The human brain is extremely powerful and more sophisticated than any supercomputer on earth. Each of us including you has an unlimited memory capacity with high processing power according to scientific research. Therefore, the issue is not storage, as your brain can store everything and anything. But, the challenge is on the ability to remember and retrieve information from your memory as the need arises. This is not the case of mental or brain damage but the case of an untrained memory.
IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD MEMORY
The recall might not only be difficult but can as well affect how our colleagues, clients, business associates, and friends see us. It is an open secret, that the person who remembers dates (anniversary, birthday, meeting), names, details, specifications – is perceived as being smart, interesting, organized, and someone people want to relate with or do business with. Moreover, this goes a long way to endear the person to people. On the other hand, the person that constantly apologizes for forgetting important dates, names, information – is perceived as less smart and indifferent. Good memory matters a lot in relationships, business, and career advancement.
The ability to remember dates, names, information and details will give you a supreme advantage in life and business. Apply the following strategies to enhance your memory and recall ability:
- Visualize Words as Pictures
This is important and works for two reasons: First, human beings are pictorial by nature. We tend to remember visual images easier and faster because they stick to memory quite easily. Secondly, the more time and sense you commit to memorizing something, the better and easier you will recall them. For instance, you have a business proposal to submit at 2 p.m the next day. You can commit your schedule to memory by capturing it in your mind as the stack of documents by the side of a gigantic alarm clock reading 2 p.m. Making the picture very vivid and elaborate as possible is the trick here. Visualization gives life, reality, and tangibility to otherwise intangible information. This ultimately enhances your ability to remember that information.
- Connect Information to Past Events
Think of past historical events or places that regularly and vividly come to your mind. This is how our forefathers in time past used to know their dates of birth, marriage, etc. when there was no calendar and it is still effective even today. These events could be Nigeria Independence Day (October 1), June 12, April 1 (April fool), Christmas (December 25), etc. You could then commit a piece of information with any of these events and it will be easier for you to remember. For instance, your wedding anniversary is on June 13, you can picture it as a day after June 12. The trick here is, once any of these past events comes up it will trigger every other information attached to it.
- Use Memory Spots
Think of places you frequently make use of, like your car, worship center, office. Then mentally put the image from the first strategy in one of those spots. I work a lot with my computer, so one of my memory spots is my laptop. This spot is perfect for me. Why? – I can easily enter an appointment on my digital calendar or jot them down on my notepad (or wall stickers) in front of me. In my mind, I would put my appointment on the alarm clock on my laptop desk. When you commit something to memory with mental pictures of it at a popular place, is like you sticking a note on your front door (which you will see while leaving for work the next morning). Continuous use of this technique will accustom you to check with yourself: Is there a reminder on my desk?
- Utilizing Mnemonics
This is popular and you may have come across this technique in school. To easily recall a concept or a list of items create a simple acronym for them. If you did Integrated Science in school, you would remember MR NIGER D that stands for the characteristics of living things “Movement, Respiration, Nutrition, Irritability, Growth, Excretion, Reproduction, Death”
Another popular expression mnemonic you might recall from school days is BODMAS for order of mathematical operations “Bracket, Of, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction”
Acronyms are almost unforgettable. Other similar expression mnemonics involve songs, rhymes, etc. Rhymes are also powerful memory jogglers and will inevitably improve your memory.
- Regular Workout
Exercising is another great technique to improve your memory. It is a well-known fact that exercise causes more flow of blood to the brain. This has many cognitive benefits, such as a more positive mood, better concentration, sharpness, and alertness.
Cathepsin B which improves memory is released during the course of exercising. Cathepsin B is a protein that triggers the growth of neurons and forms new connections in the hippocampus, a brain section that plays a vital role in memory.
To achieve this does not require you to join a gym or to engage in any rigorous exercise. A weekly 180 minutes of walking has been proven to improve memory.
- Learn a New Language
The brain cells are exercised through the process of remembering new alphabets, words, phrases, vocabulary, and grammar rules. This kind of mental exercise leads to comprehensive memory improvement. Bilingual speakers according to studies are at less risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition, this helps you to get more focused on everyday activities by renewing your curiosity about everything around you. Focus is an essential factor that aids humans to recall things better.
When learning a new language, you will pick up essential skills on how to recall things. A lot of memorization techniques are picked up when you are consciously looking for ways to remember a new language especially its greetings. Consequently, the result is memory improvement.
- Socializing and Quality Relationships
According to Australian researchers, maintaining close quality relationships helps in memory improvement. Socializing helps prevent memory loss resulting from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, a strong suggestion by other studies.
It is not a secret that improvement that several health indexes and happiness have a strong link with better relationships. Therefore, this is a strong reason for you to invest a great deal in your current relationships and also reconnect with people you have not spoken to for years.
Conclusion To recall is not hard. You only need to choose one or two of these strategies and determine to improve your memory. The benefits should be your driving force, bearing in mind that when your memory improves people will perceive you as a smart, interesting, and organized person. These techniques have worked for me
