You can not remember your lessons, dates, names? Do you ever have blackouts? This is not a fatality! There are simple techniques to improve your ability to memorize: you are told everything!
1. Be attentive
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It is often said that listening well in class represents 50% of the work of memorization: it's true! The more you are focused on the information you receive, the better you understand it, and the more likely you are to retain it. It's worth it to make an effort and keep the chatter for the interclasses! Same thing when you review at home: isolate yourself and disconnect anything that could affect your concentration (phone, internet, television ...).
2. Sort
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Memory needs to be organized, structured, classified. Also to retain information, it is important to give them an order of importance (to appear on your review sheets). Giving them a logical order will also help you, as when rolling a ball of wool. So, try to visualize your course as a road with a succession of steps, or a house with its different rooms ...
3. Play the parrot
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To learn something by heart, it is not enough to read it, it must also be repeated in his head or out loud. Do it several times right away, then half an hour later to be sure the information is recorded. But be careful, do not try to learn everything by heart! Remember a lesson plan, a formula, dates ... but not every word, which would be counterproductive.
Memory: how does it work?
To memorize information, the brain performs three successive operations, as important as the others:
- Encoding which is the learning phase. It is related to your emotional state and your degree of attention.
- The storage that corresponds to the moment when the brain stores the information, like a cd that is engraved, etiquette then class.
- The recovery which consists in finding the recorded information and restoring it.
4. Did you say mnemonic?
Memory uses different elements to remember information, such as where or when you learned it, who you were with, what it felt like, and so on. Thus by associating an element during the encoding phase (see box), you increase your chances of restoring it. Some people are more sensitive to the visual, auditory or movement: still to find the technique that suits you the most.
5. Escape the routine
There is nothing worse for memory than putting your brain into autopilot. In order not to soften you, try to change regularly your routes, your places of exit, your "rituals" of the morning or the evening. Similarly, avoid passive activities. If you are watching TV, try a program that will make you think or where you can start a discussion with your loved ones. Or take the opportunity to remember one or more sentences.
6. To sleep!
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The memory works also at night! The various phases of sleep serve indeed to our brain to classify and consolidate the knowledge, that they were acquired during the day or that it is more distant memories. It is therefore essential to sleep well, and especially in sufficient quantities.
7. Run, swim, pedal ...
Playing sports helps to oxygenate the brain and improves its cognitive functions. In addition, pausing in revisions is crucial because it gives the memory the ability to sort and record the information. These are moments when your brain works for you effortlessly: enjoy!
8. Exit the stress
Being depressed or stressed can disrupt the learning process. In these moments, we are indeed less available and attentive to the information received. Then, stress promotes the production of cortisol, a hormone harmful to the recording of memories in the long-term memory. And above all we will be less tempted to remember information related to a negative emotion ...
9. Take care of your plate
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If there is no miracle food or magic pill that allows you to remember everything by heart, some foods stimulate memory. This is the case of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins and antioxidants, but also fish, chocolate and all foods containing Omega 3, which strengthen the walls of neurons. Conversely, avoid foods that are too fat, as well as excess caffeine or alcohol that disturb digestion and sleep ...
10. Build up your memory
To maximize your memory capabilities, you must train it regularly with simple, simple exercises. Every day, try to remember a phone number or a list of items. Likewise at the end of the day, try to reconstruct the thread of what you did, who you met, what he or she wore, what you said, what you ate at lunch, etc. . A good exercise of brain gymnastics!
