Clever tricks to boost your memory

TO EFFECTIVELY exercise your short-term memory, you should aim to use emotional links, association and repetition. The more senses you involve while you memorise things, the better.

stories are also integral to memory and linking them can be a powerful tool in building memory. Read the list below once, cover the newspaper, and jot down as many items you can remember.

Then try the techniques below, which instantly boost your ability to memorise . . . read the list once more, and do the task again.

PLAY WITH ACES

THIS powerful exercise combines four different thought processes to create memorable scenes which enhance memory. It’s quite simple — just remember ACEs and make the game as silly and emotional as you can ( it helps build your brain power): ATTENTION. Pay attention to the piece of information or word you’re trying to remember.

CONNECT. Associate that information with other related things using something that will make the information distinctive.

EMOTION. Create an emotional link to the information.

SENSES. Try to associate other senses with the information ( images, smells, tastes, etc). Let’s say you’re trying to memorise the words ‘apple’ and ‘peacock’. here’s an example of how to use ACEs:

APPLE

ATTENTION: Visualise an apple.

CONNECT: Think of snow White biting the poisoned apple.

EMOTION: Feel the dread as she takes a bite.

SENSES: see the apple’s colour (deep red), hear the crunch, taste the sweetness and say ‘apple’.

PEACOCK

ATTENTION: Visualise the peacock.

CONNECT: Think of sleeping Beauty surrounded by peacocks.

EMOTION: suddenly the peacocks start flying all around her.

SENSES: see the peacocks’ vibrant green feathers, touch their elaborate tails, hear them chirping and say ‘peacock’.

VISUALISING

THIS strategy uses a familiar room to help you memorise a list of items — let’s say you choose your bedroom: as you enter, you see a bed with four pillows, a table, a floor lamp and a large window. When you’re memorising a list, simply associate each item with an object or place in your bedroom.

For example: You enter the room to a strong scent of a scented multisurface cleaner.

Your bed is in front of you, and you notice that your bedding is glaringly white because you used laundry

whitener to wash it. You look to the left and see the lamp, but it’s actually a broom.

The lampshade is made of a giant banana peel! Then you look at the window and see a sticky note tacked on to the window with sticky tape.

CHUNKING

WE HAVE a limited capacity to memorise a list but ‘ chunking’ items by category or association can make things more effective.

Try ‘ chunking’ the list above into four categories: six types of fruit, four office supplies, seven cleaning supplies and four kitchen items.

Labelling these chunks as 6F, 4o, 7C and 4K will make them even more memorable.

or try associating each item with a story that involves familiar people and settings. For example: Sticky tape: mary is known for being organised, so imagine as you enter a room she is taping a large ‘to do’ list on the wall. Pencils: mary grabs a pencil and adds another task to her list. Sticky notes: mary writes on sticky notes and adds them to her list — she’s almost run out of room. Stapler: mary staples another page on to the original list and continues planning her day.