Simple steps to improve memory

Chunking

Perhaps Chunking is the oldest method used in memorization. In this method, the items to be memorized are divided into small and easily memorizable chunks or groups. This method works best when the order of the items is not important.

This method is found to be particularly well suited for memorizing multi-digit numbers (eg., ID nos., telephone nos., etc.) and for committing complicated spellings to memory.

Example:

1. The number 472627607 may be memorized easily if it is grouped as 472, 627,607 or as 47, 26, 27,607.
These chunks may then be learned by rote. Learning and retention are much facilitated if you further explore the nos. by finding some relationship among these different chunks. Finding the digital root will also be helpful. The more explorations or relations you do, the better.
2. Words like mathematics may be divided into mat +he +mat +ics, Together may be divided into to + get + her; Important may be divided into im + port + ant. This technique will make us learn much faster.
3. The list Apple, cucumber, paper, ink, cabbage, banana, grapes, beans, stapler, orange can be better learned by rearranging and applying chunking as :-
Apple, banana, grapes, orange, cucumber, cabbage, beans, paper, ink, stapler
-- 4 fruits, 3 vegitables and 3 stationary items.

If possible, organize the material as meaningfully as you can and think out relationships among each group. This not only improves learnability and retention but also aids in faster and effortless recollection.

Psychologists doing research on Human Memory have found that the capacity of Short Term Memory (STM) for humans is 7± 2 that is from the range 5 to 9 items. So you should take care to keep the chunks you create within this limit.

Rhyming

This is also one of the popular and oldest methods in memorization. This technique makes use of the fact that we have a natural tendency to remember rhymes and rhythms. The following is a very popular example of application of this technique which almost all school students are familiar with.

"Thirty days haveth September

April, June and November

All the rest have thirty-one

February has twenty-eight alone

Except in leap year, then the time

When Febs days are twenty-nine."

If possible create rhymes like this and it will not only aid in improving your memory but in improving your creativity as well.

Mediation/Bridging

In this method, a bridge is built in between the items given to be memorized. This technique is best suited for learning material involving word pairs or material that can be reduced to word pairs. An example often cited by memory experts is the learning of the capital of Poland. The capital of Poland is Warsaw. World War II started with Germany's attack on Poland. Thus it may be arranged as Poland SAW War first.

Here, the word pair to be connected together is Poland and Warsaw. The additional information of the World War II is used as a bridge or mediator in bringing these two words together.

Again, like other techniques, the mediation technique calls for the learner's active participation in the learning process. This is because one is to bring in the mediator or the bridge from relevant items one has learned.



Bed-time Recital

In this technique, you do your recital or rote learning just before going to bed. The mind in the process of sleeping would then arrange the information in a systematic and effective way when you are sleeping. Psychologists have also found that if you sleep after thinking about your problems there is a better chance that you arrive at a solution the next day.

Steps for Memory Improvement

1. Be in a relaxed mood
2. Write down the things that you are supposed to remember in a piece of paper.
3. Read it aloud (if possible) once or twice and recite it two to three times.
4. Now go to sleep without worrying or thinking about anything.

You will surely retain the item longer and find it more easy to recall it when in need.



Trying by Not Trying

All of us apply this method knowingly or unknowingly. Sometimes when you try to recall you may not be able to recall it at that time even if you are sure that you know it very well. You experience a blocking that prevents you from recalling it. Normally you tend to try again and again but in vain. To handle this situation you just keep away from trying to recollect it and do something else; to your pleasant surprise that information automatically pops up into your mind after some time. This is because even if you stopped trying, the mind is searching for that information and brings it to awareness when it is found. Sometimes the information was blocked when you wanted, and mind brings it forward when the blocking is removed. This is where stress plays its role in hindering recall.

If you are very anxious by nature or very stressful in nature, you may encounter this type of blockage very often. In such case, it is highly recommended that you practise some kind of relaxation technique and thus keep your anxiety and stress away. This is very important because this behavior can bring many undesirable psychological and physiological conditions. You may even consult a Clinical Psychologist in extreme cases.

