Many people actively seek ways to improve their memory on an everyday basis. Whether it’s to help you learn something new or simply to help so that you don’t become stressed during the day, there are a plethora of ways that you can improve your memory. This article includes just a few of those tips.
A great learning or memorizing strategy is to associate or “connect” each idea with something you are familiar with. For example, when you are trying to learn new words, write the meaning next to the word and then write a thing, person, movie, event, or strong association with the word that will help you remember its meaning. For example, “My generous Aunt Betty gives great gifts.” (generous means giving).
If you’re a student trying to boost your memory for a test, the worst thing you can do is cram. Attempting to learn so much in too little time will not allow you to retain anything at all. You will only grasp bits of pieces of the material and cannot properly learn what you need to.
A lot of the information we learn is very close to information we already know, so improving your memory can be as simple as playing an association game. Make sure that anything new you’re attempting to learn can tie in with someone you already know, and you will develop smooth transitions between one piece of material and the next.
Pay careful attention to what you want to remember to ensure the information is retained in your long-term memory. Distractions, such as music and television, prevent you from paying the required amount of attention to the material. Failure to concentrate will result in the information being lost and not committed to memory.
If you have a hard time remembering to do important things, you may want to leave yourself a voice message. Looking at your phone and seeing that you have a message will help to remind you that you have something important thing to do. Text messaging is another convenient reminder technique.
Keep your social life active. It is proven that those with an active social life have a better memory. Talk to your friends and family, either in person or over the phone, because it will stimulate your brain. Having an active social life will slow your memory from fading.
Getting more of your senses involved will greatly aid you in remembering! Studies suggest speaking and hearing something will reinforce your memory of it so try reading things out loud to yourself if you need to remember or as a general exercise for your memory. You will see the information, say it and hear it thereby tripling your sensory exposure to it!
If your memory is either starting to decline or simply not being as strong as it used to be, consider following some of the suggestions mentioned in this article. You may be surprised at how much greater your memory can quickly become, once you start working on it daily.
