Awaken Your
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Awaken Your Photographic Memory
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Copyright © 2009 Mentis Marketing LLP
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Published by Greg Frost
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About Greg Frost
Greg Frost is a bestselling author and self improvement coach who has helped thousands of
people worldwide achieve their dreams. He believes that it is “Choice, not chance that
determines destiny.”
Born within a middle‐income family, he has struck out on his own and achieved great success in
his relationships, career, health and life. His dream is to touch and improve the lives of at least
10 million people worldwide.
You can find out more about him and his other products at:
http://www.BreakthroughPrinciple.com
http://www.ChargedAudio.com
http://www.MindMaximus.com
http://www.LawsofSuccessfulLiving.com
http://www.MindSecretsExposed.com
http://www.SmallTalkBigSuccess.com
http://www.Photographic‐Memory.org
http://www.More‐Confident.com
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Special Bonus: For Awaken Your Photographic
Memory Customers
Click Here To Get Your FREE Success
Accelerator Brainwave CD
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Power of Photographic Memories............................................................ 6
The Science behind Photographic Memory .................................................................... 9
Being absent‐minded .................................................................................................... 12
How Does One Become Absent‐Minded? ..................................................................... 12
Is a Photographic Memory for you?.............................................................................. 14
The Capacity of our Memories...................................................................................... 15
The Four Wonders of the Working Memory ................................................................. 17
Wonders of the Minds Long Term Memory.................................................................. 24
Chapter 2: Photographic Memory Skills .......................................................................... 26
Keys to a Photographic Memory................................................................................... 27
Snapshot Techniques .................................................................................................... 32
Linking Techniques........................................................................................................ 41
Schemas and Scripts...................................................................................................... 45
Foreign Languages ........................................................................................................ 47
Chapter 3: Natural Memory Boosters ............................................................................. 50
Food Boosters ............................................................................................................... 51
Lifestyle Boosters .......................................................................................................... 56
Diary Boosters............................................................................................................... 59
Memory Depressant ..................................................................................................... 62
Gracefully Aging Your Brain .......................................................................................... 65
Conclusion..................................................................................................................... 66
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Chapter
Chapter 1: The Power of Photographic Memories
Memories are powerful images of our past. They are the remnants of how we have lived
our lives. For some people, memories are a wonderful reminder of joyful times; but for
others, memories can sometimes be a painful burden to bear. Popular writers and
thought‐leaders have claimed that memories are how we define ourselves. Indeed, it is
the memory of our past that has shaped our current selves. Without remembering our
history, we are essentially empty shells with no higher purpose.
Yet, many critics claim that memories are nothing more but ‘clips’ of life that have been
affected by a ‘personality filter’ or ‘belief filter’. They attest that memories are not taken
directly from experience but rather influenced by our own personalities and beliefs.
Basically, these experts are saying that we select only the ‘parts’ that we wish to
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remember, while forgetting everything else. They have termed this phenomenon as
having ‘selective memory’.
This book is not designed to influence what you wish to remember. Your memories are
personal possessions that no one has the right to influence. Instead, what this book can
do for you is to dramatically improve the things that you choose to remember.
Our memories are one of the most powerful ‘tools’ that we have, as I’m sure you’ll agree.
Everything we do in our daily lives is affected by what we remember and forget. Our
entire lives are driven by our memories, and we cannot function in society without them.
Unfortunately, many people all around the world have not taken steps to sharpen this
crucial ‘tool’ of theirs. They don’t realize the incredible potential of their memories, and
just leave it operating at minimum capacity. Like a computer that hasn’t been used in
years, their memories will quickly deteriorate and eventually fail. If you value your
memory and wish to greatly improve it, then you’ll just have to spend some time
‘working’ with your mind. As you practice, you will quickly sharpen your mind, and
remembering things will be a breeze for you.
“Thinking is the hardest work there is,
which is probably the reason why so few engage in it”
‐ Henry Ford
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Of course, you wouldn’t just want to work hard at improving our memory… I’m sure you
also want to work smart, don’t you? This book was written with the specific skills and
techniques that will give you a short‐cut to achieving a photographic memory. These
skills are based on scientific research and observations on the human mind, which helps
you to essentially translate any information into an easy‐to‐remember format for your
brain to store. In simple terms, this book will convert any information that you wish to
remember into a ‘print photograph’ that your brain easily can easily understand and
store.
The revolutionary methods taught in this book are incredibly effective, as they rely on
our natural memory mechanisms and triggers. Our memories don’t function in English,
Spanish or in any other language in the world. They function based on they own mental
‘language’, and this book will teach you how to access that ‘language’. Once you’ve
learned the techniques revealed in this book, you’ll be well‐equipped to handle almost
every memory‐related task there is in this world. Yes, your mind is that powerful.
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The Science behind Photographic Memory
The memory process begins with the encoding of information. The encoding process is
the first step into memory creation and it is a biological happening that is rooted in your
senses. One example would be going back to one of your earliest memory which is the
recognition of your mother. Your brain memorizes characteristics of her for instance, her
facial features, the smell of her clothes and the sound of her voice. Each of these
separate sensations travels to the part of the human brain called the hippocampus,
which will then consolidate all the information about your mother into one single
category which could be "mother". From there the information is sent to another part of
the brain for permanent storage.
Memory is encoded and stored in the form of electricity and chemicals. When a memory
is called upon, nerves cells interact with other cells across a gap called a synapse. All
action happening throughout your brain occurs at these synapses where electrical pulses
carrying the messages leap across the gaps between the cells. As the leaping processing
is happening, chemical messengers called neurotransmitters are triggered and release
simultaneously. These neurotransmitters diffuse across the spaces that exist between
cells and attaches themselves to the cells surrounding it. Each brain cells can form
thousands of links similar thus leading to the creation of 100 trillion synapses in a typical
brain. The portion of the brain cells that receives these electrical messages are called
dendrites which when seen microscopically, has a feathery tip structure that connects
the brain cells to neighboring cells.
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Functioning together in a network, brain cells separate and gather themselves into
groups that focus on different kinds of information processing. But at the same time, the
connections between them aren't permanent. As a signal is sent from one brain cell to
another, the synapse between the two gets stronger which equates to a stronger
connection between them. This means that the brain is flexible or what the scientist
would call plasticity, the reason being that the brain automatically rewires itself when
damaged.
As you explore the wonders of the world, changes concurrently occur at the synapses
and dendrites, thus causing a greater number of connections in your brain to be created.
The brain then reorganizes itself in relation to your experiences, forming memories that
come from the effect or external input.
These changes are reinforced with repeated usage, so the more you learn and practice
new information, intricate circuits of knowledge and memory are built in for the brain.
Some refer to this as muscle memory. So the more you practice, the more your brain
would recognize and pair with the memory to further strengthen and enhance it. For
example, if you are memorizing your exam notes and constantly revise your notes; you'll
soon be able to memorize the information easily. However, several weeks after you’ve
taken your exam, you may no longer be able to recall exactly what you had memorized
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because, by then, your brain had already “forgotten” what you once might have known
so perfectly.
Great attention is required in order for us to properly encode a memory. On most
occasions, we go through our day ignoring a considerable amount of stimuli (happenings)
around us, and thus filtering out many events happening in our daily lives. Only a few
stimuli pass into your conscious awareness. This is a good thing because memorizing
everything would cause your memory to become tagged down and overloaded.
