photo by Ashley Batz via Unsplash

by leon collier, guest contributor

Mnemonics is the science of remembering. It’s a study that dates to the Middle Ages. Although it’s not an exact science, several concepts and techniques have universal validity. There are indeed ways to train your mind to remember more efficiently. 

Training the thought process is one side of the equation. The other one is health; a nourished body that’s well-kept works better in all senses. Specific lifestyle changes can increase oxygenation, blood quality, and overall tissue health. 

Many scholars, literary intellectuals, and dissertation writers from the past centuries enriched the discipline through their methods. There isn’t a one-fits-all solution, but their contributions made us understand that the techniques are based on three principles:

• Impression
• Association
• Reiteration

Take into consideration that you’ll have to experiment to find the most effective way for you. Let’s get into a few examples:  

Mnemonics 

5. Mind Palace

Historians and professional essay writers will love this one: the “Palace of the mind." This method belongs to Sherlock Holmes’ arsenal of concentrating and remembering. It is also called the “Loci method” (the word derives from Latin “locus” – a place) or “Cicero’s method,” after the Ancient Greek philosopher.

The idea is to associate information with familiar places. For instance, associating new words from a foreign language to different parts of your house can prove useful when trying to recall. Let’s say you want to associate food vocabulary to your kitchen. This way, you’ll be able to walk into your kitchen and associate every object with a certain piece of information. 

The technique calls for “walking sessions,” whether imaginary or real, to help memory.   

4. Visualization

Imagining the action or object you’re trying to remember may aid in recalling the word you’re looking for. Vice versa also works: remembering to do a task can be engraved in your mind by imagining the action you’ll undertake. 

3. Spreading Out

Studying for a test the night before isn’t going to produce great results. It doesn’t matter if you spend six hours the night before; a single sleep session will not imprint the information you need for the next day.

Instead, try to space out your study sessions, even if they’re shorter. Also, try to get as many eight-hour sleep sessions in-between your studies. As for our example above, it would be much better to study three days before the exam, one hour each, with lots of quality sleep. Regular intervals will help you organize information, and sleep will sediment learned things.     

2. Group Chunking 

Chunking refers to gathering items together into sets of groups. The technique leverages the brain’s pattern-seeking capabilities. There are several approaches to make use of chunking, and the potential is noteworthy. 

For instance, when going shopping, try to group items into related batches and associate them to each shelf. 

1. Catchy Acronyms

Acronyms are used for a reason: they’re easy to remember. Take a long-phrase and make a short word out of it by using the starting letters or syllables. If the final word rhymes, then you’re more than likely to remember the term for a long time. 

For example, H.O.M.E.S. is a common acronym for the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. 

Lifestyle tips

Eight-hour sleep

Sleep is fundamental for memory. Get at least seven-hours of quality sleep each day; but eight is better. 

Nutritious food

Having a clean diet is vital for good memory. Consider a plant-based diet with healthy fats. 

Positivity 

Keeping your good spirits up is bound to help you memorize easier. 

Socialization 

Going out and talking with friends contributes to a better and healthier brain. 

Adequate sleep, good food, positivity, and socializing are helpful practices to help your brain remember more information. The mind needs constant exercise to increase memory capacity. Also, there are several techniques that you can try to see if they work for you. They’re not universal solutions, and most of them require some practice. Nevertheless, the methods are valid as they leverage the three fundamental elements in mnemonics: impression, association, and reiteration. 

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