How to Remember Things
Be mindful about creating memories., Engage your visual memory., Use your imagination., Chunk information., Link information.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Be mindful about creating memories.
It is easy to forget things when you don't take the time to engage with them – when your mind is already slipping off of the surface of the memory, and leaping to the next thing.
Take a moment to breathe.
Be exactly where you are.
If you make this moment a significant and conscious act of storing a memory, you may find it much easier to recall the memory later.
Listen.
If you meet someone and she tells you her name: take a moment to fully engage with this person.
You still might not remember everything, but it should be easier to link the name with a face if you are absolutely present when you store the memory.If you want to remember where you left an object: take a moment to be aware of where you are leaving it.
If you're setting your keys down, visualize the keys as they rest on the wood grain of the table, surrounded by books, and cups, and other things.
Capture the image in your mind so that you can recall it later. -
Step 2: Engage your visual memory.
It can be hard to remember everything that you hear, especially when you hear multiple pieces of information at once.
Memory is a primarily visual function.
If you link new information to things that you can see and imagine, you may find it much easier to recall the "linked" memories.If you meet four new people, and they all introduce themselves to you at once, try linking each name to one major physical characteristic of each person.
For instance, Bill might have a large bill on his baseball cap, and Sandra might have light, sandy hair. , If you are leaving something somewhere, imagine that it explodes, or grows, or comes to life as soon as you set it down.
Picture every detail.
Conjure a vivid mental image that links your memory of the object to a specific time and place.
Try to make "memory spots" by linking your mental images to a room that you frequent, or to an object that you use every day., It is well-documented that we remember things best when they are grouped with other things.Try to put things into categories or chains.
Break up large bits pieces of information into smaller bits of information.
Try chunking verbal information into poetic sound and metrical structures – songs, or verses, or just simple rhymes.
For thousands of years, humans passed down stories and information between spans of generations without any formal writing system.
Rhyming is one way of chunking verbal information, but so are stanzas; paragraphs; and even sentences.If you need to remember a long chain of numbers, break it up into smaller bits.
For instance, remember 459012476390 as "459 012 476 390" or "4590 1247
6390." There is a reason that phone numbers, social security numbers, and other important chains of information are broken up into sections. , When you learn something new, find a way to tie it into what you already know.
Make it relevant to your life and your knowledge base.
Try using mnemonics to create more mental connections around a given bit of information.Come up with a handy acronym, or try to remember the new thing as a subset of something you already know. #*If you are trying to remember how to find a physical location, try to tie it into your existing mental map.
Memorize each twist and turn that led you to the place.
Link the spot in your mind to another place that you know. -
Step 3: Use your imagination.
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Step 4: Chunk information.
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Step 5: Link information.
Detailed Guide
It is easy to forget things when you don't take the time to engage with them – when your mind is already slipping off of the surface of the memory, and leaping to the next thing.
Take a moment to breathe.
Be exactly where you are.
If you make this moment a significant and conscious act of storing a memory, you may find it much easier to recall the memory later.
Listen.
If you meet someone and she tells you her name: take a moment to fully engage with this person.
You still might not remember everything, but it should be easier to link the name with a face if you are absolutely present when you store the memory.If you want to remember where you left an object: take a moment to be aware of where you are leaving it.
If you're setting your keys down, visualize the keys as they rest on the wood grain of the table, surrounded by books, and cups, and other things.
Capture the image in your mind so that you can recall it later.
It can be hard to remember everything that you hear, especially when you hear multiple pieces of information at once.
Memory is a primarily visual function.
If you link new information to things that you can see and imagine, you may find it much easier to recall the "linked" memories.If you meet four new people, and they all introduce themselves to you at once, try linking each name to one major physical characteristic of each person.
For instance, Bill might have a large bill on his baseball cap, and Sandra might have light, sandy hair. , If you are leaving something somewhere, imagine that it explodes, or grows, or comes to life as soon as you set it down.
Picture every detail.
Conjure a vivid mental image that links your memory of the object to a specific time and place.
Try to make "memory spots" by linking your mental images to a room that you frequent, or to an object that you use every day., It is well-documented that we remember things best when they are grouped with other things.Try to put things into categories or chains.
Break up large bits pieces of information into smaller bits of information.
Try chunking verbal information into poetic sound and metrical structures – songs, or verses, or just simple rhymes.
For thousands of years, humans passed down stories and information between spans of generations without any formal writing system.
Rhyming is one way of chunking verbal information, but so are stanzas; paragraphs; and even sentences.If you need to remember a long chain of numbers, break it up into smaller bits.
For instance, remember 459012476390 as "459 012 476 390" or "4590 1247
6390." There is a reason that phone numbers, social security numbers, and other important chains of information are broken up into sections. , When you learn something new, find a way to tie it into what you already know.
Make it relevant to your life and your knowledge base.
Try using mnemonics to create more mental connections around a given bit of information.Come up with a handy acronym, or try to remember the new thing as a subset of something you already know. #*If you are trying to remember how to find a physical location, try to tie it into your existing mental map.
Memorize each twist and turn that led you to the place.
Link the spot in your mind to another place that you know.
About the Author
Jessica Parker
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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