Looking back on when I grew up I had to remember a lot of things; telephone numbers, addresses, directions, times tables, appointments, the list goes on. In fact, I can still remember the home telephone of my boyfriend from when I was 15 and the taxi number I used to call when I was drunk at 18 yet ask me for the phone numbers for my immediate family now and I have no idea. Being able to have a mobile phone packed full of important data is great but losing the ability to remember things for yourself can be an issue. We have allowed ourselves to rely on technology so much that we have lost the ability to remember things, we have given ourselves digital amnesia. So whether you are learning a new language, looking to retain important information or just improve your memory overall then these tips should help.
5 top tips to improve your memory
1. Write things down
One of the key tips that I want to share from my own experience is the physical act of writing something down. Whether it is a to-do list, something I really need to remember or even how to spell a certain word, the physical act of putting pen to paper helps my brain to absorb the information in a way that just doesn’t happen when typing.
2. Repetition
Repeating the same information over and over helps your brain to remember it, this is really good when you are trying to remember a sequence of information. You can also use this to build up knowledge where you add on to the information over time. This could be saying something verbally or writing it down multiple times.
3. Short tasks
When trying to learn something new like a foreign language you should do so in short bursts, as explained in this infographic from Babbel learning in 15-minute increments helps your brain to absorb the information.
4. Review
Delayed repetition also works really well. Reviewing the information you learned yesterday helps to refresh your memory and embed the information further.
5. Make it fun
One of the best ways to improve your memory and help you to remember specific information is to make that information interesting to you. It needs to capture your attention and keep it. Depending on what you are learning there are many ways to do this. When learning a language for example the Babbel app uses a variety of games and flashcards to keep it interesting.
So there you go, 5 top tips for improving your memory that are easy to put into practice.