Six habits that will help you to improve your memory.
Did you notice that you have certain issues with memorizing things? The issue is actually quite common for those who need to learn something on an everyday basis. You are probably familiar with the situation when you feel like you understand everything perfectly during a lecture, but totally forget all of it when it comes to essay writing? Your mind tried to protect you from large amounts of information and tries to keep only what’s most useful. Unfortunately, it never discusses what those useful things have to be with you. That’s why it takes some effort to memorize what you really need to remember. Thankfully, there are techniques to help you with that.
Good night’s sleep improves memory
Your brain is able to keep information thanks to neural connections, and they grow while you sleep. So if you think that you need to sleep less and learn more to make that coursework writing perfect, you are very wrong.
Naps can actually be very useful. Do you ever feel like sleeping while reading something boring? Don’t fight it; it’s not about being lazy. Your brain just got a large piece of new information and needs to process it. After a 15 minute nap you’ll feel that your reading is not so boring, after all.
Process information you get
To memorize something, you need to assure your brain you really need it. Work within formation you get through perception channels:
– make short notes about what you’ve just heard;
– share your knowledge with a friend;
– read your notes a few times over;
– in your free time (for example, when you are stuck in a traffic jam), try to recall what was the lecture about;
– imagine how you will use this information and why it can be useful in the future (for example, it might be handy when you do your thesis writing);
– after a short while, do a small test to check if you still remember it.
Don’t try to learn something when you don’t have time for it
There is just no point in starting something if you can’t spare at least 15 minutes a day to do it. Your brain isn’t an old shed where you can pile all the stuff you don’t need; it keeps only useful things. And useful means something you use on an everyday basis (or maybe once in every two or three days). When you start using come information less, your mind discards it as unnecessary.
Start with the basics and be logical
Whatever you try to learn, a new foreign language or some instructions for better essay writing, you have to start with the basics.
When it comes to memorizing, understanding is the key aspect. Your mind keeps only those things that make perfect sense to you and that have logical connection to the world around you. Be consistent: basics first, then complex concepts. This way information you learn will firmly settle in your memory. It will also help you with analysis essay writing at a school or at a university.
Set correct goals
It may seem that there’s nothing easier. You want to learn a foreign language to make your friends envy you, to get paid better, to do better writing in your language school and to feel more cool and smart than you already are. That’s not how it works. Learning a language to achieve certain things in life is a bad goal. Learning a language because it’s really interesting to you and because you will use your knowledge a lot is a good goal. See the difference? You get motivated only when you realize this thing or another may really get you interested. You can force yourself to learn something, of course — but your memory will get rid of it very soon.
Make use of memory bugs
Our memory has certain bugs, and you can use them to your benefit:
You can fight issues with memorizing names, dates and some abstract things if you build associative connections with each piece of information very thing you try to learn. For example, you can memorize a name of a person you don’t know well by connecting it to some specific details of his/her appearance. Or you can memorize a foreign word by connecting it to a picture in your head.
Our memory often fails us when we appear in an unfamiliar environment. It’s because your mind connects information with external stimuli. This means that if you learn something at home, you’ll probably remember it when you are at home. Break these connections. Learn while sitting t a café, your car, a bus or in a park.
As you can see, improving your memory takes some work, but it can be quite a lot of fun too. Try to follow these tips every day and soon you’ll see the difference.