This exercise will help increase your powers of observation.
Look at a scene in front of you that has a lot of different things in
it. These can be different objects, people who are mostly stationery (i.e.,
sitting down, not a bustling crowd), scenery, etc. Or use a picture of such
a scene. Then, stare at this scene for about a minute, and as you do,
imagine you are taking a picture of it, as if your mind is a camera taking
a snapshot. As you do so, notice as many things about the scene as you
can. Pay attention to forms, colors, the number of objects or people there,
the relationship between things, etc.
Then, look away from that scene, and try to recreate it as accurately
as possible in your mind’s eye. As when you really looked at the scene,
notice the forms, colors, number of objects or people, and the relationship
between things.
Next, to check your accuracy, without looking back, write down a
list of what you saw in as much detail as possible.
Finally, rate your accuracy and your completeness by rating your
observations. To score your level of accuracy, designate each accurate observation
with a 2. Score each inaccurate observation with a 1. Score
each invented observation with a 2. Then, tally up your score and note
the result. To score your level of completeness, estimate the total number
of observations you think were possible in the scene and divide by the
number of observations you made, to get your completeness score. As you
continue to practice with this exercise, you’ll find your score for both
accuracy and completeness should go up. 72
26 Nisan 2011 Salı
Using Clear Memory Pictures or Recordings to Improve Your Memory
Another way to pay closer attention is to make a sharp mental picture
or recording of the person, place, or event you want to remember.
This process will also help you with the second phase of the
memory retention process, where you encode this information using
visual imagery or sounds. But this first phase is what picks up the
information in the first place, much like using a camera or a cassette.
A major factor in poor remembering is that often we don’t make
this picture or recording very well. As a result, we may think we
remember what we have seen, but we don’t. Courtroom witnesses,
for example, often recall an event inaccurately, although they may
be positive they are correct. Accordingly, before you can recall or recognize
something properly in the retrieval stage of the process, you
first must have a clear impression of it.
One way to do this, once you are paying careful attention, is to
think of yourself as a camera or cassette recorder, taking in completely
accurate pictures or recordings of what you are experiencing.
As you observe and listen, make your impressions like pictures or
tape recordings in your mind.
It takes practice to develop this ability, and the following exercises
are designed to help you do this. At first, use these exercises to
get a sense of how well you already remember what you see. Then,
as you practice, you’ll find you can remember more and more details.
The underlying principle of these exercises is to observe some
object, person, event, or setting to take a picture, or listen to a conversation
or other sounds around you. Then, turn away from what
you are observing or stop listening, and recall what you can. Perhaps
write down what you recall. Finally, look back and ask yourself:
‘‘How much did I remember? What did I forget? What did I recall
that wasn’t there?’’
At first, you may be surprised at how bad an observer or listener
you are. But as you practice, you’ll improve—and your skill at remembering
will carry over into other situations, because you’ll automatically start making more accurate memory pictures or recordings
in your mind.
An ideal way to use these techniques is with a mental awareness
trigger. Whenever you use that trigger, you will immediately imagine
yourself as a camera or recorder and indelibly impress that scene on
your mind for later recall.
The next three exercises are designed to give you some practice
in perceiving like a camera or cassette recorder in a private controlled
setting. The fourth exercise is one you can use in any situation to
perceive more effectively.
or recording of the person, place, or event you want to remember.
This process will also help you with the second phase of the
memory retention process, where you encode this information using
visual imagery or sounds. But this first phase is what picks up the
information in the first place, much like using a camera or a cassette.
A major factor in poor remembering is that often we don’t make
this picture or recording very well. As a result, we may think we
remember what we have seen, but we don’t. Courtroom witnesses,
for example, often recall an event inaccurately, although they may
be positive they are correct. Accordingly, before you can recall or recognize
something properly in the retrieval stage of the process, you
first must have a clear impression of it.
