Many people mistakenly believe that active work memory ends upon graduation from institute, technical school or university. However, this is not quite true. Memory use continues after graduation. Another thing is where and to what extent to apply it, and most importantly, how to improve it. Therefore, in this article we will talk about how to memorize information faster using the simplest and most effective exercises.
What types of memory are there?
Human memory can be divided into two types:
- short-term (fast);
- long-term.
Short-term memory allows a person to remember a specific list of items or objects that exist in real time. In other words, only images that are relevant here and now remain in memory. On average, there can be 5-8 such objects. Accordingly, long-term memory makes it possible to remember certain images that a person may need not immediately, but, for example, in a year. Therefore, in order to figure out how to better remember information, you need to learn to distinguish between them.
- visual (those objects that we see with our own eyes are remembered);
- sound (the melody, the words of the song are caught);
- sensual (based on real emotional experiences and feelings);
- tactile (sensations are remembered);
- emotional (based solely on emotions);
- associative (links objects and objects with any associations).
We'll talk about how to remember information faster.
Exercise 1: writing sad letters
Scientists have made an amazing discovery. Our memory, as it turns out, is most susceptible to negative memories and experienced emotions. Therefore, the method of writing letters is as follows: you need to take a piece of paper and a pen, clock 15-20 minutes and during this time outline all the troubles and negative aspects that you have encountered in the last week, month.
Interestingly, after such an exercise it will be easy for you to remember almost any information. According to scientists, this is due to the fact that after using the exercise, the brain simply does not have time to switch from your memories and will happily accept everything that you read and memorize. This is exactly what you should do if you are looking for an answer to the question: “What is the best way to remember information?”
Exercise 2: Shout and be heard
A little unusual, but quite effective method remember any information. It consists of her loud shouting. For example, in this way you can learn foreign words, prepare for exams or testing. However, this does not mean that during such an exercise it is necessary to scream until you are hoarse or until the first call from your indignant neighbors. Do everything within reason.
How to quickly remember a large amount of information: exercise 3
If you need to learn a large amount of text or material in a short time, then you should follow these steps:
- carefully (preferably several times) read what is written or printed;
- delve into the content;
- highlight basic and supporting information;
- divide the material into parts (according to their level of importance);
- make a short one (you can ;
- retell what you read.
Here's how to quickly remember a lot of information.
Exercise 4: Movement is Power
When some material just doesn’t want to be remembered, many experts advise using real movements. To do this, you need to get up from your seat, pick up a book with the text and, for the best effect, start walking in circles around the room, while reading what is written. It is believed that while walking, rapid brain activation occurs, therefore, any material is absorbed much faster.
For the same purpose, before memorizing large amounts of information, it is recommended to dance, jump, run or do any other activity for 25-30 minutes. physical exercise. They say that after this it will be possible to remember at least the entire first volume of War and Peace.
Exercise 5: Play Association Games
One of the most effective ways to develop and remember any information is an association game. Let's say you need to remember a grocery list. To do this, you first need to write down this shopping list, look at it and create images that will be easier for you to remember.
For example, your list of future purchases includes carrots. Since it has an orange skin, it may well be associated with a red fox or squirrel. Cotton buds- This is soft and white snow. Water - a glass, etc. This is briefly about how to remember information faster.
Exercise 6: Organize everything
They say that things are best remembered when they are in a favorite place. For example, there is a favorite chair in your house that you often sit on. And next to it is a stack of wooden shelves. It’s on them that you can mentally put those items that you plan to remember. After this, it will be easier for you to remember the location of objects and their names.
Exercise 7: Leave Notes
Let's say you need to memorize a big report, but you don't know how to remember the information faster. In order to quickly learn what has been written, you need to divide the text into short sentences, write them on sticky pieces of paper and paste them in accessible places in the room. Next, it is recommended to walk around the apartment from time to time and read your notes.
Exercise 8: Counting matches
Sometimes you shouldn’t wait until the moment when you urgently need to learn some text, numbers or words. It is best to start training your memory and attentiveness before the right moment arrives.
For example, if you regularly perform the “Matches” exercise, you will be able to increase your level of attentiveness and memorization of the smallest details, therefore, if necessary, it will not be difficult for you to learn any important material. Next, we will talk about how to easily remember information of any complexity.
