Every day, we are bombarded with more information than we could ever hope to retain. There are certain moments or pieces of information that we want or need to hang on to, however, so it’s important that we do what we can to protect our minds. The tips in this article should help you build a better-functioning memory.
Avoid cramming all your material into one short study session. Studies show that information is better retained, if you take some time to learn it. You can do this by scheduling short study sessions in the days and weeks, prior to an exam. Cramming everything into one sitting will only prove to be counter productive.
A useful strategy when tasked with the memory of new information is to restructure and reorganize the information. The simplest way to do this is to take the information and create a summary outline in a notebook or on your computer. This works for two reasons. It is easier to remember something that you have worked with, and the process also naturally reorders the information in a way that is easier for you to remember.
When trying to improve memory skills, be sure to pay attention. You may think you’re focusing your attention, but you mind may actually be wandering instead of focusing efficiently. Forget about your problems and stay focused on the information presented. Think about and focus on these things in order to make the memory stick.
Organize the information you’re trying to study. Studies have shown that your brain stores similar information in the same spot. So to maximize your studying effort, you want to try and group similar things together when you’re studying. Using an outline to group subjects or sub-topics together can be beneficial in the long run.
Use the power of positive thinking to help improve your memory. If you tell yourself over and over again that you have a bad memory you soon will come to believe it. If, on the other hand, you tell yourself that you have a great memory, it can cause you to subconsciously change your actions and information processing patterns so that your memory begins to improve.
Exercise your brain frequently. Consider activities where you need to improve. Repeating what you already know will lead nowhere and will not create new connections among your brain cells. Break your routines frequently and find new ways of doing your everyday chores. Choose activities which are new, fun and challenging.
In order to remember important things, you may want to enlist the help of family or friends who have good memories. Tell them the important information you want to remember, so that you can ask them at a later date to remind you of this information. Just do not rely on someone else who has a bad memory!
If you find that you are losing things as soon as you set them down, try dedicating a spot to them. Make sure that you are putting your keys in the same spot every day. Make a spot for your glasses or the book you are reading. If you make a habit of putting everything in its place, forgetting where they are won’t be a problem.
To help a young child remember his home phone number, use a familiar tune and make up a song with the phone number. When the phone number is associated with the familiarity of the tune, the child will be able to recall the phone number a lot better. This method is useful for people of any age.
Establish relationships with old and new information. To keep your memory in top form, keep information relevant in your mind. Your brain will automatically discard most facts it deems useless. It is often necessary to “update” memories. Think on them regularly and determine how they relate or hold up to new information.
Visualizing information in your brain works well for many people. You only have to remember a small piece of information at a time, rather than a large amount at once. An example of this is a phone number. It is much easier to recall 888-990-8765 than it is to remember 8889908765.
If you have trouble with memory and focus, the problem may not be directly related to your brain. Physical exercise has been shown to improve brain function significantly. Do half an hour to an hour of exercise per day and see if that doesn’t clear up any problems with a foggy brain.
As mentioned above, our lives are filled with so much information that we have to take special effort to remember specific events or pieces of information. With the advice from this article, however, you should be better equipped to hold more information in your mind. Now go out there and learn something new!
