Sometimes we have a feeling that our brain is totally unable to deal with all that information that we need to remember before exams. We are cramming hundreds of terms, scrolling dozens of pages for necessary details, and then understand that nothing is left in our memory! Have you ever experienced such situation? Well, our brain, like muscles in our body, needs constant training to become stronger and more enduring. Here are some tips that will help you to remember more.
The Rule of Comprehension
The main reason why people do not remember what they read is that they do not think independently. The deeper you comprehend and understand what you read, the better you will remember information. To make memorizing more comprehensive, try to fulfill the following exercise, which can be called “prediction”. Before reading a book, try to define the topic from the title (or from the first chapter/paragraph). While reading, don’t hurry up to find out the author’s conclusion, try to come up with your own considerations, and only then check the result.
The Rule of Interest
Successful memorizing has direct reference to your interest in given topic. So the main question is: how to awake the interest? Well, the basic principle of forming interest is the goal. If we understand that some information will be useful for us in future, or it has some practical value for us, we feel motivation for better memorizing. So before you start reading/listening to the necessary information, decide why you need it. If you have definite goal, you will be motivated to memorize more.
The Rule of Knowledge Volume
The more knowledge on a certain topic you have, the better you will remember new information. When you read a book on a familiar topic, new details are linked to the accumulated knowledge and you memorize better. The knowledge we have can be compared with magnet – the bigger it is, the stronger it attracts iron pieces. Try to systematize knowledge in your head, and when learning something new, try to find the section of your accumulated knowledge that is relevant to new information.
In addition to these psychological methods for better memorizing there are some life-style tips that will help you to improve memory.