When it comes to the memorizing process, each of us has our own preferred way of
memorizing, and one way is to actually think about how a word sounds when it comes to
memorizing words. For instance, if you’re meeting a person by the name of Ms Carr, you
could think of the word car when you both shake hands. By doing so, you're more likely
to remember it. Experts believe that using images would be a better alternative because
it provides a totally different kind of memory encoding.
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Being absent­minded
When our car keys go missing or our pens disappear, we often attribute these
occurrences to simple absent‐mindedness. Whenever people forget something, they
tend to push the blame of being forgetful to pure absent‐mindedness. The difference
between being forgetful and absent‐minded is where the individual attributes the blame.
It always seems easier to put the blame on anything other than oneself; to say that one
was just absent‐minded expresses the notion that forgetting something is only a one‐
time occurrence. But as I’m sure you’re aware by now, this is rarely the case. In truth,
being absent‐minded and being forgetful actually means the same thing. The only
difference is that when someone says that he is absent‐minded, he is not taking
responsibility for the poor condition of his memory.
How Does One Become Absent­Minded?
Absent‐Mindedness occurs when a person fails to pay attention to what is happening
around him. For example, when a man forgets where he had placed his glasses, the initial
problem was that he wasn’t focusing on the moment where he placed them down. As
such, no connection was made in his brain as to where his glasses were placed. Without
securing the proper information on where he placed his glasses, his brain could not
‘retrieve’ this information.
Absent‐mindedness is often associated with not being focused enough to notice certain
cues or hints that remind a person for something he or she has to do. For example, a sick
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person goes to the doctor and was instructed to take his medicine after dinner. For some
reason, the person forgets all about it. In this case, if the cue word, ‘dinner’ had been
taken note of by the patient, he probably would have been reminded of the medicine
while having dinner, or while watching TV after dinner. This is because the cue word
‘dinner’ would have been linked to his medicine.
Experts say that absent‐mindedness is actually a sin of omitting valid information, a
breakdown between memory and attention. As we are living in an increasingly fast‐paced
society, we often find ourselves multi‐tasking, causing us to inevitably suffer from divided
attention. When a person is pre‐occupied with too many things, he easily gets distracted
and will not be able to focus on all the things that he has to remember.
While you are multi‐tasking, your conscious mind is actually processing and focusing on
something else other than what you wish to remember. This naturally results in being
absent‐minded, or being forgetful.
One notorious example of absent‐mindedness is the story of YoYo Ma, the cellist. This
man took a taxi in New York City and placed his $2.5 million cello in the trunk of the taxi.
Upon arriving at his destination, he paid the driver and took off, completely forgetting
about his cello in the trunk. This is a typical scenario in which a person’s attention and
memory fails him at a most crucial moment.
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An expert in the field of memory, Dr. George T. Grossberg 1 concurs that people are now
living in a world where multi‐tasking has become the norm. Grossberg states, “Many
people just have sensory overload, wherein they have too many things going on at once,
making them more likely to be absent‐minded.” This problem further worsens as people
age, or as they gets ever more busy with work and family commitments.
Is a Photographic Memory for you?
It is common knowledge that our brain cells deteriorate with time, and diseases related
with old age would set in and affect our ability to recall things. However, it is not true
that memory improvement is only reserved from the elderly.
Regardless of age, we are still extremely dependant on recalling information to live our
daily lives. In today’s world, we also need to be able to process multiple thoughts and
memories at the same time. There is very little reason for anyone to not want to improve
their memories; indeed, even our schools and workplaces have frequently rewarded
those of us with exceptional memories.
1
Director of Geriatric Psychiatry at Saint Louis University School of Medicine
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The Capacity of our Memories
Since young, we have already been taught how to remember information to aid us in our
daily lives. For example, as children we are taught to remember how to tie our shoelaces,
and to remember our street address and home telephone number. Without knowing it,
we have already been learning various memory techniques as children. Naturally, all this
information gets inputted into our memory systems, and stays with us throughout our
lives.
As we grow up to become teenagers, more of our memory capacity is used up… and later
even more so in adulthood. As long as we are still alive and kicking, the list of things to
remember will never stop growing.
Some people are concerned that there is “little space” left in their minds for the storage
of more information. While this is a very natural concern, I can assure you that we are no
where near maximum capacity of our memories. Most of the time, the reason we keep
forgetting things is not because there is “little space” left in our memories, but rather
because our memories are not properly stored in the first place. This book is not about
“how to increase your memory capacity”, but rather how to efficiently and effectively
store and retrieve memories.
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This book is for anyone who wants to:
•
Maximize learning
•
Effortlessly recall fact and figures
•
Move up the social ladder
•
Never again forget important dates, appointments and deadlines
We all know the adage, ‘knowledge is power’. Keeping in mind that knowledge is just one
function of memory, you can imagine how powerful having a photographic memory can
be. The brain is a marvelous tool that all of us possess, and its limitation is solely based
upon the limitations you set it; with the right mindset, there are infinite possibilities for
your mind.
In the next chapter, I will reveal to you the incredibly effective techniques that will help
you develop your photographic memory.
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The Four Wonders of the Working Memory
In 2000, Alan Baddeley developed a working memory model which consists of four main
components that allows you to hold chunks of information in your mind simultaneously.
Most of the time, these bits of information are interrelated such as reading sentences
and having the need to remember the beginning before you reach the end. However, as
sentences gets lengthier, you may find that you are not able to understand it, particularly
if you get distracted while reading it. The brain multi tasks very well. For example, think
about the times when you are driving and trying to recall which exit to get off of while
having a conversation with your friend. Another example would be using your working
memory to achieve mental arithmetic like when balancing a checkbook, you’re thinking
about a problem and attempting to figure out ways to solve it at the same time. Yet
another common example in our multi tasking society would be typing your report while
watching a movie at the same time at home.
Out of the four working memory components there is a manager coordinating them and
it is the "central executive", which manages and coordinates the three other
components: the "visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, and the phonological loop." All
three components work independently of each other, thus they are able to handle a
series of different memory task at one instance, such as memorize a phrase from a
textbook and a song that you are listening to at the same time. You might think of these
separate components as parts of a work log that processes any information passing into
it. Your brain variously handles and modifies various information that pass through it,
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and some of this information is stored into your long‐term memory. One way that I
would recommend when improving your memory is to focus on improving each element
so that you can store more long‐term memory both effectively and efficiently.
Below is a chart on the four working memory components based on Alan Baddeley's
working memory model and it looks something like this:
Central Executive
Visuospatial Sketchpad
Episodic Buffer
Phonological Loop
Long-Term
Memory
Looking further into each component, the Visuospatial Sketchpad should be considered
as a drawing pad where visual images are placed on this sketchpad and some of the most
memorable moments will move on to your long‐term memory. Not every detail will be
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remembered as there are thousands of images zipping by in a minute but your memory
for these images will string them all together, and as time goes by, your memory skills
will see a significant improvement, enabling you to be more aware and remember much
better. This section turns what you hear or think into visual images.
However, on the other hand, while you might be able to visualize one image very well,
you will find it increasingly difficult as the number of images increase because one image
might interfere with another. For instance, if you are driving and trying to visualize a
problem or calculation, you might miss a turn or worse, get into an accident. But if it's
just listening to music or talking on the phone it might not have such a dire effect on you.
