Improve Memorization by Using Mnemonics

Our capacity to encode and recall information is truly remarkable. Memory is one of the most important tools anyone can use, whether it is for remembering something in the past (retrospective memory) or reminding ourselves to do something in the future (prospective memory). The ways in which we remember things are crucial to our survival.

Most people at some point in time have shortcomings involving memory and memorization. Some stem from mental conditions, such as Alzheimer's or amnesia, but more commonly we just do not memorize information effectively enough. Ever forget why you left a room to go to another? Did you study for a week for your final exam and then forget the answers when given the test? No matter how important or mundane the things you need to memorize and recall are, you can use simple techniques and psychological tricks to hone your memory to great efficiency. The term for such systems is mnemonics, and can be used to commit items to your memory, aid in memorization skills, and to recall information with greater ease.

Let's start with repetition. Rote memorization is the most basic way that anyone can commit information to short term and then long term memory. Like "lather, rinse, repeat", most of us use repetition while we develop and may forget how well the technique works as we age. Repeating and repeating over and over during the course of a day is far better than repeating and repeating for a small window of time. We all learn to use this device when we are infants. Infants love to do the same tasks, say the same things, and stick to familiar routines because they learn from rote repetition, and subsequently commit facts to memory.

One strong rote repetition technique is called echoic memorization. In place of saying something out loud multiple times, say it in your head again and again. This works fantastically well when listening to lectures or reading important facts. If you know you must know what you just read or heard, let it echo in your head for several seconds. This mnemonic upgrade for repetition takes time to become habit, but serves people well.

As well, one of the best ways to commit any information you need to long term memory storage is to repeat the information to yourself right before you go to bed. Instead of counting sheep, mumble what you need to remember just prior to when your sleep cycle starts. This trick can become very handy for people of any age.

The only drawback to the elementary - but effective - repetition technique is that is becomes very dull, sometimes to the point where we say, "Forget it. It's not worth the hassle." Just remember that when in doubt, though very simple, rote repetition is one of the most effective mnemonic practices. Now say that last sentence twenty times.

Not all memorization techniques are boring. Some can be enjoyable. The Story Method is another great tool to use. Say you have a list of things to do, terms to learn, or definitions to memorize that may not be related, or are related but hard to memorize with rote techniques. Form a story with the terms. For instance, if you had to memorize a list of car parts (tire, glove compartment, fan belt, radiator) form a short narrative (A young tire lived in a glove compartment. Every day he combed his fan belt and rode a radiator to work). The technique can seem silly, but is a fun and very effective substitute for straight-laced repetition. Plus, the wilder and more exaggerated you make the story, the more easily it will stick in your mind and the easier you can recall the stimuli / information when you need it.

Acronyms are another way to take lists and terms and condense them to smaller, easier-to-remember pieces. You may have used this when memorizing the Great Lakes by using the word HOMES. No bells ringing? Then take for instance a grocery list (pears, apples, Nestle chocolate, diapers, artichoke dip, salad dressing, etc.). Form a word or phrase to remember them clearer. In the case above, the word Pandas can be used.

The counter technique to this is to form phrases from letters or words to memorize, otherwise called chunking. Again, you might remember doing this when learning the planets (My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas) or when you learned the letters on a musical scale (EGBDF = Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge). From many studies, most people can memorize between seven and nine pieces of unrelated information at a time. This is why phone numbers (minus the area code) have seven digits placed in two groups - one of three digits and one of four - so that the unrelated, non-patterned numbers can be committed to memory. Chunking works the best for unrelated topics and definitions, and even better for things without clear patterns.

Another sure-fire way to commit facts to memory is singing. Form songs whenever possible, especially for lists and unrelated items. Put the things you must memorize into your own invented jingle, or try to substitute the words of common songs for the ones you need to know while using rhyme (e.g., Twinkle Twinkle Little Star).

A very unique mnemonic devices is called the Method of Loci. Instead of remembering the exact object you need, imagine something from a room in your house or your station at work that relates to it. You need to pick up some new pants? Well, you know that you have a chair in you office where you usually sit with pants on, and that is how you remember. This method does not work well for everyone, but it helps many people to associate new things they need with familiar objects in rooms they know very well. Give it a shot some time.

Those are several very common mnemonic techniques to practice, and here are a few more reminders and tips:

1. Saying things out loud whenever possible helps memorization happen faster; if you are embarrassed then whisper it, but hearing yourself say what you need to memorize helps ten fold.
2. Try to compartmentalize new information with facts and figures you already know to form relations for easier encoding and retrieval.
3. Don't overdo your memorization without developing the mnemonic practice that works best for you first.
4. Lastly, to commit any information to long term memory, it must first be made clear in you short term memory, hence practice makes perfect.

Remember that just because these mnemonic techniques are simple and you may have only used them when you were a child does not mean that they are useless for bigger or more important information. These few examples are the most prominent mnemonic devices; feel free to research others and even invent your own. They can all work for the simplest or most complex things you need to memorize.