Enhance Your Memory: Practical Tips and Techniques

You don’t have to be a trivia expert to excel at remembering things. Monica Thieu, a four-time Jeopardy! contestant and winner of the 2012 college championship, uses memory techniques like mnemonic devices and flash cards to retain information about world capitals, TV shows, Olympic cities, and more. “With practice, everyone can strengthen their memory,” says Thieu, who also researches memory, human cognition, and emotion as a postdoctoral scientist at Emory University.

Why Memory Is Selective

Memory is selective. We can train what our brains choose to remember, according to Charan Ranganath, director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis, and author of Why We Remember. “It can be biased, warped, and reconstructed.” To improve your memory, try these strategies based on expert advice.

Focus on What You Want to Remember

“Attention is the first ingredient for creating a lasting memory,” says Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist and author of Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Without attention, a memory doesn’t form, even if your eyes see it. Complaints about memory issues are often about attention problems. For example, if you forget where you parked your car, you likely weren’t paying attention to it. Slow down and focus on what you want to remember.

Create Rules and Habits

If you often misplace objects like keys or your phone, designate a specific spot to keep them when not in use. Genova suggests making this a habit to avoid effort in recalling their location. “Put it in the same place every time; it becomes a fact, like your address or birthday: My keys always go in this bowl. There’s a rule and a habit.”

Add More Details

To form strong memories, add as many details as possible. Thieu recommends this approach for subjects you find hard to connect with. For example, learning about the Renaissance era could involve creating a playlist of music from that time, watching period dramas, or attending a theater performance. Our brains prefer to remember things that are meaningful, emotional, surprising, or new. Providing more details helps in creating stronger and easier-to-recall memories.

Trigger Your Memory

Your brain links various sights, sounds, tastes, and smells to a memory, says Genova. Use these connections to your advantage. For example, if studying vocabulary while listening to Dua Lipa, listening to the same music during a test might help recall the words. This concept is known as context-dependent memory. Enhance your study environment with music, smells, or tastes. Chew cinnamon gum while preparing for an exam, and do the same during the test to trigger memory associations.

Chunk Information

When recalling large amounts of information, Ranganath suggests “chunking.” This organizes information into manageable units. Remembering a phone number like (130) 555-1212 is easier when chunked into parts: 130, 555, 1212. Recall each chunk as a group, then retrieve individual numbers.

Build a Mind Palace

For remembering lists like groceries, use a “mind palace” or method of loci, which pairs familiar locations with new information. Imagine placing grocery items around your house. Eggs on the couch, milk on the counter, and creamer on the table. Walk through the house in your mind while shopping to recall the list.

Use Flash Cards

Flash cards are powerful. Thieu uses them by watching Jeopardy! reruns, creating flash cards from episodes, and then quizzing herself. This method is also good for specific trivia facts, like world rivers. Test yourself before learning new information to gauge what you know, and then afterward to see what you retained. Pretests prime the brain and challenge it, aiding long-term retention.

Embrace Imperfections

Don’t expect your memory to be flawless, experts advise. It’s normal to misplace keys or forget tasks occasionally. “Life is an open-book test,” says Genova. Using resources to look up information or making notes frees mental energy for more significant tasks.

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