For those of you who might be more familiar with computing terms, you might see the
process as a computer task bar; as more and more files are opened, the tab for each file
gets smaller and smaller and your ability to see the tabs become increasingly diminished.
Now imagine that each of those tabs is in fact tabs for an Instant Messenger program,
and you have a lot of conversations going on. As every person starts replying to your
messages at increasing intervals, your attention would be taken from one particular tab
to another, until eventually you are overwhelmed by the sheer activity going on in your
task bar.
Interestingly, brain researchers have found these images linked to places located in your
brain. Neuroscientists have found that when you work with a visual image, the right
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hemisphere of the cortex is activated, the top section of the brain and in focus, the
activation of the occipital lobe located at the rear of your cortex. Then as you engage in a
particular mental task involving the image, your frontal lobe will be activated as well.
With new emerging technology in the 21st century, researchers have been able to tell
which parts of the brain are associated with different types of thinking by using positron
emission tomography scans or in short PET scans. This is where they measure the blood
flow towards the brain by injecting a radioactive chemical into a person’s body before he
or she performs a particular mental task. From the results gained, they were able to
determine that certain sections of the brain possess greater blood flow, indicating more
cerebral activity.
Interestingly, the phonological loop stores a small number of sounds for a brief period as
compared to your visuospatial sketchpad which stores images for a brief period of time.
Researchers have found that you can hold as many words as you can mentally pronounce
to yourself in 1.5 seconds. What this means is that you are able to remember more short
words compared to long words.
One very good example of this would be when you are trying to remember what
someone else has just said to you. Without memory training to place those words into
your long‐term memory, you will only be able to clearly remember the words that have
been spoken to you within the last 1.5 seconds. However you will still remember the gist
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of what the person had said, and because of this limit, you will pick up shorter names
better than you would longer ones. When you are introduced to a group of people at a
mixer or cocktail party, names like John and Tommy would be much easier to remember
compared to unusual ones like Jacobsen or Danielson or worse still, Heidenburgen.
In addition, you'll also find that working with multiple visual imagery at one go can cause
interference as mentioned earlier, and so can working with multiple audio sounds. One
example would be, if you are focusing on remembering a phone number and someone
says something and interrupts you, it can interfere with your ability to remember that
particular number. But if you use your visuospatial sketchpad to remember images
simultaneously while using your phonological loop to remember a number, it will not
cause any interference as long as you continue paying attention to remembering that
number.
At the same time, just as looking at similar visual imagery can potentially cause memory
errors, hearing similar sounding words or numbers such as when meeting a John Joseph
and Jacky at a party can also complicate the recalling process. The names tend to blend
together in your mind and you'll find it hard to remember who is who exactly. Or perhaps
you are trying hard to recall a phone number that you might have gotten from a message
that you’ve written down. If two numbers were thrown at you instead of one, you'll
certainly have trouble remembering them because the numbers can either interfere with
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each other and get you mixed up or you will simply find it too mind boggling that you
simply won’t be able to remember any at all.
The next issue we’ll explore will be your episodic buffer. This is where you can
synchronize information that you have retrieved from your visuospatial sketchpad and
phonological loop, along with your long‐term memory. Imagine a notebook or page in a
word processing program where you are constantly working with phrases, graphic
images and thinking what else can be added to what you already know. Take for
example; say a fellow co‐worker says something to you at work that offends you. This is
where you might consider the way he said it, the level of friendship he has with you, and
the way he has treated you before. From there, this episodic buffer helps you decide
quickly what to do in light of how you might have interpreted this offending remark.
Finally, your central executive finishes off the deal by integrating the information from
these three other systems; the visuospatial sketchpad, the phonological loop and the
episodic buffer. In addition to this, this executive function helps filter out information
that you need to focus your attention on while at the same time filter out irrelevant or
unwanted information. In the same instance, it also helps you plan strategies and
coordinate behavior, so you get to decide what to do next and what not to do. For
example, you can think of it as the top executive or manager being in charge of all these
systems, which doesn’t store information itself. It sets priorities for what other sections
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of your memory should be doing instead and strategies are set to figure out how to solve
problems.
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Wonders of the Mind’s Long Term Memory
Think of a computer, particularly its random access memory (RAM) which is used in the
processing of current tasks. Every computer has a limited amount of RAM. This is
comparable to the average human's working memory whereby new information is added
to our brain and our long‐term memory, on the other hand, is like the computer’s hard
drive, where there is a considerable amount of space available to store experiences,
images and information. Just like you would a hard drive, you may have to do some
searching or recalling to find specific information because you haven't thought of it for a
long time, and you may mistakenly think that certain information might have been
deleted, but it may well be lingering somewhere in the deep recesses of that complex
mind of yours.
Long‐term memory can be basically split into three categories : episodic, semantic and
lastly procedural memory. To begin with, episodic memory is your memory for
experiences or happenings that you were involved in at any time in the past ranging from
a few minutes ago to many years ago. When these memories are called up, you travel
backwards to recall them so that you can experience what happened in the past.
However, memory modification can happen for many reasons and one of these reasons
could possibly be due to a faulty encoding of this memory. So what you might have
perceived or remembered how a particular event occurred could very well be different
from a recorded video of the actual event.
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Semantic memory, on the other hand, is an organized base of knowledge for what you
know about the world. It revolves around facts and other information you have learned
over the years including words or foreign language. Semantic memory is used or
activated in our everyday lives; when we are reading the newspaper, watching the news
or when speaking to your friends. Your semantic memory also considers the validity of
new information from any source and like episodic memory, semantic memory can have
errors at times and it can be caused by many factors.
Last but not least, procedural memory is your memory on how things work and once this
gets transferred into your long term memory, it becomes automatic and you don’t have
to worry about riding a bicycle or driving a car for example. But like any skills that you
learn, if it is not used again, you can forget about how to use it and some may call it
becoming rusty.
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Chapter
Chapter 2: Photographic Memory Skills
This chapter of the book is dedicated to the various skills and techniques you can use to
develop your mind’s natural photographic memory. Some of these techniques are
universal – they can be applied to literally anything you wish to remember. I call these
techniques “Keys”.
The other set of skills that I will reveal to you are called “Snapshots”. They are the
specific skill you can use to instantly remember names and faces, a long series of
numbers, item lists and speeches.
These Keys and Snapshots are intended to be used together (although you could
theoretically use them separately). The more you use these skills, the more proficient
you will become, and more effective they will be for you.
Now, without further ado, let’s proceed to the learning the “Keys”!
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Keys to a Photographic Memory
Key #1 – Association
All our memories are based on association. Recall a point in your life where you said, “I
forgot”. This may initially seem like an easy excuse to get away with whatever you were
supposed to remember. But if you really think about it, you’ll probably realize that the
memory you’re looking for is not lost, but somewhere deep in your mind where it seems
to be unrecoverable. The crux of this problem is not that your memory had
‘disappeared’, but rather that you are unable to locate it. Most of the time, our inability
to remember is due to the improper techniques that we use for the storage and retrieval
of information.
The system of association is one of the most powerful methods to ‘neatly’ store
information in your bran for easy retrieval in the future.
First of all, you should realize that you have been using the method of association all your
life, probably without even knowing it. However, if you can bring it to a higher level
where you can consciously ‘associate’ the things in your life to remember them, you can
greatly enhance your memory power.
