Most people notice that their short-term memory gradually worsens as they age. Sure, our brains are not working as efficiently as they did in our youth, but forgetting someone’s name or where you placed something usually doesn’t interfere with everyday life.
One of the most effective ways to improve memory capacity and minimize age-related changes is simply to make a conscious effort to pay better attention, especially at times when we want to remember things.
You can also do some simple exercises to increase your attention span and capacity almost immediately.
The next time you read a magazine, newspaper article, or blog post, make an effort to pay attention to the details. You may want to focus on a particular person or place, a situation, or anything that gets your attention.
Notice and focus on three to four specific details. Test yourself later in the day to see how many of the details you recall.
Chances are good that just by making that extra effort to concentrate, your recall ability will improve.
You can create a memory habit that will improve your concentration abilities whenever you are in a situation requiring better memory skills: take a deep breath, slowly exhale and then shift your mind into that state where you are highly focused on the moment and ready to take in new information.
You will likely be able to recall much more of the information at a later time.
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