Memory Exercises Now: Easy Step by Step Tips to Remember What You Want in Life and Work

GALEN PARKER

Text Copyright © Galen Parker

All rights reserved. No part of this guide may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Legal & Disclaimer

Legal & Disclaimer

The information contained in this book is not designed to replace or take the place of any form of medicine or professional medical advice. The information in this book has been provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

The information contained in this book has been compiled from sources deemed reliable, and it is accurate to the best of the Author's knowledge; however, the Author cannot guarantee its accuracy and validity and cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions. Changes are periodically made to this book. You must consult your doctor or get professional medical advice before using any of the suggested remedies, techniques, or information in this book.

Upon using the information contained in this book, you agree to hold harmless the Author from and against any damages, costs, and expenses, including any legal fees potentially resulting from the application of any of the information provided by this guide. This disclaimer applies to any damages or injury caused by the use and application, whether directly or indirectly, of any advice or information presented, whether for breach of contract, tort, negligence, personal injury, criminal intent, or under any other cause of action.

You agree to accept all risks of using the information presented inside this book. You need to consult a professional medical practitioner in order to ensure you are both able and healthy enough to participate in this program.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

What is this book about?

What are the benefits of learning this?

Chapter 1: Finding Out More

1.     How memory works

2.     Memory types and stages

3.     Why do we forget things?

Chapter 2: Start Improving Your Memory Today

1.     7 principles for boosting memory

2.     Bad habits and what you can do

3.     This helps you: Successful memory improvement systems

4.     The 7-step approach on improving memory

Chapter 3: Practical Steps That Are Easy To Do

1.     Consistency is key: Everyday memory exercises

2.     The who’s who list

3.     The numbers game

4.     Those important dates

Chapter 4:  Do Well In Your Everyday Life

1.     Cramming it all in

2.     All you want is efficiency

3.     For those you love

CONCLUSION

What this guide has taught you

How can you apply what you’ve learned right away?

Introduction

What is this book about?

First of all, thank you for purchasing this eBook and let us congratulate you on your decision to improve your memory!

The aim of this book is to provide an actionable and easy to follow step-by-step guide on improving your memory and remembering things more easily, without needing to constantly check your agenda or phone.

Here’s what to expect from Memory Exercises Now:

- Finding out how memory works and why we forget things. This book gives you an insight into how we can leapfrog these forgetful issues through the systems suggested and have a more fulfilling day.

- Useful and easy to implement tips on boosting your memory. We’ll display some general principles on how to improve memory now, draw readers’ attention on those bad habits that restrict your memory growth, speak about successful memory improvement systems and suggest a simple 7-step guide on improving memory.

- Discovering how this guide will change your everyday life and help you become more effective in work and at school.

- Getting exposed to fun memory exercises that only needs 10 minutes of your time to maintain and improve your memory capacity.

Keep reading to find out the benefits of improving your memory!

What are the benefits of learning this?

Why would you want to improve your memory?

Why do you need this and who has time to exercise their memory, after all?

It’s understandable if you are not very optimistic or interested in memory improvement challenges, considering all the help we get from modern devices or the trivial paper and pencil method of keeping track of things.

We suggest this imagination exercise: what would life be like if you didn’t have access to computers, smartphones, tablets, and not even to writing tools? Besides, who didn’t go shopping, forgot their carefully crafted list at home and felt frustrated afterwards not knowing what items to pick?

Before writing was invented, people needed to store and transmit knowledge using their memory, so people exercised their brain or certain parts of it more often. Our suggestion is not going back to ancient times though, but trying to discover the benefits of putting your memory at work.

Nowadays, we have become dependent on devices that help us remember things and organise our life and we consider this a normal thing. Of course, we are efficient in what we do and we are happy about it, but is this the best way to go?

When a muscle is not exercised, it begins to atrophy, and the same thing happens with memory. The less we exercise it, the smaller our capacity of remembering things becomes. Moreover, playing memory games or doing memory exercises has been shown to provide the following benefits:

- Avoiding unpleasant situations like misplacing your keys (and no app can help you with that!)

