How many people do you know that complain about having a "bad memory"? You know the people I'm talking about. The ones that constantly talk about how they would do so much better if they could remember things more easily! But how many of those people spend even a small amount of time doing some memory training so they can understand how their memory works?
What do you think about your memory? Do you think you have a "good memory" or do you think it could use some work? And what does having a "good memory" even mean to you? Does it mean you can remember people's names? Or does it mean you can remember everything that ever happened and everything you ever learnt?
In reality, our memory does exactly what it is supposed to do. It stores information. The question you need answered is how does our mind retrieve the information we want? Well, the key is actually all about moving memories. That's right, moving them. You need to actively move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
However, in order to move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory you must understand and apply the five pillars of memory. Trying to improve your memory recall without understanding the five pillars is like trying to drive without a car, it's not going to work and you might hurt yourself!
Pillar One - Association. Your memory finds it much easier to recall events or experiences when you associate it with something you are already familiar with. How often do you hear someone say (for example) "Oh yes, I remember that day well because that was the day I got my hair cut at a new hairdresser." Linking things together through association is extremely powerful. So start associating everything you want to remember today!
Pillar Two - Imagery. Your memory recalls events or experiences as images and pictures. It's like you have a camera in your head constantly taking snap shots. So if you want to remember some information draw an image or make a mental picture of what you want to remember (as opposed to just reading the information or writing it down). Images are far easier for your memory to recall so start using them as often as you can.
Pillar Three - Time. As you would expect, your memories will weaken the more time passes by. For example, you can probably remember what you did yesterday but you will find it much harder to recall what you did on this day one year ago. If you allow time to pass by and don't give your mind any reason to store a memory (by using association or imagery) it will just become a blur. So to remember something you must actively recall it straight away and give your mind a good reason to store it in your long-term memory.
Pillar Four - Repetition. Have you ever noticed that information you easily recalled some time ago but then stopped using is very difficult to recall now? Names of television shows you liked as a child, passwords for applications you haven't used for a while or addresses that you previously lived at are all examples of this pillar at work. So if you want to remember something you must ensure that you re-live or repeat the memory consistently over time. For example, if you want to learn a new language you must engage in learning as regularly as possible. If you learn ten new Spanish words today and then come back to them a week later you will find you have forgotten at least some (if not all) of the words you already learnt!
Pillar Five - Emotion. Have you noticed how emotional events can be remembered in great detail? This is because your mind will move intense, shocking and strange occurrences to your long-term memory automatically. This is because these types of events or experiences give a cue to the memory that they should be moved to your long-term memory. Therefore, if you want to remember something you need to add some emotion, intensity or weirdness to it! But be warned, if you make the memory negatively emotional there is a chance your memory will block some, most or all of the memory out - so always choose positive emotion rather than negative.
Memory training is the best way to improve your memory recall ability. By spending a couple of minutes today reading this you have already accessed the most important part of memory recall - the five pillars. Remember, if you want to recall something, move the memory from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. Memory recall will then become a breeze. Good luck!
What do you think about your memory? Do you think you have a "good memory" or do you think it could use some work? And what does having a "good memory" even mean to you? Does it mean you can remember people's names? Or does it mean you can remember everything that ever happened and everything you ever learnt?
In reality, our memory does exactly what it is supposed to do. It stores information. The question you need answered is how does our mind retrieve the information we want? Well, the key is actually all about moving memories. That's right, moving them. You need to actively move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
However, in order to move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory you must understand and apply the five pillars of memory. Trying to improve your memory recall without understanding the five pillars is like trying to drive without a car, it's not going to work and you might hurt yourself!
Pillar One - Association. Your memory finds it much easier to recall events or experiences when you associate it with something you are already familiar with. How often do you hear someone say (for example) "Oh yes, I remember that day well because that was the day I got my hair cut at a new hairdresser." Linking things together through association is extremely powerful. So start associating everything you want to remember today!
Pillar Two - Imagery. Your memory recalls events or experiences as images and pictures. It's like you have a camera in your head constantly taking snap shots. So if you want to remember some information draw an image or make a mental picture of what you want to remember (as opposed to just reading the information or writing it down). Images are far easier for your memory to recall so start using them as often as you can.
Pillar Three - Time. As you would expect, your memories will weaken the more time passes by. For example, you can probably remember what you did yesterday but you will find it much harder to recall what you did on this day one year ago. If you allow time to pass by and don't give your mind any reason to store a memory (by using association or imagery) it will just become a blur. So to remember something you must actively recall it straight away and give your mind a good reason to store it in your long-term memory.
Pillar Four - Repetition. Have you ever noticed that information you easily recalled some time ago but then stopped using is very difficult to recall now? Names of television shows you liked as a child, passwords for applications you haven't used for a while or addresses that you previously lived at are all examples of this pillar at work. So if you want to remember something you must ensure that you re-live or repeat the memory consistently over time. For example, if you want to learn a new language you must engage in learning as regularly as possible. If you learn ten new Spanish words today and then come back to them a week later you will find you have forgotten at least some (if not all) of the words you already learnt!
Pillar Five - Emotion. Have you noticed how emotional events can be remembered in great detail? This is because your mind will move intense, shocking and strange occurrences to your long-term memory automatically. This is because these types of events or experiences give a cue to the memory that they should be moved to your long-term memory. Therefore, if you want to remember something you need to add some emotion, intensity or weirdness to it! But be warned, if you make the memory negatively emotional there is a chance your memory will block some, most or all of the memory out - so always choose positive emotion rather than negative.
Memory training is the best way to improve your memory recall ability. By spending a couple of minutes today reading this you have already accessed the most important part of memory recall - the five pillars. Remember, if you want to recall something, move the memory from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. Memory recall will then become a breeze. Good luck!
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