Memory Tips

The first memory tip that I have is repetition, and it has been the most useful tip that I have found. When I need to memorize something, I try to learn it in several different ways. For example, if I am given a list of vocabulary words, I write the words and their definitions out several times in longhand. Next, I take the words and their definitions and record them several times, which is the next type of repetition. Finally, I play the words and their definitions back to myself while engaged in another activity, like working out. This is the third repetition. I believe that repetition itself helps me move the words and their definitions from my short-term memory into my long-term memory.

The second memory tip I have is to try different methods to memorize the same information. In the process described above, I use four different methods to learn the new information. Obviously, I first read the information, using my visual processing to learn the information. Next, I write the information, engaging another part of my brain in the learning process. Third, I say the information out loud, engaging the verbal part of my brain. Finally, I listen to the information, which I feel is the most passive aspect of learning. In this way, I use four different types of skills to learn the same information. It may be that one of these skills taps into the best way that I learn, but my personal belief is that using several different types of learning helps me create different associations for the information, making it easier to learn the information.

Finally, the last memory tip I have is that I try to break information down into manageable units. For example, if I am learning information for which I can create an anagram, I use that anagram to represent other information. This is an example of chunking. As long as I can remember a one-word anagram, I can associate each of those letters with another 4 to 5 pieces of information, making learning a complex idea easier.