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Who doesn’t want to remember everything they read? Well, we are sure you do. That is why we have these memory techniques to improve your memory skills.
Have you ever wondered what makes people with excellent memory, even photographic memory, so different from you? Well, the answer is nothing major. They use some memory techniques to train their mind.
With some right memory techniques, you will remember all the things you often forget. Like names, grocery lists, tasks, equations, years, facts, and new language you fail to retain. Your body needs to exercise to stay fit same is true for our brain. In this article, we will discuss these exercises to make your memory strong to remember.
Top 12 Memory Techniques
Memorization techniques are mnemonics. Mnemonics are simply memory tools or methods that help us to remember things better. They would help in storing information and support retrieving it effectively in the time of need.
1. Method of Loci
This method is the most powerful technique used by many memory champions like Sherlock Holmes, the famous fictional detective. You would be aware that he can remember all the facts because they are in his memory palace.
A memory palace is another name for the Method of Loci, and this method is from ancient Roman times and is still very much used today. Through this method, one associates information with something you are familiar with.
For example, you learn a new thing, and then you try to associate that thing with an object or place in your home. When you associate something in your mind with physical space, your mind becomes better at recalling it.
Learn more about the Method of Loci from here.
2. Sleep after Learning Something New
Quality sleep is very important for overall health as it is for memory. Sleep deprivation can make anyone sluggish, and it can negatively affect your brain.
Although sleep is important, sleeping just after learning something can do wonders. Sleep not only protects our brain; it helps with our memory too. It is because of the rest given to our brain through sleep. This is one of the easiest memory techniques.
When we sleep just within an hour of our study session, it remains with us well. A 45-minute nap is just as effective as 8-hour sleep. So if there is something that you think you will not remember, you know what to do. Just read and learn before going to bed.
3. Spaced Repetition
You will likely forget something that you have read only once. But if you read the same information multiple times at some interval, you are likely to recall information even after a long time.
This is what spaced repetition is. We read the same pieces of information just when we are about to forget it.
Spaced repetition is not “cramming.” Cramming is trying to learn something without understanding the concept. Whereas spaced repetition involves repeating what we have once known and understood after a while.
The period of repetition varies with time. When the information is new, then the repetition period is short. Gradually this time interval becomes longer. Spaced repetition can become easy with the help of flashcards or notes, which are accessible at any time.
4. Teach Others What you Have Learned
“The best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.”
This popular line is very true and is one of the memory techniques. When you have to teach somebody, then you will try to understand the concept better.
Teaching increases our comprehension, retention power, and our long-term memories. When you teach or even mention something that you have learned to someone, it helps with your memory. For regularity in this memory technique, you can become a mentor for your friend or start your own classes. The technology of today has given us another option. We can easily teach online through a YouTube channel or platforms that are hiring tutors.
5. Create a Story
Learning a story is much easier than learning some formula or facts. This gives us another of the many memory techniques that you can try.
Stories are easier to learn because they flow in a sequence connecting one thing with another as images we imagine while listening to a narrative form a picture in our minds. It is beneficial if the picture is relatable yet exaggerated as its peculiarness can prevent you from forgetting it.
Let’s take the example of you memorizing the formula E = mc2. You can imagine an elephant fighting a mouse and two cats. This will give you the desired formula.
This very famous line, ‘My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Noodles,’ is learned to remember the planet’s name in a series, i.e., Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
6. Write Down Things
It would help if you remember your teacher telling you to write things down whenever they teach you a new concept. This was because writing down whatever we have learned can be one of the memory techniques. Because when we hear or read something, most of us forget more than half of it within two days. However when we write the same information, then our chances to remember the info increase profoundly.
When we write, our brain puts extra time into remembering the same information. It works when we write by hand rather than typing.
While typing, we are just pressing identical keys, but we form the letter with our hands when we write. This stimulates the brain cells called the reticular activating system. These cells make our brains pay more attention.
Writing everything we learn can be a tedious task. That is why it is better to write only the important points like equations, years, etc. You can also make mind maps.
7. Use Acronyms
As you may know, acronyms are abbreviations made from the first letter of the words. Many long titles have acronyms to make them easy to remember and speak. This same method is beneficial for memorizing things you read in a book.
You may remember the use of PEMDAS while doing maths to remember the right sequence of operations. P stands for Parenthesis, E for exponents, M for multiplication, D for Division, A for addition, and S for subtraction.
This acronym is to remember what to solve first without making any errors. Similarly, we use VIBGYOR to memorize the correct sequence of colours of the rainbow: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
You can create such acronyms to remember something that is in sequence or formulas. This is one of the most extensively used memory techniques.
8. Eat Food that Improves Memories
Food filled with saturated and trans fats like baked goods, fried food, etc., is bad for the body and the brain. These items will increase your cholesterol, which can lead to heart attack and poor memory.
High cholesterol, which clogs blood vessels, damages brain tissues too. This deprives brain cells of oxygen-rich blood, compromising memory and thinking capacity. For our brain, it is important to have a good diet as one of the memory techniques.
Substitute this trans and saturated fat with food like fruits and vegetables, nuts containing unsaturated fats, olive oil, green tea, whole grains, etc.
The food items mentioned above, also known as the Mediterranean diet, can improve our memory and keep our brains sharp for a long time. They also lower the risk of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
9. Have Many Hobbies
Having many hobbies also acts as one of the memory techniques. Many hobbies mean dealing with something new on an everyday basis. This brings our brains out of our comfort zone and keeps them evolving.
You do not know what our brain is capable of until we have tried it. That is why it is important to keep doing something new regularly.
You can do many things that can exert your brain. Read a book based on a completely unfamiliar genre, do some different forms of exercise, you can also meet new people, or learn a musical instrument.
10. Exercise to Improve Memory
Exercising is not just to keep your body in shape but your brain too. Exercise increases the blood flow to our brain and also transfers more oxygen to the brain.
This, like other memory techniques, has many benefits like better concentration, alertness, positivity, and better memory.
While we exercise, there is also the release of a protein called Cathepsin B, which is responsible for the growth of neurons. Neurons build a new connection with the hippocampus, this is the part of the brain that stores our memory. You don’t have to have a rigorous exercise schedule. Just walking every day can improve your memory. So take a short 15-minute walk before going to a new concept.
11. Go Lingual
The best thing you can do for yourself and your brain is to learn a new language. It will benefit you in life and is great for your memory.
It is the best mental exercise one can find. Learning a new language involves remembering new grammar rules, vocabulary, etc. You will also get to know an entirely different culture, which will increase your focus and interest in that language.
Learning a new language requires adopting a whole set of memory techniques. This must be enough of the reason to become bilingual.
12. Meditation
Meditation is very famous for its positive impact on our minds. This improvement in attention is our reason for putting meditation on the list of memory techniques.
Meditation is not so hard. You need to sit still for a couple of minutes and focus on your breathing. That’s it, and you have achieved a lot more remembering power.
We can easily practice meditation anytime, and you don’t necessarily have to be sitting. You can also meditate while walking. Many people find this form to be much simpler. So next time you are out for a walk, try to meditate while covering a block.
Key Takeaways
It is necessary to know that memory is different from understanding. If you are studying something, it is important to understand it. These memory techniques make information easier to access.
Some of the memory techniques like sleeping, meditating, and eating right are very easy, and you can add this to your routine. While others can require a little more work, they can change your life forever.
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Last Updated on by Priya Das
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