So, the meaning of the exercise comes down to the following: you need to take exactly five matches, pour them onto the table, remember their position, turn in the other direction and try to recreate them. With each lesson, it is recommended to gradually increase the number of matches and the complexity of the figures created.
Exercise 9: reading words backwards
A very simple and useful exercise for developing attentiveness and memory is to read. For example, while walking or traveling around the city, pay attention to store signs, read them backwards. In this case, you will have to not only remember the unfamiliar meaning for ordinary names, but also keep the original word in memory.
Exercise 10: swapping numbers and letters
If you are experiencing certain difficulties remembering phone numbers or PIN codes, then you should use simple and at the same time effective techniques for assimilating data. Currently known various ways. For example, replacing them with letters will help you remember information related to numbers.
For example, you need to remember the following sequence: 9, 5, 8, 4. Replace them with letters corresponding to the first letters of the numbers. Instead of “9” we get the letter “d”, “5” is changed to “p”, “8” to “v”, and “4” to “h”. It would be more interesting to develop the idea further by coming up with a whole sentence from this letter code. In this case, instead of the difficult-to-read “dpvch” we get “let’s say you’re a human.”
In a word, if you really decide to improve your memory, don’t hesitate and start training right now. In this case, you don’t have to rack your brains and invent another incredible quick way learning information. On the contrary, you will quickly absorb and remember everything. Go for it!
Human memory performance depends on many factors. The performance of the brain is based on the individual habits and rhythm of life of a particular person.
Exist general rules brain performance over time. However, the peak of its activity and the rise in memory must be determined more accurately subjectively.
Brain performance also directly depends on the type of biorhythms. Today we are accustomed to dividing people into “night owls” and “larks”. After all, some people really have higher labor productivity during the day, while others only have higher productivity at night.
But most of the “owls” are mistaken about their biorhythm, since an active life simply forces them to join the squad of “night inhabitants”. The same thing happens with larks.
People who like to sleep during the day are simply forced to wake up early in the morning and go to work. Therefore, their real “daytime” biorhythm simply changed into a night one.
In order to really understand at what time your performance is at its peak, you need to conduct an experiment yourself.
To do this, you should write down time periods throughout the day in which you can do one thing with full concentration on work. It is these time frames that will allow you to understand when performance reaches its peak. 
After intense work, always give yourself a couple of hours of rest. Otherwise, the next peak of activity may not occur.
American scientists have long figured out how to better remember the necessary information. They came to the conclusion that a book read before bed whose plot is much easier to remember in the morning than if you read it throughout the day.
Psychologists explain this phenomenon by saying that good sleep improves memory quality. This happens thanks to the hormone melatonin.
If it becomes difficult to fall asleep, then you can treat yourself to a light dinner before bed, which will contain foods rich in... It is this amino acid that is responsible for the production of the hormone we are looking for.
Among such products, nutritionists highlight hard cheeses, cottage cheese and milk, and sesame seeds. A sandwich with cheese and sesame bread will fit perfectly into your late dinner and help you fall asleep.
Melatonin itself reaches the brain within an hour, so you need to eat no later than an hour before you go to bed.
The main rule regarding the digitalization of information in sleep is the exclusion of caffeine from the diet taken at night. It negatively affects sleep and impairs memory function. Also, don't overeat or undereat before bed.
Stick to a balanced work and rest schedule. Then there will definitely be no problems with sleep and your memory.
For those who live on a regular schedule, below is information about brain activity will be very useful.
1) From six to eight in the morning he copes well with tasks long term memory. At this time, the information received will be remembered by you easily, quickly and for a long time. What will remain is something that you certainly won’t be able to get out of your head for a long time.
2) From eight to nine in the morning, various tasks related to analyzing and memorizing information are best solved. At this time it comes into effect logical thinking.
3) From nine to ten in the morning is a good time to work with mental activities. By nine o'clock the body has completely recovered from sleep and is ready to begin serious work. This is the time of the most productive work.
4) From eleven to twelve it is better to give the brain a chance to rest. At this time there will be no sense in the work done. IN best case scenario you'll have to do it all over again.
Do some exercise, snack on a cereal bar, take a walk in the park with friends.
5) From twelve to fourteen it is necessary to give the body food to recharge. This time is exclusively for lunch. There can be no talk of any intellectual load.
