The Science of Memory: Top 10 Proven Techniques ... - Zapier

Whether you need to study for an exam, want to learn a new language, ... device that can make large amounts of information more memorable. WhyZapier?HowZapierworksProducttourCustomerstoriesSecurityExplorePopularwaystouseZapierAppsthatworkwithZapierExploreZapierbyjobroleResourcesBlogReadtheZapierblogfortipsonproductivity,automation,andgrowingyourbusinessExpertsHireaZapierExperttohelpyouimproveprocessesandautomateworkflows.HelpcenterGethelpwithZapierfromourtutorials,FAQs,andtroubleshootingarticles.CommunityAskquestions,shareyourknowledge,andgetinspiredbyotherZapierusers.ZapierUniversityVideocoursesdesignedtohelpyoubecomeabetterZapieruser.WebinarsLearnaboutautomationanytime,anywherewithouron-demandwebinarlibrary.Teams&CompaniesZapierforTeamsShareandcollaborateonworkwithyourteaminZapier.ZapierforCompaniesManagemultipleteamswithadvancedadministrativecontrolsinZapier.PricingSearchapps…LoginSignupLoadingHomeProductivityProductivitytipsProductivitytips17minreadTheScienceofMemory:Top10ProvenTechniquestoRememberMoreandLearnFasterByMelaniePinola·June6,2019I'vealwaysbeenenviousofpeoplewithexceptionalmemories.Youknow,thekindofpeoplewhoamassencyclopedicknowledgewithseeminglylittleeffort,whiletherestofusstruggletorememberthenameofthepersonwewereintroducedtosecondsago.There'shopeforallofus,though.Justaswecanstrengthenanyothermuscleinourbodies,wecantrainourbrainstoremembermoreandlearnanythingfaster.Youdon'tneedtobebornwithaphotographicmemory(and,infact,withafewnotableexceptions,virtuallynoadultsactuallyhaveaphotographicmemory).Whetheryouneedtostudyforanexam,wanttolearnanewlanguage,hopetoavoidembarrassingmemorylapses(what'sthenameofyourmanager'sspouseagain?),orsimplywanttostaymentallysharp,improvingyourmemoryiseasierthanitsounds.Allittakesistryingoutnewmemorizationtechniquesormakingkeyadjustmentsinyourlifestyle.Hereare10ofthebesttipsandtrickstohelpboostyourmemoryforboththeshortandthelongterm.TheScienceofMemoryLifestyleChangesThatCanImproveYourMemoryMnemonicsHelpYouRememberMoreEverydayMemorizationTechniquesTheScienceofMemoryFirst,let'stalkabouthowmemoryworks,sowecanunderstandthesciencebehindthesememorizationtechniques.GetproductivitytipsinyourinboxSubscribeIfmemory--orhowourbrainsmakeandrecallmemories--seemsmysterioustoyou,you'renotalone.Scientistsandphilosophershavebeentryingtofigureouthowhumanmemoryworksforatleast2,000years--andthey'restillmakingnewdiscoveries.Forexample,in2016,Britishscientistswonthelargestprizeforneuroscienceintheworld(1millionEuros)fortheirworkonmemory--thediscoveryofaproteininthebrainthatplaysakeypartinmemoryformationandmemoryloss.There'sstilllotstodiscoverandunderstand.Still,wedoknowthattherearebasicallythreestagesorstepstomemoryprocessing:encoding,storage,andrecall.EncodingThefirststeptocreatingamemoryiscalledencoding:It'swhenyounoticeaneventorcomeacrossapieceofinformationandyourbrainconsciouslyperceivesthesounds,images,physicalfeeling,orothersensorydetailsinvolved.Let'stake,forexample,yourfirsttriptoLasVegas.Yourmemoryofthateventisformedbyyourvisualsystem(noticingextravagantlydesignedbuildingsandlushlandscaping,forexample),yourauditorysystem(theringingoftheslotmachines),andperhapssmell(thedistinctivescentspumpedintoeachcasino).ResearchsuggestswerememberthingsbetterandretainthemlongerwhenweassociatemeaningtothemusingsemanticencodingIfyouattachmeaningorfactualknowledgetoanyofthissensoryinput,that'scalledsemanticencoding.Forexample