- Improving your ability to concentrate and consequently becoming more productive

- Improving your problem solving and reasoning abilities

- Improving your self-confidence through better cognitive capacity

- Preventing memory-related illnesses at older ages by keeping your brain active all the time

Are you ready to start your memory exercises now and remember what you want in life and work?

Enjoy this fresh start!

Chapter 1: Finding Out More

1. How memory works

Memory is the process of encoding, storing and reproducing information; without it, we would not be able to learn, adapt to the surrounding world, and develop a sense of self.

Memory is not a thing we can touch or some type of hard drive where we store information like computers do, but rather the process of remembering things. Memory is not located in a specific part of our brain, but it engages the entire brain and is more complex than scientists used to think. Multiple systems work together so you can remember where you’ve parked your car or what you had for breakfast this morning. Although the mental experiences composing a memory are different and are created by different parts of the brain, remembering feels like a unitary process and can hardly be differentiated from thinking.

Nevertheless, memory can be broken down in three stages:

1)     Encoding – the information originating from the outside world is perceived by our sense organs in the form of physical and chemical stimuli. Sense organs convert sensations to information and send it to our brain. The brain filters the information that is worth encoding.

2)     Storage – information is maintained in our brains for certain periods of time. Memories are stored in the sensory stage, for short terms, or for long periods of time. Our brain uses a filter once again, because not all information is worth storing.

3)     Retrieval – the information which was stored at an unconscious level is brought by your own will into your conscious mind. Successful retrieval depends on how effectively you have saved information in your memory.

2. Memory types and stages

There are different types of memory which can be classified after three different criteria: memory length, information type and temporal direction.

Classification by memory length:

a)     Sensory memory – every memory starts with the sensory stage, where information is retained less than one second after a stimulus is perceived. For instance, after seeing an unknown person on the street, you can remember what he or she looked like for a split second, without any conscious effort. This is why sometimes you feel like you see more than you can report – on the  other hand, the effort of storing all the information it comes into contact with would be overwhelming for our mind and in fact, impossible.

b)     Short-term memory – this type of memory also has a limited capacity and allows you to remember things for a period of several seconds up to a minute. As an example, when a new person is introduced to you and you spend a few seconds in their company without this event having a particular significance to you, days later you will probably no longer be able to tell what the person looked like or what their name was. Your mind will only store the information for around a minute and forget it if you don’t make an effort to store it in your long-term memory.

c)     Long-term memory – this type of memory allows you to store information for a long period of time and in larger amounts. Long-term memory is associated with changes in your brain’s neural connections and its capacity is extremely large.

Classification by information type:

a)     Declarative memory – the conscious retrieval of information (for instance, knowing that “France is a country in Europe”)

b)     Procedural memory – is closely related to learning and motor skills and allows you to play the piano or ride a bike

c)     Topographic memory – it refers to the ability to remember an itinerary and not get lost when passing through familiar places

d)     Flashbulb memories – this type of memory is triggered by emotional events (for example, remembering what you were wearing when you were involved in a car accident or what you were doing when you heard some historical breaking news on TV)

Classification by temporal direction

a)     Retrospective memory – remembering something that happened in the past

b)     Prospective memory – remembering an intention or “remembering to remember”. Cues play an important role with prospective memory (for instance, you remember you are going to your friend’s birthday party this week if you see a cake)

3. Why do we forget things?

The answer to this question can be found by looking at how memory works. First of all, as previously mentioned, the effort of remembering every piece of information we come in contact with would be huge and in fact, useless. Our mind applies a filter for every stimulus and only if the information is worth remembering will it be stored in the long-term memory. This is why you won’t remember the name of a customer you’ve just called a few minutes ago, unless you already knew the person or you had a particular reason to keep their name in your mind.

Another common cause of memory failures is degradation of memory caused by the passing of time. The information has been stored, but if you don’t retrieve it for long periods of time, it will eventually be lost. As an example, the information you needed to memorise for an exam was stored using long-term memory, but if you didn’t use that information again later, in a few years you will have forgotten it almost entirely.

At other times, we don’t remember things simply because we didn’t store the information properly. Lack of attention prevents you from storing information in your long-term memory, which is closely related to cognitive processes.