The basic rule to this technique is this: You can easily remember any new information if
it is associated to something that you already know or are familiar with.
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Take for example: people tend to have a problem remembering the geographical shapes
of Russia or Greece… but what about Italy? Perhaps, you have already made an
immediate association to a boot. Why? Italy’s shape is one that resembles a boot, so
when asked to recall Italy’s shape, you would naturally think of a boot. It is actually very
hard to forget something once you have made an association of something else to it.
How one can really maximize this technique is to associate whatever they want to
remember to something completely absurd. Many times in our lives, when we are
exposed to new knowledge, we would snap our fingers and say, “That reminds me of …”
What happens here is that after you learn of the new information, your mind is triggered
to think of something that you’re already familiar with. Sometimes, it may be something
that has absolutely no relation to the new information, but the absurd association has
already been made. The next time you want to recall this new information or object, all
your brain needs to do is to ‘tune in’ to this absurd association. This is how we can so
easily remember the geographical shape of Italy.
This is the secret to the key of association. Make sure that you ‘associate’ whatever you
wish to remember to something you are already familiar with… and make that
association as ridiculous as possible! This association method can be used for
remembering numbers, item lists, speeches as well as names and faces. I will cover each
of these topics in detail later on.
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Key #2 – The Link
The association method you have just learned can be very powerful, but is merely an
appetizer to the main course. The association method is just a small portion of the Link
system that we are going to learn here. You see, when you are associating different
pieces of information together, you are basically linking them up one by one to form
memory ‘chains’ that help you to remember each and every item.
The four rules in The Link system are ‘substitution’, ‘out of proportion’, ‘exaggeration’
and ‘action’.
Substitution
‘Substitution’ means to replace an item with a different item to make a connection
between the two. For example, if I were to ask you to remember an airplane and a tree;
what you could do is to substitute the characteristics of the airplane with those of a tree.
So you could perhaps think of a gigantic tree flying in the air instead of an airplane.
Through this, you remember the tree and the airplane at the same time.
Out of proportion
What about ‘out of proportion’? Try to magnify the to‐be‐remembered items as much as
possible. If there was an ant and an elephant standing in front of you right now, which
one would catch your attention more? The mind naturally pays more attention to larger
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objects, so by ‘enlarging’ the items in your mind, you will be able to remember them
better.
Exaggeration
Exaggerate your item as much as possible to make it memorable. Remember the tree
and the airplane? When you try to visualize it, think about millions, billions, zillions of
gigantic flying trees! Chances are that you will be so captivated by that scene, that it your
mind pays special attention to remember it.
Action
Our mind works very much like a video recorder. It is more fine‐tuned when we are
thinking about actions. Dramatic action is always easier to remember than static pictures.
A series of actions become a ‘movie’ in your head, which makes it much easier for you to
store and later retrieve your memories. Let us go back to the zillions of flying trees… you
can perhaps imagine them flying past you and you dodging them to prevent yourself
from being hit.
Can you see how you can remember a tree and an airplane so easily after using these
techniques? I think it would be difficult for you to forget them even if you wanted to!
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Write a list of 10 unrelated items, and try to remember them using the Association and
Link techniques. You may come across a little difficulty when you first try it out, but be
assured that this is normal. The process will get easier as you practice more.
Key #3 – Repetition
The third ‘key’ we can use to sharpen our memory is through repetition, where you
constantly repeat the information to yourself several times, so you can easily remember
it later on when you need to.
Another variation of repetition is by writing it down. However, this is not just the
mindless copying down of details, but rather a conscious effort to really think about the
information that you wish to remember. While writing the information down, you can
also repeat it to yourself to make the impression deeper and help your mind store the
information better.
Although repetition by itself is not an extremely effective technique to store information
into your long‐term memory, it is very useful when used in conjunction with the
Association and Link techniques. Remember that the more skills and techniques you
learn to use together, the better your ability for recollection will be.
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Snapshot Techniques
This is the most interesting section of the book. In the next few pages, you’ll have access
to some of the most powerful memory skills that have ever been developed. These
‘Snapshot’ and ‘Link’ techniques are specific strategies to awaken the photographic
capabilities of your memory. Before I implemented these skills, I never knew how
limitless my memory was. And now, you too can finally learn the secrets to effortlessly
memorize names, faces, item lists, numbers and speeches.
This is truly a treasure trove that you won’t want to take for granted. Take the time and
effort to fully learn these skills, and I guarantee that your life will never be the same
again. You’ll never forget anything that you set yourself to remember. These ‘snapshots’
will be with you for life.
Snapshot Technique #1 – Names and faces
One of the common problems most people face is remembering another person’s name.
We can recognize a face, but we sometimes cannot seem to match a name to it. This can
be very embarrassing in certain situations especially if the other person remembers your
name but you have forgotten his or hers. Want to instantly be able to match a name to a
familiar face? Read on to find out how…
When you are being introduced to someone new, listen carefully to his or her name and
politely ask for them to repeat it if you did not hear it clearly. After the name registers in
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your mind, you should immediately link it to someone you already know. For example,
you could link this new name to someone you know that shares the same name. If I met
someone whose name was Sally, I may think about my Aunt Sally and visualize the two as
being conjoined twins. This utilizes the Association technique mentioned earlier, where
the more absurd the ‘association’, the more memorable it is.
However, don’t just stop there. To further entrench this new name into your memory,
you can link it to the person’s physical appearance. For example, John may have a
prominent nose, so you remember ‘big nose John’, or Elizabeth may look gorgeous and
you can mentally remember ‘gorgeous Elizabeth’. Of course, the more specific you are in
your exaggerations, the better. Other than linking a name to physical appearances, you
may also link the name to a personality or character trait.
You will most likely meet more than one gorgeous woman in your life, and you can’t just
label them all ‘gorgeous’. You’ll need to differentiate each new person you meet with a
distinctive feature. I shall leave the choice of features up to your own imagination.
Generally speaking, the more unique and exaggerated the feature is, the more easily
you’ll be able to remember it.
Also, you should repeat the name to yourself several times. Remember, memory is not
just visual but also aural; repeating the name to yourself and catching the right
pronunciation is essential to help you remember better.
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As you are going to part ways with your new friend, make sure that you repeat his or her
name again, and recall one or two parts of your conversation with him/her. This way you
further enhance the memory of them.
Names are a big deal for people, especially for businessmen wanting to clinch deals for
their businesses. Imagine how powerful your business presentation can be if you can
address all of your audience members by name!
Snapshot Technique #2 – Numbers
Telephone numbers, home addresses, mathematics. These are all numbers that form an
important part of our daily lives life. Have you ever failed your Math test just because
you forgot the consonant Pi or the Euler consonant? What about stalling the bank queue
line just because you cannot find the piece of paper where you wrote down your Bank
account number? Numbers can be daunting to remember, but with a photographic
memory, you can easily recite any series of numbers you wish.
The Major System
One way you can memorize a long series of numbers is through the Major System. In this
system, you do not just memorize the numbers themselves. Rather, you substitute them
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with words and phrases. The words and phrases are then further linked to objects and
pictures in a manner that we have previously covered.
The words or phrases are formed by combining vowels and consonants that stand‐in for
each digit in the number series. Each number, from 0 – 9 is assigned a consonant. It is
not an exact letter‐to‐number correspondence but rather a letter‐to‐consonant sound
correspondence (phonetic).
