#29 MEMORY IMPROVEMENT TIPS AND TRICKS

   Many people find it hard to remember simple things that are related to school, work and even their daily routine. This is because of factors such as aging, stress, fatigue and lack of sleep. However, if we are able to make some adjustments in our lifestyle, we can really improve our memory skills. Here are some tips and tricks for memory improvement.

Reading Improves Memory
   Reading stimulates our brain and puts it to work. Read in a place where there is proper lighting and less distraction. Turn off the radio and television to help you concentrate on what you read. After reading, try to remember as much information as you can about what you have read. It may be helpful to have a paper and a pen handy. Taking notes on important details can speed up understanding and recall. As you read, you may be surprised how much detail you can recall about on the topic that you are studying.

Association and Visualization
   Being able to remember a list of unrelated items can improve our memory skills. A simple method to do this is called the link system. Here’s how it works: the trick is to form a visual image of each of the item on your list and then associate the image for the first item with the image for the second item, and then do the same for the second and third items, and so forth. For example, let’s say you are to buy five items from the supermarket: meat, soap, paper towels, light bulbs, and garlic. Start by linking meat with soap. Imagine a cow taking a bath. This will help impress the items on your memory because it’s such an odd image.

   After associating the cow with soap, move on to the next item, the paper towels. You might imagine getting a paper towel to clean up the water by the bathtub. Then link the paper towel to the light bulb by visualizing yourself unscrewing a light bulb with the help of the paper towel. Finally, form an association with the last item by thinking about how much a light bulb looks like a bulb of garlic - they even have the same name! Make the associations more memorable by thinking of bizarre or humorous pictures and images.

Play Memory Games
   Some memory game applications are readily available because they’re already loaded on your computer or smartphone when you buy it. There are also a lot of brain games that are free to download from the internet. Such games are fun and many are designed to improve memory skills. For a more advanced memory training program, you may opt to buy memory software like Ultimate Memory, that is designed specifically for memory improvement.

   After doing any brain exercise activity, try to review and remember important details from it. It’s often helpful if you try to have a conversation about something you have read, or about your work schedule for the next day. Saying things out loud helps you to remember. Learn these tricks and start improving your memory skills today. Remember, the more we use our memory, the better we are preserving it.