One way to do this, once you are paying careful attention, is to
think of yourself as a camera or cassette recorder, taking in completely
accurate pictures or recordings of what you are experiencing.
As you observe and listen, make your impressions like pictures or
tape recordings in your mind.
It takes practice to develop this ability, and the following exercises
are designed to help you do this. At first, use these exercises to
get a sense of how well you already remember what you see. Then,
as you practice, you’ll find you can remember more and more details.
The underlying principle of these exercises is to observe some
object, person, event, or setting to take a picture, or listen to a conversation
or other sounds around you. Then, turn away from what
you are observing or stop listening, and recall what you can. Perhaps
write down what you recall. Finally, look back and ask yourself:
‘‘How much did I remember? What did I forget? What did I recall
that wasn’t there?’’
At first, you may be surprised at how bad an observer or listener
you are. But as you practice, you’ll improve—and your skill at remembering
will carry over into other situations, because you’ll automatically start making more accurate memory pictures or recordings
in your mind.
An ideal way to use these techniques is with a mental awareness
trigger. Whenever you use that trigger, you will immediately imagine
yourself as a camera or recorder and indelibly impress that scene on
your mind for later recall.
The next three exercises are designed to give you some practice
in perceiving like a camera or cassette recorder in a private controlled
setting. The fourth exercise is one you can use in any situation to
perceive more effectively.
Using a Physical Trigger or Motion to Keep Your Attention Focused
To keep yourself from drifting off while you are listening to something
or to keep your mind from wandering while you are observing
or experiencing something, you can use the trigger you have created
or any gesture or physical signal to remind yourself to pay attention
to what you are hearing or seeing.
For example, every 20 or 30 seconds, click your fingers softly,
move a toe, or move another part of your body as a reminder. Once
you decide on the trigger, practice this signal to make the association
with paying attention by repeatedly making this gesture and after
that focus your attention on something. Then, that gesture or motion
will become your trigger to pay attention.
After a while, should your attention drift away, simply repeat
the trigger to bring you back to attention again.
or to keep your mind from wandering while you are observing
or experiencing something, you can use the trigger you have created
or any gesture or physical signal to remind yourself to pay attention
to what you are hearing or seeing.
For example, every 20 or 30 seconds, click your fingers softly,
move a toe, or move another part of your body as a reminder. Once
you decide on the trigger, practice this signal to make the association
with paying attention by repeatedly making this gesture and after
that focus your attention on something. Then, that gesture or motion
will become your trigger to pay attention.
After a while, should your attention drift away, simply repeat
the trigger to bring you back to attention again.
Creating a Memory Trigger to Increase Your Ability to Focus
When you’re in a situation where it’s particularly important to remember
something, you can remind yourself to pay close attention
by using a ‘‘memory trigger.’’ This trigger can be almost any type of
gesture or physical sign—such as bringing your thumb and forefinger
together, clasping your hands so your thumbs and index finger
create a spire, or raising your thumb. Or you could use a mental
statement to remind yourself to pay attention. Whatever signal you
choose, it’s designed to remind you that it’s now time to be especially
alert and listen or watch closely, so you’ll remember all you can. If
you already have a signal you like, use that, or use the following
exercise to create this trigger.
Get relaxed, perhaps close your eyes. Then, ask yourself this question:
‘‘What mental trigger would I like to use to remind myself to pay attention?’’
Notice what comes into your mind. It may be a gesture, a physical
movement, a mental image, or a word or phrase you say to yourself.
Choose that as your trigger.
Now, to give power to this trigger, make the gesture or movement or
let this image or word appear in your mind. Then, as you make this
gesture or observe the image or word, repeatedly use this gesture for a
minute or two, and as you do, say to yourself with increasing intensity:
‘‘I will pay attention now. I will be very alert and aware, and I will lock
this information in my memory so I can recall it later.’’ This process of
using the gesture and paying attention will associate the act of paying
attention with the gesture.
