A good memory relies on the ability to retrieve the information and knowledge you have stored in your mind — and you can speed your mental agility by using memory tricks.
Here are five memory tricks that improve your ability to recall information accurately:
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1. Stay focused on the most important task at hand. Multitasking may seem impressive, but it doesn’t allow your brain time to absorb necessary information. People become more prone to mistakes and forgetfulness when performing more than one task simultaneously, such as talking on the phone while carrying on another activity.
A study done by the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, showed that that students who took classes on mindfulness, which helps to focus on information without distractions, scored better on comprehension tests and memory capacity.
2. Exercise your brain with mental functions through mind games
. Working out about 20 minutes a day with online brain games, such as the challenges on
Lumosity.com, improves memorization. It’s best to spend about five minutes on one task during online challenges. Longer periods on each undertaking might weaken the memory benefits. If you don’t enjoy online mind games, you can boost brainpower with crossword puzzles or other games for mental exercise.
3. Use mnemonic techniques, such as those on Mindtools.com, which employ phrases, rhymes and mental images to store information in your mind. They range from the simple “30 days have September” rhyme for recalling days in a month to visualization that associates items with planted images. Rhymes such as “Sam the ham” or “Terri is merry” help you remember names. Picturing a stethoscope in your mind helps you to remember a doctor’s appointment.
4. Learn a new skill that interests you. Improving brain function depends on meaningful activities. Avoid doing an activity just for the sake of performing a new task. Stimulate your brain with a skill you find exciting. Maybe you want to finally get down and learn how to play the piano or guitar. It might be time to start building models or enhancing your gardening techniques.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, memory tricks work best
when you hold your attention to something you really love.
5. Sleep on it. This is one of the easiest memory enhancers if you do it right. The brain consolidates memory while at rest to sort out what you’ve learned during the day. You can become forgetful of things when the brain is too busy working on all your activities. A sound sleep, or even a 20-minute nap during the day, allows your brain to move recently acquired information into permanent memory storage. Getting enough sleep is part of the creative process to arrange those waking thoughts in an orderly manner.
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