How to Enhance Your Memory with Simple Learning Hacks
Admission: Memory is not my natural strong suit. Fortunately, brain-research has validated some simple practices that measurably enhance anyone’s memory.
The truth is, most humans have poor memory. Why? A big reason is that our normal awareness is extremely limited. Most people can only hold 4–7 tiny bits of information in working memory at a time.
Want to see if you can do better?
Take a glance at this set of numbers:
1–8–6–2–5–5–5–6–3–5–7
Now close your eyes and try to recall the numbers. If you can, congratulations! Only 1% of people can do this. This is because the brain is trying to take in 11 chunks of information instead of 4–7.
Let’s look at the number a different way: 800–555–6357. When we look at it as a phone number, it becomes much easier to remember. When we chunk information effectively, our memory expands.
That said, our brain’s frontal lobes only keep that information for a few seconds. Then, another set of “chunks” will catch our attention. Worse, the learning centers of our brains can only deal with one or two ideas at a time.
So to efficiently learn anything, key information must get absorbed with precision. Then, your brain needs time to absorb it and encode it into long-term memory.
Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel explains in his book In Search of Memory that your brain needs rest to form long-term memories. This is why top athletes and other performers divide their practice into time-limited sessions with breaks.
During these breaks, it’s best to spend time daydreaming. Many consider mind-wandering a bad habit, but when you daydream your awareness expands throughout your brain. Meanwhile, hundreds of thoughts get processed and stored in your deeper memory.
You can improve your recall by taking just 60 seconds to let your mind wander after you learn something new. Just sit back, relax, and let your mind go anywhere it wants. The same holds true if you’ve been focusing on a task for a while. If you set alarms to give yourself micro-vacations, your performance will improve.
By learning in small chunks and giving yourself seconds to daydream, your performance can skyrocket.
Feel free to join our weekly newsletter on brain science for life transformation
You can also read more at our blog:
1. The Fastest Way to Hack Mental Stress and Focus
2. How You Can Practice More Effectively
3. The “Survival Kit” of Mindfulness Techniques for Empaths
4. The C.R.A.P. Board Technique
5. How to Decide When You Should Talk Fast or Slow
6. How to Find Your Passion and Purpose
7. Surprising Shortcut for Achieving a Flow State
This post was lovingly crafted by Josiah Hultgren. He is Founder/CEO of MindFullyAlive, a Senior Lecturer at California Lutheran University, a cognitive coach, and a practical neuroscience expert. He produces and curates mindfulness content designed to improve structure and functioning of the brain.
Originally published at www.mindfullyalive.com.
