The Ultimate Memory Exercises
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By :
Xander Hamilton-Reeves
Submitted
2009-09-14 09:16:20 |
These Memory Exercises will help you train your abilities in the three fundamental areas of memory function. We have put together a really thorough, free memory improvement program
As you develop aptitude in one area and advance your memory improvement skills, you will in turn find other areas easier to achieve growth in.
Each set of exercises is tailored to one specific key principle and will help you enhance that particular area.
Part 1 will deal with the vivid environment and how you can create memories that will be easy to access.
Memory Exercises Part 1
Creating Vividness
If you have read any article on memory improvement then you will understand that the vivid environment plays an enormous part in your ability to utilize maximum memory function.
The first of these memory exercises is designed to get you creating vivid images that will imprint themselves on your memory, making recall easier and retention a simpler process.
The first memory improvement technique we will use for designing vivid images is using Rhyme Theme.
Rhyme Theme Applied
Let's say that you meet someone named Reese James, you can then use a rhyme theme to make rhymes of Reese James that will make his name a more vivid imprint in your name.
Reese James - You could think of:
*Police Games
*Grease Frames
*Fleece Names
Any of these rhymes will help you associate the name Reese James with a vivid thought.
Let's try another name - Sam Weathers
Sam Weathers - You could think of:
*Jam Feathers
*Ham Leathers
*Clam Heathers
You Should definitely try this one when someone is introduced to you and you need to know their name.
Here is a Memory exercise to try called Sensory Themes
Sensory Themes Applied
This memory improvement technique is all about using your senses to create a vivid imprint.
Let's say you need to remember to purchase flour when you are at the shopping center, you will use all your senses to create a vivid memory.
Smell
Imagine the smell of flour making dough and then the smell of fresh baked bread.
Taste
Imagine the taste of licking the spoon that stirred the cookie dough and how it was fantastic.
Sight
Imagine the sight of flour pouring into the bowl and the mess flour makes all over the bench and the floor.
Sound
Imagine the sound of flour getting milled in a factory and imagine the sound of stirring the pancake mix round and round.
Touch
Imagine the feeling of flour sticking to your fingers and the dough being hard to wash off.
By creating a whole range of sensory feelings you increase the likely hood of recalling such vivid feelings and remembering the "flour".
Another one of the Memory Exercises we will explore is Emotional Themes
Emotional Themes Applied
Attaching emotional reverence to something we want to memorize will help to increase the chances of later recall.
Let's say we want to remember that our partners birthday is the 28th of June, we would apply emotional themes to that date:
Happiness
You can think of June as a happy month and of the number 28 as the happy number. Every time you think of June or 28 you can evoke powerful thoughts of happy images that will indent that date on your mind.
Love
You can think of June as the month of love or think of 28 love hearts. You may think of June as your partners nickname or think of 28 June bugs.
Sadness
Think about the devastation your loved one would feel if you forgot their birthday or how you would feel if it happened to you.
You can apply many emotional schemes to memorization, such as anger, fear, frustration, despair or others, but they should be relevant to the subject because using anger to remember a happy occasion may not produce optimum results.
Another one of the memory improving techniques worth trying is Intensity Themes
Intensity Themes Applied
When you intensify a thought you make the vivid component of your thought more intense and that makes for an easier future recall.
Let's say you meet some one name Darryl Carter and you want to apply intensity theming, you would look at Darryl Carter and create intense images and thoughts around his name.
You could use:
Intense Imagery
See Darryl Carter as ex President Jimmy Carter and focus on that thought. Every time you see Darryl Carter you will think of Jimmy carter and this will make remembering Darryl's name simpler.
Intense Reaction
You could think of Darryl Carter as a vampire and plant the seed of reaction in your mind. Every time you see him you will think "there's Darryl Carter the vampire".
Intense Color
You could associate Darryl with red and Carter with blue and think of red and blue Darryl Carter. When you see him you will think red and blue and then you will think red = Darryl and blue = Carter.
Intense Sound
You may think of Darryl as a loud screaming banshee and think of him screaming as everyone says quiet down Darryl Carter.
Placing intense themes around the things we want to memorize can help imprint them on our mind.
Creating a vivid environment to help remember things is one of the best memory improving techniques you can perform. Think back along your childhood and try to remember those things that weren't vivid and you'll see the power of creating a lasting image.
As a Solution to memory loss, exercising your memory is a great idea and you may even boost your IQ.
Memory Exercises Part 2 will explore the effects of repetition on recall and how you can use repetitive techniques to memorize information.
Practice these memory exercises every day until they become a habitual pattern, at which stage they will require a lot less effort to perform.
Roughly 3/4 of all the things you will ever remember will be due to repetition, so the importance of doing it right can not be stressed enough.
Memory Exercises Part 2
Repetition
Everybody in high school has used repetition at one stage to pass a test or two, so most people implicitly understand it's value and while you may have long forgotten much of what you crammed in, you'll still find that repetition can be a very useful solution in the quest for a better memory.
Repetition is one of the well known memory improving techniques that you might have used at school.
The Basics Applied
When learning new words and concepts repetition is probably the best tool to use, this is especially true for those wishing to learn a new language.
Here is an example of how repetition can be a useful solution on a daily basis:
Mental Splitting - Improving Short Term Memory
This is repetition with a little vivid animation thrown in for good measure.
Let's say you need to know the capital of Egypt is Cairo. Now you know it, but how do you remember it?