Pattern's pattern

Here’s a puz­zle to test your abil­ity to find a pat­tern and test it against more data.

In this table, each row across fol­lows the same pat­tern of num­bers. See if you can dis­cern the pat­tern and fill in the miss­ing num­ber in the bot­tom row. For added chal­lenge (or com­pe­ti­tion), time how long it takes you to com­plete the puz­zle. Then, pass it along to some­one else and see if they can solve it faster. The slower one has to cook din­ner!

7	4	8
3	9	7
6	5	10
?	8	4

Have you solved it yet? If not, here’s a hint:

If you read your fig­ures like words in the West,
then mul­ti­ply your efforts and sub­tract the rest.

Keep read­ing for the answer and solu­tion.

(7x4)-8 = 20

(3x9)-7 = 20

(3x8)-4 = 20

The answer is 3.

6 powerful things which can change your brain efficieny like a jet plane.

Take

1. Feed your brain decent information.
Your brain is learning throughout the night, so give it something worthwhile to feed it. Our brain is not restoring energy whilst we are sleeping it is cutting out the noise and going over the days events and processing it; give it some great material to process.

2. Eat dark chocolate.
Yes, eating dark chocolate has been shown to be beneficial for releasing an important brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine aids in learning and memory.

3. Special spices
Ginkgo, Saffron,gotukola, garlic,Saw Palmetto,cinnamon,Hawthorn berry, Roseberry, ginger,milk thistle and turmeric.

4. Drink plenty of water
Drinking water helps the cells function properly and keeps you feeling hydrated from the inside out. On certain occasions you are specially advised to have glucose water which really activate your brain like anything.

5. Have a cup of tea.
Drinking tea, hot or cold, can stimulate your brain in many ways. Tea contains caffeine which can be good for you if drunk in moderation.

6. Take natural supplements.
Supplements like omega-3, folic acid with vitamin B-12, CoEnzyme Q10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and an all round strong multi-vitamin supplement, has been shown to slow down the aging process for brain. Check with your dietician that in which vegetable or fruits you can have above mentioned supplements.

7. Take healthy food only

Take only healthy & natural food, never avoid breakfast, it's essential for your brain to function efficiently.

practice

1. If you want to learn more whilst studying, start pacing.
If you are reading a book, start pacing. Movement gets the blood flowing and this helps oxygenate your brain. I walked my way through university and have taught my sons study walking to help them memorize information.

2. Get to know your sleeping pattern.
Your brain needs sleep as much as your body but everybody is different. I function on 5-6 hours you might work best on 8-9 hours. Sleeping an extra few hours every now and again is good for rejuvenating your brain and help you learn faster.

3. Learn a song.
Learn the lyrics of some of your favorite songs to keep your listening skills and memory skills alive.

4. Keep Social
Staying socially active has been shown to keep your brain sharp well into old age.

5. Take naps/breaks.
Taking a nap throughout the day can help keep you from feeling tired and help stave off 'brain fog'. A ten minute nap will do to help you function throughout the day. Specially after heavy brain work i.e. after one hour of continuous study.

6. Set an order.

Always take difficult topic or brain work to do in the beginning of your study following by the easier topics accordingly.

7. Develop critical thinking skills.
Critical thinking involves you asking questions of yourself and the world around and looking for evidence of your assumptions.

Avoid

1. TV.
If you watch a lot of TV turn it down to hone your listening and concentration skills.

2. Unhealthy food

Avoid fatty foods and eat more vegetables and fruit. This is sound advice for brain and body.

3. Multitask, it can't be done.
Our brains can only focus and concentrate on one thing at a time, this is a proven scientific fact. While you can most likely handle multiple menial tasks, anything that requires you to concentrate, reason, or decide deserves full focus.

4. Negative thinking.
Thinking positively is a great way to keep your brain alive. Constant negative thinking depresses the mind and goes on to literally depress the immune system. Thinking more positive thoughts is a good way to keep stress down and spur you to take action for a better life.