Otherwise, you will not only miss an obligatory meal, but also cause enormous stress to your body.
6) From fourteen to eighteen begins the second and final apogee for productive work.
However, it is worth considering the fact that prolonged brain loads during this time frame can lead to exhaustion of the body. Will appear later extreme fatigue and sleep disturbance.
7) From twenty to twenty-two best time for relaxation after a hard day at work. Take an evening walk, read a book or listen to your favorite music. The brain is not ready to solve any serious problems at this time.
8) From twenty-two to four in the morning is the best time for a healthy and sound sleep. During these hours, the body rests much better than if you slept from morning until lunch.
By accurately determining your biorhythm and adhering to the basic rules of the brain’s work schedule, you can easily build the effective functioning of your body and the full functioning of your memory.
The ability to quickly remember information is not only the key to successful studies. It will always be useful in life: there is a huge amount of information now, and it is quite difficult to cope with it without a good memory. But we can.
We develop all types of memory
The brain is also an organ and also needs training. How to learn to quickly remember information if you have poorly developed visual or auditory memory. Repeat out loud, divide the information point by point and put it together in memory. You can record it on a voice recorder and listen to it while you sleep. It will help too.
Another good way remember and learn something: put it into poetry. Poems can be memorized by setting them to the tune of a song and singing them out loud.
How to quickly remember information using visual memory? Visualize everything you hear. This is the first. Second, sketch out all the information in the form of pictures or diagrams. This will make it much easier to remember. You can also use bright images. For example, when studying laws, you can imagine yourself as a deputy who passes these laws.
You can highlight different topics with different colors. When preparing for a history exam, we highlight in red everything that concerns Peter the Great, in blue - everything that concerns Alexander III, etc. Now look at everything for each color separately and rewrite these points until they remain in your memory.
Connect information to art objects. If possible, associate the date or fact with a movie, book, piece of music, or piece of art. For example, if you know the history of cinema well, you can associate historical dates with the years of release of a particular film, etc. This way the subconscious mind itself will open the floodgates for effective memorization.
Repeat the information you need before going to bed. And after him too. Synthesis of information occurs very actively during sleep and this must be taken advantage of. In the morning all you have to do is repeat. The main thing is to get enough sleep.
We use mnemonics. This includes the search for rhymes to information, and clues, for example, replacing numbers with objects similar to these numbers, and more complex techniques.
Take in everything you read and hear. Try to understand and sort everything out for yourself. You can form your own opinion about the information. Use logic as well as associations. They will definitely remain in your memory.
Getting ready for the exam
Most people once have a question about how to quickly remember information in large quantities before the exam. Here are some tips of varying degrees of interpretation:
- Move! While studying tickets, poems or topics in English (history), do not cram them while sitting, but actively move around the rooms and make circles. Movement does activate your brain and increase your ability to remember. Changing the situation will be no less effective. If you are preparing for two exams at once, it is better to study tickets and topics in different rooms. This way they will definitely not get mixed up and will be stored on different “shelves” in memory. And one more important point. Any aerobic exercise will help you remember anything faster, because it improves memory and blood circulation in the brain. So, before you sit down for your tickets, do some fitness or dance.
- Sleep and get distracted. Even if there is a lot of information, you don’t need to learn everything late at night. In addition, you need to periodically give your brain a break. Take a conscious break, for example, for 30 minutes to call your friends or watch a cartoon. Otherwise, you will be distracted all the time and will not learn anything. By the way, you can also be distracted by writing down all your sad thoughts and all the negativity that has fallen on you lately.
Not the most joyful way, but it works. The point is that we remember all bad information much better and faster. Therefore, the information that enters our brain after such outpourings of the soul will be automatically perceived by the brain as negative, and accordingly, it will be remembered easily and “with pleasure.”
- More expression. And artistry too. When learning languages and more, invest emotions in all information. Depict everything you are trying to remember with movements or gestures. Perform mini-plays and skits if you need to learn too much. Besides, it will be much easier to remember everything if you shout. Shout out foreign words, poems you are learning, your report. By the way, there is no need to yell at the whole house. Just say everything clearly and loudly. This will also improve memorability.
- Exercise in nature. Everything is simple here. Fresh air It also drives blood to the brain, which means everything is remembered more easily. So, we are preparing for the most extreme exam at the dacha. If you don’t have a summer house, you can simply look at photos of nature for a quarter of an hour before starting to prepare for the exam.
