Recall, Recall, Recall: A Simple Step to Improve Memory

It is a common occurrence in our everyday lives that we forget information that we gathered within the day, even more so of information we collected two or more days ago. This is not an unchangeable fact of life which we should readily accept. Quite the contrary, a weak memory can be solved just by doing simple steps everyday, which would not even take you more than a minute.

We gather memory through perceiving. We receive pieces of information from our senses. We see, hear, smell, feel, and taste a plethora of things. When we do so, all such information we gathered are stored in our brain and stored in the short term memory. In order to improve our memory, all we have to do is learn to move this information from the short term memory into the long term memory. That way, we are able to keep it longer in our minds.

A simple recall method can be of help in storing information. The first step to do is to decide the manner in which we want to take the information in. This way, we organize our approach in taking in information.

After having decided on the most comfortable way for us to take in information, the next step is to actually take the information in. This part of the process requires our full concentration. We have to focus. It would be more effective if we can engage the most number of our senses in taking in information. This will enhance the memory taking process.

The next step is recalling the information we gathered. Recalling information repeatedly reverses the occurrence whereby we lose a lot of information in our brains as time passes by. The more we recall the things we learned, the more ground we cover in moving the information from our short term memory to our long term memory.

For example, take in information. After five minutes, try to recall the main points of the information you just took in. Do the same thing again after one hour. Do it again after six hours, and again before you sleep. On the next two days, go over the same information three times a day. You will discover that by the end of the third day, you will have successfully saved the information in your long term memory, without spending more than a minute or two every time you go over the information.