7 Ways to Remember More and Learn Faster
TRUE VALUE DENTAL INSTITUTE
You might be here because you need tips on how to memorize quickly for that test come next week.
There’s a universal favourite in brain-related sayings that goes: “Use it, or lose it”. The mind needs to be trained, just like your body.
So yes, memorization is a skill.
The less we try to actively memorize information, the lazier the brain gets. It becomes harder to pick up new skills and study.
HOW TO IMPROVE MEMORY?
No technique is going to help unless you actively commit to it. So, to get the full benefit of the list of strategies we’re about to share, you need to make memorization practice a habit.
For example, whenever it’s time for a mental workout, you can use a stopwatch to see how long it takes you to recall something and follow your progress.
1. Repeat and remember
Memorising several things going on at the same time require practice of the brain.
Take one at one time. project can be one subject or language. Then track the time spent memorizing for that particular subject.
After a full week, you’ll have an overview of how much time you’ve spent on each of them, and a schedule that can help you organize your learning time.
2. Understand, not cram
Ever wondered how theatre actors can memorize pages and pages of text for a two-hour play and not stutter? Because they absorb and understand the emotions to every dialogue scene and try to embody that emotion.
So just create a plot for your subject, absorb, understand and become the memory master.
3. Create your memory palace
It’s most useful for when you need to remember long lists of words or numbers, like the classifications, charts, cycles etc.
Imagine a familiar place, like your house or an apartment. Then, you put each item from the list inside the house.
Try to sit back now, and don’t look at the list above. Can you picture the house again, retrace the steps and recall all the items?
By creating outlandish imagery, you go against the brain’s perception of how the real-world works. The images stand out, making those items easier to remember.
4. Pattern it up
A catchy jingle or a rhyme. Verse mnemonic techniques work much in the same way.
Our brain likes patterns, which makes rhyming a great memorization tool. The only tough part is coming up with a rhyme that suits your material.
5. Write it down
Writing makes you memorize the lectures or meetings better, and not laptops or tablets.
Why?
As we write down, we force our minds to filter out which pieces of information are more important than others. You stop being a mere listener and actively participate in absorbing new knowledge.
In contrast, studies show that those who type out their learning material tend to do it word-for-word. Writing, on the other hand, forces one to formulate the learned in their own words.
6. Make your own Acronym
If the order of items on a list is potentially important, you can use their first letters to make up a sentence or an acronym. A very well-known example of strategic planning goes as:
“Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.”è SWOT
7. Engage in mindful works
The brain needs to be challenged to prevent early degradation and illnesses like Alzheimer’s.
So, if you want to have a permanently good memory, you need to train it, much like your body. Examples:
- many advise picking up a musical instrument,
- signing up for a course,
- learning a new language,
- online courses etc.
New experiences create new pathways in the brain’s neural network, keeping it young and active.
CONCLUSION
Whichever method you choose, keep in mind that memory improvement doesn’t work as a one-time solution. It is as an investment in our future mental health. Improving our memory capacity can become another form of self-care.
