Tips
and techniques to help you remember...
...you
know, that thing... I forgot.
Great for
students...but other folks could benifet from these tips, as well.
Having problems forgetting
appointments, to-dos, errands, feeding your children and pets, picking up after
yourself, getting out of bed... not to mention forgetting birthdays, and even
anniversaries?
If you are like many people, you will
often find yourself forgetting something. In an age of computers, PDA’s, and
many other devices - this my be ok for some folks, unless you forget where you
put those devices. Others may want to increase their ability to memorize things
- luckily there are a few creative ways you can improve your long and short
term memory.
Use your
Senses & Be Aware
Practice creating
vivid images/concepts in your head - using all of your senses. Analyze your
surroundings by sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Being aware all of your
senses will give your mind more ways to associate (and thus remember) when it
is time to recall something.
This
is like form of meditation -- which is good for your brain in a variety of
ways.
Practice
this tip of simply being more aware of your surroundings everyday and you will
find your general memory greatly improved.
Don't worry, be Mindful
There has been a lot said about the
power of positive thinking. Recently, a huge bandwagon of new-age positive
thought = positive outcome theories have been on tips of everyone's tongue from
Oprah to your local convenience store clerk. Just do a Google search for
"Law of Attraction" or "The Secret" if you aren't in the cult
loop.
Negative
thoughts fog our minds, but clearing out the negative and focusing on the positive
also improves memory & concentration.
Stress
is a big brain buster, so minimize stress and negative thoughts to keep your
wits.
Apt
Quote:
“What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack in the ground underneath a
giant boulder you can't move, with no hope of rescue. Consider how lucky you
are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been
good to you so far, which given your current circumstances seems more likely,
consider how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer.” -
Douglas Adam
See
the Future
Have
trouble remembering to-dos, appointments, meetings, deadlines, birthdays and
other future events?
Here
is the secret: When you know you have an upcoming event you don't want to
forget, picture yourself at the event. What are you doing, who is there, what
does it smell like? Imagine the event...even better: imagine yourself taking
the steps that lead to the event.
For
example... let's say tomorrow you have to call the someone. Picture yourself in
your home/office, picture yourself picking up the phone, imagine dialing the
number and talking to the person of the other end.
Associate
Association is among one of the easiest
and most used tools in learning. This is the process of taking the information
you wish to memorize, and linking it mentally to something else that is natural
to you. When learning something new, try to associate the new concept with one
to which you are already familiar.
Couple association with being aware
using all of your senses and you will have a higher rate of successful
recall.
Chunky like your mom
Chunking information is a great
mnemonic method to remember multiple items. Many people naturally use chunking
to remember phone numbers: Instead of thinking "17342876642" we chunk
it as 1-734-287-6642.
The
concept of chunking comes from a famous 1956 paper by George A. Miller: The
Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for
Processing Information. If you are a sucker for classic works in the
history of psychology (I know, who isn't?) you can read the whole original paper here.
Write it Down
We
generally think of "writing things down" as a means to NOT have to
remember something. The paper does the work for -- we just need to remember
where we put that piece of paper...
But,
writing things down has another effect: you clear your mind and take away the
stress of "having to remember", and by doing so you actually have
more room in your noggin for remembering stuff. I know that explanation wasn't
scientific, but it works.
To-do
lists are championed by business gurus and soccer moms alike. Try writing
everything down for a week or two and see how much this improves your memory
& focus. A great digital tool for "writing things down" is
provided by a website called Nozbe.com -- I recommend it
for clearing your head and also organizing your thoughts.
Comments on Improving Memory
Do
you have your own tip or special technique that helps you remember?
If you can remember it, please post it below ;)
