Memory Improvement & Attention - 7 Successful Strategies To Help
You Acquire This Essential Skill!
Before you can expect to remember or memorize a thing, that
thing must have been impressed clearly upon the records of your
subconscious. And the main factor of the recording of
impressions is that quality of the mind that we call Attention,
which is the ability to focus and give meaning to a particular
data or stimulus.
Here are some successful strategies to help you acquire this
essential skill:
1. Turn your attention upon some uninteresting thing and study
every detail until you are able to describe them.
This will seem boring or tiresome at first but you must stick to
it. Do not practice too long at a time at first; take a rest and
try it again later. You will soon find that it comes easier, and
that a new interest is starting to manifest itself in the task.
For example, pick a flower. Touch it. Smell it. Feel its
texture. How many petals does it have? How long is the stem?
What is the color and shape of the petals? By doing this simple
task, you will be surprised at the quantity of little things
that you will notice. This method, practiced on many things, in
spare hours, will develop the power of voluntary attention and
perception in anyone, no matter how deficient he or she may have
been in these things. Begin to take notice of things about you:
the places you visit, the people in the rooms, etc. In this way
you will start the habit of "noticing things," which is the
first requisite for memory development.
2. Eliminate distractions.
Even though you may have heard of multi-tasking, it is very
difficult for people to do more than one thing at a time. For
example, you're a law student studying for the Bar Exams. You
wouldn't be able to absorb properly into your mind what you are
studying if your radio is playing loud rock-and-roll music, or
if you're hearing the video games being played by your kid
brother. As much as possible, avoid any possible distractions
such as TV, radio, or other people chattering.
3. Retain focus and concentration in the process of learning or
memorization.
Let's say you're busy preparing for an important presentation
tomorrow. A new employee was introduced to you while you are
working. In this case, there would be much less chance for you
to remember anything about that new employee because you are
concentrating on something else which you regard as more urgent
or important. If you want to remember something well, shift your
focus on that one thing and willfully commit it to memory.
4. Keep track all of your thoughts.
Whenever you become aware that your thoughts are losing, yell
"STOP!" in your mind. This will bring your drifting to a halt
and redirect your attention to what needs to be done. Remember
that good concentration breeds good memory. If you find that
your thoughts are traveling, be conscious that your attention is
drifting.
5. Get interested.
To have good memorization skills, you should also like what you
are doing. To vividly memorize a visual, an image, or even text,
engage yourself into it. You should put your heart in every
activity you're working and doing. If you don't like to engage
in a certain activity, there's a slim chance for you to remember
aspects about it. Let's say your parents want you to become an
engineer, but you dream of becoming a musician. If you studied
engineering because your parents forced you to, you won't have
the dedication or desire to retain information from your
engineering books. Don't push yourself to do something that you
have no interest in. As Leonardo Da Vinci said: "Just as eating
against one's will is injurious to health, so study without a
liking for it spoils the memory, and it retains nothing it takes
in."
6. Get motivated.
Now let's say you want to become a doctor. Why are you
familiarizing and memorizing into such ambiguous medical or
biological terms? For one thing, you might want to be on the top
of the class. Or you might want to be popular in your school. Or
you might want to be a good doctor someday to help your
community. Goals and timeframe nourish motivation. And
motivation promotes a sharp memory. To further motivate
yourself, reward yourself for any tasks that you have
accomplished. Set a particular incentive for every objective.
For example, treat yourself to your favorite restaurant after
finishing a project. When you've accomplished a bigger task, go
on a vacation. Just set something gratifying to indulge in after
completing a certain undertaking. Remember: Man by nature is a
go-getter.
He will get whatever he aspires for. In a consumption-based and
technologically-driven world, one should have a stake or goal to
feed his symbolic ego. By rewarding yourself in every success
you account for, you will aspire for more and will develop
interest on your activity. In the process, your interest will
make you more productive and successful.
7. Give your subconscious a mental command to bear in mind what
you want to remember.
You may say, "Here, you take note of this and remember it for
me!" You'll be astounded by what the subconscious can do for you.
Before you can memorize or remember anything, you should be able
to perceive well through proper attention. Use the methods above
and you're well on your way to a sharper memory.