The next page shows a mapping of this system. You may want to print it out for easy
reference. Once you have used this system a few times, this mapping will be naturally
imprinted onto your memory.
0
is substituted with an “s” or “z”
…as zero starts with a “z”
1
is substituted with a “d”, “t” or “th”
…as “t” has only one down stroke
2
is substituted with “n” or “ing”
…as “n” has two down strokes
3
is substituted with “m”
…as “m” has three down strokes
4
is substituted with “r”
…as four ends with a “r”
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is substituted with “L”
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…as when you open up your 5‐fingered
hand, you form form an L shape.
6
is substituted with “j”, “sh”, “ch” or “(soft) g”
…as it is very similar to
the mirror image of a capital “J”
7
is substituted with “k”
…as you can make the capital “K” with two
7’s
8
is substituted with “f” or “v”
…as a handwritten curly “f” looks like
“8”
9
is substituted with “b” or “p”
…as “P” and “9” are mirror
images
It is likely that you’ll find this list daunting to remember at first. However, just refer to
this list when trying to memorize numbers for now. With practice, this list will soon
become second nature to you.
After substituting each number with the consonant, you should next place vowels in‐
between them to create a familiar word or phrase that makes sense and can easily be
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remembered. For example, to remember the date when the Gettysburg Address was
delivered (11‐19‐1863), first substitute the numbers with consonants as suggested by the
Major System:
After translating 11‐19‐1863 into consonants, we have: tt‐tp‐tvgm
“tt”
1 is substituted by “t”, so 11 (or “tt”) is can be replaced by the word “that”
“tp”
9 is substituted by “p”, so 19 is “t” & “p” and can be replaced by the word “top”
“tvgm”
8 is substituted with “v”, 6 with “g” and 3 with “m”, so 1863 is “tvgm” and can perhaps
form the phrase “tv gem”.
So, to remember the date, just remember the phrase “That top TV gem” and you’ll easily
recall 11‐19‐1863.
Now practice using your bank account number or your friends’ telephone numbers and
create words and phrases that are significant to you; ones that you can easily recall. This
way, you won’t have to frantically search your bag to find that bank number or that
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telephone number when you need it. Such a system is also very useful for memorizing zip
codes.
The Edwards System
The Edwards System is not entirely different from the Major System, as it also substitutes
digits with words. However, instead substituting numbers with just any word, we use the
names of famous people. This system leverages on the fact that celebrity names are very
easy to remember. The Edwards system uses double digits that are commonly associated
with celebrities or famous characters.
To use the system, map the numbers 00 through 99. Match famous characters or initials
to each numerical pair. For example, you can associate 07 to James Bond (007), 08 to
Kobe Bryant (8), 23 to Michael Jordan and 33 to Larry Bird. If you are lost for famous
people associated with numbers, use the Major system to come up with initials of each
number pair, like “GB” for 79, which stands for George Bush; SD (Saddam) for 01; MM
(Mandy Moore) for 33, and so on.
After mapping, you can then break any long number sequence into pairs and memorize
the series of famous characters that make up those numbers. Use your imagination to
have these characters interact with each other, as this will improve your ability to
remember them.
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Remember, the more exaggeration, action and out‐of‐proportion the interaction, the
easier it will be for you to remember.
The Grouping System
Sometimes, the Major system and the Edwards system may be too difficult to apply, or
simply inappropriate for use. If that’s the case for you, you may want to consider using
the Grouping system instead. This is a system devised by Mathematicians to group a long
series of numbers into shorter ‘chunks’ and to associate them with whatever can help
remember the sequence.
For example, the first 16 digits of Euler’s consonant are 2.718281828459045. When using
the Major System, one can come up with a phrase "NeGaTiVe iNnoVaTiVe uNFuRL
BiZaRreLy". The capitalized alphabets represent consonants substituted for the digits.
However, this entire phrase may not make any sense at all. In this case, we may want to
use the Grouping system to help us remember this number series instead.
By using the Grouping system, you may group the digits of Euler’s consonants into
smaller ‘chunks’ as such:
2.7‐1828‐1828‐45‐90‐45
2.7: the standard approximation of e
1828: the year when President Andrew Jackson won the elections
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1828: repeat of the year
45‐90‐45: cut a square in half to get a triangle with these angles
That’s all there is to it. Isn’t it easy to remember any long series of numbers now? You
can use any one of the three systems, according to whichever you find to be more
comfortable or appropriate for you.
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Linking Techniques
Link Technique #1 – Item lists
The famous chess player, Harry Pillsbury is famous not just for his amazing skill in chess,
but also for his memory power. He was once challenged by two university professors to
memorize a list of thirty words after listening to each word only once. Not only did he
manage to pull it off, he even managed to repeat it backwards as well!
Ignorant people may think that he possessed some supernatural talent, but essentially
what he relied on was just the Link system that we have just learnt. Bear in mind too,
that the words that were chosen for him to memorize were not simple words like
‘elephant’ or ‘tree’.
Here is the list that he was challenged to memorize: antiphlogistine, periosteum,
takadiastase, Plasmon, threlkeld, streptococcus, staphylococcus, micrococcus,
plasmodium, Mississippi, freiheit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, athletics, no war, Etchenberg,
American, Russian, philosophy, Piet Potgelter’s Rost, salmagundi, oomisillecootsi,
Schlechter’s Nek, Manyinzama, theosophy, catechism and lastly, Madjescomalops.
Now, if you were him, would you be able to repeat the same feat? It is unlikely for
anyone to be able to memorize these big words in an instant, but with some practice,
you can surely achieve similar results. The key is to start small with you own daily item
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lists. Your grocery list or your errands list can be a starting point for you to start
practicing your new‐found memory skills.
It’s a good idea for you to formulate the list before going to bed at the end of the day.
Just spend five to ten minutes going through what you need to accomplish the next day
and compile them into a list. Then, you can try to link them up before going to bed. The
next morning, go through the list again while having your breakfast or on your way to
work. If something else pops up for you to do, just tag it to the end of the list and
establish a new link. During the day, constantly go through the link in your mind to
remind yourself and also further familiarize yourself with it; remember: repetition helps
to improve your memory. While this may seem like a tedious task at first, it will become
much easier as you keep on practicing. You may begin to see results as quickly as after a
few days of practicing!
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Link Technique #2 – Speeches
One of the toughest things that a person can do is to address a crowd and deliver a
speech. Not only is the atmosphere tensed up and stressful, most of the time the
speakers are heavily reliant on a script to deliver their speech.
While it is not wrong to have a script, most presentation experts discourage the
memorizing of speeches word‐for‐word. Firstly, there is no need for this since no one in
the audience would know whether you’ve missed out on any of the points you planned
to cover – after all, the audience hasn’t seen your script, right? Also, when you have been
invited to deliver a speech, the audience would already assume that you have sufficient
knowledge on the topic, and would like you to share your ideas regarding it – not for you
to just follow a rigid, pre‐written script. Besides, if you memorize your speeches word‐
for‐word, you won’t be able to alter your speech based on how well the audience is
responding – which is a key to delivering a killer presentation.
