3 Tips To Improve Your Memory

A good memory improves brain health and vitality.

Have you ever felt this way? After you pass a test in school you can't remember anything about the subject at all, no matter how hard you worked before. Or, during a meeting, your boss asks you about monthly statistics, and you can’t even remember any key information about this project, even though you’ve been paying attention to these things all day? This article will introduce 3 very simple and practical memory methods to help you improve this problem, hoping to inspire you.

Click to maca root ginseng cistanche sea horse for memory

It was as if my brain had erased everything I knew after a while and couldn't remember anything. I check often, double-check, sometimes just to make sure of a number.

To be honest, I think it's the internet's fault.

Due to the rapid development of the Internet age, smartphones, computers, iPads, and other mobile devices are ubiquitous. People can easily search for any information they want by clicking on the screen. We no longer rely on the brain to remember things. All kinds of web tools, apps, sticky notes, and more are designed to store information for us and lighten the memory load on our brains. While this seems fine, we may be getting more and more stupid for it.

At first, I thought I was the only one who couldn't remember important things, not even when my mom's birthday was. But when I dug deeper, I found that other people complained that they couldn't remember the name of someone they met seconds ago.

People all over the world are suffering from this problem. There are a lot of people on the forum looking for answers to similar questions: My short-term memory is so bad, I can't remember anything. What can I do to improve the situation?

Then I thought, why not create a post to help people remember something?

So I did.

Here are some very simple memory tips that will help you remember where you left your damn keys, how to learn a new language, memorize grocery lists, get higher marks on exams, and remember The talk you watched... In other words, become a mnemonic who can answer questions without using Google or ChatGPT constantly.

The 3 Easiest Memorization Techniques

Memory Tip #1: The Method of Locating (Spatial Method)

Here's a long and tedious definition of the Loci Method:

In this method, subjects memorize the layout of some buildings, or the order in which shops are arranged on a street, or any geographic entity consisting of many discrete locations. When attempting to remember a set of items, subjects mentally "walked" through the locations and mapped the items to each location point by forming an image between the item and any features at that location. Retrieval of items is achieved by "walking" the trajectory, allowing the latter to activate the required item information.

But to be honest, by reading the definition above, I can't understand this method.

That's why I devised a more layman's way:

Imagine a place you are very familiar with and break it down into its different parts (sites). Then, associate each locus with an item in the list you want to remember. Once you associate these areas with what you want to remember and recall the information, you simply take a mental journey through the place. Just like you walk through in real life.

Location method: Each part represents a different room (or a place). Each room is supposed to help you remember a specific thing, and the arrows indicate mental paths.

Still, sound confused?

Let me give you an example:

Let's say you've been invited to give a TED Talk.

While this sounds super exciting, speaking in front of a group of strangers can be quite nerve-wracking. Many things can go wrong, but the worst is forgetting the words of a speech. Luckily, we have tips like Location Law to help you become the next internet sensation.

To use it, you need to prepare the following work:

Let’s say your talk is about “Digital Minimalism: How to Reduce Digital Device Use in Everyday Life”. The 4 main points of your speech are:

1. Do not look at the screen in bed;

2. Do not use social media for more than 30 minutes a day;

3. Only check email once a day;

4. Limit all streaming usage to one day.

To memorize the trajectory method above, you need to do the following 3 things:

1. First, choose a place you are familiar with and divide it into different parts: for example, you may choose the apartment you live in, and different rooms in the house will be different points of location: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room.

2. The second step is crucial, we need to connect what we want to remember with the actual room. The idea here is to visualize every location of every item. In our case, we can associate the first point: not watching any digital mobile devices in bed with our bedrooms. Limit social media use to 30 minutes a day in the bedroom. Schedule a daily check of all emails in the living room. Finally, limit all streaming usage to one day.

3. The third step is to make up a story in your head to help you recall the information. Simply associating things with rooms won't work, you need something with a stronger memory point to assist. You need a compelling story, similar to the following: imagine yourself waking up in the morning, and before you kiss your loved one, you pick up your phone and check social media. You put your hand on the screen, but instead of unlocking it, you feel a burning sensation. Your phone is hot and you start rubbing your eyes. "Maybe it's just a dream," you think. At this time, the screen flickers, and the following text is displayed: Cannot check the mobile phone screen on the bed. Then, you go to the bathroom, you want to watch the news, and you want to make sure that everyone else wakes up with the same situation around them, who knows? You'll be dying to check it out! You pick up your tablet, eager to see what's going on, but the screen crashes with a notification: "Limit social media use to 30 minutes per day." At this point, you're terrified. You wonder, "What the hell is going on!" You rush to the living room to check your email, but your laptop turns into a giant envelope with a line that tells you, "Only check email once a day!" You're tired of all the bullshit and decide to watch a show on Netflix, but when you turn on your TV, instead of the standard home page, you see a popup that says: "Streaming is only allowed on Sundays !"

As you may have noticed, this story is crazy and it's all fiction. But that's the point.

The idea here is to paint a vivid picture in your mind of what you want to remember, our brain loves engaging, colorful information. The more absurd your associations, the easier it will be for you to remember.

Memory Tip #2: The Roman Room Method

Invented by the ancient Greeks, the Roman Chamber of Mnemonics is a powerful tool that allows your brain to remember almost anything.

Essentially, this approach is based on associating known elements in a particular room with what we want to remember.