Later (either the same day or the following day if you are beginning
this exercise at night), practice using this trigger in some real-life situations.
Find three or more times when you are especially interested in
remembering something, and use your trigger to make yourself more
alert. For example, when you see something you would especially like to
remember (such as someone on the street, a car on the road, etc.), use
your trigger to remind you to pay attention to it. Afterwards, when whatever
you have seen is gone, replay it mentally in as much detail as possible
to illustrate how much you can remember when you really pay attention.
Initially, to reinforce the association with the sign you have created,
as you make this gesture, repeat the same words to yourself as in your
concentration exercises: ‘‘I will pay attention now. I will be very alert and
aware, and I will lock this information in my memory so I can recall
it later.’’ Then, look or listen attentively to whatever it is you want to
remember.
Repeat both the meditation and the real-life practice for a week to
condition yourself to associate the action you want to perform (paying
attention) with the trigger (raising your thumb, etc.). Once this association
is locked in, continue to use the trigger in real life. As long as you
continue to regularly use the trigger, you don’t need to continue practicing
the exercise, since each time you use the trigger, your attention will be on
high alert.
Then, any time you are in an important situation where you want
to pay especially careful attention (such as a staff meeting or a cocktail
party with prospective clients), use your trigger, and you’ll become more
attentive and alert.
something, you can remind yourself to pay close attention
by using a ‘‘memory trigger.’’ This trigger can be almost any type of
gesture or physical sign—such as bringing your thumb and forefinger
together, clasping your hands so your thumbs and index finger
create a spire, or raising your thumb. Or you could use a mental
statement to remind yourself to pay attention. Whatever signal you
choose, it’s designed to remind you that it’s now time to be especially
alert and listen or watch closely, so you’ll remember all you can. If
you already have a signal you like, use that, or use the following
exercise to create this trigger.
Get relaxed, perhaps close your eyes. Then, ask yourself this question:
‘‘What mental trigger would I like to use to remind myself to pay attention?’’
Notice what comes into your mind. It may be a gesture, a physical
movement, a mental image, or a word or phrase you say to yourself.
Choose that as your trigger.
Now, to give power to this trigger, make the gesture or movement or
let this image or word appear in your mind. Then, as you make this
gesture or observe the image or word, repeatedly use this gesture for a
minute or two, and as you do, say to yourself with increasing intensity:
‘‘I will pay attention now. I will be very alert and aware, and I will lock
this information in my memory so I can recall it later.’’ This process of
using the gesture and paying attention will associate the act of paying
attention with the gesture.
Later (either the same day or the following day if you are beginning
this exercise at night), practice using this trigger in some real-life situations.
Find three or more times when you are especially interested in
remembering something, and use your trigger to make yourself more
alert. For example, when you see something you would especially like to
remember (such as someone on the street, a car on the road, etc.), use
your trigger to remind you to pay attention to it. Afterwards, when whatever
you have seen is gone, replay it mentally in as much detail as possible
to illustrate how much you can remember when you really pay attention.
Initially, to reinforce the association with the sign you have created,
as you make this gesture, repeat the same words to yourself as in your
concentration exercises: ‘‘I will pay attention now. I will be very alert and
aware, and I will lock this information in my memory so I can recall
it later.’’ Then, look or listen attentively to whatever it is you want to
remember.
Repeat both the meditation and the real-life practice for a week to
condition yourself to associate the action you want to perform (paying
attention) with the trigger (raising your thumb, etc.). Once this association
is locked in, continue to use the trigger in real life. As long as you
continue to regularly use the trigger, you don’t need to continue practicing
the exercise, since each time you use the trigger, your attention will be on
high alert.
Then, any time you are in an important situation where you want
to pay especially careful attention (such as a staff meeting or a cocktail
party with prospective clients), use your trigger, and you’ll become more
attentive and alert.
Learning to Pay Attention
The following exercises are designed to help you pay closer attention
to what you do.
to what you do.
Pay Attention!!!
