Memory Techniques

Brainpower Newsletter

Ready for a review of some basic memory techniques?

Here are a few of the most basic ways to remember things. In fact, most of the more elaborate memory systems start with these as their basis.

Association. You may have had the experience of a song bringing back memories from long ago. These things were linked to the song in your mind. This is a natural process, making it one of the easier ones to use and expand on. Maybe you recall the exercise where you place items to be remembered in ten "peg" locations, like your window, microwave, etc. This is a slightly more involved associative process. To remember a name, you might imagine calling the person by their name in the location where you expect to see them next.

Repetition. This is the most common way to remember things. It causes you to focus on the item to be remembered. You may recall from a previous newsletter that a better way to use repetition is to schedule periodic reviews. You review whatever you wish to remember after 10 to 15 minutes, then the next day, the next week, and finally a month later.

Stories. This is really just another use of association. You create a story linking objects to be remembered, for example. You can also create short stories to remember key points about a person. The pattern you create when you do this makes it much more likely that you'll remember everything, compared to just listing and memorizing things by repetition.

Importance. We often hardly pay attention when told someone's name. This lack of attention signals the brain that the information is unimportant. If you want to remember something, then, it helps to make it more important to your brain. This can be as simple as stopping to ask about the name if it is unusual, or relating the thing to be remembered to other things that are very important to you.

- Cows have four stomachs.

- Cows and horses sleep standing up.

- If you get the recomended 8 hours of sleep each night you will sleep over 2,900 hours each year.

(Don't worry - I know you'll be checking my math on that last one. It's right.)

Why energy boosters? More energy equals better brainpower. I've had problems with fatigue and a lack of energy all my life. It would be wonderful to know why. I've asked doctors, read books, and I have decided that some questions just won't be answered in my lifetime.

I've also learned that even without discovering the root causes of my tiredness, there are things I can do to alleviate it. Here are some of energy boosters that have worked for me and others over the years. Sometimes it helps to use several at once.

1. Breath deeply. Three slow deep breaths through the nose help oxygenate the blood supply better, and especially seems to wake up the brain. As those of you who meditate may already know, breathing through the nose uses your diaphragm more and draws the air deeper...

Continued here:
http://www.increasebrainpower.com/energy-boosters.html

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Until next time,

Steve

www.IncreaseBrainpower.com

PS: My wife and I are in the process of moving from Tucson, AZ to Canon City, CO. I may have to skip an upcoming issue, or at least shorten one or two of them. I will also likely be slow in answering e-mails.

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