How to Improve Memory


How to improve memory. How to improve your memory? Most effective memory improvement techniques you can pick up now.

Association

As any memory expert would tell you, you can remember any new piece of information if it is associated to something you already know or remember. For example, how do you memorize the five Great Lakes? Many students use the mnemonic HOMES, or simply visualize floating homes on the lakes. (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior).

What this means for us is that in order to remember anything, all you have to do is to consciously make an association. Once you have done that, you will be able to remember that thing permanently.

Substitution

What if you have to memorize a list of long, complicated words? Another powerful memory technique is to use substitute words. These words are formed by substituting the original words with similar sounding words that evoke strong, concrete images.

Look at the list of African countries below and the substitute words you might use to memorize them:

  • Mali – My leg
  • Zambia – Zap my beard
  • Angola – Angler
  • Ethiopia – Eat the peas
  • Sudan – Sit down
  • Tanzania – Dance mania
  • Namibia – Name a beer
  • Chad – Chap
  • Burkina Faso – Big Fat-so
  • Sierra Leone – See a lion
  • Guinea – Guinea pigs
  • Somalia – Some liar
  • Uganda – U gun down
  • Rwanda – Rounder
  • Madagascar – Made a gas car

Use a Link System

Setting up a link or chain system is key to putting the associations listed above together. Once you recall one item, you will recall the another because of the link you have consciously set up. The key is to make your links as exaggerated and ridiculous as possible. Use action often; by animating even the most inanimate objects, you strengthen the ridiculous image in your mind. Example of how to memorize a list of 15 countries in less than a minute: Memory Improvement Exercises.


Return from How to Improve Memory to Memory Exercises