The best way to deliver a speech is to talk in your own words, using your own language
and expression. A speech should not be pre‐meditated but rather a sequence of thoughts
that you want to share with others. This is where the link system can really help you
shine. Associate the key idea ‘words’ together to form a story, so that you’ll be able to
remind yourself of the key words from time to time during your speech. This will also
ensure that you don’t go off‐topic for too long. Whenever you’re moving on to the next
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point of your speech, simply remember the story in your head and you’ll be able to easily
pick up the next point that you intended to talk about.
Link Technique #3 – Body Parts
Let’s say you have a list of grocery items to buy but can't remember them by offhand and
you are just too lazy to write it down on a piece of paper. Ironically, you can use your
body parts to associate them with your grocery list. Here's how it works, lets say you
have a grocery list of theses items: mushrooms, chicken, vitamins, toothpaste, milk, and
orange juice. Starting from your toes, you might create the following image association:
-
Your feet is stepping on a patch of mushrooms
-
A chicken is peaking on your calf
-
You have vitamin pills pasted on your belly button
-
Sticking out of your mouth is a toothbrush with toothpaste on it.
-
Your lips is filled with milk stains
-
Your hair is covered with orange juice.
This is an example of how it works and the good thing about it is that it is flexible and you
can alter it anyway you want it according to your own likings and preferences.
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Schemas and Scripts
A schema is your general idea or perception about a situation, which leads you to expect
things to be a particular way. In addition, you are more inclined to notice things that fit
your schema and to also remember things that are so unusual that they stand out. For
example, when you go to a department store, you expect the store to look a certain way
in terms of interior and experiences. You expect the aisles to be dedicated to specific
types of products and you expect the sales staff to know more information about each
specific product. Additionally, you expect to save money through certain types of
promotions or bundle deals and so on. In turn, this schema assist you in navigating the
store as you become familiar in where things are and when products are moved to
another section, you may feel confused. Alternatively, you may also feel angry when a
clerk misguides you or is unsure when you ask for directions.
New information can also be added to schemas since it was built to add in new materials
as well. That’s why experts compare new materials with old ones easily. For example, if
you are a hand phone gadget expert, you'll be able to compare in no time the
specifications of a new model to an older one and weigh the difference. On the other
hand, someone who is a newbie at hand phones will find it hard to remember the
differences between the new and the old model. The only thing that will probably go
through their mind would be the visible differences of the hand phone like size, color,
shape, design, camera, touch screen or non‐touch screen and brand. Likewise, if you
don’t know much about cars, you'll probably only remember the shape of the car and
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whether it is a two or four door car. But on the other hand a car expert would be able to
tell you about the car's engine power and functionality. What's more, he may even be
able to compare to difference between two sets of cars.
Having a schema thus helps you add in information into a structure of knowledge you
already possess. So you'll not only be more observant but you'll also be able to better
encode that observation into your memory for retained memory.
Moving on, scripts are a type of schema that features a simple well‐structured sequence
on happenings in a set order that you associate with a familiar or similar activity that
occurs over a period of time. For instance, if you enter a restaurant, you'd be expected to
wait in line for the hostess to attend to you so as to prepare seats for you. Following that
you'd expect a waiter to come over to take your order after you have decided what you
would be having. After which, you expect to have a conversation with the other party
you are with, eat your dinner, leave a tip and finally pull out your credit card to sign your
bill.
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Foreign Languages
If you are interested in picking up a new language, consider the similarities between the
languages you know to those that you are trying to learn. This will thus give you a basis
on which to build your knowledge. For example, English shares many words with the
Latin languages – French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
For example read the following sets of words and try your best to guess their meaning
1. marcher
2. animal
3. gros
4. hamburger
5. serpent
6. bébé
7. bleu
8. orange
Answers:
1. walk
2. animal
3. fat
4. hamburger
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5. snake
6. baby
7. blue
8. orange
Some methods that I would recommend you to use when it comes to learning about
foreign languages would be through tapes, continuing education, speaking with others
who speak foreign languages periodicals and radios.
To start, I would recommend that you get a language tape and listen to it daily, practicing
along with the tape if possible. Specific can be found for different languages and even if
you don’t fully understand the words, it is important for you to hear the rhythms and
tones of the language. You can start with renting video tapes or films in foreign
languages and reading the English subtitles while listening or you could simply do it the
other way round and listen to an English show or film while reading the subtitles.
Alternatively, you could simply get hold on a foreign language instruction tape to guide
you along.
Taking up foreign languages courses would be another way to help you brush up your
conversational skills with others. The good thing about these courses is that there will
always be a qualified teacher to guide you along the way and if you prefer speaking with
a teacher's guidance then you should take up these courses. These courses are readily
available at 'open universities' and local colleges.
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If you are keen on learning French for example, you should practice talking French with a
foreign‐exchange student or a French neighbor. The reason why I recommend you to do
this is because, the more contact you have with the language, the higher chances of
remembering it. Do take note that people who move from a foreign country tend to
forget their native vocabulary if they don’t speak it for years.
Try your best to read newspapers, magazines, books or articles at least once a week in
the new language because reading is one of the better ways to keep a language alive in
your memory. Remember to try reading without translating in your mind from the
foreign language to the native language. If adult foreign language books are too difficult
for you, look into the kids section of bookstores because that is where you can find a
range of simple books with lots of pictures to help you learn another language easily and
painlessly.
A last recommendation would be listening to the radio in foreign language. I would
recommend investing in a shortwave radio to listen to radio stations all over the world.
Most importantly, you have to remember to be consistent as success comes only with
effort and consistency.
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Chapter
Chapter 3: Natural Memory Boosters
Spending the time to develop a good memory is an investment in your future. We will
always rely on our memories in our daily lives. Whether it is remembering to complete
an assignment, or to pick up your kids from school, you want to be able to count on your
memory all the time without exception.
In previous chapters we have already looked into the various techniques to fully
maximize our mind’s infinite capacity for recollection. In the following chapter, we will
look into the lifestyle aspect of improving our memory power.
In Chapter 1, we have discussed how being overly stressed can cause a person to lose his
focus and become absent‐minded. Such is the lifestyle of a workaholic or someone who
does not have enough rest. Our brains have often been termed as a super‐computer as it
is much better than a computer in so many ways. However, just like how a computer is
likely to break down if you use it non‐stop, so too, will our minds if we don’t look after it
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properly. When this happens, you may sink into bouts of depression or even start to
manifest symptoms of mental disorders. Although a little extreme, these are all signals of
a rapidly deteriorating condition that should be immediately corrected.
In the next few sections, we will look into how the way you live your life affects your
memory. Your diet, your lifestyle and also your choices in life can all play a significant role
in influencing the effectiveness of your mind and memory.
Food Boosters
“You are what you eat”, this old adage certainly rings true. We are made up of the food
that we consume everyday. It is a cliché to hear people say that eating the right food will
help you grow your brain power, but it is true! What is lacking in most people is actually
the mixing of the right foods and eating them together as a balanced diet. Together with
a healthy lifestyle, you will be able to effectively boost the effectiveness of your memory
many times over.
When you are looking for the right kind of food to improve your memory, why not try
some of the following organic and natural foods (or even supplements)? Through the
use of the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) technology, researchers have
been able to test the brain's capability to retain memory with the help of different food
groups.
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Fish Oils – Fishes contain large amounts of omega 3 fatty acids that are very much
needed by the cells of your brain for everyday function. Tuna, sardines, salmon,
mackerel and herring are all fishes rich in omega 3 fatty acids that can
significantly improve your memory. Also, some sardines contain the nutrient
Choline which is a chemical that is essential for the memory function in your
brain.
