It can be as mundane as a phone number or as emotionally important as a family trip, but poor memory can make you forget virtually anything. While many people resign themselves to just having a “naturally poor” memory, there are various tips that can be taken to ensure that you help remember the things in your life.
Color code information to help you memorize it. Color coding helps the left and right sides of your brain to work together, and better allows you to commit material to your long term memory. The color also plays as an association to the word or phrase you’re working to memorize.
Keep a running list of the things you want to accomplish each day. As you finish one item, cross it off and move on to the next. Simultaneously, keep adding items at the bottom of the list as they arise. In this way you will never forget what you need to do next.
There’s no shame in using memory aids such as sticky note reminders. Stick them to spots that you look at frequently during the day, for example on the edge of your computer monitor or on your restroom mirror. You’ll find that these notes will keep you on track and help you remember tasks and appointments.
To help prevent memory loss, you should regularly spend time socializing with your friends. Interacting with friends and loved ones in a social setting helps to prevent stress and depression, both of which seriously impede memory function. Clear time in your schedule to relax and enjoy your friends. Your memory will thank you for it.
When you need to learn something, practice it repeatedly. The more times you practice something, the better recall you will have. This is a way of coding something into the part of you brain that is responsible for long-term memory. If you do not practice, the new information will remain in short-term memory and will be easily forgotten.
To improve your memory you need to have fun and laugh a lot. Your memory needs healthy fun besides training. Struggling for 6 hours with the latest Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle might seem to enhance memory functions, but in most cases socializing with friends, going to the movies or enjoying a play at the local theatre helps much more.
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.
It is important that you keep a daily routine if you want to improve your memory. By doing things at different times of the day, you may forget certain obligations. Try to stick with one routine for the weekdays when you are at work and one routine for weekends when you are home.
Write important appointments or events on a calendar, and make sure that you look at the calender every day. If you are a cell phone owner, most cell phones have a daily reminder or calendar in which you can program upcoming events.
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 it is important for you 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!
Improve memory with mnemonics. Use an acronym to remember lists of related things. For example, ‘Homes’ is used to remember the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. The first letter of the words in a sentence can represent a list of letters that you have to remember. For example, “Every good boy does fine” can be used to memorize the notes on the lines of a treble clef: E,G,B,D and F.
Exercising on a regular basis will assist in improving your memory. Even working out a little bit each day can greatly help.
A great tip that can help you improve your memory is to make sure you’re getting enough healthy fats in your diet that contain omega-3’s. These healthy fats are great because they support brain health. You can find omega-3’s in salmon, flaxseed, or you can just take a fish oil supplement.
If you are having problems concentrating or memorizing things, try getting more sleep. Your brain needs at least six to eight hours of sleep a night to function properly. If you have a sleep deficit, it can show in your cognitive abilities. If you’re having problems getting enough sleep, don’t ignore this; consult your physician. Very few people can manage to stay healthy in the longterm with only a few hours sleep per night, so don’t be fooled by the claims of those who insist that they can get by on 5 hours per night.
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.
It is impossible to remember something if you have not first learned it. Focus your attention on the item and really make an effort to learn it, and then review the information over and over again. Once you have done this a few times you should be able to remember the information without any problem, this tip works wonders for a lot of people.
A poor memory can really hamper one’s life. You can forget the name of the person you met just last week, or you can even forget some of what would have been cherished memories. While everyone’s capacity for memory is different, this article’s advice gave various tips that will help make sure your memory is working at its own optimal level.
