you sit down to study again, your brain will be more refreshed and better able to pay attention.
Understand and review
When you are trying to study something, give yourself plenty of time to understand it and review it several times. Cramming at the last minute doesn’t work very well.
Have a brain workout
Give your brain a good workout by practicing memorisation as a fun exercise. Every few days, pick a new poem or favorite passage to memorise, and then write it out or speak it out loud.
Reduce stress
Reduce the stress in your life by simplifying your schedule, delegating more tasks to others, getting regular physical exercise, and practising daily meditation. Long-term stress can interfere with your ability to concentrate and to think clearly, and with your ability to form memories or to recall them later.
Get a study buddy
Get yourself a study buddy or a conversation partner, and try to teach the other person what you are learning. This is a good way to signal your brain that what you are learning is important and you will remember more.