Interference is also responsible for our inability to remember things – remember that time when you couldn’t concentrate during an exam because of the chatter in the examination room?

Not exercising your memory can limit your ability to remember things as well, and this is one of the purposes of this book - encouraging people to develop the skills of memorizing and reproducing information effectively. By exercising and testing your memory regularly, it will increasingly get better.

Finally, forgetting things can be considered a blessing – we need to forget unpleasant situations or traumatic events to continue our lives. However, some scientists consider that memories associated with high levels of stress are in fact unconsciously blocked and still affecting people (the so-called repressed memories, on whose existence psychologists are still arguing).

But let’s focus on remembering stuff rather than eliminating it from our memory!

Chapter 2: Start Improving Your Memory Today!

1. 7 principles for boosting memory

Now that you understand better what memory is and how it works, it’s time to start your endeavour of improving it by understanding the principles that govern memory. Consider this section as a short guide helping you to focus on general methods that help you improve your memory.

·       Focus

Do you often find yourself unable to recall things? Remember how your teacher used to ask you to pay attention during class; if you don’t put your mind to something, your brain will simply not store the information. On the other hand, we all know that focus depends on a variety of factors, from how important you consider the information to how you are feeling when you come in contact with it (for instance, if you were tired when hearing a presentation, you’ll have more trouble remembering the information).

Concentrating on the piece of information you want to memorise is the first condition for remembering later. Take for example you want to learn a poem by heart, you need to clear everything off your slate when reading it and not pay attention to distractions or think about something else. In short, focus.

·       Familiarity

New information is easier to assimilate when you have already stored similar concepts in your mind. If you already know Spanish, you’ll find it easier to learn Italian and remember words and grammatical structures because the two languages are part of the same group and have many elements in common. Try to find a common denominator between concepts and incorporate new information into knowledge you have already acquired. Associate the items you want to remember with those that you are already familiar with, and this will make recalling easier.

·       Repetition

If you go over the same material over and over again and repeat its meaning in your head, the information will be stored for longer periods of time. Going back to the example of learning a poem by heart, reading the poem several times will not only help you memorise it correctly, but it will also help you remember it for a longer time. If you have a favourite poem, you can still remember it because you have read it time and again.

·       Relevance

Are you interested in the information you are receiving? If you are not interested in wildlife, you’ll hardly remember the data in that documentary about whales. When information has personal significance, we store it more effectively and remember it accurately.

But what if you do need to remember things from the documentary about whales, even if the topic doesn’t interest you? Our advice is to find an aspect that draws your attention even in the slightest – in this case, maybe you read Moby Dick and liked the book, which should help you become more interested about the documentary as well.

·       Imagination

When trying to memorise theories or various chunks of information, reflect on the experience, draw your personal conclusions, and eventually develop your own theory. The original ideas you have built are based on stored information, and if your theory is important to you, you’ll also remember the information that has helped you develop it.

Let’s say you need to study for an exam and memorise theory about capitalism and how this concept was developed. It may be boring to commit historical dates and theories to your memory, but you will find the task easier if you try to apply what you are reading to modern society nowadays and even create your own hypotheses, as if you were asked to prepare a scientific paper on the subject. You can also do memory painting, drawing in your mind’s eye the historical scenes and conditions like your own personal movie and then associating them with the pertinent dates and facts you need to remember.

·       Memory aid strategies

There are no two minds alike, and every person has their own way of memorising information. Some people manage to store information more effectively by using visual aids, while others remember the information better if they hear it or associate it with a smell or a taste. Find the method that suits you better and don’t be afraid to make the best use of it!

This is why some people like to listen to a certain type of music while studying (auditory learners), and others use highlighters in different colours (visual learners) – when they need to reproduce information, they know they’ve highlighted important information using a certain colour and will also remember what the pages containing the information looked like.

·       Exercise

Effective memorization should become a routine, like we’ve already emphasized earlier in this book. Try to memorise something new every day and you’ll find the task increasingly easier as time goes by.

If you are memorising the different states of the USA, try learning five new states every day and repeat them each evening in front of the mirror as you brush your teeth. Make a ritual out of memorising important information and assign a couple of minutes dedicated to this moment of the day – results will be impressive!

