How to Cram Gigabytes of Data into Your Brain and Remain Sane
Recently, we have been discussing how to best process plenty of data, set the right time for tasks, and, amongst plenty of other things, how to keep focused. With so many things to juggle and strategies to remember, how can we keep our minds organised and sane? Every day, so much information enters our consciousness and only a small part of it stays with us.
Sure, we use notes to remember details, but what if we tell you that you can memorise gigabytes of data without taking tremendous effort?
What is Memory Capacity?
Some say that people’s brains can store the whole Internet! Unbelievable? There might be something in it as scientists are still researching this question.
For example, this study conducted by Stanford reveals that there are 125 trillion synapses in the cortex. Synapses connect neurons — our brain cells, and eLife says that 1 synapse can record 4.7 bits of information. Simple calculations may show that there are 1 trillion bytes (1 TB) in our brain.
However, other biologists have gone further and discovered that unlike computers, which code data only in 0s and 1s, cells of our brain use 26 ways to code! This implies that one regular brain can store around a quadrillion bytes — the equivalent of 1 petabyte.
There is reason for optimism as researchers continue to make promising discoveries. For example, Paul Reber, Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University calculated that one human brain can store up to 2.5 petabytes of information. He compared this capacity with a digital video recorder which can hold 3 million hours of TV shows!
This is a revelation and should restore our faith in human capacity. With such memory and cognition, we are more powerful beings than we realise. We actually can cram gigabytes of data into our brains without losing common sense!
Today, the Collabio team will share very easy-to-use tips and special memorising techniques. Let’s go!
1. Keep Learning
The process of discovering new things creates new structures in your brain. So, finding a new hobby like playing a musical instrument or learning a new language, will sharpen your memories.
If you have no time or resources for diving into something completely new , try starting with something less difficult. For example, explore different how-tos and sets of tips like ones that we publish on our blog. Such small pieces of knowledge and insight will both entertain you and rev the gears in your brain!
2. Write It Down
We are 100% sure that if you write something down, no matter if you type notes or use a pen and paper, this data is more efficiently stored into saved to memory. The magic happens when we tune into verbal, visual and tactile cognitive functions. We set about trying to decide what method of taking notes works better. It appeared that all approaches work great, but, if you are like us, you always have a mobile device at hand.So, why not upload your memory using Collabio? If in the mood for ‘old school’, we have an option of adding handwritten notes to PDFs too!;)
3. Work Through the Information
Another simple but less obvious secret is to activate your subconscious. Putting conscious effort into learning and remembering will speak to your subconscious at some point. You may have heard stories of when working scientists or musicians, saw their final solution in a dream. The periodic table of chemical elements was said to have been created in this way.
The point is that one makes deep research of the topic for several days, weeks or months in a row, and the brain starts processing this information subconsciously. Later, people come up with insights that really work! This is more than a miracle, it is the underlying genius of the human brain!
4. Practice More
Practicing anything at least a couple of times per week will help to transmit the information from short-term memory to long-term. Take our daily routines: after a time, we memorise such information effortlessly and can execute tasks almost automatically. That’s the power of practice!
Adding hands-on experiences to theoretic knowledge involves the senses and connects new data to existing information. This strengthens neural connections and enhances memory.
5. Use Positive Emotions
The stronger the emotion, the clearer the memory remains in our heads. This happens due to the release of dopamine while experiencing emotions. This neurotransmitter forces the brain to process the incoming information more carefully, paying attention to it. This is true of negative emotions too but we’d rather keep things positive! And as we know, the more accurately data is processed, the better it will be captured.
6. Imagine
Need to remember information that you can represent as a picture in your mind? Animate it and let the objects in the picture come to life; begin to move and act. You may not remember everything, but definitely, more than half will be memorised. :)
We recommend that you engage all senses, including visual perception, smells and tastes, tactile sensations and sounds. For example, speaking with an inner voice or aloud a phone number, together with imagining its digits in a bright color will help you remember the number.
Try adding fun to the task with acronyms and rhymes. There are plenty of techniques out there.
7. Locate Memory Palaces
When it comes to mnemonic techniques, memory palaces come to mind. Think Sherlock Holmes! You don’t need to be a Baker Street detective to apply this technique. To use this method, imagine a location you know very well and turn every memory into a picture (like a postcard) and put it somewhere in this room or place. Later, you may walk through your imaginary palace or room and recall what you need. Together with other techniques, such as animating images, it can show great results.
8. Try Chunking
Literally, group things to memorise them better. For example, the number 555–399–39–03, divided into parts, can be remembered easier than the whole number 5553993903. For learning new languages, chunking may work like categorising words and phrases by meaning. For example, “body, wheels, motor, gearbox and steering wheel = car.”
Scientists state that the human brain can easily hold up to 4 items in short-term memory. These may be only four digits or small sets of information. So, extending the limits of our memory is possible! :)
9. Repeat Early
Forgetting curve means that if you don’t use the newly acquired information within a few hours or a couple of days, you will unlikely be able to retrieve it from your memory in a week. That’s why we don’t clearly remember the information we read a year back, especially taking into account the vast amount of daily information we consume — more than 35 Gb per day!
This method requires reinforcing what you learn regularly. Set intervals for repeating information and it will be properly stored in your mind.
10. Get Rid of Junk Information
Don’t memorise information you won’t ever need and free some space for useful data! Neural connections can be formed but not without limits. Don’t clog your “hard drive” with rubbish. :)
