How many people do you know that complain about having a "bad memory"? You know the people I'm talking about. The ones that constantly talk about how they would do so much better if they could remember things more easily! But how many of those people spend even a small amount of time doing some memory training so they can understand how their memory works?
What do you think about your memory? Do you think you have a "good memory" or do you think it could use some work? And what does having a "good memory" even mean to you? Does it mean you can remember people's names? Or does it mean you can remember everything that ever happened and everything you ever learnt?
In reality, our memory does exactly what it is supposed to do. It stores information. The question you need answered is how does our mind retrieve the information we want? Well, the key is actually all about moving memories. That's right, moving them. You need to actively move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
However, in order to move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory you must understand and apply the five pillars of memory. Trying to improve your memory recall without understanding the five pillars is like trying to drive without a car, it's not going to work and you might hurt yourself!
Pillar One - Association. Your memory really likes grouping things together. So, if you want to remember something vividly you should associate it with something that is already familiar to you. People regularly say things like "I remember that day because this also happened on that day as well!" Why do you think that might be? It's because when we associate and group things together our mind finds it much easier to store and recall the memory.
Pillar Two - Imagery. Your memory recalls events or experiences as images and pictures. It's like you have a camera in your head constantly taking snap shots. So if you want to remember some information draw an image or make a mental picture of what you want to remember (as opposed to just reading the information or writing it down). Images are far easier for your memory to recall so start using them as often as you can.
Pillar Three - Time. As we are all aware, memories fade over time and our memory recalls recent events much quicker and easier than experiences that occurred a long time ago - especially when they are not particularly interesting or unique events. If you really want to recall an experience you need to move it to your long-term memory as quickly as you can by using association or imagery techniques. If you don't you may find the experience is very hard to recall. The longer you leave it, the less your chance of recalling it later.
Pillar Four - Repetition. Ever noticed that you forget your password when you haven't logged in to your account for a while? What about forgetting names of people you knew years ago? Things you easily remembered some time ago can quickly be forgotten when we don't keep using the memory. The more you repeat the experience of what you want to remember, the more easily you will move it into your long term memory (and remember it!)
Pillar Five - Emotion. When an experience creates a significant emotional response you will be much more likely to remember it. Events or experiences that are strange, shocking and intense have an impact on us that ensures the memory is moved from short-term to long-term. Your mind will mark an intense experience as something worth keeping. So if you want to remember something, add a weird or intense element to the memory to ensure the memory is more vivid and memorable.
You can now see that even with a very small amount of memory training and awareness of how your memory recall works your memory can be greatly improved. Keep in mind that by applying the five pillars you will be actively seeking to move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. This is the essence of powerful memory recall ability. Good luck!
What do you think about your memory? Do you think you have a "good memory" or do you think it could use some work? And what does having a "good memory" even mean to you? Does it mean you can remember people's names? Or does it mean you can remember everything that ever happened and everything you ever learnt?
In reality, our memory does exactly what it is supposed to do. It stores information. The question you need answered is how does our mind retrieve the information we want? Well, the key is actually all about moving memories. That's right, moving them. You need to actively move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
However, in order to move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory you must understand and apply the five pillars of memory. Trying to improve your memory recall without understanding the five pillars is like trying to drive without a car, it's not going to work and you might hurt yourself!
Pillar One - Association. Your memory really likes grouping things together. So, if you want to remember something vividly you should associate it with something that is already familiar to you. People regularly say things like "I remember that day because this also happened on that day as well!" Why do you think that might be? It's because when we associate and group things together our mind finds it much easier to store and recall the memory.
Pillar Two - Imagery. Your memory recalls events or experiences as images and pictures. It's like you have a camera in your head constantly taking snap shots. So if you want to remember some information draw an image or make a mental picture of what you want to remember (as opposed to just reading the information or writing it down). Images are far easier for your memory to recall so start using them as often as you can.
Pillar Three - Time. As we are all aware, memories fade over time and our memory recalls recent events much quicker and easier than experiences that occurred a long time ago - especially when they are not particularly interesting or unique events. If you really want to recall an experience you need to move it to your long-term memory as quickly as you can by using association or imagery techniques. If you don't you may find the experience is very hard to recall. The longer you leave it, the less your chance of recalling it later.
Pillar Four - Repetition. Ever noticed that you forget your password when you haven't logged in to your account for a while? What about forgetting names of people you knew years ago? Things you easily remembered some time ago can quickly be forgotten when we don't keep using the memory. The more you repeat the experience of what you want to remember, the more easily you will move it into your long term memory (and remember it!)
Pillar Five - Emotion. When an experience creates a significant emotional response you will be much more likely to remember it. Events or experiences that are strange, shocking and intense have an impact on us that ensures the memory is moved from short-term to long-term. Your mind will mark an intense experience as something worth keeping. So if you want to remember something, add a weird or intense element to the memory to ensure the memory is more vivid and memorable.
You can now see that even with a very small amount of memory training and awareness of how your memory recall works your memory can be greatly improved. Keep in mind that by applying the five pillars you will be actively seeking to move your memories from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. This is the essence of powerful memory recall ability. Good luck!
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