2. Bad habits and what you can do

Changing your approach on memory and expanding your capacity to remember things also depends on how well you manage to give up harmful habits. Here are some common mistakes you need to avoid if you want to stop forgetting things:

·       Having an unhealthy lifestyle

Not getting enough sleep, having an unhealthy diet, drinking too much alcohol, lack of exercise and smoking – all these affect your brain’s capacity of learning and storing information efficiently. Apparently, bad lifestyle choices has an even higher impact than aging on reduction of memory performance.

·       Too much stress

Unfortunately, the levels of stress we are dealing with today are higher than ever, and causes include career, finances, current events, health, and society pressure. A higher level of cortisol (the hormone produced when stressed) in the brain was linked to poor performances on memory tests and lack of concentration. Everybody has noticed how we have trouble remembering things when we are anxious or stressed.

·       The lack of socialization

Memory loss is more serious in seniors who lose their connections (children move away and old friends pass on). Our brain needs socialisation to maintain its acuity, and people who socialise more were found to perform better at cognitive tests.

·       Not exercising your memory

Do you always prepare grocery lists when going to the supermarket? Chances are you will lose your ability to remember all items in case you forget the list at home. Unfortunately, in today’s digital world we are discouraged to remember things. Why remember when a major historic event took place when you can Google it or why keep in mind everyday tasks when you can use an activity planner? The problem is the feeling of frustration we experience when losing access to these digital aids, and the challenge is learning how to make do without them.

3. This helps you: Successful memory improvement systems

Memory improvement is not a recent preoccupation; humankind has always had strong reasons to remember more things, from amazing other people with one’s incredible memorising capacity to the mere pleasure of training your mind and exploring your brain’s abilities.

Go through the following memory improvement methods that have been proposed throughout history and feel free to experiment – you may just find the perfect solution for boosting your memory!

·       Keyword

This technique is recommended for memorising words in a foreign language or definitions. The idea is to associate the sounds of words with their meanings using a mental image that you can easily remember (think of something bizarre or silly).

Let’s imagine you need to memorise the Italian word for appetizer, which is “antipasto”. Italians are well-known for their love of pasta, and this word sounds as if they are in fact against this kind of food. So you can imagine an angry Italian refusing to eat his pasta. In fact, the word “antipasto” means “before meal”, but for an English speaker, “anti” suggests being against something which can help you make this funny association.

·       Face-name

This technique is commonly used by memory performers, but you can try it too and stop forgetting people’s names seconds after they’ve been introduced to you. For each person you need to choose an identifiable feature such as a large nose or distinctive hair colour and associate it with the sound of their name. When you see the person again and notice the feature, you’ll remember their name as well.

·       The peg system

This technique is used for memorising lists. You need to memorise a list of words that are easy to associate with numbers from 1 to 10 or 20 and so on – these objects are called pegs. For instance, 1 will be associated with “gun” because the two words rhyme, while “2” could be associated with “shoe” When you need to memorise a list of arbitrary items, you’ll associate each object with a suitable peg. Strange or funny associations work even better, because they are more memorable.

Let’s say you want to memorise a grocery list including among others oranges and apples. To remember oranges you’ll imagine someone shooting some oranges, and to recall the apples, you’ll imagine putting apples in a shoe.

·       Link

This method can be used to memorise lists and reading materials. Begin by associating the first two items with each other using a link that is easy to remember. Then associate the second item with the third, the third with the fourth and so on. You can create an endless number of links.

If you have cereals, milk, and eggs on your grocery list, create the following links: cereals and milk – mixing the two ingredients for breakfast, and milk and eggs – mixing milk and eggs to start making a cake.

·       The Major System

Also called the phonetic number system, it can help you memorise numbers. Each number is converted to consonants, and then you have to add vowels in between to create words. You can choose your own consonants or you can use a standard mapping system so you make sure you can easily create words by adding vowels. For instance, in order to remember number 317, you will use “m” for 3, “t” or “d” for 1, and “c” or “g” for 7 - one of the words you can form is “medic”.

