Memory tips

1. ORGANIZE IT

1. Learn from the general to the specific.

1. Look for chapter overviews, headings, summaries.

2. Put one piece of information in each square of a grid or on an index card.

2.Make it meaningful.

a. Know what you want to learn. Look for connections between what you want and what you are studying (example: you must know A&P concepts to become a nurse).

2. USE YOUR BODY

4. Learn it once, actively.

1. People remember 20% of what they hear, 75% of what they read, and 90% of what they do.

2. Sit up straight.

3. Stand up to read.

4. Recite out loud.

5. Incorporate gestures, foot tapping, counting points on fingers.

4. Relax.

a. Relaxation is NOT being drowsy; it IS rather a state of

alertness, free from tension and distraction.

3. Try soft background music, a scented candle.

4. Create pictures.

a. Draw diagrams, pictures, cartoons

b.Visual information is stored in a different part of the brain

than verbal data, so visualization increases “brain power”

4. Recite and repeat.

1. Saying things out loud uses more senses than silent reading.

2. Ears are harder to fool—what you hear out loud may not be what you were thinking in your mind.

3. Oral recitation creates focus.

4. Use your own words to recite and review.

5. Try singing!

4. Write it down.

1. This process uses different memory areas than speaking.

2. Prompts a more logical and complete review.

3. Addresses kinesthetic learning.

4. Reveals gaps from oral review, just as oral recitation reveals mental gaps.

5. Provides a good way to make a study guide for future reference.

3. USE YOUR BRAIN

4. Reduce interference.

1. Set a specific time and place to study or make to-do lists.

2. Schedule time other than during your favorite TV show.

3. If food is a distractor, don’t study in the kitchen, or take a snack with you to your study area so you concentrate on the subject not the food.

4. Ear plugs can tune out unwanted noise.

4. Overlearn.

1. Do more than what is assigned.

2. Review 5 times, varying the method each time (ex: visualize, recite, rewrite, make cards or graphs, oral review with a partner).

4. Escape the short-term memory trap.

1. Review within 2-4 hours after first introduction to material.

2. Review often—daily is best.

3. Add more information at each review.

4. Use daylight.

1. Most people are conditioned to SLEEP at night, making it difficult to concentrate during dark hours.

2. Sunlight provides vitamins C and D, necessary for memory retention.

3. Light can affect mood, which in turn can influence concentration and memory.

4. Distribute learning.

1. Break sessions up after an hour.

2. Take at least a 10-15 minute break; this gives the brain time to digest and store information so future study sessions can build on previous data.

3. After three hours, take at least an hour break. It may even be a good time to change subject matter, returning later to the original subject.

4. Be aware of attitudes.

1. Relate your study to something relevant (ex.: would I want a nurse who didn’t know anything about anatomy, or who couldn’t figure correct medicine dosages—good reasons to learn A&P or algebra).

2. Find a reason to remember (ex: no groceries, no supper).

4. Choose what NOT to store in memory

1. Headings and summaries are there for review; information is not usually in depth, but serves as a guide for key points which should be remembered.

2. Try the Silver Dollar System:

1. Read through notes; put an S in the margin next to ideas that seem most important.

2. Read notes flagged with an S. Of these, put a line through the S so it looks like $ for those that now seem most important.

3. Make a third pass, reading only those notes marked $. Out of these notes, mark the truly outstanding ideas with a second line through the $, or put two $$. These are the ideas you should concentrate on most.

4. Combine memory techniques.

1. Do an overview (#1), then diagram key points (#6).

2. Overlearn a math formula (#10) by singing it in a jingle (#7).

3. Adjust your attitude toward the subject (#14), acknowledge its relevance to your study (#2), then distribute study time (#13).

4. RECALL IT

4. Remember something else.

1. Look for related information (ex: chemistry formulas similar to algebra equations, grocery aisles related to supper menus).

2. Find a visual association (ex: activities for a trip to remember what to pack; what supper looks like on the plate; slides or charts for anatomy).

4. Notice when you do remember.

1. Do you remember most by hearing, by writing, by visualizing?

2. Are there specific triggers—sounds, smells?

3. Is there a specific place you put reminders—on the refrigerator, on the bathroom mirror, on your keys?

4. Use it before you lose it.

1. Tell someone else.

2. Review often.

3. Combine a mental tip with a kinesthetic trick.

4. Look for “found” moments (ex: reviewing note cards while waiting in line at the grocery store or waiting for appointments).

4. Remember: you never forget!

1. Use positive thinking: I CAN remember this! I CAN do this!

2. Remind yourself: “I may have difficulty recalling—I just have to find a connection to where I stored it in my brain.”

3. To paraphrase a statement from Horton Hatches the Egg, by Dr. Seuss:

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant:

I CAN REMEMBER 100%!!”