5 Simple Memory Improvement Tips

If you are interested in learning about why you forget the things that you do go check out my post on why we forget. There I explain how our minds have evolved to let go of certain details even if we feel they are important.

However, if you are here to gain a few simple memory tips continue right on reading!

Before we dive right into my free memory tips though you may want to check these out…

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You Can Have an Amazing Memory: Dominic O’brien has won the world memory championship not once, not twice, but EIGHT times. Now he’s sharing some of his memory mastery tips with you!

I’d Recommend This For: People who are really looking to get advice about memory enhancement from a true expert in the field.

How to Improve Your Memory & Increase Your Brain Power in 30 Days: This novel focuses on helping you increase you memory capabilities in a short time frame, which is important in our fast paced world.

I’d Recommend This For: People who are looking for tested techniques that can help them enhance their memory abilities in a short timeframe.

Strengthen Your Mind Program Course: This course covers a variety of different memory enhancement techniques while also providing you with useful worksheets, tasks, and assignments to really drive home the concepts you’re attempting to learn.

I’d Recommend This For: People who are looking to have a little more direction and a more immersive experience as they attempt to enhance their memories. The interactive activities are great for that.

1. MEMORY IMPROVEMENT VIA MINDFULNESS TRAINING

Have you ever drifted off during a long conversation or presentation, totally disregarding a speaker only to be pulled back to reality when your brain tells you an action is required? I know I am definitely guilty of this.

These are all examples of our brains attempting to conserve energy.

By reducing focus the brain minimizes its energy consumption by reducing intake of irrelevant information. This occurred over centuries of evolution, which is why it’s such a difficult habit to change. Nonetheless, it can indeed be changed by reducing our time spent in this passive-mode.

The solution seems simple, but trust me it’s much easier said than done. You need to practice mindfulness and be attentive to even the most minor of details. This means constantly using your brain and identifying when your brain has switched off in order to pull the focus back.

Exercises you could potentially try: remain focused over the entire span of a long conversation, continuously noticing the trees and animals you travel pass during a walk, or even just noticing minor details in your current surroundings.

These exercises really don’t have to be complicated. The main idea is that you keep your mind focused, remaining mindful of relevant information.

At first, it will be difficult, and you will grow tired. But, like training for a marathon, with practice over time, you will build up your mental endurance. So get out there and start doing some brain cardio and implement this memory improvement tip!

2. EXTERNALIZE MEMORY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

You may partake in this exercise already without even realizing it. I imagine that some of you own a book or two, maybe you’ve even read one! Books are excellent examples of memory externalization. We have placed information down on paper so that the brain no longer needs to retain it.

That messy filing cabinet or that cluttered documents folder on your laptop are also examples of memory externalization. Even our shopping lists are examples of memory externalization!

Basically, memory externalization is the offloading of information to external sources so the brain doesn’t need to remember it.

You might be thinking at this point, “Hey Mark, what the heck. This is not a tip to actually improve our memories. What gives?”

So let me explain.

See the brain does not have an infinite amount of resources. Therefore, the more we externalize information the less energy we spend attempting internalizing these items, freeing up limited neural resources. These saved resources can then be used to remember other details which are more difficult to externalize!

You can start practicing this memory improvement tip simply by getting into the habit of writing things down! Your brain will thank you for reducing its workload with improved memory.

3. ORGANIZE YOUR SHIT

This one is short and sweet. Organize your shit!

This builds off of the last tip. Recall that I told you that the brain has a finite amount of resources to utilize before you’ve completely exhausted them over the day.

Now, try to imagine how many of these resources you waste due to your disorganization!

Have you ever thrown a file on your desk which you told yourself you’d put away later, only to struggle to find it when you needed it? Or, and I know we all have experienced this problem, have you ever STRUGGLED TO FIND A WORKING PEN IN THE PEN DRAWER!!

(Seriously!! Why don’t we throw those pens out!! IT’S SO FRUSTRATING!! I guess that’s a topic for another article though).

Each and every one of these types of tasks unnecessarily consumes your limited neural energy. But there is a plus side. The more organized you are, the less neural resources you waste. These resources can then be spent on retrieving memories and being mindful. So go invest some time in getting yourself organized!

4. ATTEMPT TO MAKE EXPERIENCES UNIQUE

Now, this one might be a little more difficult to implement. Obviously, not all of our memories can be unique, nor do all of us have the time to constantly make them so.

Thus, use this memory improvement tip on those things that you really want to remember for a set time-frame. Such as if you are trying to remember something for an upcoming exam or test.

The retention of these more difficult to remember details can be improved by making the situation unique. Attempt to engage as many of your 5 senses (sights, sound, smell, touch, taste) as possible.

For example, remember a recipe by the smell, taste, touch, and look of the ingredients.

Disclaimer: I do not recommend engaging your senses in harmful ways (such as hitting yourself in the head with a pan to remember your next dinner date). In fact, doing so would likely have a counterproductive impact on memory retention. Please REMEMBER responsibly!

These actions attach a neurochemical tag to the memory making it easier to retrieve later.

Recall, from the post: “why do we forget“, the categories our memories are placed in often results in them blending together. This neurochemical tag can make that specific memory easier to retrieve from a particular category.

5. TRY TO GET A GOOD REST EVERY NIGHT

Now, this memory improvement tip is probably the easiest, but I know 90% of you reading this (myself included) rarely get the recommended hours of sleep.

There have been numerous studies on the negative effects of sleep deprivation. If you are curious, check out these articles: Pilcher & Huffcutt or Di Meco, Joshi & Praticò.

If I were, to sum up how sleep deprivation influences memory retention I would say: Sleep deprivation prevents our brains from fully replenishing its neural resources.

Thus, after a night of only 5 hours of sleep, you start the day with less neural resources than you would have if you had gotten 8 hours. Therefore, the effects of sleep deprivation on our brains can be EXTREME!

Thus, if we deprive the brain of the opportunity to replenish its neural resources, memory retention will be hindered as the brain will have fewer resources to allocate to memory tasks. Our neural reserves will empty much earlier throughout our day.

Overall, just get yourself into your bed at a reasonable time. I know you want to!