·       The Mnemonic Dominic system

This method is based on the Major system, but it is slightly different. Each number is assigned a certain letter, and letters are next used as the initials of someone’s name. The person is eventually associated with a characteristic action. Standard number-letter associations are: 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D, 5-E, 6-S, 7-G, 8-H, 9-N, and 0-O. If you need to remember number 23, you can think about American president Bill Clinton holding a speech (2-B and 3-C).

Each system is suitable for a certain type of information, but what they have in common is the possibility for you to realise your own excellent memory potential and that you can easily remember things by employing the most suitable method.

4. The 7-step approach on improving memory

Are you excited about the idea of starting your personal memory improvement plan? We suggest trying a 7-step organised approach that will help you achieve expected results faster and in a sustainable manner.

1)     Improve your lifestyle

As mentioned before, your lifestyle choices have a major impact on your brain’s performance and on how well your memory works. Reconsider the following areas:

·       Introducing more healthy foods into your diet

·       Getting 7 hours of sleep every night and making time to relax every day

·       Giving up smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol drinking

·       Socialising regularly

·       Avoiding acute and chronic stress

2)     Ditch apps and lists and start using your memory

Our brain is a flexible and elastic organ, and its capacities are unlimited as long as we exercise them regularly. Just as the way a child can’t learn how to walk if he or she does not have the chance to try it on his or her own, your memory won’t improve if you don’t challenge it and you continue to rely on devices or on paper and pencil to write things down.

You can start by giving up the habit of writing in your phone your weekend activities– if you are planning to do something pleasant in order to relax or you need to solve essential issues like cleaning your house, this should be relevant and easy enough to remember in the first place. Next you can progress by choosing one day of the week when you don’t write down the stuff you need to get done at work, and so on, until you can keep track on everything using just the power of your mind.

3)     Become more organised

You are more likely to forget things when your home or desk is cluttered. These helpful actions take just a few minutes every day:

- Keep your desk organised and get rid of unnecessary items

- If you use to-do lists, cross out any task you have already completed

- Set aside special places for essentials like keys and your wallet and never leave these items elsewhere. Use the Link system too to link up your essential items like your keys, cards and wallet. Key and card forms key-cards while card and wallet will form a cardholder, or you can just picture credit cards in your wallet

- Think of all the tasks you want to complete before starting your day and don’t change any of the items unless something urgent comes up

4)     Find a strong reason to improve your memory

Planning to apply what you’ve learned will definitely provide you with that extra motivation required to complete your project successfully. Think of a personal project that requires you to improve your memory, such as:

- Memorising information for an exam

- Memorising a list of prices for work instead of searching through papers each time you need to provide information to a customer

- Delivering a demanding presentation without needing to look at the slides all the time or reading from a piece of paper

- Remembering all your friends’ anniversaries instead of using an app to remind you of this

- Memorising phone numbers of close friends and relatives to use them in case of emergencies

- Keeping track of appointments without using a notebook or a mobile device

5)     Improve your foreign languages skills

We might have taken up learning a foreign language at a certain point, and reached a dead end because we were too busy to practice regularly. One of the most common frustrations when learning a foreign language is acquiring vocabulary – you need to memorise thousands of words and make sure you don’t forget the new terms until you have a chance to use them.

Mnemonics experts recommend transforming foreign words into forms you can visualise or in groups of images by breaking down words into syllables which are relevant in your language. Consider the following example: you need to remember the Spanish word for tomorrow, which is “mañana”. If this word doesn’t make any sense to you, you can split it into “man” and “Ana”, as these concepts are easier to remember.

6)     Start playing memory games in your leisure time

You don’t necessarily have to start a big life project to improve your memory; you can also do it for fun. You can try some popular memory games like Concentration, “I spy...”, exercise games that allow you to use your kinaesthetic memory (referring to movements), and all kinds of classical memory games that require you to use your memory (card games, chess, or Rubik’s cube).

7)     Avoid multitasking

The human brain cannot concentrate on more than one task by default, and when we multitask (or in fact alternate between multiple tasks), we cannot concentrate properly on anything and we also find it more difficult to remember things. By focusing on one task at a time, you’ll avoid distractions and make sure information is stored by your brain.

