Having a great memory can help you succeed in life, in school, and in your job. It may help you learn the information faster, so that you can get yourself a much better job and earn much more money. It doesn’t take a genius intellect to develop a good memory. With a few tips and tricks, you can start seeing memory improvements almost immediately.
One excellent and fun way to help improve your memory retention is to play games that are designed to provide a challenge. It is similar to exercising to keep the muscles in shape. If you challenge your brain regularly, it will be stronger and your memory, focus and concentration will all benefit. Examples of good games that boost your memory are crosswords puzzles, brain teasers and word searches.
When trying to commit a large amount of information to memory, having several shorter study sessions is significantly better than having one long study session. The reason for this is that it takes several separate instances of reviewing the material in order to commit the material to long term memory. Holding the information in long term memory will allow you to more readily recall the information than if it was stored in short term memory.
The more difficult the information is, the harder it’s going to be to retain, so you have to break down tough information into smaller tidbits. Breaking the whole down into segments and then reassembling them in your mind not only allows you to retain the memory, but it also creates a road map to allow you to recall the memory.
Retaining knowledge is only hard when you start to doubt yourself, so always be sure that you’re as confident as possible when studying or attempting to learn anything. Doubt creeping in causes you to only recall the doubt. It doesn’t necessarily make you forget, but it certainly doesn’t help you to remember.
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.
Saying what you’re trying to remember outloud is a fast and easy way to boost your memory. Though it may feel silly at first, saying things outloud is a great tool for memorization. When you re-read something over and over again to try to memorize it, you may start skimming. Saying it outloud forces you to read and listen to the whole thing each time.
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.
To better commit names to memory, repeat a person’s name after an introduction, and try to come up with something about the person that might help you remember his or her name. If you meet a Bob who mentions that he enjoys fishing, you might associate his name with a bobber like those used on a fishing line, for instance.
Pay attention when you want to memorize something. Clear your mind completely and focus on the subject and avoid outside distractions such as noises and images. Persons with focusing difficulties should find a silent, remote location to improve focusing and speeding up the memorization process. Use pleasant music to enhance your focusing.
As if you needed another excuse to exercise, physical activity enhances the effects of helpful chemicals within the brain and actually protects brain cells! Exercise is one potent weapon in improving your memory or maintaining more of it, as you get older. So keep active, keep moving and keep more in memory!
Try to control the amount of stress in your daily life. Stress is one of the worst enemies for your brain. It destroys brain cells over time and hurts its ability to create new memories and retrieve old ones. Meditation is one of the ways that you can use to reduce the amount of stress in your life.
To improve your memory, make sure you are getting enough exercise, but especially of the aerobic variety. Recent research indicates that concentrated aerobic exercise activities actually encourage new cell growth in the brain’s memory center. Try to do aerobic exercises such as biking and running in order to get the maximum benefit.
Eat the right foods for the health of your brain and it will reward you with a sharp and versatile memory. Healthy fats contribute significantly to your brain’s health. Eat foods including nuts, fish, and flax seed oil instead of the nasty trans fats.
One fun way to help keep your memory sharp is to play brain games, such as puzzles and logic games. These types of games will help improve attention span, concentration, mental flexibility and memory. To keep your brain in top shape, it is recommended that you play brain games at least 15 minutes each day. According to recent research, playing brain games can even aid in the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.
If you have trouble remembering names, try associating the person you have just met with someone you are acquainted with who has the same name. You may also associate them with a famous person. This link will help to bring up the identity of the new person when it is needed.
Sleep is vital to maintaining mental clarity and memory. By avoiding sleep, you make your senses and mind foggier, hurting your ability to focus and piece together information. In addition, during sleep, your brain forges pathways that lead to memory. Getting good sleep (and a good amount of it) will improve your memory.
Now that you are familiar with some memory retention techniques, you should find it easier to remember important dates and things in daily life. If you use the information and ideas that you have just read, you will find it much easier to store and recall memories.
