Three Useful Tips for Improving Your Memory in Minutes
Would you like to learn three simple techniques for improving your memory in just a few minutes? Perhaps you think that you have a bad memory or you’re not that good at studying. This article isn’t intended to make you believe that everyone has the same capacity for learning, even less for data retention. However, it’ll show you that you can improve your retention capacity if you follow some easy tips.
Memory is a great unknown. Nevertheless, it’s a central cognitive function in your intellectual potential. Therefore, we’ll start by defining it, albeit very briefly.
Memory
Memory is a cognitive and intellectual function. It’s a phenomenon of your mind that allows you to codify, store, and evoke information from the past. It arises as a result of repetitive synaptic connections between neurons, which creates neural networks. These networks, when stimulated repeatedly -either by evocation or by review-, promote a phenomenon called long-term potentiation.
The good news is that your memory is a cognitive function that you can train and improve. Consequently, you’ll no longer consider that you have a bad memory. Here are three tips.
Three useful tips to improve your memory
Read carefully, because you’ve never been as close as you are now to improving your memory.
1. Consider the information to be memorized as interesting and attractive
It probably often surprises you when someone is able to remember, in great detail, an event that happened years ago. Or, for example, seeing how some people are able to memorize long lists of data with little effort.
This happens simply because these people, for some reason or another, find the information rather interesting. For example, perhaps they’re passionate about the law and are able to memorize the civil or criminal code with little effort. Or, maybe they really like history and can remember the list of every Gothic king (including the years they reigned).
If you think of what you want to study as exciting and find it interesting, you’ll increase your chances of remembering it. However, obviously, it’s impossible to always be studying something that’s exciting and full of meaning. In these cases, a simple piece of advice from none other than Einstein could prove useful. He stated, “Never consider study as an obligation, but as an opportunity to penetrate the beautiful and wonderful world of knowledge”.
You must find enough motivation to make what you’re studying useful and valuable for you.
2. Repetition
This is the method par excellence of the student, but no less important for that. Indeed, continually repeating important concepts reinforces the synapse of the neural circuit created for this purpose. Therefore, access to its content and evocation will be guaranteed. Obviously, this method requires a great deal of effort and time.
It’s far better to record the lesson on your cellphone or other device and then listen to it while you read it from your notes. The information that’s received by your two senses simultaneously will improve your memorization of the content.
3. Reduce the complexity of the themes by making them linear and simple
This should be your first step. It’s better to start with the simplest elements (perhaps you can break the task down into more or less manageable parts). Don’t oversaturate yourself, try to memorize a little every day. That’s because your memory becomes overwhelmed if it has to process too much data at the same time.
You can also associate themes with colors. Use highlighters of different types and hues. Or, use key phrases or words that you can easily develop or associate with elements or headings of the topic. Similarly, you could make drawings that you can then transform into a story with the content of the topic.
In short, work and concentration are key to learning, but you must also try to help yourself with different useful tricks and techniques. In this way, you’ll increase your chances of having a memory like an elephant.
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