The ability to remember a vast amount of data and information is vital to students and can truly be the difference between passing and failing a subject. So it's no wonder that there is so much focus on maximizing our memory ability!
So why is it that we can often remember seemingly useless information (like the name of our friend's cat) but when we have a test or assessment coming up and we really want to imprint information into our brain we often end up retaining very little of it? Well, it's all about understanding how our memory is designed to work.
The truth is, our memory works in precisely the manner that it is supposed to work. The real issue is that we have very little understanding (or no understanding at all) of the way it operates and how we can manipulate it to our advantage.
For one reason or another, we all seem to think that by constantly repeating information to ourselves we will imprint the information into our memory. This works occasionally, but it's clearly not the best approach and it usually indicates that we don't understand our memory at all.
So let's spend some time getting to know our memory. The ability to access our powerful memory recall and make certain that we can remember everything we need to remember truly is the difference between getting an A or getting a C.
There are many ways to increase the power of your memory recall. This article looks at just one - the "All about me" technique. The rule of this technique is that when you make something about you, the ability to remember the information is drastically increased.
When it comes to memory, your brain always wants to know "How does this relate to me?" or put even more simply "Why should I even bother storing this as a memory?"
The fact is, if something seems important to you personally, you will be more likely to remember it - and you'll also remember it more vividly and in far greater detail.
Don't believe me? Think about it. What things do you remember? Those things that have some direct impact on your life (like what time you need to meet your friends at the movies this weekend) or those things that have zero impact on your life (like your mom's favorite ice cream flavor?) You remember those things, people, places, prices, products and details of anything that is going to impact your life in some way.
Now, you don't do this recall on a conscious basis, it just happens automatically. You simply called up the information and because it was important and relevant to you, it was easy to retrieve. However, the real question I'm sure you are wondering is how do we apply this rule of memory to our studies? Well, you simple need to think about how whatever you are trying to learn or remember relates to you and your life. Let's look at some examples.
If you are learning about something like economic trends (yawn!), imagine how those may impact on your ability to go and buy a new pair of jeans (i.e. your personal buying power as a consumer - yawn again!) Or perhaps think about how it may impact on your ability to get a high paying job after school.
If you are learning about other cultures (for example) you can simply compare their culture to your own. In what ways does the culture differ from your own? In what ways does it match? In what ways is it kind of similar but not really? Asking yourself these questions may seem silly but the more questions you can ask that are actually about you, the more you will remember.
If you are trying to remember names and dates just focus on how do these names and dates relate to you. Ask yourself, "Do I know anyone by those or similar names? Do I like the name for some reason or do I think it's a weird name? Why is that? Did the people or dates that I have to remember ever impact my life in any way? Did anything happen on those dates that relates to me personally?"
Remember, it's all about you! The more you tie something to yourself and make it about you the easier it will be for your memory to create the traces needed to make memory recall a breeze. Try it for a week. You will be glad you did!
So why is it that we can often remember seemingly useless information (like the name of our friend's cat) but when we have a test or assessment coming up and we really want to imprint information into our brain we often end up retaining very little of it? Well, it's all about understanding how our memory is designed to work.
The truth is, our memory works in precisely the manner that it is supposed to work. The real issue is that we have very little understanding (or no understanding at all) of the way it operates and how we can manipulate it to our advantage.
For one reason or another, we all seem to think that by constantly repeating information to ourselves we will imprint the information into our memory. This works occasionally, but it's clearly not the best approach and it usually indicates that we don't understand our memory at all.
So let's spend some time getting to know our memory. The ability to access our powerful memory recall and make certain that we can remember everything we need to remember truly is the difference between getting an A or getting a C.
There are many ways to increase the power of your memory recall. This article looks at just one - the "All about me" technique. The rule of this technique is that when you make something about you, the ability to remember the information is drastically increased.
When it comes to memory, your brain always wants to know "How does this relate to me?" or put even more simply "Why should I even bother storing this as a memory?"
The fact is, if something seems important to you personally, you will be more likely to remember it - and you'll also remember it more vividly and in far greater detail.
Don't believe me? Think about it. What things do you remember? Those things that have some direct impact on your life (like what time you need to meet your friends at the movies this weekend) or those things that have zero impact on your life (like your mom's favorite ice cream flavor?) You remember those things, people, places, prices, products and details of anything that is going to impact your life in some way.
Now, you don't do this recall on a conscious basis, it just happens automatically. You simply called up the information and because it was important and relevant to you, it was easy to retrieve. However, the real question I'm sure you are wondering is how do we apply this rule of memory to our studies? Well, you simple need to think about how whatever you are trying to learn or remember relates to you and your life. Let's look at some examples.
If you are learning about something like economic trends (yawn!), imagine how those may impact on your ability to go and buy a new pair of jeans (i.e. your personal buying power as a consumer - yawn again!) Or perhaps think about how it may impact on your ability to get a high paying job after school.
If you are learning about other cultures (for example) you can simply compare their culture to your own. In what ways does the culture differ from your own? In what ways does it match? In what ways is it kind of similar but not really? Asking yourself these questions may seem silly but the more questions you can ask that are actually about you, the more you will remember.
If you are trying to remember names and dates just focus on how do these names and dates relate to you. Ask yourself, "Do I know anyone by those or similar names? Do I like the name for some reason or do I think it's a weird name? Why is that? Did the people or dates that I have to remember ever impact my life in any way? Did anything happen on those dates that relates to me personally?"
Remember, it's all about you! The more you tie something to yourself and make it about you the easier it will be for your memory to create the traces needed to make memory recall a breeze. Try it for a week. You will be glad you did!
About the Author:
HelpMeToStudy.org is the best online resource for learning new study skills, transforming your studying habits and finding the best study tips available. We will help change the way you think about study - and even better - we will show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | Memory Training
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