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by Steven Gillman
What's the biggest problem with memory tricks? Remembering to use
them, of
course. There are many memory techniques that work well,
but you'll forget them when you need them most - unless you make
using them a habit. So when you take the time to learn a technique,
use it until it becomes automatic. Here are some to try.
Using a Story-List
I went to a party as a child. There was a game that involved
looking at a table covered in 15 various items. After a few minutes,
we were taken to another room, and each child was given paper and a
pencil. We had to write down as many items as we could remember. I
recalled seven or eight, but one boy won the prize by remembering
all 15 items.
Years later I learned why he won. His father taught him a simple
trick that none of us other kids knew. The technique is to tie the
items together in an imaginative story. For example, what if you
want to remember a list of the following things: Soap, milk, honey,
fork, and flowers.
Start a vivid story in your imagination, adding each item to it
as you go: At the sink, you reach for the SOAP. The soap dish is
full of MILK, so you wash your hands in that. Then you comb HONEY
into your hair with a FORK, and finally pick up a bouquet of FLOWERS
and smile at the mirror. Say each item while mentally reviewing your
"movie," and you'll remember all five things, even the
next day.
Some Other Memory Tricks
Tell yourself to remember. When you learn a person's name, for
example, tell yourself, "remember that". This signals your
unconscious mind to rank this input as more important.
Know WHY you want to remember something, and HOW you'll remember
it. To remember a person, for example, ask why they'll be important
to you in the future, imagine where you'll see them next, and
connect that to anything you notice about them. Seeing the
importance of remembering really helps, and additional associations
(where you expect to see the person next) set the memory more firmly
in your brain.
Do you ever forget where you put your car keys? You've probably
tried retracing your steps, at least doing it in your imagination.
This can work well, but even better is to prevent the forgetting
beforehand. When you set the keys on the chair, see yourself walking
in and setting the keys on the chair. You won't forget where they
are.
There are many more of these memory tricks. If you want them to
be useful, though, don't just read about them. Make a memory
technique or two into a habit, starting today.
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