We all used to be watchful of people having a photographic memory, don’t we? We always question how the other person remembers the entire encyclopedia by heart and you just couldn’t figure out the name of a person who was introduced to you a few seconds back. Don’t worry; we all have gone through this. No one is born with a photographic memory. This photographic or athletic memory requires practice just the way any other muscle of our body does to strengthen it.

We all sometimes forget the tiniest and most common things in our regular life. For instance, you can’t remember what you had in breakfast today or what day is tomorrow? You don’t have to face any confusing memory blunders anymore. Improving memory is a cakewalk, believe me! All it takes is just a few memory management techniques and some alterations in your daily life.

 

Few principles for memory management

 

• Concentration; while performing any task you should be entirely focused on it. You may be good at multitasking habitual work, but for studying and managing your job, one task should be considered as a priority at a time. This will help you memorize facts easily. You’ll also be able to complete your task before the deadline.

 

• Interest; one of the basics and important principles of memorization. If you lack interest in a particular task, you won’t be able to concentrate; hence the task may be left incomplete. Interest develops gradually. While starting any task, first read about it. Try to connect yourself with it. Once you understand the basics, you’ll be curious to know more and hence interest will boost up automatically.

 

• Selection; before choosing any learning, think of whether it is important to you or not? Don’t choose according to what the latest trends are offering, some subjects or learning need detailed information which may take long enough to learn.

 

• Organization; whatever you come across, leaves a memory in your mind. Whether to store it or pass it is your call. Unwanted memories may hinder the valuable ones. If it is storable, store it in an organized way. Let say, you have 15 chapters of social studies to remember, don’t remember one by one but in a separate group. Divide the chapters into three segments; civics, geography, and history. Put the chapters according to their genre and then relate them with interconnections.

 

• Visualization; it may be hard for our memory to remember or recall any number or statement but recalling and associating visuals like images are comparatively easier. Associate an image or visual with anything you want to learn, it’ll become easier for you to grasp for sure.

 

• Handwriting over typing; it is scientifically proved that writing down things and making notes help you in better memorizing. This action triggers your brain cells and becomes more focussed on what action is being done unless on laptops or any digital device which has indistinguishable keys to memorize.

 

• Recite and practice; oral learning is effective in grasping more knowledge. Read aloud paragraphs and repeat them a few times. This will be more of active learning and keep practising the same.

 

Lifestyle alteration for memory management

 

• Dream about it; after learning anything new, try to take a short sleep or power nap to memorize everything in a better way. It is known that sleep boost up your memory management. If you are sleep-deprived, memory won’t stay with you for a long time. Especially while having an exam the next day, don’t stay up too late. Healthy memory requires sound sleep.

 

• Physical exercise; as much as sleep is important, exercise is equally important. Remember, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Physical movement is good for both, your memory and your health. It’ll surely prevent jack’s dull memory.

 

• Healthy diet; eat healthily, which is the most significant lifestyle alteration to be made quickly. Healthy food provides you and your brain with sufficient minerals and vitamins unless junk which only adds up to your calories.

 

Special memorization techniques

 

Mnemonics is the device that provides us rhymes or acronyms to aid us in learning and memorizing better. Alongside better lifestyle habits, mnemonics plays a vital role in memorizing even better. Some popular mnemonics are-

 

• Acronyms; consider the example, you want to learn the names of the planet but you are failing to do so. Acronyms mean taking one letter from different words in a manner that forms a new word. “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas, now the first letter of every word represents a planet namely Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, respectively).

 

• Chunking; helps you to remember mass information in sets of the group. For example, we learn a phone number more easily in this manner, 888-000-999-1, rather than as one whole unit. Grouping numbers under sets help you grasp easily.

 

• Elaborative rehearsal; practice always helps you in mastering new learning. Elaborative rehearsal is one technique that improvises your practice as well. If you want to learn something new, try to connect it with already known information. For example, you know a man named Smith who has grey eyes. Now whenever you think of grey eyes, that person will pop into your mind immediately.

 

Memory management improves with practice. You must practice the above-stated techniques and changes to achieve a super memory. Super memory needs you to be more active and present. What information would benefit you and what you should pass on, depends truly on you. Unwanted information should be taken out from your memory lane as your brain needs space and timely cleanups.