Pay Attention!!!
One reason many people have trouble remembering something is
that they don’t make a clear picture of what they want to remember,
because they don’t pay enough attention in the beginning. The crucial
first step to remembering anything is to PAY ATTENTION. You
have to first take in the information in order to put it in your shortterm
or working memory and later transfer it to your long-term
memory.
Naturally, you can remember all sorts of things without being
particularly attentive, as unconsciously you are absorbing information
all the time and much of this stays with you, even if you are
unaware of it. But, this casual absorption of information can be a hitor-
miss proposition. While you may take in much of this information
unconsciously and may later remember things you didn’t realize you
had even learned, to improve your memory you have to consciously
pay attention. This approach is sometimes referred to as being ‘‘mindful,’’
as opposed to operating on automatic.
Certainly, you want to continue to keep most everyday processes
in your life automatic, since you need to do this to move through
everyday life; you can’t try to pay close attention to everything you
do, since this will slow you down. Yet at the same time, you can
become more aware of what you are doing on automatic and you
can focus more closely on some usually automatic activities. Then,
you can better remember what you want to remember, such as the
names of people you meet at a business mixer or trade show.
One reason many people have trouble remembering something is
that they don’t make a clear picture of what they want to remember,
because they don’t pay enough attention in the beginning. The crucial
first step to remembering anything is to PAY ATTENTION. You
have to first take in the information in order to put it in your shortterm
or working memory and later transfer it to your long-term
memory.
Naturally, you can remember all sorts of things without being
particularly attentive, as unconsciously you are absorbing information
all the time and much of this stays with you, even if you are
unaware of it. But, this casual absorption of information can be a hitor-
miss proposition. While you may take in much of this information
unconsciously and may later remember things you didn’t realize you
had even learned, to improve your memory you have to consciously
pay attention. This approach is sometimes referred to as being ‘‘mindful,’’
as opposed to operating on automatic.
Certainly, you want to continue to keep most everyday processes
in your life automatic, since you need to do this to move through
everyday life; you can’t try to pay close attention to everything you
do, since this will slow you down. Yet at the same time, you can
become more aware of what you are doing on automatic and you
can focus more closely on some usually automatic activities. Then,
you can better remember what you want to remember, such as the
names of people you meet at a business mixer or trade show.
Pay Attention!!!
Pay Attention!!!
One reason many people have trouble remembering something is
that they don’t make a clear picture of what they want to remember,
because they don’t pay enough attention in the beginning. The crucial
first step to remembering anything is to PAY ATTENTION. You
have to first take in the information in order to put it in your shortterm
or working memory and later transfer it to your long-term
memory.
Naturally, you can remember all sorts of things without being
particularly attentive, as unconsciously you are absorbing information
all the time and much of this stays with you, even if you are
unaware of it. But, this casual absorption of information can be a hitor-
miss proposition. While you may take in much of this information
unconsciously and may later remember things you didn’t realize you
had even learned, to improve your memory you have to consciously
pay attention. This approach is sometimes referred to as being ‘‘mindful,’’
as opposed to operating on automatic.
Certainly, you want to continue to keep most everyday processes
in your life automatic, since you need to do this to move through
everyday life; you can’t try to pay close attention to everything you
do, since this will slow you down. Yet at the same time, you can
become more aware of what you are doing on automatic and you
can focus more closely on some usually automatic activities. Then,
you can better remember what you want to remember, such as the
names of people you meet at a business mixer or trade show.
One reason many people have trouble remembering something is
that they don’t make a clear picture of what they want to remember,
because they don’t pay enough attention in the beginning. The crucial
first step to remembering anything is to PAY ATTENTION. You
have to first take in the information in order to put it in your shortterm
or working memory and later transfer it to your long-term
memory.
