Memory Tips You Won't Forget

Want to learn how to improve your memory? Well, you can't. But what you can do is learn how to remember things. These next few things I will share with you can help you retain and recall those elusive facts. Can't remember the name of that annoying, balding cousin once removed? These tips will help you.

Memory is not something that can be improved. The brain functions in such a way that the processes responsible for memory are set early in your formative years. Memory is stored all over the brain. This storage system is essentially different for everyone. It depends upon how you encode, or construct, situations. The retrieval of memory is done through neural pathways. These pathways are surrounded by something called the myelin sheath. This myelin sheath is a fatty housing that helps information travel through the pathways quickly. This brings me to my first tip.

Nutrients. This myelin sheath made up of fatty materials needs to be supplied with fats to functions properly and to not deteriorate. I am in no way saying you should go out and eat a Big Mac everyday for the sake of your myelin sheath. Wrong fat. All that will do is give you big hips. The fat you need is found in omega 3 fatty acids. You can get this from certain fish such as salmon, mackerel, and herring. It can also be found in flax seeds.

Pay attention. If you focus on what it is you are trying to remember, like a telephone number, or someone's name, you will be more likely to remember it. Rehearse that number or name. Say it over a few times until it is better implanted in your memory. When meeting someone for the first time, use their name a few times in the start of a conversation. Just try and not get creepy about it. Saying something out loud, or writing it down can help you remember it. If you do not give attention to something your brain will decide it is unimportant and filter it to the short term memory file, and then discard it. The type of attention you give is also important. The more intent the attention is, the better.

Overload. Seven, or close to it, is the number of objects we seem to be able to recall at one time. If someone is given a list of words, say ten, they will usually only be able to remember seven of those words. But never fear! There is a way to help expand this number by tricking our brain.

Chunking. Our mind can remember the numbers 835, 889, and 432 as easily as 3, 22, 2, 7, 5, 9, and 4. This is because our brains decipher 835 as one number, the same as it does 3. When trying to memorize a number say it in chunks. Rather than 2-1-3-8-2-5-5-4-3-7-2 try and remember it as 21-38-55-43-72. That's less numbers for your brain. For something that we are masterful at, or do all the time, we will be able to retain items differently. I waitressed for years and could easily remember a table of ten's order. But, give me a set of directions to remember and I will surely get lost. (and then I'll blame the direction giver)

Tricks of the trade. I am sure you have all seen these programs promising you a better memory. Well, like I said before, it won't be your memory that gets better, those processes are already set, but your ability to remember things will improve. These programs or books are using mnemonics (nem-on-icks) (I just made up that, but yes, that is how to pronounce it). These mnemonics are devices to help you recall information. We naturally do this and don't realize it. We may come up with a poem, or an alliteration, or some sort of correlation to remember something. "I before E except after C"� "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue". I'd be ridiculed in trivia games if it weren't for these!

There are first letter mnemonics, where we link the first letter of our device with what we are trying to remember. Here is one such trick. "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto. (I know, Pluto has been banned from planet-hood, so change the nine pizzas to nachos)

Method of Loci. This is a method that uses visual cues to help remember something. You can memorize objects along a route, say, from one side of your house to another. When you need to remember something, perhaps a shopping list, you visually place each item you need next to, or on, the objects in your house. You visualize this, the more clear, the better. When you are shopping you can take this mental walk through your house. You stop at each object and see what the shopping item is that you need.

Peg Method. This method deals with memorizing a list of words, or pegs, to be used to hang the items on. You may memorize 1-Sun, 2-shoe, 3-tree, 4- door, and so on. Then when it comes time to remember a list of words, such as eggs, butter, bananas, and potatoes, you will place your list on the pegs. You will visualize eggs frying on the hot sun, a stick of butter laying in a shoe, a bunch of bananas in a tree, and potato sacks resting against a door. The more interactive and clear your mental pictures are the better the recall will be.

Memory is fickle thing. It needs as much help as it can get. Use some of these methods and tricks and you will be surprised at how much you can remember.