,ifyouassociatetheBellagioResortandCasinoinVegaswithitslocationonamaporthefactthatthedancingfountainshowtakesplaceevery30minutes,you'reencodingtheBellagiowithsemanticmemory.Thisisgoodtoknowbecauseresearchsuggestswerememberthingsbetterandretainthemlongerwhenweassociatemeaningtothemusingsemanticencoding.StorageAlloftheselittlebitsandpiecesofinformationarethenstoredindifferentareasofyourbrain.Yourneurons(thenervecellsinyourbrain)passsignalstoeachotheraboutwhatyouperceived,effectively"talking"witheachotherandbuildingeithertemporaryorlong-lastingconnections.It'sthatneuralactivityandthestrengthofthoseconnectionsthatmakeamemory,neuroscientistsbelieve.ThenetworkofneuronsinourbrainsarethekeytostoringandretrievingmemoriesTherearetwokindsofmemory:short-termandlong-term.Short-termorworkingmemoryislikeyourbrain'sscratchpad.It'swhenyourbraintemporarilystoresinformationbeforeeitherdismissingitortransferringittolong-termmemory—forexample,rememberingwhatyouwanttoorderforlunchbeforecallingthetakeoutplace.Onceyourfoodisdeliveredandeaten,yourbraincanletgoofthatinfo.Long-termmemoriesarethosememoriesyouholdontoforafewdaysormanyyears--thingslikehowtorideabikeorthefirstdinneryouhadwiththefirstpersonyoufellinlovewith.Bothkindsofmemoriescanweakenwithagebecausethebrainlosescellscriticaltothoseconnectionsbetweenneuronsovertime--butthat'snotinevitable.Aswithmusclestrength,youcanexerciseyourbrain;withmemory,it's"useitorloseit."RecallAndfinally,toretrieveamemory,yourbrain"replays"orrevisitsthenervepathwayscreatedwhenthememorywasformed.Repeatedlyrecallinginformationhelpsstrengthenthoseconnectionsandyourmemories,whichiswhytechniqueslikereviewingyournotesorusingflashcardshelpyouretaininformation.However,whenyouremembersomething,it'snotanexactreproductionofthefirsttimeyouexperiencedaneventorcameacrossafact,becauseyourownawarenessofthecurrentsituationgetsmixedinwiththememory.AsTheHumanMemoryexplains:Memoriesarenotfrozenintime,andnewinformationandsuggestionsmaybecomeincorporatedintooldmemoriesovertime.Thus,rememberingcanbethoughtofasanactofcreativereimagination.That'salsowhypeoplecanhavefalsememories,ortheirmemoriesofeventsmightchangeovertime.Nowthatweknowsomeofhowmemoryworks,wecanusethatunderstandingtoimproveourmemory.We'llstartwiththelifestylechangeswecanmake,sincetheycanimprovemorethanjustourmemory,andthengooverspecificmemorizationtechniques.LifestyleChangesThatCanImproveYourMemoryIngeneral,increasingyouroverallhealthwithbettersleep,regularexercise,andbetternutritionwillimproveyourbrainhealth--includingmemory--aswellasyourphysicalhealth.Thesethreethingswillgiveyouthebiggestbangforyourbuckinpreventingmemorylossandimprovingyourmemoryoverall.1.SleeponItHere'saneasywaytoboostyourmemory:Getagoodnight'ssleeportakeapowernapafterlearningsomethingnew.Oneresearchstudyfoundthatpeoplewhosleptfor8hoursafterlearningnewfacesandnameswerebetterabletorememberthemcomparedtothosewhodidn'tgetthesleepopportunity.Andinananalysisoftworesearchdatasets,psychologistNicolasDumaydeterminedthatnotonlydoessleepprotectourbrainsfromforgettingmemories,italsohelpsusretrievememoriesbetter.Whyisthis?Itappearsthatsleep"resets"ourbrainsandiscriticalformemoryandlearning.Ifyou'resleep-deprived,thebrain'sneuronsbecomeover-connectedwithsomuchelectricalactivitythatnewmemoriescan'tbesaved.Sothismakesthecaseagainstlate-nightcrammingforatestorstayingupallnighttorehearseyourpresentation.AstheNewYorkTimesexplains:Hitthehayatyourregulartime;don’tstayuplatecheckingInstagram.