By implementing these changes, you will improve your lifestyle and feel more relaxed all the time, aside from improving your capacity of memorising and reproducing information!

Chapter 3: Practical Steps That Are Easy To Do

1. Consistency is Key: Everyday memory exercises

Have fun with the following memory exercises and notice how your memory starts improving gradually:

·       Test your ability to remember the grocery list or dates

See how many items you can remember an hour after memorizing the list. Hint: use some of the systems recommended. Practise on remembering some of the important events coming up on your personal calendar for a week, and see how many events you can remember after the same hour. Try a month’s worth if you are getting good at it!

·       Draw maps

Each time you visit a new place, draw a map from your memory instead of using the GPS the next time too.

·       Learn new words

Learn 3 new words in a foreign language every day.

·       Get better at arithmetic

Do you use a device for everyday calculations? Try adding numbers in your head instead of taking your smartphone calculator app out – this is an excellent memory exercise!

·       Learn a choreography

Train your kinaesthetic memory by learning a series of movements. The best way to do it is taking dance lessons or going to a gym where you need to learn aerobic routines.

·       Stimulate multiple parts of your brain

Engage in experiences that enable you to use different parts of your brain and all five senses, like cooking classes – you see food colour, you feel the texture, you can hear the sound you make when cutting vegetables or frying food, and most of all, you can smell and taste food. Memory engages multiple mechanisms in your brain, and it’s always a good idea to employ all these different parts.

·       Try a new experience every week

Trying new things creates positive stress for your brain and brings you benefits such as forming new neural connections, becoming better at learning things, and fostering well-being. It’s not difficult finding something you’ve never tried before; it could be painting, hiking, dancing, or going to the theatre. You’ll live a fuller life and train your brain and memory at the same time.

·       Exercise regularly

Studies have shown that aerobic exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, a part of the brain having a crucial role for memory. Exercise also has some effect in reducing the stressed induced hormone cortisol in our bodies, and a reduced cortisol level will in turn give a natural boost up to our memory performance.

·       Read every day

When you read information on a variety of subjects, you stimulate your brain and improve your ability to recall things.  Choose topics that you are less familiar with as this will expand your horizons even more. What if you are an engineer? – reading an article about the arts and culture will prove to be highly beneficial!

2. The who’s who list

We have earlier described an effective method of remembering people’s names and faces which consists of finding a distinctive feature and making an association between that particular feature and the person’s name. Here are some other tips that will help you build the reputation of a very polite and attentive person:

·       Ask the person to repeat their name

When you are introduced to someone, ask the person to repeat their name and use it several times throughout your conversation (without including it with every remark you make, though).

·       Think of the importance and benefits of using that person’s name

Not only is remembering someone’s name considered polite, but the effort of memorising it can score you some points with that person – for instance you remember a customer’s name and by calling the person by their name you manage to build rapport and close more sales.

·       Associate the person and their name with other people you already know

Maybe your new acquaintance looks like one of your friends or a celebrity, or they are friends with someone you know (“Mary is Matt’s friend”)

·       Associate the name with a word that rhymes

For example, “Terry – Berry”. Remember to keep the association to yourself if you don’t want to make the person feel offended.

3. The numbers game

Number sequences are some of the most difficult pieces of information to memorise, because they are abstract and you also need to remember their order. If you are one of those people who can’t remember even their own phone number, you can try these tips that will allow you to memorise and recall phone numbers and any other long-digit numbers.

·       Split the number into manageable chunks

It’s difficult to remember long sequences of numbers like 084006731, but on the other hand it’s a lot easier to memorise and recall 08-400-67-31. This chunking method allows you to break down long numbers and remember them in batches. Any chunk containing three or four numbers would be optimal for memory.

·       Associate digits with numbers you already know

67 in the previous sequence can be your mother’s birth year.

·       Repeat the number back as soon as you hear it

Remember, repetition is one of the 7 principles of memory.

·       Use movement memory

Dial the number on an imaginary pad and try to remember the movement you make while dialling (good advice for people with kinaesthetic memory).

