10 Strategies To Improve Memory And Optimize Study
At some point in our lives we have all wanted to improve memory, either to get good grades in our studies or to go one step further in our professional career or simply to remember everything we have to do throughout the day.
For students it is essential to be able to optimize their study time and get the most out of it. In addition, a trained memory will be very useful in their professional life, and more so in these times when it is necessary to constantly recycle.
Understanding that improving memory consists of improving the information retrieval process and increasing its retention, below we are going to see ten strategies to improve memory.
The strategies listed here are intended to improve effectiveness during the study process and are drawn from various studies, books, and articles on cognitive psychology.
1. Focus your attention on what you are doing
Attention is one of the main components of memory. For information to move from short-term memory to long-term memory, it is necessary to focus on this information. When studying or trying to memorize something, it is important to be in a place without distractions that allows us to focus our attention.
For this you can also practice mindfulness. Through this technique, you will learn to focus your attention on a single stimulus. In this way, it will help you when you start studying since it is a way of training, among other things, our attention. Thus, when we are studying, we will be less likely to be distracted and we will be more focused.
2. Set up regular study sessions and don’t leave it all for last.
It is not about educating discipline, but about helping our mind to properly process information. Students who study regularly have been shown to remember study material much better than those who spent marathon sessions studying the same material.
By studying a little every day, the knowledge will be processed and will go from working memory to long-term memory. With this, we ensure greater possibilities of remembering the information when we get to the exam. It should be remembered that working memory is limited, so if we study a little every day, we will store the information in a more adequate and durable way.
3. Structure and organize the information
Researchers have shown that information is organized in memory into related groups. Therefore, by structuring and organizing study materials, grouping similar concepts or summarizing with notes taken throughout the study, it is easier to associate related information and thus improve the study.
4. Use mnemonic techniques to remember information
Mnemonic techniques are strategies used to remember information that are often very personal. They function as an “access key” that allows us to associate something specific with what we want to remember. Some techniques consist of forming a word using the initials of the first words in a list to remember all the points or memorizing a series of funny pictures or drawings, using a song, etc.
5. Develop progressively what you are studying
To remember the information it is necessary to encode what is being studied in long-term memory. To do this, a very effective technique is to progressively delve into a concept starting by reading the definition of the key term, then studying that term and then delving into a more expanded definition. Repeating this process several times favors memorization.
When we carry out this process over time, the information accesses the long-term memory. Therefore, it is important to study a little every day instead of leaving everything until the last day. With this, what is achieved is that the stored information is disordered and chaotic. Therefore, if it is studied and progressively deepened, the information will access our most solid memory.
6. Relate the new information to what you already know
When faced with new and unfamiliar study material, first think about how you can relate it to what you already know. By establishing relationships between new ideas and previously existing memories, you will be able to remember the new information much better.
7. Visualize the concepts to remember better
Visualization is one of the most used techniques and that gives the best results. To do this, it is important to look at the images (photos, diagrams, graphics), use your own colors and symbols, make mind maps, personal drawings, etc. Anything that the memory evokes us is worth. In this way, information retention can be enhanced. They are little tricks to remember the content so that the brain also stores the information visually. Many, in the middle of an exam, have ever thought: “this is what I underlined in red” or “this is what was at the top of the page” …
8. Tell someone else what you have learned
Research suggests that reading information aloud significantly improves the memorization process. Educators and psychologists have found that when students teach new concepts to others, their understanding and recall improves. To take advantage of this technique, you can study with a partner or ask someone in your family or around you to listen to you.
Buddhist psychology, oddly enough, has something to say about it. It affirms that when we are able to explain to another person what we are studying, it is the best way to learn. Therefore, studying something and then trying to explain it to a friend – or to a photo if we are alone – helps us to retain a large amount of information.
9. Pay special attention to the most difficult and restructure the information
Researchers have found that the order of information can play an important role in recall. An interesting technique would be to restructure the information, starting with what is easiest for us to remember, spending a little more time on what is most difficult for us.
10. Vary your study routine from time to time
Introducing a novel variant in the study routine breaks the monotony and increases the effectiveness of the efforts made, helping to improve the long-term retrieval of information. For them it is enough to change the place of study, try to find other different times to study or any other novelty that we find interesting. You don’t need to make a radical change, just look for occasional alternatives.
To keep in mind
To improve memory and optimize study, it is also vitally important to have a suitable, comfortable environment free of interruptions. That is why here are some tips to prepare the right space:
- Identify a place where you can be alone and in silence. So you won’t be interrupted by annoying noises. If you do not have this possibility, you can simulate the isolation using headphones and background music or relaxing sounds.
- Lighting is another important aspect to take into account. Consequently, make sure it is an illuminated place. If possible, let in sunlight to keep it warm and natural.
- Ventilation is also ideal. If it is in your possibilities to get a place that has a window, much better. Thus the environment will be much more oxygenated. However, the climate in the room has to make you feel comfortable enough to forget about it and think only about carrying out your tasks.
- It has a desk or table large enough for you to place everything you need on the surface.
- Try to be well seated. Otherwise, you will have back and neck pain, which will affect the study process.
