As with the regular human tools of our mind, the more we practice with these tools, the more they will be effective in using them. Without practice and effort, one cannot have a good memory. Even one does not have the time required to develop the quality of memory, most of our techniques are very useful in everyday living.
1. Mnemonics
One popular tool to improve the memory is mnemonics which are techniques to remember information that are very hard to recall. The general idea in using mnemonics is to instill hard-to-recall-information in a way that they can easily be remembered.
Our brains are very complex that they can encode and interpret sophisticated data such as colors, images, sound, tastes, positions, and language. These stimuli are used to create a visual image of our world and our memories are used to store these images.
1. Pictures you can use microphone to recall your friend mike or wind for Wendy. Always use positive images because the brain tends to block unpleasant images
2. Words. You can use words that start with the first letter of each word that can represent the initial of what you want to recall. Musicians usually recall the lines of a staff E, G, B, D, and F by memorizing the words Every good boy does fine.
3. Acronyms. These are initials that can create words. Musicians recall the spaces in a treble staff by memorizing the word FACE.
4. Rhymes. Most of us have learned that 30 days hath September, April, June and November.
5. Humor. By giving exaggerated symbols to associate facts and figures can be pleasing to brain coding because it is funny and it will be easier to remember.
2. Roman Room System
Roman Room System this technique is usually employed in learning a new foreign language. You can easily learn words while visiting a town with common things that you can see. You can learn new nouns if you can visit the town square and try to be familiarized with the counterpart of common names.
3. The Peg Word System
The peg word system is used to help a person to remember a list in a specific sequence. However, before you can do this, you need to memorize a roster list of peg words. Generally, there are two major ways to do this. Take a closer study of these methods first, and then choose which one you want to use. Alternatively you can use a little bit of imagination and use both methods. The first method is very easy that anyone can use it. Just use numbers 0 to 10 and relate rhyming words with each of these digits.
The best method is to recall words for all numbers pegged from 0 to 99 using another system, the number alphabet. This will greatly help you to form a relation without having to recall a laborious array relation with number rhymes. Alternatively, if you can use peg words, you are ensured to get the right number by using consonant and transforming them to numbers. A longer list is more effective because you will avoid excessive recycling, thus your brain will be less likely to be confused.
But, it will take a longer time for you to memorize. However, once you recalled the peg words, you will be benefited by the list permanently, and you dont need to recall them ever again.