·       Delete the names of your most important contacts

Instead of having “Mom” pop up on your telephone screen every time, you can delete the name “Mom” and only keep the number. Do the same for other important contacts and in a few days you’ll manage to recognise the person calling by their phone number.

4. Those important dates

Men are commonly judged for their inability to remember anniversaries, and their forgetfulness remains a common cause of pain in relationships. The need to memorise birthdays and anniversaries is less crucial nowadays, when we can have an app to remind us about friends’ birthdays, but on the other hand, not everyone shares their birth day on Facebook.

Just like remembering someone’s name, memorising a friend’s birthday and remembering to congratulate them on the occasion suggests you are a polite and considerate person and will improve your relationship with that person. We have gathered a few tips helping you remember these dates more easily:

·       Make a list

Before storing the information in mind, you can start by writing down the dates immediately after you find them out. Nevertheless, it’s recommended to go to a retired spot before typing the date in your phone or writing it down on a piece of paper. Start with your close relatives and then move to friends and co-workers. From now on, you can stay on top of special occasions by simply consulting the list.

·       Group dates by month

Birthdays and anniversaries are easier to remember if you group them by month. For instance, if your wife’s birthday is in July and her sister’s marriage anniversary is in July too, you will remember the second event more easily by associating it with a familiar date.

·       Document special occasions with photographs

Associating events with images is an effective method of remembering dates. Include the date of the anniversary in the folder name where you store those photos and you won’t forget the date next time.

·       Ask your family to drop hints

Asking relatives to remind you of important dates is not a shame; it’s better to make this request than forget about it completely. Wouldn’t it be better to hear something like this a week before your wedding anniversary “Let’s try that new restaurant next Sunday on our important yearly date!” instead of getting caught in an argument because of your forgetfulness and end up sleeping on the couch!

·       Fill out anniversaries in a new calendar

Extra tip: just check the dates and don’t add any information; this way you’ll encourage yourself to remember whose birthday it is next week.

Above all, think of the importance of each day and why you are celebrating it – relevance and commitment will help you remember the date more easily!

Chapter 4: Do Well In Your Everyday Life

1. Cramming it all in

The biggest challenge for one’s memory are definitely exams – you need to memorise and reproduce a large amount of information, and even more, go through the entire material you have studied and create an original synthesis. Preparing for an exam becomes even harder when you need to memorise a large amount of information in a short time. Keep reading for specific advice on studying for exams:

·       Identify the learning technique that suits you better

Some people remember things more easily if the information is delivered orally (auditory learners); others prefer to visualise the material they have been studying and can remember on what page a specific piece of information was mentioned; another method commonly used is splitting the material in chunks and reading each section carefully several times. Furthermore, some students memorise things easier if they deliver an oral presentation of the material to an auditory piece to friends. Find the method that works best for you and start using it!

·       Choose the right environment

Some people need perfect silence when studying, while others thrive in noisy environments. The moment of the day is also important – you may produce better results in the morning, in the afternoon, or at night. You will have to find your right time.

·       Create visual associations

Find links between the material you are studying and your experience. It’s even better if these relationships are funny.

·       Create drawings

For instance, if you need to remember an important historical event, you can draw the most important actors and a calendar indicating the date. Keep your drawings simple and orderly. Chances are you might be listening to lots of seemingly boring information while at school, and many people are tempted to doodle or draw flowers, hearts and other figures on the margin of the paper. And they are not doing a wrong thing, because, apparently, they are able to remember 30% more of a boring message compared to people who just sat and listened.

·       Understand

Don’t try to memorise something if you don’t understand the information. Read out loud or ask someone to explain it to you, otherwise you’ll most likely fail to reproduce that part. Also pay attention to what you’re studying, if you want to store the information in the first place.

·       Reproduce information

One thing that you need to achieve during exams is retrieving information, so try to do this before reaching the examination room. Not only does this help you consolidate your knowledge, but it’s also the best way to find out if you’ll perform well during the exam.

·       Take a break

After working hard to memorise information, your brain needs to rest. Reward yourself with a relaxing experience after each learning session!

