use it or lose it it's not just a slogan, it's the way your brain works. Here are some simple steps to improve your memory and reading skills, and to process information more efficiently.
Steps
Step 1. Improve your memory
The ancient Greek poets recited poems consisting of 10,000 lines by heart. Their secret? The technique of the loci.
- To memorize your shopping list, imagine you are walking to the supermarket.
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Use the things listed to build incongruent visual images along the way, such as a milk carton perched on a letterbox or bananas grown in a rose bush.
Exercise Your Brain for Better Thinking Skills Step 1Bullet2 - When you arrive at the supermarket, mentally retrace the steps taken to recall all the items on the list.
Step 2. Shorten
Rewrite your notes in shortened form, with a word or phrase that is easier to remember than an entire paragraph.
- Review the word or phrase instead of the entire paragraph.
- Every morning, check the to-do list for the day ahead. Daily involvement will improve your skills.
- Rewrite and update your list whenever necessary. Associate similar ideas.
- The act of rewriting also allows you to memorize.
Step 3. Improve your reading skills
Speed reading courses preach a form of skimming, but this does not always improve understanding or retention of the information being read. Increase the pace by reading for pleasure.
- In a 2001 study, subjects whose readings were imposed increased their speed by 18% and comprehension by 11%.
- Those who could choose what to read increased their speed by 87% and comprehension by 33% instead.
Step 4. Think aloud
- Have you ever noticed how children tell about their actions? "One more brick and my fortress will be complete!"
- The Mind Hacks book, written by Tom Stafford and Matt Webb, calls it "self-instruction".
- As a University of Maryland researcher says, language helps us process multiple components of information more efficiently.
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So talk to yourself, and ignore the astonished looks of those around you. Your results will speak for themselves.
Exercise Your Brain for Better Thinking Skills Step 4Bullet4
Advice
- Be patient. Take the time to incorporate these skills into your daily life. A good memory can reduce the stress of your days in many ways.
- Be optimist. It will help you achieve good results.
