Are you getting ready for an exam? Do you need to master a large amount of information in a short time? Want to improve your IQ and reduce the risk of dementia? Well, there are plenty of techniques to help you, but we’ve chosen the most proven ones. Using them, you will get a couple of steps closer to Sherlock Holmes with his perfect memory and mind palaces!
However, before we begin, here is an important point. Chances are, you won’t focus fully if you are worried about missed deadlines and tons of homework. So perhaps the best solution would be to send your papers to the buyessaygo specialist who will follow your requirements at the highest level. Then, with peace of mind, you can move on to trying our best hacks!
1. Understanding Is Better Than Cramming
Students often try to memorize unfamiliar words and phrases without even realizing their meaning. Surely, this might work for a few days, say, to pass an exam. But in the long run, it won’t get you anywhere.
Have you ever heard of а German psychologist called Hermann Ebbinghaus? He compiled a “forgetting curve” that shows how long our memory can store new information. So, mechanical memorization (or cramming) leads to the fact that you will remember about 60% of data in 1 hour, 35% in 10 hours, and no more than 20% in 6 days.
In the meantime, the information we understand is saved in the so-called long-term memory, especially if you repeat it from time to time.
2. Associations Are The Best
Imagination is one of the most powerful tools for studying effectively. The associations can be truly different, so choose whatever you are most comfortable with:
- Visual: for example, the number 2 looks like a swan. This method is used to remember some abstract pictures, drawings, or hieroglyphs;
- Phonetic: it works perfectly for names, texts, formulas, and terms. Words can rhyme, be consonant and be similar in context. For instance, a pedestal, a cup, a medal, and an athlete are all in the same context group;
- Personal: Your background can vividly remind you of a word or piece of information. For example, George – a sword. Let’s say George is a friend of yours who was fond of fencing;
- Symbolic: refer to this one if the word doesn’t exist in our real world. For example, love – heart, science – microscope, time – clock.
3. Repetitio Est Mater Studiorum
Of course, to achieve the goal, you need to put much effort into it. Let’s imagine that you decided to learn Spanish in a year. Surely, your brain is already tuned into intensive memorization mode. But in addition to regular training, repetition is also essential.
Use certain time intervals to get amazing results! Here are four main periods to reread the material: right after studying, in 15-20 minutes, in 6-8 hours (preferably before bed), and in a week.
4. Explain Information To Others
You don’t have to be super versed in the topic to start retelling it to family and friends. This way, your brain will digest and structure the material much quicker.
This approach has a lot in common with the technique developed by Richard Feynman. He was known for explaining complex topics like quantum physics in simple words. His way of learning is precisely to transfer knowledge to others in the easiest language possible. Plus, you can quickly identify gaps. Basically, you teach others for your own sake.
If you have no one to retell the material, it’s fine. Just start saying it out loud – it will bring results as well.
5. Notes Won’t Hurt
Each time you listen to a lecture or read a chapter, write down key ideas. Take notes concisely, focusing on terms, personalities, dates, and substance.
This is how your brain will focus on the core, getting rid of the excess facts. The scientists claim that writing by hand has a stronger cognitive connection with the material being studied than using the keyboard.
The reason is that we type too fast, and the brain doesn’t have time to absorb the information. Meanwhile, writing by hand is slower and, thus, more productive.
6. Travel To A Mnemonic Room
Do you remember who Cicero was? Being a talented speaker, he kept in mind plenty of facts, quotations, and names. When getting ready to perform, Cicero walked around his house and placed the key points of the speech in the rooms. That’s why his technique is called exactly this way.
Here’s what you should do. Everything that you study must be arranged in a well-known room in a strictly defined order. Mentally, of course. Then, it will be enough to recall this place to reproduce the information later.
For instance, there are 6 items in the room:
- Planner on the table;
- Window;
- Watch;
- Photo on the wall;
- Armchair;
- Sofa
Now place the information you need in the room to memorize the lesson. For example, Elizabethan literature can be “attached” to the photo, and the main representatives of romanticism can be “attached” to the sofa.
Key Takeaways
Here are the final tips on how you can assist your body during a rather stressful period.
First, take breaks every hour while studying. The brain also needs rest, so it’s better to go outside, have a cup of coffee and do a couple of exercises. The main thing is the change of scenery. In addition, even a short walk will increase blood circulation and enrich the brain with oxygen, which positively affects the memorization process.
Second, remember that the brain is most active between 8 and 10 am and 8 to 11 pm. That’s why the material repeated before going to bed is remembered better.
Third, don’t overestimate your abilities. You are unlikely to do well in the exam if you procrastinate till the last minute. Don’t wait for tomorrow: better allocate time wisely to learn an equal amount of information every day. This way, you will save yourself from burnout.
