Improve your Memory!

SUGGESTED USES FOR YOUR MEMORY
Lets start easy
Forget where you put your keys? Right. From now on, what you need to do is
when you put your keys down link them to where you are putting them. So, if you
put them down on the sofa enlarge those keys to huge size, and imagine them
changing into a person, who looks like a key. Give him a name. Next time you will
know where they are. What happens if you put them down in lots of different
places – how will you know where you are up to? Well the chances are that you
will not have this confusion, its quite amazing. However, at least you will know the
places where to look first.
What about directions?
For directions you need to make sure that you listen for key points on routes that
people might be giving you. Use the basic number systems for instructions like ‘3rd
on the left’ but wherever possible ask for specific land marks. Left and right are
often a problem too as they abstract ideas. However, attaching a real item in
place of left and right is a solution. For example, instead of Left have Lion. Rabbit
instead of Right. This means that for the example above you could have a tree
being eaten by Lion. If there was a pub – the black horse – then a black horse
could be introduced into the image. As you create the various directions as
images, you link them together in story form.
Telephone numbers
Often a thing which is tricky to hold down. However using your memory systems
should make it easier. Firstly, get a clear image of the person whose number it is
fixed clearly in your head. Then look at the number. Which is the best system?
Personally I find using the letters system the best, and break the number down into
pairs. Then I use the story system to link those pairs, although I make sure I do
not make it a circular story!
Equally, you can attach address information in the same way. Picture what the
name of the road would look like. I live in Bawns Lane, - Bawns sounds like
Born, so I would have a baby being born in the middle of a lane. My house
number is 32, which in the letters system is man. So a man is having a baby in
the middle of a lane! Not a pretty thought but easy to remember.
Dates of history...
can be remembered in a similar way using the letters system. Break the number
down into two groups of two, or else keep it as a 4 digit number (unless it is
below 1000 of course!) Create your object from this to remember, and then link it
to the key event in history. While I was at college we were called on to learn for
an exam 30 dates. I have number dyslexia, also called dyscalculia. How could I
remember such things, they were meaningless? For weeks before the exam all
my friends had sticky notes all over their rooms with the dates and key events on.
I knew from experience that such would not work for me.
It was two nights before the exam I finally sat down, and focussed on the
information. An hour later I had the lot. It does seem at the time to take a long
time, but if you were to compare the accumulative time that most people spend
on rote learning, revision and checking, the systems are much faster - you also
retain information for longer.
It is a useful point to make however that if you are needing to learn a lot of dates,
then it is also wise to learn them as you would any other list and make sure that
they are organised. Think of it like a shopping list where you also memorise the
best-before date as well.