Studieshavefoundthatthefirsthalfofthenightcontainstherichestdoseofso-calleddeepsleep—theknocked-out-coldvariety—andthisiswhenthebrainconsolidatesfactsandfiguresandnewwords.Thisisretentionterritory,andwithoutit(ifwestayuptoolate),we’refoggierthenextdayonthosebasicfacts.Napscounttoo!Researchersfoundthattakinganapofabout45-60minutesimmediatelyafterlearningsomethingnewcouldboostyourmemory500%.Sosleeponit.Ifyourbossorco-workerscatchyounappingatwork,justshowthemthesefindings.2.GetMovingJustassleepisimportantforbothyourphysicalandmentalhealth,sotooisthatotherpillarofhealth:exercise.Ourbrainsrelyonoxygentofunctionproperly,andtogetthatoxygen,weneedahealthyflowofoxygen-richbloodtoourbrains.Guesswhat?Exerciseimprovesbloodflowtothebrain.ResearchersattheNationalInstituteonAgeingdiscoveredthataerobicexercise,suchasrunning,islinkedwithimprovedmemory.ExercisesuchasthistriggershighlevelsofaproteincalledcathepsinB,whichtravelstothebraintotriggerneurongrowthandnewconnectionsinthehippocampus,anareainthebrainbelievedtobecriticalformemory.Thetestsweredoneonmice,monkeys,and43sedentaryuniversitystudentswhowereforcedtogetfitforthestudy.Thosesubjectswiththelargestimprovementsinmemory?Youguessedit:thosewiththelargestincreaseincathepsinBafterphysicalactivity.Don'trushtogetyourrunningshoesonjustyet,though.Afterstudyingorlearningsomethingnew,itmightpaytowait.Exercisingabout4hoursafterlearningmightbebetterforimprovingmemorythanexercisingimmediatelyafter.Scientistsarestillunsurewhydelayingexerciseismoreeffectivethanworkingoutimmediately,butperhapsourbrainsneedtimetosoakinnewinformationbeforethatbrain-boostingexercise.3.ImproveYourDietWedon'tmeantosoundlikeyourmomordoctorwithallthisadvice,buthere'sthelastlifestyle-basedrecommendation:Eathealthier.You'veprobablyguessedit,butsaturatedandtransfats--thekindyougetfromredmeatandbutter--arelinkedtopoorermemory.Justascholesterolcanbuildupinyourheart'sarteries,itcanbuildupinyourbrain.HarvardHealthexplains:Thebuildupofcholesterolplaquesinbrainbloodvesselscandamagebraintissue,eitherthroughsmallblockagesthatcausesilentstrokes,oralarger,morecatastrophicstroke.Eitherway,braincellsaredeprivedoftheoxygen-richbloodtheyneedtofunctionnormally,whichcancompromisethinkingandmemory.DietssuchastheMediterraneandiet,whichconsistsmostlyofvegetablesandfruit,oliveoil,seafood,andnuts—richinhealthyunsaturatedfats—havebeenlinkedinnumerousstudiestoimprovementsinmemoryandlowerratesofmemorydecline.Readytofeedyourbrain?Here'stheMayoClinic'sguidetogettingstartedwiththeMediterraneandiet.MnemonicsHelpYouRememberMoreBeyondlivingahealthylifestyle,specificmemorytechniqueswillhelpyoubetterrememberdetailsofanythingyou'relearning."Mnemonics"referstoanysystemordevicedesignedtoaidmemory--usually,patternsofletters,ideas,orassociations,suchasROYGBIVtorememberthecolorsoftherainbow.Herearesomeofthemostcommonandhelpfulmnemonics:4.TryCommonMnemonicsThemostcommonmnemonicshelpyouquicklyrememberwordsorphrases.Forexample,toremembertheorderoftheplanetsorbitingthesun,youmighthavelearnedingradeschool"MyVeryEducatedMotherJustServedUsNinePizzas"(wherethefirstletterofeachwordstandsforMercury,Venus,Earth,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,Neptune,andPluto,respectively).Herearesomeotherexamples:AcronymsorExpressionMnemonics:Similartotheplanetaryexampleabove,thinking"EveryGoodBoyDoesFine"canhelpyourememberthelinesofthetrebleclefinmusic(EGBDF).MusicMnemonics:Musicisapowerfulmnemonicbecauseitprovidesastructureforinformationandencouragesrepetition.It'saloteasiertorememberacatchysongthanitistorememberalongstringofwordsorletters,suchasyourbankaccountpassword.