photo by haydensimons

Before you begin training your memory, it helps to understand what factors enhance your ability to create a strong memory in the first place. You’ll notice something these 5 keys all have in common: they are the enemies of apathy. A person who is apathetic about the field of study will create much weaker memories than the passionate student.

1. Interest. - Without interest, there is no desire to learn and no motivation to remember. This is why I was able to remember numbers and not oceans. I just didn’t care about geography in high school. And that apathy was my enemy when it came time to take the exams. I would cram the hour before, but after the test, my brain would leave those softly memorized facts in the back shelf of my brain where they would be pushed further and further into the shadows, collecting dust, and fading over time.

   I think you’ll find the same to be true of yourself. You remember the things that interest you most.

2. Attention. - Simply put, attention gives you access to more information and higher quality information, thus increasing the scope of what you can recall later. If you were asked to listen to a speech and afterwards briefly explain the 4 main points, you’d probably find it challenging without giving the speaker your full attention.
3. Observation. - Also increasing the scope of what we can recall later, observation moves you from being passive and apathetic into a state where you’re actively pulling data from your environment. Interest plays a key roll in what we observe. But with training you can learn to actively observe in a way that’s natural regardless of your environment or how excited you are about it.
4. Concentration. - You want to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. If you’re not concentrating or are studying in an environment that’s distracting, you’re receiving data that’s getting in the way of what you’re trying to memorize. Some people are better than others at tuning out distractions. I haven’t done it in a while but I used to love going to pubs or noisy coffee shops to read and study. I was able to zoom in on the book or my journal and work effectively, and yet the distractions were there when I needed a break. What works for you?
5. Repetition. - Thankfully, the brute-force method of repetition is not the only way to memorize something, but it plays an important role. The techniques in this series will help you recall facts with much less repetition, but even the methods themselves require some practice.

Memory Month Introduction & Table of Contents

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