The trick is this:

Picture yourself standing in your bedroom. Now, number the corners and walls in the room starting from your left shoulder. The corner to your left is number 1. So, if you move clockwise, the wall behind you is 2, the leftmost corner is 3, the wall directly in front of you is 4, the next corner is 5, the wall to your right is 6, and the corner behind you is 7, the gate will be 8. Finally, we should also number the floor 9 and the ceiling 10.

Roman Room Memorization: Each wall and corner in the room is numbered, associating each number with a unique element in the room. Finally, attach the information you want to remember to specific numbers/items.

You now have 10 completely different elements in this room, with 10 different position slots to fill with the information you want to learn. But for this method to work properly, and help you recall the data faster, you need to make these locations different from each other.

How to say?

Associate each number with a nearby object.

For example, if there is a clock on the wall in front of us, we associate it with the number 4. We will then also attach the words we want to remember to the actual clock. In the end, both the clock and the actual number 4 remind us of a specific thing we want to remember.

Using the TED talk as an example, we can use this technique to recall objects and content related to memory technique 1 we just introduced. Or to put it another way, the above-mentioned heating of your phone will remind you of the title of Tip 1, "Location Method", while the walls and corners of that particular room will help you remember the actual information of the lesson - for example, why in bed Using your phone is bad, how it can ruin your intimacy, and what you can do about it. To do this, simply associate keywords with walls and corners. For example, if there is a light next to the bed, you can assign "blue light" to number 1; if there is REM sleep, you can match it to number 2, and the associated item will be a clock, etc.

This technique can be extended to your entire apartment, and it can be used in conjunction with tip 1.

But there's more to the Roman room mnemonic.

If you want to improve your memory level, you can create an imaginary room in your brain that contains the sequence of steps you want to remember about a book or movie you want to watch or the sequence of steps needed to assemble a car engine. Sit back, create a custom Roman room, and customize the items inside based on what you want to learn.

There is no limit here, you can imagine an infinite number of rooms.

Memory Tip #3: Mind Mapping

Mind maps are by far my favorite way to memorize things and brainstorm. I often find myself drawing imaginary lines in my head and grouping similar things. This method has helped me in many ways, and I use this method to quickly organize and grasp the key content from the books I have read. It's super simple and easy to do, and there are plenty of apps online that will help you create cool-looking mind maps.

The idea of a mind map is very simple: to visually organize the key components of a big idea and show how they are connected.

To make a mind map, you can follow these steps:

On a blank spreadsheet, write down your main ideas, tasks, and projects. It's what you watch. Often, a simple word is enough to describe the concept of a mind map. Below, describe at various levels how the different components of the idea relate to each other, and how they relate to the core.

Mind Map Memory Method: Enter the main topics above and below the mind map, and arrange the corresponding tasks/goals/things to do in hierarchical order to visualize the whole process.

Many people also suggested using different colors and adding images to mind maps. While I prefer to keep things simple, these tips do help in recalling information faster.

Let's tie it all together so you can understand how to create your mind map. Again, we can use the example from the TED talk above:

1. Title: The title of the mind map will be Digital Minimalism.

2. Themes: I will generate 4 main themes from the central idea.

3. Subtopics: Each topic has several subtopics, depending on the complexity of the course, I can also use different colors for different subtopics. For example, because I have a lot of red objects in my bedroom, I can draw a red line on the first speech point (don't look at the screen in bed). This color cue helps me visualize my bedroom faster. Thus, information is recalled faster.

While there are many online tools and various ways to create your mind maps, as mentioned earlier, just grabbing a pen and paper is the best way to go.

don't remember useless things

The memory tips above can help you become a spiritual leader, yes, but don't kid yourself. You don't need to memorize all of the above!

You should try to keep as little information as possible in your head. With so much going on around us every day, trying to remember all the nuances of everyday life can only be exhausting.

I know, this may sound a bit contradictory to what I want to teach you in this article, but the truth is, most of the things that happen in our daily lives are not worth remembering.

I certainly don't want to remember all 13,879 ads from different websites, and I don't want my brain to be overwhelmed with daily expenses all day long because a billing app can help me remember all these income and expenses.

Einstein said it well a long time ago: Never remember what you can look up.

I don't think it's necessary to fill your head with phone numbers and everyday chores, because you have a cell phone, why do you need to remember a phone number?

Take notes, write things down, and only extra remember what's important. Just remember life principles and key facts that can help you make better decisions daily.

Summarize

While you don't need to remember the little things in life, there are some important things that you do. Some of these might be lessons from books, notes from famous speeches, past experiences, etc. All of these are very useful when you are faced with a critical situation and need to make an important decision.

If you're having a hard time remembering where you put your keys, then make sure you take the time to learn and practice the memory skills above.

A good memory improves brain health and vitality. It will help you organize your thoughts and also help you live a better life.

Why eating Cistanche can improve memory

Cistanche is an herbal supplement that is believed to have many benefits, including improving memory. However, there is limited scientific evidence to support this claim.  One study conducted in China in 2018 found that an extract of Cistanche tubulosa improved spatial memory and learning ability in mice that had been induced with cognitive impairment. However, this was an animal study and its results are not directly applicable to humans. Another study conducted in 2015 found that Cistanche deserticola could improve cognitive function in humans, particularly in the areas of memory and attention. However, this study was small and did not include a control group to compare results. Overall, the evidence for the cognitive benefits of Cistanche is largely anecdotal and requires further research to establish its effectiveness. It is always important to consult with a healthcare professional before taking any supplements.