Improving Your Memory

Improving your memory is one of the most important aspects of self improving. Just as a body builder builds muscles and increases strength, a good learner builds brain cells and increases memory. And who says you can’t do both!

In my article, “The Intelligence in Forgetting,” I mentioned that the brain discards certain information for “intelligent reasons.” And in these cases, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with forgetting.

But there are many cases when relying on memory plays an important role in your success in life. And it is for this reason that you need to “focus” on improving your memory.

Indeed, someone with better memory will be more likely to succeed in various tasks and endeavors – in addition to developing a better personality.

So let’s start with some of the basics of how to improve your memory.

First of all, you need to lay off the alcohol. A little bit of alcohol won’t harm you, but it has been known to destroy brain cells faster than they can regenerate. The same can be said of cigarettes. Of course, if you want to drink and smoke and enjoy your life, no one can stop you. Just remember that you can’t chew cane and blow whistle at the same time.

Eat a balanced diet and supplement it with memory enhancing food such as bananas and ice cream. See this list of memory enhancing foods.

Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep causes fatigue, loss of memory, loss of appetitie and a host of other illnesses. So if you know what’s good for you, do what you have to do to get a full 8 hours’ sleep. And do sleep like a baby!

Get enough physical exercise. Physical exercise strengthens all organs of your body. And these include your brain. So run, jog, lift weights…do what you have to do to get “enough” exercise. But remember, don’t overdo it!

Play some brain training games. There are some games that help to improve reaction time, alertness, cognitive abilities, memory and a host of other brain functions. There include online games such as “Lumosity” as well as offline games such as the physical chessboard.

Consider purchasing some supplements that have been proven to positively impact your brain’s capacity. You can see some recommendations of supplement which improve brain function here.

Recite as many mathematics tables as you can. Don’t stop at the usual 12 x 12. Go higher. Doing this mental exercise creates retrievable patterns in your brain which can help you to recall facts faster.

Learn about pnemonics and other advanced memory techniques.

Read this article on how to use images to remember phone numbers that you might otherwise forget – until you can write them down.

Now that you’re on your path to getting improved memory- do remember to remember the good stuff and discard the thrash.