Increase your memory power by making the information you are learning meaningful. Here are some tips to improve your memory skills:
- Group the information you need to know into meaningful categories, associate it with information you already know, create mental visualizations, say the ideas out loud in your own words, and consolidate it by using the information while it is still fresh.
- Memory techniques (mnemonic devices) can be used to help you remember information.
For example:
- Acronyms - creating a word from the first letter of each word. For example, SLOP for South Dakota, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania.
- Acrostics - making a silly phrase with the first letter of each word consisting of the information you need to know. For example, "Strawberries, Limes, Oranges and Peaches are the tastiest fruits" for South Dakota, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania.
- Poems & Rhymes – creating short, catchy, sayings that include the information you need to know. For example, "is am are was were be been, we are linking verbs."
- Train yourself to stay focused on the task-at-hand.
- Notice when you do remember something
- Improve your memory:
- Give yourself enough time to learn it
- Personalize it
- Do not try to remember everything, be selective and pick out the important details to remember
- Transfer information from your short-term memory to your long-term by identifying meaningful information, organizing it, and then studying (storing it) so that you can retrieve it later.
- Eliminate distractions in your head. When you notice your attention slipping, write down a reminder of the idea or problem on a piece of paper and come back to it later.
- Turn distractions into rewards for yourself after you have completed your work (e.g., a nap, a snack, or exercise).
- For subjects you lack interest in, try to identify why you are not interested. Try to reverse your thinking and see if you can find a reason to care.
