How to improve your memory
Experts on ageing often point out that learning new skills is likely to improve cognitive functioning, such as learning a new language or remembering key dates. But did you know that there is a method of learning which has been shown to be 2 or 3 times faster than normal methods of learning and very much more enjoyable!
Learn a language
Try it for yourself by trying to learn this list of 10 foreign words.
Picture each of the images below in your mind’s eye for about 10 seconds.
You must spend 10 seconds picturing each image for the method to work.
- The Japanese for SHORTS is HAN ZUBON: Imagine my HANDS UPON your SHORTS
- The French for HEDGEHOG is HERISSON: Imagine your HAIRY SON looks like a HEDGEHOG
- The Russian for EYE is GLAS: Imagine you swallow a GLASS EYE
- The Polish for JUICE is SOK: Imagine drinking JUICE through a SOCK
- The Welsh for CAT is CATH: Imagine a CAT on top of a CATHEDRAL
- The German for BRIDE is BRAUT: Imagine a Belgian BRIDE (a Brussel s BRAUT!)
- The Italian for NIGHT is NOTTE: Imagine spending a NAUGHTY NIGHT out
- The Spanish for RICE is ARROZ: Imagine ARROWS landing in your plate of RICE
- The Hebrew for ELEPHANT is PEEL: Imagine an ELEPHANT eating orange PEEL
10. The Spanish for COW is VACA: Imagine a COW with a VACUUM cleaner, cleaning a field
Now test yourself:
What is the English for
- PEEL
- ARROZ
- NOTTE,
- BRAUT
- CATH
- SOK
- GLAS
- VACA
- HERISSON
- HAN ZUBON
Published studies have shown that learners over 65 years benefit greatly from this method of learning vocabulary. If this worked for you then you can learn hundreds of words and grammar this way.
Overcome spelling problems
As one gets older spelling sometimes seems to get worse. We start being more uncertain of how to spell words we had no problem with in the past There is a really simple method for remembering how to spell word you have trouble with.
1. Make a list of all the words that are troublesome
2. Take three of the words and use simple memory aids so they can be easily remembered.
Here are 2 examples:
- If you cannot not remember whether the word ACROSS was spelled with one C or 2 C’s. Make the phrase like . There is only one SEA (C) ACROSS to America
- If you cannot remember whether the word SEPARATE had an E or an A after the P in SEPARATE. Make a phrase like. Imagine you SEPARATE A RAT in two
Now comes the important bit:
- Start by identifying all the words that you find difficult-there might be 50 of them, say
- Select 3 of them and make up a sentence to remember them and make sure they work
- On day 2 start by going over the 3 words you did the day before, then do 3 more words. Then do 3 more new words
- On day 3 go over all the words you have learned up to date and do 3 more words
- Carry on doing this until you have covered all the words you have selected. Obviously you can add more words if necessary
Once you have finished you should go over the whole list once a week for a period of weeks to keep everything fresh in your mind.
After that you will find that if you go over it at a later date , words will come back quickly
Remembering birthdays, anniversaries, passwords and pins
There are simple memory techniques for remembering numbers such as birthdays, pin numbers etc. In many memory improvement books such methods are described BUT BE WARNED, THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS INFALLABLE! And books rarely warn you about this. On the other hand when used correctly they can be very useful.
To use the technique you must learn a simple way of translating numbers into letters
SO
1= t-there is one downstroke in the letter t
2=n-there are two downstrokes in the letter n
3= m- there are 3 downstrokes on the letter m
4=r- r is the last letter of the word FOUR
5= l- l is the roman letter for 50
6=sh- the Sh sound is a bit like the sound of the beginning of the number 6
7=K- the number 7 is embedded in the letter K
8=f- the writer small letter f looks like an 8
9= p-the letter p is the number 9 reversed
0 =S- 0=zero which starts with an s sound
The way you remember numbers is to translate any number into its letters and use any vowel to make a word
So the number 21 becomes NT.It could be represented with the words NUT or NOTE .
So to remember your partners birthday is the 21st, you might picture him/her eating nuts !!
The method works well for small numbers like this, but for longer numbers like telephone numbers it only works for a short time unless it is frequently used
It is similar for pin numbers. If you use your pin number regularly for getting cash from a cash machine it works brilliantly. BUT if you only use it occasionally you will forget it after a time. It is the same for telephones and passwords. For these numbers, best write them down and put them somewhere safe!!!
Remembering people’s names or words you can’t get back
This kind of memory failure is common for all ages. However the memory is usually there and the following strategies can help
- Go through the alphabet trying to remember the first letter of the name you are looking for. Studies suggest about one in four memory blocks come back with this techniqueIf that fails, try thinking about the context where you last met –who was the person with when you last met, where did he work etc.
- If this still does not work after trying hard to remember, leave it for a bit then come back to it and try again. We found that following a gap of a few hours, this leads to a significant number of memories returning
Of course if you are talking to someone whose name you cant remember, it is difficult to keep up a conversation and use these strategies. In that situation, it is better not to address him/her by name as getting the name wrong can be very embarrassing. Just keep talking in the hope that something said will remind you of the name!
