I've always been envious of people with exceptional
memories. These are the kind of people who accumulate encyclopedic knowledge
with seemingly little effort. The rest of us struggle to remember the name of
the person we were introduced to seconds ago. There's hope for all of us. Just
as we can strengthen any other muscle in our bodies, we can train our brains to
remember more and learn anything faster. You don't need to be born with a
photographic memory.
Imagine the power of being able to memorize anything
faster. Think about how much time you’d have, how much you could shorten the
learning curve, and how much more success you’d achieve. So much of what we
read and absorb today is forgotten in our brains, that we’re not using our time
to its full potential. Whether you need to avoid
embarrassing memory lapses, or want to stay mentally sharp, improving your memory
is easier than it sounds. All it takes is trying out new memorization
techniques or making key adjustments in your lifestyle:
·
Associate new words
with those you already know. If you are
learning a language, you can memorize something new based on what you
know.
·
Build your own”mind
palace. “The idea is to associate
certain things with a certain place. For example, if you are
in your room, try to connect a thing you are learning
to something in your room. Repeat it a few times. After that,
try to recall what the room looks like in your memory, and repeat the
things you learned this way.
·
Choose only the best materials. Don’t use outdated internet sources
and methods of learning. Things might have changed a lot since the articles
were written. Don’t waste your time on something that may turn out
to be wrong.
·
Learn opposite things.
For example, if you are learning a foreign language, memorize day and
night. Opposites are easier to memorize.
·
Learn the most
necessary information. You need to set your priorities
correctly.
·
Make
up stories. If you need to memorize
a lot of information in some particular order, try to put
the pieces into a story. It’s important that the pieces are connected
to each other with some kind of plot.
·
Record the information you are learning,
and listen to the recording a few times. This method works best for
people who memorize audio information better.
·
Switch your attention from one topic
to another. Remember
that similar memories get mixed (interference
theory) and become a “mess. “
·
Things that are
at the beginning and at the end are memorized the best
(serial position effect).
·
Try to understand
what you learn. Things that you understand are
memorized nine times faster.
·
Use “nail words.”
The point of this technique is to nail one learned thing
to another. So when you think of the nail, you automatically
recall the other thing.
·
Visualize, and use body language when learning. This will help you trigger
your muscle memory.
“I'm
a visual thinker really bad at algebra. There's others that are a pattern
thinker. These are the music and math minds. They think in patterns instead of
pictures. Then there's another type that's not a visual thinker at all, and
they're the ones that memorize all of the sports statistics, all of the weather
statistics.” (Temple Grandin)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“12 Secrets
for Memorizing Things Easily” by Bright Side
·
“5 Ways to Memorize Anything Faster “by
·
“7
Ways to Enhance Your Memory” by Ryan Anderson
·
“The Science of Memory: Top 10 Proven Techniques to
Remember More and Learn Faster” by Melanie
Pinola
No comments:
Post a Comment