20 Memory techniques

• Organize it

Makes it easier to find information.

1. Learn from general to the specific.

• Before reading an assignment, skim through for the general idea.

3. Create Associations

• You can recall new data more effectively if you store it near similar data.

Use your Body: 4. Learn it once, actively.

• 90% of what we do, 75% of what we see, and 20% of what we hear.

• Action is a great memory enhancer.

• Try studying standing up.

• Pace back and forth.

• Get your whole body involve while you study.

5. Relax

• Absorb information quickly and recall it with greater ease and accuracy.

• Harder to recall information while under stress.

• Can be relax and active at the same time.

6. Create pictures

• Draw diagrams or make cartoons.

• Use images to connect facts and illustrate relationships.

#7. Recite and Repeat

• Repeating something affects two senses.

• Recite out loud and put concepts into your own words.

• Repetition blazes a path.

#8. Write it down

• Write it down many times.

• Reveals gaps missed by oral reviews.

• Remember what you do.

Use your brain: #9. Reduce interference

• Find a quiet place that is free from distractions.

• 2 hours in front of t.v. might be worth 10 minutes of studying where it is quiet.

10. Overlearn

• Learn more than you need to know about a subject.

11. Escape the short-term memory trap

• Short term memory can fade away after a few minutes.

• Short review can move short term memory to long term memory.

• Quick minireview can save you hours.

12. Use daylight

• Some people can study better during daylight hours.

• Study hardest subjects first.

13. Distribute learning

• Experiment with shorter, spaced-out sessions.

• Study for 2 hours or least and then wash the dishes.

• Then go back a study for another 2 hours.

14. Be aware of attitudes

• Your attitude can affect your desire to study a subject.

• If you think a subject is boring then you may not do well in that subject.

15. Choose what not to store in memory

• Decide what’s essential to remember.

• Choose what is important to remember, like what will be on the test.

16. Combine memory techniques

• Memory techniques work even better when you combine them.

Recall it: Remember something else.

• If you can’t remember something try to remember something that is related to it.

• Brainstorm by writing down related facts to help you remember.

18. Notice when you do remember

• Notice when you remember information easily and ask yourself what techniques did you use.

19. Use it before you lose it

• Make regular use of the information before it gets hard for you to use it.

• Write, say it, read it, listen to it, and apply it, to keep it fresh.

20. And remember, you never forget.

• Adopt the attitude that you never forget, but just have problems recalling the information.

• Intend to remember.