Total Recall – 5 Tips To Improving Your Memory

Our memories are an integral part of our identity; they govern how we perceive the world around us, how we reflect on our pasts and imagine our futures. Many of us want to improve our memory, but how? This week we look at 5 of the most successful tips to improving memory.

Write it down

Just taking a simple note of a detail that you need to remember can improve your chances of remembering it by up to 70%. We can often be over-confident in our abilities to recall information, so taking a quick note can be a good place to start.

Attach meaning

Another useful tip is attaching meaning to the information that you’d like to remember. For example, if you are attempting to remember someone’s name after meeting them for the first time, consciously try to associate their name with something that you already know well. This can increase your likelihood of remembering their name the next time. This method can also be particularly handy if you need to remember a number of things simultaneously, such as a shopping list.

Use mnemonic devices

Mnemonic devices are a great way to remember things. You can easily create a mnemonic strategy by remembering the first letter of each thing that you need to remember and creating a sentence out of that. This is particularly useful for pieces of information that come in a sequence, such as “Every Good Boy Does Fine”: a mnemonic device used for remembering notes that fall on the treble clef in piano lessons (E,G,B,D,F).

Repetition, repetition, repetition!

Perhaps it may seem like an obvious one, but consciously repeating information in your head or in your notes will improve your likelihood of retaining that information and speed up your recall. Reciting information in your head three times can be particularly helpful.

The magical number 7

Research has found that we can store 7 pieces of information in our short-term memory. If you are trying to remember a shopping list, for example, you are more likely to forget an item if there are more than 7 on your list. Being conscious of this can be the perfect quick fix to remembering information effectively.

We would love to hear your tips that help you to improve your memory?

Comment below!