Your mind is your most valuable asset. When it comes to school, you can go beyond simply reading books and taking notes. You need to make sure you’re getting the most out of every day by studying smarter with these 5 memory hacks.
1) Make use of images
2) Utilise your Five Senses
4) Use Mnemonic Devices
5) Create an organized Study Plan.
Make use of images
Images are one of the best ways to remember information. They can be very easy to use as well. You can take a photo of what you’re reading or have an outline that you want to include in your study session, and then upload it on your phone to keep with you.
Utilize your Five Senses
Utilizing your five senses is an excellent way to remember information. If you visualize the topic, touch it, or taste it, you’ll have a greater chance of remembering it later.
For example, if you’re studying for a test on chapters 1-10 in history class, make yourself a sandwich while reading chapter 5. When you eat your sandwich while reading chapter 5, you’ll associate the texture of bread with the topic of the chapter. This will help you remember important details about what happened in that section.
As another example, let’s say you are trying to memorize the song Happy Birthday. You could write down the lyrics on sticky notes and change where they are every day to keep them fresh in your mind.
Learn by Listening
Listening to music is not just fun; it can also be educational. This is because when you listen to music, your brain produces endorphins that make you feel good. Essentially, this means that your brain is producing dopamine, which has been linked to memory retention.
Plus, listening to music helps you learn better. Studies show that when you listen to new information, your brain stores it in its entirety and makes it easier for you to recall later on.
This process is called encoding. When learning new material, one of the most important things you can do is pay attention and try to memorize what you’re hearing. If possible, create a mental map of everything being said during the lesson so that it’s easier for you to access this information later on.
Use Mnemonic Devices
One of the most popular ways to improve your memory is by using the power of mnemonic devices. These help you to remember specific pieces of information by linking them to a phrase, story, word, or picture.
You can use these to remember anything from a list of items, formulas, and equations for maths or science, or even how many days there are in each month. There’s no limit to what you can remember through this technique.
Here’s an example: If you want to remember that there are 7 days in September, think about the sentence “September has seven Sundays.” Whenever you need the information again, just say that phrase and it will trigger your memory.
Create an organized Study Plan.
Creating an organized study plan is the first step to remembering more. Make a list of what you need to work on and create a timeline for when you want to complete it. That way, you know that you will have finished everything on your list by the time it’s due. Be sure to prioritize the most difficult items on your list for earlier in the week so that you can focus on easier tasks later in the week.
Scribble out all of your notes from class or readings and put them into a notebook or binder. This will not only help you stay organized but also help your brain remember things better because they’ll be categorized and not just jumbled up.
Take breaks while studying – every 20 minutes, get up and shake out your legs – this will keep blood flowing through your brain and help refresh its memory cells!
Use songs as mnemonic devices. If there is a song that contains information about whatever project you’re working on, putting that song on repeat while studying those lyrics will help keep those facts fresh in mind!
Finally, try to make studying more like playing a game: make it fun and competitive with yourself! Set small, achievable goals and reward yourself after finishing each one (i.e., take a quick break).