5. Same & monotonous routine.
If you tend to do the same thing day in day out, try and break the pattern of your activities. Your brain relies on doing something different to keep it active, break your normal routine to do this. Try commuting with varied routes, to prevent the brain from becoming monotonous.Rearrange your room & feel the difference.

Dos

1. Look at old photographs.
This is a great way to keep your memories alive and to strengthen cell connections within the brain.

2. Learn a new word.
Learning anything new will help keep your brain healthy. Learning a new word each day is a simple way to accomplish this. Remember and repeat groups of words. Memorize your grocery list.

3. Working.
A lot of people look forward to giving up work as we get older, however, working even in a part time job can keep the mind active. If you are retired you can do volunteer work to keep you active.

4. Read a great book.
No matter what type of books you read, they are all beneficial in keeping your brain healthy and active and ward off the aging process.

5. Watch brain stimulating movies.
Movies that make you think (such as mysteries) help keep your brain and mind active.

6. Play brain booster games
Test and monitor your memory and attention with special computer games.

A few are available at www.magimind.blogspot.com. Do games and puzzles such as crossword puzzles, Sudoku and Scrabble.

7. Keep up to date with current events and news.
Keeping your brain fit is about feeding your mind with new information. Watching current affairs programs can help with this so long as they don't stress you out.

Meditation

1. Use meditation as a way to alleviate your stress.
There are thousands of studies about the beneficial effects of mediation and keeping your stress levels down is good for you. You lose brain cells the more stressed you feel, so controlling stress levels is important.

2. Mindfulness.
A simple mindfulness exercise is to just sit and relax and pay attention to your breathing. This helps to promote relaxation, keep your mind focused, helps with concentration and does the body a world of good. Breath at least twice in a day with ten times in each breathing anytime or anywhere you want. Your brain (and entire body) needs lots of fresh air.

3. Listen to music.
Listening to music that you wouldn't normally listen to is another good way to keep your brain active. Music has the ability to release positive emotions in you.

4. Practice gratitude.
Practicing gratitude can increase your happiness level significantly which helps to alleviate stress which helps your whole brain and body.

Try something unusual

5. Practice doing things with your non-dominant hand.
This stimulates the brain in many areas and also can be quite fun.

6. Take a trip.
Have you always fancies traveling well it has been shown that traveling really does broaden your horizons.

7. Thinking outside the box.
I always thought this was a strange saying as you cannot really think outside the box when you are always living inside the box of knowledge. However over the years I have come to realize it really means thinking without using your reasoning skills to look for alternatives and it can be a great way to keep your mind active. Imagine the fourth dimension of an object. (We can see three sides at a time, 3 dimensions, so imagine seeing four sides of an object such as a cube.)

Follow

1. Exercise

Play games outside in moderate. Exercise your brain, not just your body.
A lot of us leave learning behind when we leave school, college or university. Keep the brain fit by learning something new, whether it be a language, a new skill or musical instrument.

2. Train your brain.
You already have joined “My Magical Mind” for this, so you have every best technique available to train your brain. You now just need to practice the tricks in your daily life not just to impress someone but to improve your life & yourself as a complete human being.

3. The world is a mystery.
Use your brain to constantly ask questions and explore your surroundings. Continually exercise your brain by not accepting everything you see and hear: question it and free your sense of curiosity. search mysteries or complexities to make your brain active

4. Use both hemispheres
Use the left hemisphere of your brain to practice logical, mathematical problems in your life. Use the right hemisphere to unleash your creativity. You will know what side is dominant so make it a point to practice using your non dominant hemisphere.

5. Laugh as often as possible.
Laughing out loud boosts the immune system and releases endorphins, the bodies feel good chemicals.

6. Dance.
Dancing is a great all around for both mind and body. Learning s a new dance helps your cognitive skills, your spatial awareness, your social skills, your motor skills and helps keeps your body healthy

7. Do something outrageous.
Doing things we would normally never do like a bungee jump, a parachute jump, hill climbing, a helicopter ride, etc., will keep your brain alive, literally. Consider the different possibilities of how something could've gone, and explore these consequences. This improves creativity.