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Ways to Improve Your Memory

Here are some different ways that can help you to improve your memory. In all memory devices we are looking to help create ways of putting information together so it makes it much easier for us to remember it.

1.  Grouping

If you need to remember large groups of numbers or items, then split them into much smaller units. For example, if you need a very long number, say your social security number, which may be 569724981, then divide it up as follows: 569 724 981.

2.  Classify information according to type

For example, why not arrange all 37 of Shakespeare's plays into logical groups made up as follows: - Comedy, history and tragedies?

3.  Rhyming

Use the methods for producing poetry such as rhyming, rhythm and alliteration. For example, if you want to remember what happened to all of Henry VIII's wives then you could do the following:-

Died, Beheaded, Died
Died, Beheaded, Survived

4.  Grammatical Rules

This is, for example, relating to such items as "I" before "E" except after "C".

5.  Spelling

Always take the first letter or syllables in order to form a new word which spells out the information that you want to remember.

So if you are looking to remember the 5 great lakes for a geography exam, then you could say H.O.M.E.S., which then tells you that they are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.

6.  Narration

This is a good imaginative process, as it helps you to create a sentence, story, cartoon or visual picture in your mind in order for you to remember some vital information.

7.  Mapping

Using structure helps to produce a diagrammatic representation of the relationship found between major ideas, sub categories and all the supporting detail and information that you need to remember.

This is especially effective for students when studying for exams and studying text books. What they should do is connect a list of unrelated items by using either exaggerated, stupid or absurd associations.

This is a great way, for example, for remembering the planets as follows:

The MERCURY thermometer was in the mouth of VENUS. Her navel was a huge EARTH. On the other side of her mouth was a MARS candy bar. While the fingers on her hand and wrist spelled out JUPITER and the 6 rings of SATURN were spinning around her head, while above, 7 rain drops from URANUS were falling, and these gradually became 8 musical notes for NEPTUNE. But what is truly amazing is that Venus is standing on PLUTO the dog, whose tail happens to look like the number 9.

8.  Placement

Place units of information that you need to remember in terms of their location or in chronological order.

9.  Experiencing

Using this device, you will either act out, or go through the motions in order to get a feel for an idea.

Write out the word or information that you need to remember, and then, using your index finger, go over and trace the shape of the word and visualize it in your mind.