(It'salsowhyadvertisersoftenusejinglestomaketheirmessagesstickinyourhead.Don'tgetmestartedwiththatKars4Kidsjingle.)YouprobablylearnedthealphabetthroughtheABCsong,andifyou'restudyingapopularsubject,chancesarethere'sasongforthat,likelearningthe50statesintheUSAwiththeFiftyNiftyUnitedStatessongorlearningalltheelementswiththeperiodictablesong.RhymingMnemonics:Perhapsyou'refamiliarwiththerhymethatstartswith"30dayshathSeptember,April,June,andNovember"?Rhymesaresimilartomusicmnemonics.Whentheendofeverylinerhymes,itcreatesasong-likepatternthat'seasytoremember.OneexpressionIlearnedfromwatchingacookingshow:"Looksthesame,cooksthesame"—aremindertochopanddiceingredientsuniformlyforevencooking.TheRhymingPegSystem:Youcanusenumberrhymestomemorizealistofitemsusingthe"pegsystem"(alsoknownasthe"hooksystem").Inthissystem,foreachnumber,youmemorizeanimageofawordthatrhymeswithit.Thatimageprovidesa"hook"or"peg"forthingsyouwanttoremember,especiallyinorder.So,forexample,let'ssayyouhadagrocerylistofitemstobuy:milk,cookies,bananas,andbacon.Withthepegsystem,you'd:Firstlearnorcreatetherhymingpeg.One=bun.Two=zoo.Three=tree.Four=Door.Andsoon.Formavividmentalimageoftherhymingobjectforeachnumber.(Whatdoesthatbreadbunlooklike?Whatkindofshoeisit?Whatcoloraretheleavesonthetree?Whatkindofhardwaredoesthedoorhave?)Foreachitemonyourgrocerylist,picturetherhymingobjectwithyourlistitem.Forexample,ifthefirstitemonyourlistis"milk,""one"="bun",soenvisionacontainerofmilkbeingsqueezedbetweenagiantbunofbread.Thenseeaboxofcookiesfallingintoalion'scageatthezoo,amapletreeinsidethestorewithbananashangingoffofabranch,andslicesofbaconstuffedinthemailboxslotofablackdoor.TherhymingpegsystemhelpsyourememberalistofitemsIttakessomeworkandcreativitytomemorizealistthisway,butyou'llretainthatinformationmuchlongerthanifyoujusttriedtomemorizethewordsinorder.Andonceyou'vegotthebasicrhymingpegdown,youcanreusethisforanyfuturelists.Resources:Peglist.comcangenerateavisuallistforyouusingthisnumberrhyme.Andcheckouthundredsofmnemonicdevicesyoucanuseineverydaylifeortolearnanewsubject.5.CreateaMemoryPalaceThenumberonetechniquethatwetopmemoryathletesuseisstillandwillalwaysbethememorypalace.Ifsomeoneweretolearnonething,itshouldbethat.NelsonDellis,four-timeUSAMemoryChampionThememorypalaceisamnemonicdevicethat'sastried-and-trueasitgets—anddeservesasectionofitsown.InventedbyoratorsinancientRomanandGreektimes,thememorypalace(ormindpalaceor"methodofloci")techniqueisbotheffectiveandenjoyabletouse,whetheryou'retryingtorememberaspeechyouhavetogive,detailsofacaseyou'reworkingon(alaSherlockHolmes),oryourgrocerylist.Infact,four-timeUSAMemoryChampionNelsonDellis—whoclaimstohaveanaveragememory—saysthat"Thenumberonetechniquethatwetopmemoryathletesuseisstillandwillalwaysbethememorypalace.Ifsomeoneweretolearnonething,itshouldbethat."Withthememorypalacetechnique,youassociatealocationyou'refamiliarwith—suchasyourapartment,theblockyougrewupon,ortherouteyoutaketoworkorschool—withtheitemsyou'retryingtoremember.Itworksbecauseyou'revisuallypegging(or"placing")representationsofwhatyouwanttorememberinplacesyoualreadyhavestrongmemoriesof.Tousethememorypalacetechnique:Imagineyourselfstandingyourmemorypalace.Yourhomeisagreatonetostartwith,evenifit'snotapalace.Mentallywalkthroughthispalacenoticingdistinctivefeaturesyoucanusetostorethingsyouwanttoremember.Eachstoponthatpathisa"loci"youcanpegtheideaorobjectto.Forexample,yourfrontdoormightbeoneloci,thetableinyourfoyerasecondloci,alampinyourlivingroomanother.Committhosefeaturestomemorysowhenyouthinkofyourpalace,therouteandobjectsinitwillbeimprintedinyourmind.Associatewhatyouneedtorememberwiththelociinyourpalace.Ifyouhadagrocerylist,forexample,atthefrontdooryoucouldpicturemilkfloodingoverthedoorfromtheinside,likeawaterfallofmilk.Thenyougettothefoyerandthetableisbucklingundertheweightofallthechocolatechipcookiesstackedonittotheceiling.Andinsteadofalightbulbinyourlivingroomlamp,youseefluorescentyellowbananas.Itsoundsprettyabsurd,butaswe'lldiscussinmoredetaillater,themorevisual,animated,andoutrageousyoucanmakeyourmemories,thebetter.Here'savideofrom2016WorldMemoryChampionshipwinnerAlexMullendescribingingreatdetailhowto"attach"wordstoobjectsandlocationsinwiththememorypalacetechnique.You'llfindyourselfrememberingthese20wordslongafteryouwatchthevideo.6.RememberMorewithChunkingChunkingisanothermnemonicdevicethatcanmakelargeamountsofinformationmorememorable.Youprobablyuseitalready.Torememberorshareaphonenumber,chancesareyouchunkthenumberssothey'reeasiertoremember:"888""555""0000"--ratherthanthemorememory-intensive"8885550000."Researchsuggeststhatonaveragethehumanbraincanhold4differentitemsinitsworking(short-term)memory.Butbygroupinginformationintosmallersets,wecan"hackthelimitsofourworkingmemory,"asTheAtlanticputsit,toremembermore.Thechunkingtechniqueinvolvesgroupingitems,findingpatternsinthem,andorganizingtheitems.Youmightgroupitemsonyourgrocerylistbyaisle,forexample,orlookforconnectionsbetweeneventsinahistoricalperiodtocreatechunksofthem,suchasmomentsinthe1920sthatinvolvedtheUSConstitution.Chunkingworksbecauseourbrainsareprimedtolookforpatternsandmakeconnections.BrainPickingsexplains:Ourmemorysystembecomesfarmoreefficient,effective—andintelligent—thanitcouldeverbewithoutsuchrefinedmethods[aschunking]toextractusefulstructurefromrawdata.Toputthisintopracticeyourself,youcouldgroupvocabularywordsforanewlanguageyou'relearningbytopic,organizeitemsinalistbythefirstletterorbythenumberofletterstheyhave,orassociateitemswiththelargerwholetheymightbeinvolvedin(e.g.,apples,piecrust,brownsugar,butter=applepie).EverydayMemorizationTechniquesInadditiontomemoryaidsortricksliketheonesabove,therearealsobroaderstrategiesthatwillhelpyoubetterrememberwhatyoucomeacrosseveryday—techniquesthatworknomatterwhatyou'retryingtomemorize.7.MakeNewConnectionsThatAreVisual(andPerhapsOutrageous)Shatteredglass.Stinkysocks.Screaming,swaddledbabies.WhenDellisgavemeacrashcourseonmemorizationtechniquesinpreparationforthe2012USAMemoryChampionship,theonethingthatstoodouttomeacrossallofthemethodshesharedwashowvivid--andoftenabsurd--theimagesyoucreateneedtobetobecomefixedinyourmemory.Visualizationisakeyskillwhenitcomestomemory.Namesandnumbersarehardtorememberbecausethey'reabstractandourbrainscan'teasilylatchontothem.Butourbrainsstoreandrecallimagesmuchmoreeasily.Herearesomevisualtricksthatworkwell:Turnthesoundofnamesintoimages:Assoonasastrangersays,"Hi,I'mMike,"andyousay,"HiMike"--poof!Youforgetthisperson'sname,becauseyouhaven'treallyassociatedthatwordwithanythingaboutthatperson(maybeit'sbeenstoredinyourshort-termmemory,butprobablynot).Youneedtoconnect"Mike"tosomethingmore.Withthememorypalacetechniqueandothermemorizationtechniquesthatdealwithsymbols(suchaslettersandnumbers),thebeststrategyistoturnsomethingabstractintoasoundandvisualrepresentation.Usethesoundsinthewordtoturnitintoanimage.Inthecaseof"Mike,"youcanthinkofapictureofamicrophone.Formulti-syllablenames,createanimageforeachsyllable.For"Melanie,"youmightthinkofamelonandakneecrushingit.Then,thesecondstepistopeg(oranchor)thatimageontotheplaceyouwillrememberit.IfyournewfriendMikehasunusuallybigeyes,youmightimaginemicrophonesbulgingoutofeachofhiseyes.It'ssimilartothememorypalacetechnique,butinsteadofanchoringnewvisualinformationtoalocation,youanchorittoaphysicalfeatureofwhateveryou'retryingtoremember.Animatetheimages:Themoreanimatedandvividyoucanmaketheseimages,thebetter.Doingthiscreatesstronger,novelconnectionsinyourbrainbetweenthatwordornumberandanimage.Engageasmanyofyoursensesaspossible:Rememberhowthebrainbeginstheencodingprocessthroughyoursenses?You'llrememberabstractthingslikenamesandnumbersmoreifyoutapintoyoursenseofhearing,taste,andsmell.IntheMikeexample,perhapsyou'llhearaudiofeedbackfromthemicrophones.IntheMelanieexample,perhapssomeofthefruitisgushingoutofthemelonandyoucanactuallysmellit.Whenitcomestonumbers,similartechniquesapply.Youcanassociatenumbers0-9withimages,whichwillhelpyoubetterrememberlongstringsofnumbers.0,forexample,mightbeadonut;1couldbeaflagpole;2mightbeaswan.Torememberthenumber210,then,pictureaswanswimmingpastaflagpoletopickatadonut.(MemorychampionssuchasDellisencodedouble-ortriple-digitnumberswithimagessotheycanmemorizehundredsofdigitsinfiveminutes.Forexample,00equalsOzzyOsbourne,07isJamesBond.)Practiceandlearnmore:Thisnamegamecanhelpyoutrainyourselftoremembernamesandfacesbetter.AndLitemindexplainshowthemajormemorysystemfornumbersworks.8.WriteItDown,Don'tTypeItOutPutawayyourlaptop.You'remorelikelytoremembernotesyouwritebyhandthanthoseyoutype.Thereareafewreasonswhyhandwritingispreferabletousingyourlaptopwhenitcomestomemory.First,thephysicalactofwritingstimulatescellsatthebaseofyourbrain,calledthereticularactivatingsystem(RAS).WhentheRASistriggered,yourbrainpaysmoreattentiontowhatyou'redoingatthemoment.Whenyou'rewritingbyhand,yourbrainismoreactiveinformingeachletter,comparedtotypingonakeyboardwhereeachletterisrepresentedbyidenticalkeys.Also,researchhasshownthatwhenpeopletakenotesontheirlaptops,theytendtotranscribelecturesverbatim.Conversely,whentakingnotesbyhand,wetendtoreframetheinformationinourownwords--amoreactivekindoflearning.Perhapsevenbetter:Createmindmapsfortopicsyou'relearning.Itcombinesthevisualelement--remember,ourbrainslatchontoimages--withhandwrittenwords.Makeanoteofit:Learnhowtotakeeffectivenotesandcombinepapernotebookswithdigitaltoolsforproductivity.9.UseSpacedRepetitionYouknowhowyoucanstudyforatestorlearnsomethingnew,likeinterestingfactsfromabook,andthenimmediatelyforgetwhatyoulearned?Unlessweactivelyworktoretainthatinformation,chancesarewe'llloseit--inamatterofdaysorweeks.That'sthenaturalexponentialnatureofforgetting,asdepictedbytheforgettingcurve:Ifyouwanttoremembersomethingforthelongterm,suchasvocabularyinaforeignlanguageorfactsyouneedforyourprofession,themostefficientwaytolearnthatmaterialisspacedrepetition.AsGabrielWynerexplainsinhisexcellentbookonlearninglanguages,FluentForever,"Atitsmostbasiclevel,aSpacedRepetitionSystem(SRS)isato-dolistthatchangesaccordingtoyourperformance."You'llbeginwithshortintervals(twotofourdays)betweenpracticesessions.Everytimeyousuccessfullyremember,you'llincreasetheinterval(e.g.,ninedays,threeweeks,twomonths,sixmonths,etc.),quicklyreachingintervalsofyears.Thiskeepsyoursessionschallengingenoughtocontinuouslydrivefactsintoyourlong