Pay attention. You can’t remember something if you never learned it, and
you can’t learn something—that is, encode it into your brain—if you don’t pay
enough attention to it. It takes about eight seconds of intense focus to
process a piece of information into your memory. If you’re easily distracted,
pick a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
Involve as many senses as possible. Try to relate information to colors,
textures, smells, and tastes. The physical act of rewriting information can
help imprint it onto your brain. Even if you’re a visual learner, read out loud
what you want to remember. If you can recite it rhythmically, even better.
Relate information to what you already know. Connect new data to information you
already remember, whether it’s new material that builds on previous knowledge,
or something as simple as an address of someone who lives on a street where you
already know someone.
For more complex material, focus on understanding basic
ideas rather
than memorizing isolated details. Practice explaining the ideas to someone else
in your own words.
Rehearse information you’ve already learned. Review what you’ve learned the same
day you learn it, and at intervals thereafter. This “spaced rehearsal” is more
effective than cramming, especially for retaining what you’ve learned.
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