Page 67 - What Where Why - 8

Mixed Bag
58
Memory Boosters

The ability to remember things is called memory.

The following suggestions will help you improve your short-term as well as long-term memory.

General Tips

 sleep well - a tired mind retains less information.
 exercise regularly - our brain works more efficiently when it is
supplied with oxygen.

 relax - a stressful mind remembers less.
 eat right - include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Specific Tips

 Use the technique of associations. Associate a visual image with names of people, places,
or words to remember better. For example, in order to remember an object, we think of its
characteristics. Qualities such as red, round, and fruit would help us to think of an apple.

 MNEMONICS, ACRONYMS can help in remembering facts and figures. You can also use
rhymes or jokes to remember things. For example, the acronym VIBGYOR, which is made of
the first letters of the colours of a rainbow. It helps us to remember the order in which they
appear in a rainbow. Or, a mnemonic such as King Philip Can Only Find His Green Slippers-
which can be used to remember the biological classification - Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order,
Family, Genus, Species.

 Give full attention to the details, concentrate and
observe, and then create a visual image. This will help
you to remember well.
 Organise information. Make note of the information to
aid easy recollection.
 Break a long list of numbers or information into small
parts for easy recollection. For example, to remember a
mobile number, divide it into small sets of two or three
digits.

Play a Memory Game

Collect 10 unrelated objects in your class. Look
at them for 10 seconds. Then look away and
write down the names of as many objects as you
can recall. The person who remembers the most
number of objects would be the winner. The game
can be made more challenging by increasing the
number of objects.

65