-termmemory.Ifyouforgetaword,you'llstartagainwithshortintervalsandworkyourwaybacktolongonesuntilthatwordsticks,too.Thispatternkeepsyouworkingonyourweakestmemorieswhilemaintaininganddeepeningyourstrongestmemories.Becausewell-rememberedwordseventuallydisappearintothefarofffuture,regularpracticecreatesanequilibriumbetweenoldandnew.Thewaytodefeatforgettingistouseaspacedrepetitionsystem,withyourownphysicalflashcardsorwithanappsuchastheAnkiorPauker.Digitalappsaremoreconvenient,naturally,buttheactofcreatingyourowncards--includingfindingimagestotietowhatyou'relearning--isapowerfullearningexperience.Forbothmethods,dailyreviewsareideal,butanytypeofregularroutinewillhelpyoulearnandrememberfaster.Protip:Wynersharesthesetipswithus,particularlyforlearninganewlanguage:Makeyourmemoriespersonal(don'tjustcopysomeoneelse'smnemonics)andmakesureyoucanactuallyhearthesoundsyou'retryingtoremember.Here'shisadviceonhowtocreatebetterflashcards.10.ShareWhatYou'reLearningFinally,there'stheoldadagethat"thebestwaytolearnsomethingistoteachittosomeoneelse."WhenIaskedtheZapierteamwhattheirfavoritememorizationandlearningtechniquewas,mostpeoplementionedteaching,explaining,orevenjustmentioningsomethingtheylearnedtosomeoneelse.ThisistheTheProtégéEffect.Asdemonstratedinonestudy:As[students]preparetoteach,theyorganizetheirknowledge,improvingtheirownunderstandingandrecall.Andastheyexplaintheinformationto[acomputerizedcharacterthatlearnsfromthestudentscalledBetty'sBrain],theyidentifyknotsandgapsintheirownthinking.A2009studyofBetty’sBrainpublishedintheJournalofScienceEducationandTechnologyfoundthatstudentsengagedininstructingherspentmoretimegoingoverthematerialandlearneditmorethoroughly.BonusTip:OffloadtheStuffYouDon'tNeedtoMemorizeThehumanbrainisincredible.Becauseourneuronscanstoremanymemoriesatatime,ourmentalstoragecapacityissomewherearoundthe2.5petabytes(milliongigabytes)range--enoughtoholdthreehundredyears'worthofnonstopTVshows.Thatsaid,whilewedon'truntheriskofourbrainsgettingfull,there'stonsofinformationwecomeacrossthatwecansimplyoffloadtoourdigitaltools.Memorizinginformationtakeseffort,soweshouldfocusontheinformationthatwereallyneedtocommittomemory.Evernotecanstandinforyoursecondbraintohelpyourememberjustaboutanything,oryoucoulduseoneoftheplethoraofothernote-takingappstodothesame.Related:Useabooknote-takingsystemtoremembermoreofwhatyoureadMemorymightstillbeamysterytous,butstudieshaveshownthatthetechniquesabovewillhelpyouretainmoreofwhatyoulearn.Idon'thaveaphotographicmemoryandsometimesstillstruggletorememberwhereIleftmykeys,butwhenItrytocommitsomethingtomemoryusingatleastoneofthetechniquesabove,ittendstostickinmybrain.Atleast,I'vehadfewer"What'syournameagain?"moments.KeepReading:HowtoBetterRememberandMakeUseofWhatYouReadLearnaNewImageFasterwithGoogleImagesHowtoFixYourBrokenPerceptionofTimeForgettingcurveimageviaCambridgeUniversityPress.BrainnetworkimagebyBobHolzer.Sleepphotobyplanetchopstick.ExercisephotobyFitApproach.FoodphotobyMoyan_Brenn.Nametagphotobyquinn.anya.NotebookwithpenphotobyNeilConway.GetproductivitytipsdeliveredstraighttoyourinboxSubscribeWe’llemailyou3timesperweek—andnevershareyourinformation.MelaniePinolaMelaniePinolaisaNY-basedwriter.Besidestryingoutnewproductivitysystems,sheenjoyscooking,playingvideogameswithherfamily,andtraveling.Followherat@melaniepinola.tagsPersonalproductivityProfessionaldevelopmentRelatedarticlesImproveyourproductivityautomatically.UseZapiertogetyourappsworkingtogether.SignupSeehowitworks