How to Improve Your Memory
There are few things as important as our ability to remember and recall. Besides the fact that memories can simply be enjoyable, a powerful memory is also important to both our personal and professional lives. You don’t want to forget faces, names, deadlines, or conversations.
As we age, our power to recall begins to diminish – but all hope is not lost! If you follow the tips below, you can preserve (and maybe even boost) your memory.
Establish a Routine
Establishing some simple routines can make remembering mundane tasks simple. For example, leaving your keys and purse in the same spot every time ensures that you don’t waste time trying to remember where they are.
Learn What Works for You
Not everyone learns the same way. This is true with memory as well. What works for some people may not work for you. Keep that in mind, so you don’t get frustrated when someone else’s’ advice doesn’t help you. Once you find what works for you – double down on that.
Combine Your Senses
The more senses involved, the stronger the memory. When you are trying to remember something, engage as many senses as you possibly can: smell, touch, taste, hearing and seeing.
Make an Emotional Connection
Humans actually produce stronger memories when they create an emotional connection. Researchers from New York University have found evidence that reacting to something emotionally will help that person’s ability to recall it.
Embrace Exercise
A healthy body is vitally important to keeping a healthy mind. Exercise physically improves the blood flow to your brain. In fact, researchers at the National Institute on Ageing found that aerobic exercise has a link with improved memory.
Get Enough Sleep
In a “rise and grind” era, getting enough sleep almost seems out of style. The reality is that sleep is vitally important to a number of our body’s processes and memory is no different. Getting an uninterrupted sleep the night before has been linked with improved memory.
Drink More Coffee
This is a fun one! One more reason to indulge in that sweet morning nectar. Studies have shown that coffee actually enhances our ability to store and encode memories – at least in the short-term.
Write it Down
We live in a tech-obsessed age. Who wants to bother writing things down when you can simply tap away (or even dictate!) to our phones? Well, if you’re going to remember something, you are probably better off writing it down by hand. This quote from a study published in Psychological Science explains why: “laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning”
3 Ways to Improve Your Memory
- Purchase a notebook and commit to writing things down. As we learned above, writing things down (as opposed to typing them) will help boost your memory.
- Start a new exercise routine. It doesn’t have to be anything too intense. Just up your activity levels in general. Take more walks or take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Start tracking your sleep. You can do this manually or use tech like a FitBit to help. Getting enough sleep is one of the most important steps you can take to boost your memory.
