Last week I advised you on the basics you’ll need to keep your mind and body healthy. This week I’m going to tell you about some specific techniques you can use to improve your memory.
So, what are the best ways to improve your memory? Well, there are lots of different ways. Try each of them out and see which works best for you. The first method we’ll look at is repetition
Repeat it!
One of the simplest ways of remembering things is to practice them. So, if you want to remember a new word, repeat it to yourself. However, it’s not as simple as that. You also need to make sure that the way you carry out the practise is done right. Start by repeating the word to yourself once or twice an hour whilst you are studying. Then leave it for a while, do something else that takes your mind off the word altogether, then come back to it. You should try to make the intervals between remembering the word longer and longer.
Visualisation
This is the technique I like the best. It involves you attaching everyday items to the word or idea you’re trying to memorise. It’s all about creating images in your mind, so to practise here’s a list of words to remember and the images you could use to complete the task:
telephone, a packet of five sausages, flowery wallpaper
Now create an image of yourself in a room with flowery wallpaper making a call on a telephone with huge sausage-like fingers. The more outrageous the image, the more likely you are to remember it. Once you have the image set in your mind you can introduce other items. You can now extend this image by adding in other rooms with other items in them.
Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is another visual technique, but it involves you writing your ideas down in a specific way. It’s simple to create a mind map – you take a large piece of paper and put the main idea in the middle. Now draw a ring around the main idea. Once you’ve done this, you can attach the other ideas to the image using branches. If you want to see what I mean, look at this article on mind mapping. The actual process of creating a mind map helps you remember the words or phrases you need because you must fit the pieces together by finding connections between them.
Read Out Loud
Research shows that explaining something you know to another person is an effective way of remembering it. I used this technique when I was at University, especially for presentations. I learnt what I needed to know, then practised the presentation to a pretend audience. It really helped me learn the information I needed and highlighted the bits that needed more attention. But, you can use this technique for any information you need to learn, just read it out to a friend instead.
Word Play
There are several ways you can use words to help you remember things. Acronyms are a good way to remember a list of places using the first letter of each place to create a new word. One of the most well-known of these is HOMES – this acronym is used to remember the great lakes of Canada – Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. You can also use the first letter to create a saying to remember things, like the famous rhyme for remembering the colours of the rainbow – Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain, which helps you remember red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. But, take care not to spend longer trying to come up with clever rhymes, rather than actually learning.
So there you have it! Of course, there are lots of other memory tricks you can use and a simple search on Google using ‘improve memory’ will give you a huge list of resources to try. Have fun!