2. All you want is efficiency

Finishing your studies doesn’t mean you don’t need to use your memorising capacity anymore; you’ll probably need to commit large amounts of information to your memory in a short time more rarely, but you’ll need to remember doing things quite often. Unless you are an actor needing to memorise lines, or a memory performer, the effort of improving your memory at work will not be too large and you should enjoy excellent results applying some simple methods:

·       Reduce stress

As difficult as it is to put this into practice, you should try to avoid stress as much as possible. Some things depend on you, like making sure you are not late for work or keeping track of your projects, but if co-workers, managers or clients are a major source of stress, you should consider seeking help in managing your stress levels. After all, we cannot change the events that happen to us, but we can indeed change our own reactions to these events.

·       Stop multitasking

At some jobs you don’t have any other choice but to do several things at a time, but once again, if you can do this, avoid it. For instance, take a break to chat with co-workers instead of making a habit of gossiping while you’re working on an important project. Check your email when you finish what you are doing now instead of interrupting your current activity and so on.

·       Concentrate for eight seconds

When you need to commit an important piece of information to your memory, give yourself 8 seconds to do it no matter how busy you are. Apparently, this is how much time information needs to go from short-term to long-term memory.

·       Get a stress ball

Stress balls are not just a cliché we see at managers and businessmen in movies, but a proven and effective method for memorising information better. If you are right-handed, squeeze the ball in your right hand before reading the information, then squeeze the ball in the left hand when trying to reproduce what you’ve learned. Moreover, using this accessory will also help you get rid of stress, one of the main culprits for forgetting things.

3. For those you love

Yet another reason for starting to improve your memory is enjoying more meaningful relationships with people who are important in your life. The idea is not only memorising anniversaries and birthdays, but also remembering things that our family or friends have asked us to do.

Being a good listener is one of the most highly-appreciated qualities in a relationship, but aside from displaying availability and empathy, we also need to remember the things we have been told.

·       Remember the errands

Remembering to do the errands your wife mentioned will definitely make her happy and help improve your relationship. Practising with the peg system as well as the many fun and useful systems mentioned above specifically used to remember lists and tasks should yield good results

·       Remember their names

Knowing your child’s best friends’ names will help you become a more involved parent, and this will be a stroll in the park when you can activate the Face-name method for this specific use.

·       Remember the dates

Remembering to honour your mother’s invitation for Sunday lunch will also strengthen your family relations. Do this well by utilising the suggestions in remembering anniversaries. Making the effort to remember these types of information will help you demonstrate you care about people around you and eventually enjoy a happier, more fulfilling life.

Conclusion

What this guide has taught you

Thank you for reading Memory Exercises Now: Easy Step by Step Tips to Remember What You Want in Life and Work!

As you’ve probably seen, our guide does not provide you with a miracle method of improving your memory – actually there is no such thing. What we intended was offering extensive yet concise information on different memory boosting methods and also an articulated 7-step guide on how to start your own memory improvement project. By completing Memory Exercises Now, you will acquire knowledge such as:

·       Memory principles and understanding better how memory works

·       The kind of lifestyle that helps you improve your memory and keep your brain active

·       Actionable tips on how to enjoy life and become more effective by memorizing important information

·       Successfully completing life challenges like doing well at work or taking exams

·       Improving your personal relationships by remembering to do important things or being aware of birthdays or anniversary dates

How can you apply what you’ve learned right away?

The purpose of this guide is to show you how memory improvement can change your life for the better and does not represent a one-size-fits-all solution. You don’t need to apply all pieces of advice you find in this book – instead, identify the methods that work best for you and even create your personal memory improvement plan based on the ideas that you find here. I strongly believe in everyone’s power of improving their memory and would want you to enjoy an amazing experience while working to boost your brain capacity!

Here’s what you can do next:

- Start eliminating bad habits and improving your lifestyle so your brain becomes more receptive

- Find out what memorising techniques and ideas suit your personality and learning needs better

- Write down your memory improvement plan

- Implement ideas from your plan every day

Enjoy your enhanced memory and get the most from life!

-- Galen Parker

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Finding Out More

Chapter 2: Start Improving Your Memory Today!

Chapter 3: Practical Steps That Are Easy To Do

Chapter 4: Do Well In Your Everyday Life