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Mar
14
We all know that adding more RAM to your computer will make it faster and improve your productivity. If our brain is the computer, then our memory is the RAM. By improving our memory, we can improve our productivity and efficiency. Obviously, improving our memory requires more effort than upgrading a computer. Outlined below are 4 tricks or techniques we can use to enhance our memory.
1. Chunking
It’s easier to remember smaller lists than longer ones. If we can break a long list into smaller manageable groups or “chunks”, we can increase our ability to retain them in our memory.
For example, try remembering all of the original 13 British colonies in the USA. It’s possible, but difficult right? If you break them into smaller “chunks” based on some common traits, such as the region each colony belongs to, it becomes much easier. The first step is to concentrate on learning which colonies belong to which region. When we learn the regions, we can learn the whole set of 13 colonies.
Mid-Atlantic
- Delaware
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
Southern
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
New England
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
2. Mnemonic devices
A very common memory improvement technique. It’s basically a way of using abbreviations, rhymes or formula’s to compress lists of information into shorter and more memorable bits that are easier to remember. Here are some examples:
- May I have a large container of coffee? Counting the letters of each word gives you the value of pi to 7 places
- SOH-CAH-TOA, pronounced like the name of the old Native American Indian chief (or some such story).
- Lucky Cows Drink Milk, The ascending order of Roman numerals: LCDM
- Could Ignoramus Krebs Swiftly Sell Flunkies More Offal? The Krebs Cycle: Citric acid, Isocitric, Ketoglutaric, Succinyl, Succinic, Fumaric, Malic, Oxaloacetic.
3. Visual cues.
You can probably recall the layout of your home better than all the presidents of the United States since World War II. This is the idea of using visual cues. You can associate in an item from this list in your mind with a picture of a place that you know well, like your home.
For example, to remember the list of presidents of the United States since World War II. You can associate each of them with a place in your home.
Eisenhower: Taking a crap in your toilet.
Kennedy: Combing his hair in the bathroom mirror.
Johnson: Standing near your door entrance picking his nose.
Nixon: Hiding behind your living room window curtains.
Ford: Doing pushups in your living room floor.
Carter: Cooking Iranian food in the Kitchen.
Reagan: Fighting for space with Kennedy to comb his hair in front of the bathroom mirror.
Bush (1st): Barfing all over the kitchen floor.
Clinton: Sleeping in your bed.
Bush (2nd): Playing Super Mario Brothers on your Nintendo DS in your living room couch.
This technique is so powerful, you might be haunted by their pictures everytime you enter your home. 
4. PQ4R method.
This method is also a mnemonic device. It sands for Preview, Question, and four R’s: Read, Reflect, Recite, Review.
Let’s say you’re reading a chapter in a history book. You should start by previewing the whole chapter to get an overview. Then come up with some questions, such as “When did the Muslims conquer Spain?” Then read the chapter, keeping the questions in mind.
After you’ve finished reading, you should reflect or think about how the chapter has answered your questions. Recite the answers back to yourself, explaining the information in your own words. Finally, go back through the book, skimming through it again for the main points.
It’s alot of work but who said it was going to be easy. As with all things for most people, you need to practice and be consistent. But following these techniques or tricks should improve your memory.
Comments
1 Comment so far
i neeed a memory device for the 13 original colonies