First start with the right information, Cairo is spelled C.A.I.R.O once you have the right spelling, check the pronunciation - Cairo is pronounced "Khy-Row".
Now that you have the correct information you can start mentally splitting.
*Stare at a blank wall (yes you heard correctly) now picture Egypt on the wall - Focus hard and visualize Egypt.
*Now close your eyes and Spell out Cairo - C-A-I-R-O.
*Now open your eyes and visualize Egypt and close your eyes and spell out Cairo.
*Repeat about ten times.
Now - What have we achieved by practicing this particular memory exercise? - Hopefully if you have performed this right you will be able to remember the capital of Egypt by simply closing your eyes.. BAM..there it is - Cairo.
This repetitive memory exercise leaves an imprint that utilizes both repetition and vivid visualization. This is a one-two method that can be very powerful and is especially useful for memorizing capitals or any grouping of two particular things.
You must focus hard for Mental Splitting memory improving techniques to work, but when applied properly it is extremely beneficial.
Another Memory Exercise that uses repetition as a solution is The Immersion Technique
The Immersion Technique
The Immersion Technique works by developing a pattern of behavior that includes as many mental and physical actions as possible.
By immersing as much of yourself as possible into an activity you will find that you will remember far more about an activity than just by theory alone.
This is actually a very basic principle, but here is an example:
Let's say you need to learn how to throw a javelin. The first thing you will do is read about how to throw a javelin.
Now just because you have read this, does not mean you either know how to throw a javelin or if this information pertains to your personal skill level.
*Next you find a javelin and feel the weight of it and imagine throwing it. Now you know more than you previously did.
*Next you are at the track and you have a javelin, you throw the javelin, but it doesn't go far. You are get close to having immersed your whole self in the activity.
*The last step is to practice throwing a javelin over and over again. Now with the addition of repetition you can truly imprint the art of the javelin on your memory.
How can we apply this to non-sporting activities?
Well that is your personal challenge, but we can give you some hints. When you need to memorize something - it is one thing to read about it, but it another thing altogether to experience something.
The more you touch, feel, see, hear and taste, then the more immersed you become and when this happens the repetitive elements of immersion create long lasting memories.
Get Involved
Imagine
Create
Visualize,
Discover
The More you immerse your thoughts, feelings, senses and actions into a subject the more it permeates your mind leaving a lasting impression. The perfect mix of repetitive immersion is an ideal memory exercise that will prove to be the right solution for many future memory and IQ requirements.
Memory Exercises Part 3 will give you solutions based around The Recent Environment key memory principle.
The Recent Environment states that the most recent information you have received is the most easily recalled. The definition of recent will change from person to person and our exercises will aim to make "recent" as long as possible.
Every time you think about a past activity you make that thought recent so we can control our memories by revisiting the information that we have learned and bringing it to the recent forefront.
This is great for those wanting to know how to improve short term memory
The first of the memory exercises we will practice in Part 3 is Memory Re-animation.
Memory Exercises Part 3
Memory Re-Animation Applied
By bringing up memories of the past and refreshing them we can keep them accessible and easier to recall in the future. An example of Memory Re-Animation would be to remember the time of birth of your first child as well as the surroundings
*First you must visualize the occasion and try to remember as much about the delivery room, the bed, the layout as well as the smells and sounds.
*Now Re-Animate this thought with your deep emotional feelings towards the birth and the richness of the experience. Visualize the time on the clock and rejoice in the importance of the time.
As you freshen your memories up you not only apply vivid principles, you now have brought the information into a recent light, filing it safely in your mind for easier access.
Re-Animation can help you refresh important memories and make sure you never forget important occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.
Another of our Memory Exercises that work on The Recent Environment Principles is Memory connectivity.
Memory Connectivity Applied
All of your present, recent memories connect to past memories and by applying memory connectivity we will make sure that tracking memories backwards can create a system of recall that is easy and efficient. Try these and improve memory skill
*First you start with a target in the past such as your first day at school. You may want to make sure that in the future when you are in retirement, remembering your first day of school will be easy.
*Think of all the information that you can about your first day, use the re-animation technique first to freshen your mind.
*Next think about all the things that particular memory has in common with a future memory, such as your first day at high school. The similarities and differences will serve to create a memory highlight, this will help to leave an imprint.
*Next look forward again to your first day at University or your first day at work. By linking the memories, we can create a connected bridge between individual memories and bring the older one's into a recent locality.
These connective memories help to keep the past, present and future one's both relative and recent.
Many events of great importance to us, slowly become blurry and scattered, but using Memory Connectivity can help to keep those precious memories with us for as long as possible.
Details Details Details
The more details you can remember the better memory imprint you can make. Going back over old memories and thinking hard about the details gives you the chance to apply both Re-Animation and Connectivity to those memories to make sure you never lose them.
One thing you should do which will assist the memory exercises, is to sit down with a diary and write down your 20-30 most valued memories and describe with passionate detail the events that surround them.
In Conclusion
Try to use all of memory exercises part 1,2 & 3 to improve memory and concentration, for improving short term memory and to improve memory skill .
A good memory will make many tasks in life easier, simpler and even exciting. With good retention comes an increased IQ which will in turn create new possibilities for you.
The Power Is In Your Hands Will You Take Up The Challenge?
Memory Exercises Part 1 2 3 By Xander Hamilton-Reeves
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