Ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there? Or try to remember the name of a movie or TV series? Or stare at a colleague's face so you can remember his name, or even worse try to remember the answer to a question?
Forgetfulness is normal and there is no need to worry about Alzheimer's or other serious memory diseases. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that you can do to help improve your memory.
These simple strategies, techniques, and lifestyle changes can effectively improve memory, enhance recall, and increase retention of information.
- Repetition
Repetition is one of the easiest and most effective methods for remembering things.
Use the Spaced Interval Repetition (SIR) technique to remember things. It uses repetition at specific intervals to ensure you remember a fact or name. After you learn something and you want to continue remembering it in the short-term, then repeat it to yourself right after you learn it, 15 to 20 minutes after you initially learned it, after six to eight hours and 24 hours later.
In the long-term, you need to repeat it to yourself after one day, after two to three weeks and then again after two to three months.
- Study in the Afternoon
Even if you think you function better in the morning or late at night, studies show that it is easier to retain information if you learn it and review it in the afternoon.
A study published in the Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research proved this theory. About 68 undergraduate participants were provided with words to remember, one group was asked to only study in the morning while the other group studied in the afternoon.
The findings showed that those who acquired information in the afternoon had better performance.
- Write it Down
Write what you wish to remember on a paper. Researchers at the University of Oregon conducted a study to see if physical newspaper readers comprehend better than those who read online. The finding showed that the print news readers remember significantly more news stories than online readers.
Memorize informationby re-organizing it into a list, maybe even a numbered list, so you can focus on one thing first, another thing second and so on.
- Use the "Chunking" Method
Use the"chunking" method to rememeber things. You can to make it easier to remember, by relating the informationon some common ground. For example, if you're trying to memorize the items you need on a trip to the grocery store, you could chunk together items by where you wll find them in the store
- Make it Rhyme
Use rhymes or songs to remember. Take a recognizable melody, such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and set the information you need to remember to the beat. If this doesn't work for you, create a rhyme that you can easily repeat using the information.
- Eat Healthy
A good diet not only nourishes your body, but also your mind. If your body is full of bad food, it can be hard for your brain to focus and retain information. While fats are bad, mono- and polyunsaturated fats may be helpful for preserving memory.
- Stop Stressing
Stress makes it easy to forget things, usually because you are focused on too many things at once, so if you want to make sure your brain stays sharp, it is important to eliminate daily and chronic stress from your life.
- Figure Out Your Learning Method
Everyone has their own way of remembering details. According to the Center for Learning and Development, you should try out several learning and memory methods. While you may be able to function with a learning method, however, there can be certain concepts memorized better with using a different method.
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