Do you often forget what you studied? If you always forget what you studied, you need to implement strategies to retain the information. Our brain is a powerful machine that can memorize a large amount of information.
However, to memorize, you need to implement some strategies. Let’s talk about five ways to boost your brain to memorize any information.
I have listed the best strategies, which are also very simple and have proven results. This way, you will never forget what you studied.
What harms your memory?
Before we get to the tips for not forgetting what you studied, let’s talk about two factors that can harm our memorization. So, before you even start trying out the tips below, it’s worth paying attention to these details:
1 – Your routine interferes with your studies
We are often unable to memorize content due to our routine. Did you know that your daily activities can reduce your ability to store and recall information?
Before you start applying the tips below, it is important that you organize your routine.
The less stress and peace of mind you have in your daily life, the better your performance will be. This is the second step of Method 5 : organizing your routine to improve learning.
With an organized routine, your mind will be much more prepared to retain information.
Try it out: Try memorizing something after a tiring and stressful day. Notice how difficult it will be and how many details will be lost.
We human beings need to have a peaceful mind to perform well, especially when studying. In addition to being good for your memory, organization will help you be more productive.
2 – Incorrect use of memory
Did you know that we don’t always use our memory correctly? For example, it’s no use just writing down content on paper to memorize it. Copying, in itself, is not efficient for generating results.
Most people who claim not to have a good memory and forget what they have studied are actually using this resource incorrectly.
It is not possible to memorize well if we do not know how to use all our skills and potential. The tips below are to make your brain much more efficient. They will unlock your learning and memorization power to generate incredible results.
Memorization Tip #01 – Speak out loud so you don’t forget what you studied
This is one of the simplest tips, but also one of the most efficient, but the speech must be done correctly, for example, avoid repeating what you are reading out loud.
Do it this way: after reading the content, try to say out loud what you remember about what you read.
This way, you will be forcing your brain to memorize and synthesize information. Listening to our thoughts is very good for memory.
If possible, at this point, speak in a stronger tone, as if you were in complete control of the subject.
Memorization Tip #02 – Summarize the contents
Don’t copy the entire content, instead make a summary. Reduce paragraphs and even entire pages into a few words.
Prefer to write in your own words, without transcribing parts of the text. You will not be losing information, but rather exercising your memory, considering that the content will be summarized.
This is a powerful tip, especially for those who work in the humanities. We often have to deal with huge texts, which can be easily summarized in a few sentences or pages when we grasp the central idea.
In addition to being a strategy to improve your memory, summarizing content also contributes to interpretation and understanding. This way, it is possible to understand great works and explain them in a didactic way, without forgetting what you studied.
Memorization Tip #03 – Draw and learn more
Even if you are not a professional artist, it is worth exploring this tip to force your memorization.
The human brain is very visual and imaginative, so images have an incredible power in our memory. Several studies have shown that drawing can greatly help with memorizing studies .
Use simple drawings that are representative of the idea being studied. Your drawing does not need to have technical qualities, that is not the objective of the exercise.
The goal is not to improve your drawing skills, but to provide elements that help your brain memorize more easily. So, when you are facing your test, for example, drawing will help your memory work.
And if you’re worried about wasting study time because of drawing, here’s an extra tip. The time we spend improving our memorization skills is not a waste.
Quite the contrary, it’s much better to spend more time memorizing something than to study all the content without memorizing anything, do you agree? Grab your colored pencil and put this tip into practice!
Memorization Tip #04 – Use a mind map when studying
Mind mapping is a technique that allows you to connect ideas. You will be able to remember specific ideas and complex ideas. That is why it is one of the most interesting tips for memorizing large volumes of information.
Using a mind map, you can even memorize an entire book ! Create links in your brain by relating ideas in a well-organized way.
The great advantage of this strategy is that it interacts with several others. For example, a mind map can be created based on drawings, through links and connections in a diagram.
Create a complete map, drawing connections between the main ideas. In this creation, you will also be using synthesis, by reducing large volumes of information into short sentences and paragraphs.
Memorization Tip #05 – Teach someone and learn more
Another highly effective memorization strategy is to teach someone else. After studying, try to convey the information you have internalized to someone else.
This is a very powerful technique that will help you memorize better.
And you don’t even have to teach a real person. Confused? Many people are embarrassed or don’t have someone around to teach them. So you can pretend you’re teaching a class.
Do it alone. Record yourself saying what you are saying or simply do it in front of a mirror, for example.
When we are teaching – or imagining that we are teaching – we are led to remember the content that has been studied. This is a powerful active learning technique .
This is the best time to practice and identify what you really know. If you can’t remember everything, at least you’ll know where to improve your studies.