- Throw words around. More precisely, in letters. Let's do it like this. We rewrite the text that needs to be learned, but only without the first letters at the beginning of each word. We learn while at the same time trying to remember these words. At first, however, you will have to look at the original regularly, but then you will only have to look once at the cut version of the text, and you will remember everything right away.
- Structure. If you are too lazy to type or write, everything you need to remember can be sketched out as a diagram. The most important thing is to read the information beforehand and thoroughly understand it. When you have some kind of “flags” in front of your eyes, it will be easier to remember everything.
- To remember an impressive text, you can try dividing it into parts. But not logical, but simply ten stanzas each. There is no need to learn them by heart without comprehension. Take a deep dive and then make a plan for this text. Then you can read the text again in two hours.
My clients often complain about deterioration in thinking, attention and memory, noticing problems with reading: “I can’t concentrate at all. I read and understand that my head is empty - there are no traces of what I read.”
People who are prone to anxiety suffer the most from this. Over and over again they catch themselves thinking: “I read something, but didn’t understand anything,” “Everything seems clear, but I didn’t remember anything,” “I discovered that I can’t finish reading an article or book, despite all my efforts.” Secretly, they fear that these are manifestations of some terrible mental illness.
Standard pathopsychological tests, as a rule, do not confirm these concerns. Everything is fine with thinking, memory and attention, but for some reason the texts are not absorbed. Then what's the matter?
The trap of “clip thinking”
American sociologist Alvin Toffler in his book “The Third Wave” expressed the idea of the emergence of “clip thinking”. Modern man receives much more information than his ancestors. In order to somehow cope with this avalanche, he tries to snatch the essence of the information. Such essence is difficult to analyze - it flashes like frames in a music video, and therefore is absorbed in the form of small fragments.
As a result, a person perceives the world as a kaleidoscope of disparate facts and ideas. This increases the amount of information consumed, but worsens the quality of its processing. The ability to analyze and synthesize gradually decreases.
Clip thinking is associated with the human need for novelty. Readers want to quickly grasp the gist and move on in search of interesting information. Search turns from a means into a goal: we scroll and scroll through websites, social media feeds, instant messengers - somewhere “more interesting” will be found. We get distracted by exciting headlines, click on links and forget why we opened the laptop.
Almost all modern people are susceptible to clip-based thinking and a meaningless search for new information.
Reading long texts and books is difficult - it requires effort and focus. It is therefore not surprising that we prefer this exciting search, which gives us new pieces of the puzzle that we are not able to put together. The result is wasted time, a feeling of an “empty” head, and the ability to read long texts, like any unused skill, deteriorates.
One way or another, almost all modern people with access to telecommunications are susceptible to clip thinking and a meaningless search for new information. But there is another point that affects the understanding of the text - its quality.
What are we reading?
Let's remember what people read some thirty years ago. Textbooks, newspapers, books, some translated literature. Publishing houses and newspapers were state-owned, so professional editors and proofreaders worked on each text.
Now we mostly read books from private publishers, articles and blogs on online portals, posts on in social networks. Large websites and publishers make efforts to make the text easy to read, but on social networks, each person has received their “five minutes of fame.” A heartbreaking Facebook post can be replicated thousands of times, along with all the errors.
We do the editing work: discard “verbal garbage”, read into dubious conclusions
Of course not! We are trying to break through to the meaning through the difficulties that arise when reading texts written by non-professionals. We get stuck in mistakes, fall into gaps in logic. In fact, we begin to do the editing work for the author: we “peel off” the unnecessary, discard “verbal garbage,” and read into dubious conclusions. No wonder we are so tired. Instead of getting the information we need, we spend a long time re-reading the text, trying to grasp its essence. It's very labor intensive.
We make a series of attempts to understand low-grade text and give up, wasting our time and energy. We are disappointed and worried about our health.
What to do
- Don't rush to blame yourself if you don't understand the text. Remember that your difficulties in mastering text may arise not only because of “clip thinking” and the availability of searching for new information inherent in modern man. This is largely due to the low quality of the texts.
- Don't read just anything. Filter your feed. Choose your resources carefully—try to read articles in major online and print publications that pay editors and proofreaders.
