5 Tips to Improve Your Memory

Even though we are surrounded by technology and we can always look up any piece of information we can think of, we still need to remember things. The ability to remember proves to be crucial, especially for students. Students have to remember dozens and dozens of facts. Only by having a deep knowledge of a certain field, can they put two and two together. There are plenty of strategies to keep things in your memory without stress and strain. Let’s look at some of them.

#1

A lot of learners are visually oriented. If you have notes from a lecture or something you have written down from your textbook, highlight the important things using markers. You can use colored pencils or different squiggles for underlining. It’s important to create a system that suits you and your needs. Also, when you skim through your notes before an exam, you can see the important facts right away due to them being highlighted. This way, marking and adding color to your notes also saves time.

#2

When you go to a lecture and take notes, try handwriting instead of typing into your laptop. According to research, students who take notes by hand remember more pieces of information. When you type, you can write down everything the lecturer says verbatim. You just type what you hear without thinking about it. When you take your notes by hand, you write a bit slower, therefore your brain has to analyze the information coming in so that you can decide on what exactly to write down. This way, much more stays in your head.

#3

You can study on your way to school by using flashcards. If you take a bus or a tram, traveling creates a great opportunity to revise. Some students prefer classic flashcards. They make pieces of paper, which they flip back and forth to memorize terminology or new vocabulary. There are also many useful apps you can install on your phone. This way you don’t have to carry a heap of small pieces of paper everywhere you go. You just take your phone and study.

#4

Make a mnemonic device. Create little rhymes to remember something. You can also pick the first letters of the words you have to remember by heart. When you have these letters, make a sentence where each word begins with that specific letter. It can be a funny sentence. The crazier, the better! Let’s have a look at a concrete example. Here is a sentence to remember the days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday): Mary’s Turkey Went To Find Some Sun. You get the picture. This is a perfect strategy for chemistry students, who have to remember the elements of the periodical table.

#5

One helpful method is to link words you have to remember to something funny. It can be a comical situation. You can be creative and make up your jokes. Match your memory with a situation in context. Maybe you associate something with a certain color or smell. Trust the power of association!

Nowadays we can check facts almost immediately using our phones, laptops, and other devices. Nevertheless, there will always be a lot of things we simply need to remember. These little hacks can be helpful. Happy studying!