Self-Help: Improving your Memory
Carl Seashore, a psychologist, once said, "the average man does not use above ten percent of his actual inherited capacity for memory. He wastes about ninety percent by violating the natural laws of remembering."
I can not think of a much better statement! And, if you're one of those people, you'll benefit from reading this post multiple times! The natural laws of remembering are quite simple; impression, repetition, and association.
Impression is quite simple; imagine a photo that correlates with what you're trying to remember. Or, sketch the words in your mind by imaging them, picturing them, and being them. We are creatures of vision after all, we remember hings much better by picturing them rather than just hearing them.
Picture the thing and then, if you would like to, draw it. If you draw it, you will not only have a picture of it in your mind but also a memory of drawing it. Look at it, close your eyes, and picture it in flaming letters! As they say; pictures make things stick, especially if you drew it yourself.
Repetition is also quite simple; you can memorize countless things if you just repeat it enough. If you want to remember a strangers name, say it. If you want to learn a language, repeat the words. Remember this though, 15 minutes of hard studying is much better than a hour of crappy studying.
We forget more of what we learn during the first 8 hours compared to the next 30 days. For those of you who find homework worthless, think again. Homework allows you to repeat learned knowledge so you don't forget about it right away.
Association may be the most important rule of all three of three. When's your birthdate? You can remember those particular days, months, and years because they correlate when you were brought to this planet. Whatever appears in the mind must first be introduced; and, when introduced, it will associate itself with something already there. (Hint: think about what your next meal consists of and then remember it a day later)
As Dale Carnegie sort of says; the secret of a good memory is thus the secret of forming diverse and multiple associations with every fact we care to retain. The one who remembers stuff is the one who weaves what he wants to remember with past experiences.
When weaving past experiences with new stuff; ask these five things..
1. Why is this so?
2. How is this so?
3. When is it so?
4. Where is it so?
5. Who said it is so?
When remember a new name, would it not work best by correlating it with a old friends name? Or, better yet, would it not be best to have them talk about their name?
Observe how a stranger looks. Note the color of his hair, his style of clothes, how he talks, his eyes, and personality. Correlate all of these features when thinking of his name. Making a phrase to remember someone's name may also work. You can use these three methods to memorize a important stuff.
