Most adults have to juggle so many tasks and responsibilities that it’s no wonder that memory can sometimes fail. If doctors assure you that you’re healthy, but little things keep “flying out” of your head, try these six tips.
Solve one problem at a time
When we think that we are doing several things at once, it is nothing more than an illusion. In reality, the brain is forced to switch from one task to another, as a result, you get tired faster. Imaginary multitasking can also affect memory, not to mention chronic stress and fatigue. Perhaps it is more difficult for you to remember certain events because they are “recorded” in memory fragmentarily, in pieces. To get your thoughts in order, first try not to be distracted, including by checking social networks and chatting with colleagues.
Remove the parts
Often we try to capture almost the entire event on our smartphone. However, this report in the form of an hour of footage eventually risks being thrown into the “trash.” The habit of documenting everything in a row can prevent you from enjoying, say, a concert or a cool trip. If you think that it is important to take a photo or video “for memory,” in fact, your chances of remembering key details are reduced. The brain “knows” that it can rely on the camera. Give up documentary and staged photos in favor of “atmospheric” ones — capture the details that you like.
Turn off push notifications
Perhaps the main distraction in the life of a modern person is the numerous notifications on gadgets. News, sales messages, work chats and personal correspondence do not allow you to focus on reality. Daydreaming for days, it is really difficult to remember what happened to you just a few days ago. By the way, experts say that the more attention you pay to something, “talking” about it in your head, the more likely it is that the event will remain in your memory for a long time.
Build a castle in the air
If you want to better remember shopping lists or, for example, books that were recommended to you, try using your imagination. The “Air Castle” technique will allow you to build a palace of memories in your mind. The idea is that you could mentally walk through an imaginary building where the things you wanted to remember are arranged. It is desirable that the prototype of the building be real. And if it is a dream house, let it not have too many rooms.
Allow for mistakes
Allow yourself to make mistakes when learning something new. You’ll probably remember some of them for the rest of your life – like the ones that caused you to fail an exam or end up at the wrong address. The same principle applies to everyday life: if you have trouble learning something, your brain has a chance to eventually learn the right answer, which will be better remembered because of the greater number of neural connections. And when learning a foreign language, you may never speak it at all if you’re a confirmed perfectionist.
Give up strict plans
Let’s say you take the same route to work every day, meet your best friend every Saturday, and go to the supermarket on Sundays to buy a standard weekly grocery list. What are the chances that a month later you’ll remember how one week was different from the next? Novelty helps create clearer, more vivid memories, especially if the events were emotionally charged. Bring a little more spontaneity into your life to literally have something to remember.