Do you always forget homework or even what homework is and when do you have to turn it in? Do you find it hard to remember people's names? Do you think you have a bad memory? This article will teach you techniques to help you remember the things you have forgotten, as well as ways to keep the most important information from escaping you.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Remembering Something You Forgot
Step 1. Calm down
Close your eyes, take a couple of deep breaths and relax. The anxiety of not being able to remember something can prevent you from doing it. Getting depressed about your "bad" memory, frustration and panic only divert your mental energy from the goal.
In some cases, you need to walk away and do something else to calm down. Take a five-minute break, talk to someone, watch television, or work on another project
Step 2. Recreate the environment you were in when you first came up with the thing that now escapes you, when you learned that information or when you last remembered having the item you lost
When you have a great idea in the shower, that thought is registered in the brain along with the context, or environment (in this case, the shower). That idea is connected to the memory of the shower, the smell of shampoo, the sound of running water and the feeling it leaves on your skin. Reliving that experience can help you remember information you have forgotten.
Step 3. Close your eyes
A recent study suggests that closing your eyes improves the ability to recall information. This can happen because you eliminate potential distractions and focus better on memories and their details.
Method 2 of 5: Remember Names
Step 1. Stop and listen
The reason you forget names is not that you are "a landslide with names", but because you weren't listening well. You may be so excited or nervous when you meet a person or so worried about having to make a good impression that your brain doesn't process important information, such as the name of the person in front of you.
Put aside all other thoughts, face straight at the person, make eye contact and listen. Remembering her name should be your top priority
Step 2. Repeat the person's name at least twice
Repetition helps to fix this information in memory, because it strengthens the neural connections within the brain.
- Once the person has told you their name, repeat it, confirming that you understand it correctly. This can be especially useful for names that are difficult to pronounce.
- Repeat the person's name again, saying "Nice to meet you, Roberto".
- As you walk away, repeat the person's name in your head.
Step 3. Create a visual association
Our brains are terrific at storing visual information, so by creating a link between a person's name and an image, it will become much easier to remember.
For example, if you meet a person named Chiara, with deep blue eyes, visualize a clear sky of that color
Method 3 of 5: Remember Dates and Things to Do
Step 1. Save a reminder in your smart phone
As soon as you schedule your doctor's visit, pick up the phone and mark it on the calendar. Most modern cell phones allow you to set an alert that reminds you of your upcoming appointment, five minutes, one hour, one day or even one week in advance. The key is to put the reminder "as soon as" you make an appointment (or learn someone's birthday).
You can also set up recurring reminders. If you have to pick up your little sister after tennis practice every Tuesday, you can put a notice that will sound every week
Step 2. Create unusual associations
Have you ever heard from someone that he tied a thread on his finger so as not to forget something? The concept behind this method is that having a thread around your finger is so strange that it helps to remember related information.
You can make all kinds of associations, the stranger they are the better. If you have to do something on the computer, put something unusual on the keyboard (like a toy ship or a banana), so that you remember to pay your bills when you go online and not look at pictures of adorable kittens
Step 3. Repeat
If you are going to the room to get medicine, say "medicine" in a low voice as you reach the room. Repeating a thought or idea keeps it active in your short-term memory (which usually only holds information for 10-15 seconds). This will help you avoid the trouble of walking into a room and asking yourself "What did I come here for?".
- The more you access or "use" a memory, the more likely it is to end up in your long-term memory, which is capable of storing information indefinitely.
- Singing about what to do can also help you remember. Pick a simple tune like "Fra Martino" or one of your favorite songs and sing saying you're about to take your meds.
Step 4. Write a sticky note and place it in a spot you see often
Do you always forget your wallet? Write "WALLET" on a post-it note and place it right in the center of the front door.
Try this method when you need to do something on the computer. When you're in front of the screen, there are so many distractions that it's easy to forget your schedule. Place the post-it on the monitor, then move it to one side as you work so you don't lose focus
Method 4 of 5: Remembering at School
Step 1. Create a study environment similar to the one in which you will need to remember the information
If you are studying for an exam that takes place in a quiet room where the only sound is the ticking of a clock, you will be better able to remember the information on test day if you study in a similar environment, such as a library or classroom. dedicated to study.
Try not to study on the sofa or sitting on the bed, as you will likely take the test in front of a desk
Step 2. Try to break up the information
It is easier to remember information in small groups than in a single long sequence. For example, you can divide number 8375668809 into smaller parts, such as 834 466 8809.
Find the most obvious similarities in the information you are trying to remember, such as an important date or place, then sort the remaining data under that category
Step 3. Use mnemonic tools to memorize information
These gimmicks are used to sort information into easy-to-remember sentences, images, or words. One of the most used is C.ome Qwhen F.hearts P.iove, which indicates the order of suit values in French card decks (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades).
There are countless ways to invent mnemonic devices. Try inventing rhymes, creating acronyms or images that are easy to remember
Step 4. Break up your study sessions
Instead of a single marathon session, which can strain your brain, schedule two sessions with a break in between. You can learn twice as much information in two three-hour sessions compared to just one in six.
Step 5. Summarize each paragraph in the margin of the textbook
Just reading information isn't always enough, you also need to understand it. To write a summary, you need to think about what you just read, get the most important information and relearn it.
- When you have finished reading, try to consider the subject from a broader point of view (this book is about history), then continue to narrow it down (this chapter is about World War II and this section of the D-Day landings) until to examine the most important lessons, themes and facts you should remember (it was a turning point in the war, the first confrontation between American and German troops).
- If you'd rather not write anything in your textbook, summarize each paragraph in a notebook. You can even tear off the page and put it in your pocket, so you can study it wherever you are.
Method 5 of 5: Improve Memory
Step 1. Get your body to work with aerobic (cardiovascular) activities
Walk, run, jump on the trampoline; do any exercise that can elevate your heart rate and your brain will be in great shape too. One reason for this phenomenon is that sport increases the supply of nutrient-rich oxygen to the brain, helping it to work better.
Studies have shown that the effects of physical activity on the brain are cumulative. This means that if you exercise regularly, you will get better results than if you do it from time to time
Step 2. Socialize
People usually imagine sudoku or crossword puzzles when they think of activities that can keep their brains in shape, but these "brain exercises" are less effective in testing our minds than in real conversation. A dialogue forces you to listen, absorb information and process it in order to be able to formulate an answer.
Step 3. Look for new experiences
The more often you do something, the less demanding it becomes. If you can decorate a cake without even having to think about it, you are putting very little effort into your brain. To train and improve your mental skills, you need to put yourself in more difficulty.
Make sure you are genuinely interested in new businesses. By feigning interest, your brain will not be tested
Step 4. Sleep
Our brains encode information (or form memories) when we are awake and are vulnerable to all kinds of distractions. Until the mind turns that data into long-term memory, everyday distractions can lead to forgetting them. Sleep is the perfect environment for your brain to work and transform new memories into long-term stored information.
Taking a nap between study sessions is a great way to allow your brain to absorb what you've just learned
Step 5. Create a mental image that strikes you
If you always forget where you put your keys, try this trick: next time you leave them somewhere, notice where you put them, then imagine they explode. This ploy exploits the brain's ability to store a lot of visual information.