Soy products – Foods that are rich in protein are also very good in helping to
boost the transmission of information in the brain for greater memory power. Soy
has this benefit of containing a pure form of protein that has been extracted from
soybeans. Soy can also be found in supplements rich in Isoflavone, especially
soymilk, or in liquid (or powder) form in supplements. This is effective in aiding
verbal and visual memory, which also contributes to mind flexibility.
Eggs – Many people do not accept the idea that eggs are good for our health,
especially since there has been much talk about it being bad for our cholesterol
levels. However, the fact is that our brain still needs the essential fats found in
eggs in order to function properly. The fatty acids found in eggs are crucial for us,
since the human body does not produce it naturally. You can only obtain it
through the consumption of eggs.
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Gingko Biloba ‐ This tree extract has been widely used in the Eastern part of the
world for thousands of years, and is well known as a cure for numerous memory
deficiencies. Gingko Biloba helps to increase blood circulation in the body,
increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain. Also, because it eliminates free
radicals in the brain, it helps in preventing brain cell damage.
Rosemary – Rosemary is a special herb that can be used to minimize brain
fatigue. Research has shown that it has the ability to boost your memory by as
much as 18%! Another useful herb is Sage, which helps in the transmission of
messages to and from the brain cells. Essentially, this herb regulates the
chemicals in the brain that act as stimulants of information retrieval.
Ginseng – This is another herb (it’s actually a root) that has been recommended
as a natural memory booster and relaxant for those who are overworked. One of
the many beneficial effects of Ginseng is its use as a natural stress reliever.
Water – Not many people know this, but water actually plays a very important
role in maintaining a healthy brain. The human brain is comprises of 70% water
and by keeping it sufficiently hydrated you are helping it function at its peak.
When you don’t provide the necessary amount of water, your brain naturally
produces the hormone Cortisol, which reduces the capacity of your brain to store
information.
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Iron‐rich foods – Foods that are rich in iron can help you concentrate better and
increase your brain power. Clinical studies have shown that iron improves a
person’s attention span. Iron can be found in beans, lean meat, and seafood.
Alternatively, you may also find iron in the form of supplements.
Fruits and Vegetables – Some good brain boosters are blueberries, strawberries
and spinach. They are rich in antioxidants that help protect the brain cells and
prevent the formation of blood clots. Blood clots can slow down the brain neural
response to chemical messengers, which leads to slow memory processing.
Complex carbohydrates – Complex carbohydrates such as whole‐wheat bread
and pasta is also good for the brain. These carbohydrates are ideal because their
energy‐giving glucose is slowly and consistently released into the bloodstream.
It’s a good idea to eat slow‐release carbohydrates together with a protein‐rich
food like chicken and boiled potatoes or fish and whole‐grained rice.
Vitamin B – Vitamins have always been known to benefit our bodies in one way
or another, and this also rings true in the area of brain function and memory.
Vitamins boost our immune system to prevent us from becoming sick, and they
also protect our vital organs. However, out of all the vitamins, those from the B
complex family have proven to be the most effective in improving our memory.
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Folate and vitamins B12 and B6 have been shown to be very effective in bringing
out the best of our mental abilities.
As previously mentioned, stress is a crucial factor in our ability to process
memories.
Complex B vitamins reduce stress and protect our nerves, thus indirectly helping
us improve our brain’s memory functions. This is because the B vitamin regulates
our GABA and serotonin neurotransmitters, which are closely related to the level
of stress that we experience.
Evidence that B vitamins can improve our memory is the effect of Cobalamin. This
vitamin causes anemia or nervous system problems when our bodies are in
deficiency of it. As we know it, many other memory disorders (some associated
with dementia) can be very much improved by using B vitamins to bolster our
immune system.
Vitamin C – Vitamin C helps to improve the iron count in our bodies. The benefits
of iron have already been discussed above. Vitamin C is naturally found in citrus
fruits, or can alternatively be consumed in the form of supplements.
All these nutrients should be included in your daily meals. Of course, as with most other
things in life, excessive intake of these nutrients is highly inadvisable. The doctors' advice:
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have an egg for breakfast, green or black tea during lunch, sage in pasta sauce at dinner,
and 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. You’ll be able to feel much sharper once you start
enjoying a balanced diet.
Lifestyle Boosters
In the world today, we are constantly facing the problem of information overload,
brought about by the bombardment of information in our daily lives. This has caused a
strain on our memories, ‘forcing’ us to be very selective about the things we pay
attention to. As a result, we only remember the things that we absolutely need to, and
forget everything else. While a good diet can help ease the stress and maintain our brain
functions, our lifestyle choices also play a big role in determining how well our memories
are stored and retrieved.
Exercise – Studies have proven that exercise is not just good for your physical
health but also great for your mental health. Exercise helps to maintain the
cognitive functions of your brain, and reduces memory loss in old age.
Additional research has also shown that stress and anxiety levels are greatly
decreased when you exercise. Exercise slows the natural decline of the brain’s
cognitive function and has made aging much more tolerable. With this, your
ability to think and remember information will be better maintained as you age.
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The most common excuse we hear from people who don’t exercise is that they
don’t have the time and are too busy with their schedules. However, they should
know that exercise increases their mental and physical health, helping them to
become more focused and thus more productive at work. An improvement in
work productivity would in turn help them finish it sooner.
Mental Games – For our minds to function properly, mental stimulation is of the
utmost importance as it helps our brain accept new skills and ideas. One can
stimulate his mind through games such as chess, bridge, poker or even Sudoku.
Through these games, our minds are kept active, which maintain the neuron
connections in our brain. In fact, by playing such games to improve memory,
you’ll get to practice your skills of recollection. As you already know, the more we
practice, the better our memories will be. Our brain is just like a muscle – the
more we use it, the stronger it becomes.
Learn something new every day – Challenging the brain to learn new things will
help it stay sharp and active. Joining a tai chi club or enrolling on an arts course
can really do your brain some good.
Go out of town – Traveling is a good form of stimulation for the human brain.
Exposing oneself to new countries and cultures is a very effective stress‐reliving
activity. Immerse yourself in the new culture and enjoy the scenery. Taking a
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break from your usual hectic lifestyle is a treat that your brain will appreciate, as
it allows for time to recuperate and to get a fresh perspective on things that you
are already familiar with.
Make new friends, spend time with old friends – Making new friends can be a
very mind stimulating experience. Humans are very social creatures, as any
interaction with new‐found friends can be a refreshing experience. When we are
surrounded with people we are familiar with, the atmosphere becomes less
tensed and we can begin to relax and have a good laugh. The release of tension
will give your mind a good chance to unwind and rest.
Getting enough sleep – This is one of the most overlooked aspects of keeping a
sharp mind. Our brain recuperates and organizes the information that we learn
during the day as we sleep at night. Without sufficient sleep, our minds become
disoriented, and our ability to recall things will be dramatically reduced.
Enjoy life once a week – In the busy lives that we live in, stress relief has never
been more important. It’s a good idea to engage in relaxing activities at least once
a week to allow your mind to drift and rest. The less you take time off your
schedule to relax, the more overworked your brain will be, and the faster your
productivity levels will fall.
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In conclusion, we must strive for balance in our lives. We need to be able to work
hard when required, and also to rest when our productivity levels are falling. It is
a delicate balance between growing through adversity, and growing through
recuperation.
