Everyone can take steps to improve their
memory, and with time and practice most people can gain the ability to
memorize seemingly impossible amounts of information. Whether you want
to win the World Memory Championships, ace your history test, or simply
remember where you put your keys, this article can get you started.
Scientists believe that exercising your brain can create a ‘cognitive
reserve’ that will help you stay sharp as you age.

1. Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve. Too
many people get stuck here and convince themselves that their memory is
bad, that they are just not good with names, that numbers just slip out
of their minds for some reason. Erase those thoughts and vow to improve
your memory. Commit yourself to the task and bask in your achievements
— it’s hard to keep motivated if you beat yourself down every time you
make a little bit of progress.

2. Keep your brain active. The brain is not a
muscle, but regularly “exercising” the brain actually does keep it
growing and spurs the development of new nerve connections that can
help improve memory. By developing new mental skills—especially complex
ones such as learning a new language or learning to play a new musical
instrument—and challenging your brain with puzzles and games you can
keep your brain active and improve its physiological functioning.
3. Exercise daily. Regular aerobic exercise improves
circulation and efficiency throughout the body, including in the brain,
and can help ward off the memory loss that comes with aging. Exercise
also makes you more alert and relaxed, and can thereby improve your
memory uptake, allowing you to take better mental “pictures.”
4. Reduce stress. Chronic stress, although it does not
physically damage the brain, can make remembering much more difficult.
Even temporary stresses can make it more difficult to effectively focus
on concepts and observe things. Try to relax, regularly practice yoga
or other stretching exercises, and see a doctor if you have severe
chronic stress.
5. Eat well and eat right. There are a lot of herbal
supplements on the market that claim to improve memory, but none have
yet been shown to be effective in clinical tests (although small
studies have shown some promising results for ginkgo biloba and
phosphatidylserine). A healthy diet, however, contributes to a healthy
brain, and foods containing antioxidants—broccoli, blueberries,
spinach, and berries, for example—and Omega-3 fatty acids appear to
promote healthy brain functioning. Feed your brain with such
supplements as Thiamine, Vitamin E, Niacin and Vitamin B-6. Grazing,
eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals,
also seems to improve mental functioning (including memory) by limiting
dips in blood sugar, which may negatively affect the brain.

6. Take better pictures. Often we forget things
not because our memory is bad, but rather because our observational
skills need work. One common situation where this occurs (and which
almost everyone can relate to) is meeting new people. Often we don’t
really learn people’s names at first because we aren’t really
concentrating on remembering them. You’ll find that if you make a
conscious effort to remember such things, you’ll do much better. One
way to train yourself to be more observant is to look at an unfamiliar
photograph for a few seconds and then turn the photograph over and
describe or write down as many details as you can about the photograph.
Try closing your eyes and picturing the photo in your mind. Use a new
photograph each time you try this exercise, and with regular practice
you will find you’re able to remember more details with even shorter
glimpses of the photos.
7. Give yourself time to form a memory. Memories are
very fragile in the short-term, and distractions can make you quickly
forget something as simple as a phone number. The key to avoid losing
memories before you can even form them is to be able to focus on the
thing to be remembered for a while without thinking about other things,
so when you’re trying to remember something, avoid distractions and
complicated tasks for a few minutes.

8. Create vivid, memorable images. You remember
information more easily if you can visualize it. If you want to
associate a child with a book, try not to visualize the child reading
the book – that’s too simple and forgettable. Instead, come up with
something more jarring, something that sticks, like the book chasing
the child, or the child eating the book. It’s your mind – make the
images as shocking and emotional as possible to keep the associations
strong.

9. Repeat things you need to learn. The more times
you hear, see, or think about something, the more surely you’ll
remember it, right? It’s a no-brainer. When you want to remember
something, be it your new coworker’s name or your best friend’s
birthday, repeat it, either out loud or silently. Try writing it down;
think about it.

10. Group things you need to remember. Random
lists of things (a shopping list, for example) can be especially
difficult to remember. To make it easier, try categorizing the
individual things from the list. If you can remember that, among other
things, you wanted to buy four different kinds of vegetables, you’ll
find it easier to remember all four.

11. Organize your life. Keep items that you
frequently need, such as keys and eyeglasses, in the same place every
time. Use an electronic organizer or daily planner to keep track of
appointments, due dates for bills, and other tasks. Keep phone numbers
and addresses in an address book or enter them into your computer or
cell phone. Improved organization can help free up your powers of
concentration so that you can remember less routine things. Even if
being organized doesn’t improve your memory, you’ll receive a lot of
the same benefits (i.e. you won’t have to search for your keys anymore).

12. Try meditation. Research now suggests that
people who regularly practice “mindfulness” meditation are able to
focus better and may have better memories. Mindfulness (also known as
awareness or insight meditation) is the type commonly practiced in
Western countries and is easy to learn. Studies at Massachusetts
General Hospital show that regular meditation thickens the cerebral
cortex in the brain by increasing the blood flow to that region. Some
researchers believe this can enhance attention span, focus, and memory.

13. Sleep well. The amount of sleep we get affects
the brain’s ability to recall recently learned information. Getting a
good night’s sleep – a minimum of seven hours a night – may improve
your short-term memory and long-term relational memory, according to
recent studies conducted at the Harvard Medical School.

14. Build your memorization arsenal. Learn pegs,
memory palaces, and the Dominic System. These techniques form the
foundation for mnemonic techniques, and will visibly improve your
memory.

15. Venture out and learn from your mistakes. Go
ahead and take a stab at memorizing the first one hundred digits of pi,
or, if you’ve done that already, the first one thousand. Memorize the
monarchs of England through your memory palaces, or your grocery list
through visualization. Through diligent effort you will eventually
master the art of memorization.