- When reading translated literature, remember that between you and the author there is a translator who can also make mistakes and work poorly with the text.
- Read fiction, especially Russian classics. Take Pushkin’s novel “Dubrovsky” off the shelf, for example, to test your reading abilities. Good literature is still easy and enjoyable to read.
Although the number of people reading fiction in the world has declined, reading is still popular and often necessary. This is especially true for students and schoolchildren, who, in addition to reading, also need to be able to remember what they read. How to make sure that what you read is remembered easily and quickly? Is there a way to make the memorization process easier? Let's figure it out.
To make what you read easy to remember, create certain external conditions– a calm atmosphere and silence. When reading occurs in a noisy environment, attention is scattered and, as a result, what is read is not stored in the head. Agree that when reading, for example, on the subway, it is difficult to remember something. Sometimes you don't even realize what you're reading.
So, lock yourself in a separate room, create silence, and start reading. If possible, find a secluded area in nature, it helps you relax and concentrate. You need to learn to completely immerse yourself in a book. Nothing should distract you!
Reading in the morning is optimal. After sleep, the head is clear and free, it easily perceives information that is quickly absorbed. Therefore, read in the morning, preferably even before breakfast. If reading in the morning is not possible for you, read in the afternoon.
The worst time to remember information is evening. At this time, the body is already tired, and the information is not absorbed. It is not advisable to read information that requires memorization after lunch or dinner, since at this time the body is busy digesting food and, as they say, has no time for memorization.
Improve your reading speed
To understand how to better remember what you read, you need to understand that visual memory plays a huge role in this process.
When reading, try to cover the entire page with your eyes, read as if from top to bottom. This helps train visual memory, which makes what you read easier to remember. Visual memory is very important. In a situation where you just can’t remember something, it’s often enough just to imagine the page in the book where this information was, and visual memory immediately tells you what was written there.
Reading speed is also important. The faster a person reads, the better the information is absorbed. The ability to read well from top to bottom significantly speeds up the reading process.
To develop this skill, you can take speed reading courses. These courses teach you to read diagonally. With this method of reading, a person covers the entire page with his eyes. As a result, he can absorb and remember information quickly and clearly.
While reading a chapter, do not return to what you read, either visually or to reread. This interferes with the holistic perception of information. It is better to read the chapter to the end and re-read it in its entirety.
There is no need to say to yourself what you read while reading. It is also not advisable to read the text by pronouncing it with your lips. All this interferes with the perception and assimilation of information.
Take notes, fantasize, tell
Try to visually imagine the situation you are reading. This will help you remember the text. Relate this situation to something already familiar to you, create associations. Then, by association, it will be easy to remember what you read.
If you read educational literature, take notes. Write down the main points, make diagrams, lists. All this makes it easier to remember.
Discuss what you read with friends and parents. Try to form your own opinion. You need to learn to reason and consider the situation from different angles. If you have no one to discuss what you read with, just write a summary, but write it, because writing leads to additional memorization, including visual memory.
If you forgot something, don’t immediately try to open the book and look for it. Try to quickly remember on your own, without peeking. If you can, you will never forget this moment. Stretch and train your memory!
Train your memory
If you have a serious problem with remembering, develop your memory. The most the best remedy for the development of memory is the study of foreign languages. Choose a language that interests you and learn it. You can do this yourself or enroll in courses. In any case, knowledge of a foreign language is not superfluous, but it will help develop memory.
To develop memory, learn poetry by heart, and to develop visual memory, practice memorizing images. For example, look at a picture of animals or objects for 30 seconds, close it and quickly list the animals or objects that you managed to remember.
A great way to train your memory is to memorize a sequence of words. Ask someone in your family to write you a list of 10 words. Read it 2 times and try to reproduce it without changing the sequence of words. Practice until you remember all the words. Make new lists, gradually increasing the number of words in them. This kind of training will help you remember everything the first time.
Remembering information you read is important. According to scientists, when reading a book, after just 24 hours a person remembers only 20% of the information read. The worse the environment in which reading occurs, the worse the information received is assimilated.
The older we get, the worse our memory works. Therefore, she should not be allowed to rest. Memory needs to be constantly trained. Then, at any age, you can remember what you read easily and quickly.
And one more important factor. If you read with pleasure, then the percentage of memorization is higher!
