In the previous post, you learnt some effective techniques to create a memory that sticks. Here are few more – simple yet equally effective:
Primacy and recency
Something you learn right at the start of a lesson tends to stick in your mind for longer. So do things which come right at the end of a session. What does it mean for you? Well, now you know these principles, you might want to plan your learning differently. You might place the most important things at the beginning and end of each lesson, leaving the middle part for things which are less crucial.
To make good use of primacy and recency, employ the Pomodoro technique. This method involves breaking up your work or studying into 25-minute chunks of productivity called Pomodoros. Each Pomodoro is followed by a 5-minute break. It’s as simple as setting up a timer!
Pomodoros can work even better if you combine them with another technique, something known as active recall. It involves reviewing some material and then immediately checking to ensure that it has sunk in. To do this, simply close your book or pause the video you’re learning from and write down everything you’ve learned so far.
Visual imagery
Visualization has been one of the best techniques to train memory. So how do you use this? The best approach is to learn to associate words, numbers, or, indeed, anything else you have to memorize, with visual imagery. Let’s look at an example.
Consider these words: fire hydrant, balloon, battery, barrel, board, and diamond. If you were asked to memorize this word list, you might do so by repeating the words over and over again. But this method is ineffective. Before too long you’ll probably forget all you learned.
Instead, try creating a crazy story about the words. You might picture a fire hydrant that’s being carried up into the air by balloons. But the balloons are being pushed by batteries, and those batteries sit inside huge barrels. The whole device – batteries inside of barrels aimed at balloons – is launched into the air by a big board, like a seesaw. And, finally, that board is supported up by a huge diamond. See how much better the words are now cemented in your mind?
Practice is the master of all techniques. Practice it to perfect it.