Article Surfing Archive

An important element of any learning is memory. Without it all our learning will be futile. While some are endowed with razor sharp memory, there are others, who find their memory failing them at the most crucial moments in their life. As in everything else, memory can be improved a great deal by applying some of the memory techniques.

In any new learning, you can grasp new information easily by associating the new information with your acquired learning. This will help you to see the relational aspects of certain principles, mechanism, truth or whatever, and lend greater meaning and significance to the information learnt.

Studies have revealed that memory is augmented by using both sides of your brain. This is known as whole-brain thinking. The left side of our brain dominates in logic, words, lists, numbers, sequences and analysis, while the right side excels in rhythm, imagination, daydreaming, color, size and spatial awareness. Working on combining the left and right attributes will strengthen memory.

Many problems of memory are primarily due to lack of proper attention.

You can visualize what you want to remember by picturing them as a sequence; the more bizarre, humorous and exaggerated the images, greater the recall.

You can link the main ideas or items of information by stringing them into an unusual story. E.g. if you have to buy vegetables, pick up laundry and buy toys, you could link them into a story: Tomato quashes on your shirt, you have to go to the laundry for cleaning when Mickey Mouse welcomes you.

Using acronyms is an effective way for remembering items in an order by making a word out of each item to be recalled. E.g. My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas ' represent 9 planets of the sun - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

When the first letter of each item stands for a word in a phrase it is known as Acrostic. E.g. Pink = Pink is a special color; I like it more for its subtle shade, Never loud or garish; Kind of gentle and pleasing always.

Chunking is another effective technique applied often in numbers. For e.g. If you have to remember 10 digit telephone numbers, you can split them into units of 5 ' 98412-84523. You can also chunk items under a general concept ' Fruits, Vegetables, etc.

While these are some of the common techniques for enhancing your memory, an equally powerful and easy technique for reinforcing learning and memory is the Mind Mapping. The Mind Mapping technique is primarily based on how we think, remember and recall. British Psychologist, Mr. Tony Buzan, developed the technique based on the theories of memory. His studies on memory and the brain, led him to invent the Mind Map technique.

The intrinsic worth of this technique is that it induces whole-brain thinking by triggering a chain of associated thoughts and ideas, and stimulating the full resources of the brain. Since you note down your thoughts on a subject or issue, you will be engaging your full and focused attention to it. In addition, the technique employs visual stimuli such as colors, pictures, symbols, dimensions, etc., adding to the vividness, and greatly strengthening memory and dissemination.

The Mind Map technique is primarily aimed at improving your memory vastly, and giving full rein to your inner thoughts and process. It thus has the potential to trigger greater creativity, imagination and insight. It is indeed a great memory grosser!! You have to learn and use the technique and then you will know how your memory never lets you down.