Diary Boosters
Your mind can only handle so much. Therefore is it vital to categorize the information
from the high priority to low priority range. The reason for categorizing your information
is to actually help you focus on the high priority information and at the same time take
note of the low priority information. Some of these systems that I will explain in details
later include creating files for storing information in one place, setting up reminder files
which provide a reminder to do something on a particular day or date. Keeping a daily log
or calendar, or placing notes on your computer screen or refrigerator.
Password Storage File ‐ Everyone has passwords for everything today, it could
easily range from email to bank accounts to online subscriptions to payment
accounts. Adding to that, many services advises you to change your password
from regularly in order to keep you better protected. Some people on the other
hand use the same password for everything and changing one password would
mean that they would change the rest to match it for easy memory purposes.
However, this approach doesn't always work since some companies have
different formats for passwords and some may choose to assign you a password
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when signing up. Another reason why it is not recommended is because, once
your password is leaked, all your accounts would be in grave danger.
What we should do instead is to keep a file where you would store all your
passwords in and always keep a backup copy of this file in another safe place. The
file would ensure that passwords that you rarely use will be stored safely
especially those really long ones that can burn your brain if you struggle to
encode them.
To further organize these files, you might want to print out each account and
password and list them according to type of company for example, banks, writers
and websites. Alternatively you can create an Excel document with this list.
Event Reminder File – One of the better ways to remember a particular event on
a particular day and time would be to use a calendar program that can be found
on your phone or computer. What it does is that the event or activities that you
record down would automatically prompt you in the form of an alarm tone that
you have a particular event or activities coming up. By doing so you are less likely
to forget those important dates like wedding dinners and birthday events.
Placing Things In The Right Place – Many times, we tend to misplace our
belongings so what I would recommend is to establish a few checkpoints for you
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to place your items. These checkpoints can be placed both upstairs and
downstairs and if you use this approach you wouldn’t have to turn your house
upside down to find your house keys or your cellphone in the future. Of course
you need the dedicated time and effort to develop a habit of putting these items
are the designated checkpoints so that they will be there the next time you need
them.
Reminder Zones – Another technique that you could try using would be having
reminder zones around your house. For instance if you are planning to return a
friend a particular DVD when your meeting him/her later, you could place the
DVD on the chair next to your house door. By doing so, as you leave the house
you will be reminded to take the DVD along with you. So the next time you meet
your friend, you won’t disappoint them by forgetting to bring their favorite DVD.
Preparing The Night Before – One of the worst times of the day to remember
what you need to bring is right before you are rushing out of the house. So what I
would recommend is to prepare what you need the night before. Thus, instead of
fighting the clock and stressing your mind early in the morning, prepare what you
need before you turn in to bed the night before and start your day stress free.
Carrying a Notebook or a Notepad ‐ Another simple idea would be to carry a
notebook in your bag with you all the time. By doing so you could record vital
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information whenever you want to and you can refer to it anytime to check for
upcoming events.
Memory Depressant
In life, one cannot escape dualities; black and white, yin and yang, good and bad. Where
memory is concerned, while there are good things to speak of, there are also certain bad
elements that you need to be aware of and subsequently avoid. Memory depressants are
becoming increasingly part of our daily lives in this day and age and that is why more and
more people are suffering from memory loss even at younger adult ages. Smoking,
caffeine, alcohol, lack of sleep, stress levels and anxiety are some of the commons
stimulants that spark memory loss.
Even though we may find it hard to avoid every single memory depressant, we should
however try to avoid as many as we can and at the same time induce some memory
boosters in our daily lives.
Smoking – Studies have shown that regular intake of nicotine through smoking
cigarettes can impair memory as much as consuming several alcoholic beverages.
Results show that nonsmokers are able to remember a set of numbers faster than
smokers, and they also scored higher on standard memory tests. Even though
smoking may enhance performance of simple tasks, it however hinders more
complex cognitive processes. Smokers are recommended to put off lighting up a
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cigarette right before a memory task because it has been scientifically proven
that smoking slows blood flow to the brain, which means less oxygen gets to the
brain and thus impedes cerebral activity, particularly any process having to do
with memory.
Alcohol – Consumption of alcohol has shown to interfere with the capacity to
learn and slow down memory functions that can lead to defective recording and
storage of memory. Alcohol abuse would definitely bring about greater
consequences. Without a doubt, short‐term memory loss is a classic problem that
people who abuse alcohol face. However, the degree of effect on each individual
varies depending on individual tolerance levels and other factors. For instance, in
terms of age, people age around 40‐60 years old tend to forget certain things
more easily after drinking, but younger adults can experience the same issue
following excessive alcohol abuse. While a good majority of alcohol related
problems seem to disappear slowly when the person stops drinking, constant
alcohol abuse may cause a lifetime of damage.
Stress and Anxiety – With growing pressure from your bosses and demanding
jobs, don't be surprised if you have issues with your memory skills. The reason for
this is that prolonged or consistent exposure to high levels of the stress hormones
cortisol, have a negative effect on our memory. Although it would take several
days of stress from major surgery or psychological trauma for cortisol to induce
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memory impairment, memory problems can still appear from less severe but
long‐term chronic stress. However these less severe chronic stresses have shown
to be not harmful to the brain.
Generalized anxiety on the other hand, is strongly linked with stress and it can be
a major issue when it comes to memory problems because anxiety breaks down
your concentration by drawing you to focus on what you may be anxious about
instead of other things. In the midst of an anxiety attack, a person's memory is
affected as he is in his own world focusing his mind solely on the internal disaster
he is suffering from.
Depression – Both memory problems and depression goes hand in hand because
depression lowers the level of attention and at the same time reduces the
capacity to concentrate which are two factors that can interfere with memory.
Studies have shown that majority of depressed individuals aren’t good at
maintain memory or storing memory that requires focused attention.
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Gracefully Aging Your Brain
Keeping fit is one of the biggest concerns of people in the modern times. By staying fit,
people are able to age gracefully. With this thought in mind, many people maintain a
healthy diet, exercise regularly and also try their best to manage stress as best they can.
Unknowingly, these people are also helping their brain grow with age too.
When the Brain Grows Old
Our brain has the ability to constantly to reproduce neurons. However, as we age, the
brain takes a much longer time to process an electrical response to a stimulus. This has
been proven by a research team from the University of Maryland led by Professor Walter
R. Bixby.
The steady decline in brain function with age is inevitable. It is a natural phenomenon
that everyone will experience sometime in their lives. However, people who live healthy
and active lives are much more likely to stay mentally sharp in their golden years
compared to those who live idle lives.
The exercising of your memory is a lifelong journey, and is not something that you just do
once and forget about. The more you practice, the better you’ll get. That’s all there is to
it.
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Conclusion
Unfortunately, many people never get the chance to fully utilize the power of their
memories, and often allow their brain cells deteriorate over time.
With these techniques that I’ve shared with you, you are now light years ahead of your
peers. Granted, some of these skills need a little getting used to, but once you’ve
familiarized yourself with them, I guarantee that your capabilities of recollection will be
boosted way beyond what you would have initially imagined.
Take your time to fully understand how each of these techniques and skills work, and
you’ll be handsomely rewarded in life.
One last thing: always remember to practice, practice and practice! ☺
Yours Truly,
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