Naturally, you can remember all sorts of things without being
particularly attentive, as unconsciously you are absorbing information
all the time and much of this stays with you, even if you are
unaware of it. But, this casual absorption of information can be a hitor-
miss proposition. While you may take in much of this information
unconsciously and may later remember things you didn’t realize you
had even learned, to improve your memory you have to consciously
pay attention. This approach is sometimes referred to as being ‘‘mindful,’’
as opposed to operating on automatic.
Certainly, you want to continue to keep most everyday processes
in your life automatic, since you need to do this to move through
everyday life; you can’t try to pay close attention to everything you
do, since this will slow you down. Yet at the same time, you can
become more aware of what you are doing on automatic and you
can focus more closely on some usually automatic activities. Then,
you can better remember what you want to remember, such as the
names of people you meet at a business mixer or trade show.
18 Nisan 2011 Pazartesi
Sample Memory Journal
Here’s an example of how you might keep a memory journal, based
on the first two entries in my own journal. I have used a more narrative
approach in keeping this journal, though later on, I frequently
broke each daily entry into separate categories, as relevant.
June 28, 2006
Now that I started working on this memory book, I began thinking
about paying attention more and thinking of strategies to better memorize
things when I prepared for a potential quiz in a Native American class I’m
taking. We had about 70 pages of creation stories from different tribes to read,
and the stories had a lot of detail. There were also many unfamiliar names,
overlapping storylines, and other things making it hard to remember. I began
thinking of strategies to make it easier for me to remember and thought about
how these might be applicable for others.
• Read once for the general flow of the story and to enjoy it, though I
might bracket major points to review later. Read the story a second
time a day or two later to more closely notice detail (like names of key
characters, title of the story, what group it refers to) and consciously
notice what seems new to me even though I read it before. Then, a day
or two later, skim over the story, paying particular attention to what I
have underlined.
• To remember something even more precisely, I can create a chart with
several columns that highlight the major points to remember. For example,
for these stories, I might use one column with the name of the
story, a second with the major plot line, a third with the names of key
characters, and a fourth column to note special themes, lessons, my
reactions, and any other thoughts I have about the story.
I also had a conversation about the class with one of the other students,
and she mentioned the difficulty she had remembering the stories. She had
read the stories the day after our weekly class, but then she didn’t remember
what she had read in the class. She didn’t even remember having read the
stories at all. Based on my own experience of reading each story two or three
times—and the last time, the day before the class—her account suggests that
it is better to wait until shortly before you have to remember something and
allow the time to read it by then; or use the multiple reading and review
process I used.
I also recalled how I found it helpful to recall unfamiliar names by not
only seeing them visually, but by saying them over in my mind a few times,
so I would learn the new information through multiple channels.* Another
technique that I found helpful is mentally reviewing what I have read, which
also applies to what I have seen or experienced. I just repeat in my mind or
use self-talk to tell myself what I want to remember. This way I reinforce my
initial information input.
June 29, 2006
As I drove home from school today I began to think of different types of
memory exercises, based on noticing things and paying attention. For example,
these exercises, which I can do by myself or with others, include:
• Looking at cards with multiple images where you have to notice what’s
different.
• Observing a scene closely on a card or in reality; then you see the same
scene again with something removed. Your job is to notice what’s missing.
In turn, this exercise might help you pay attention to what’s there.
• Observing a scene closely as above, except that instead of noticing
what’s missing, you have to notice and identify what has been added
to the scene. Again, another exercise to help in paying attention.
*Though I didn’t yet know about the different aspects of the working memory, this
would be a good example of improving one’s memory by reinforcing it through
rehearsal and repetition, and using both imagery through the visuospatial sortbox
and words through the phonological loop to drive these names into my long-term
memory.
• Imagining yourself taking a series of pictures of the scene; then you
recall as many objects you saw in the scene without looking, and later
check your recollection.
• Having a mental conversation about what you just did or learned;
imagine you are telling yourself or a friend what you just experienced,
or imagine you are a teacher instructing your class.
• Reflecting on what you have learned or your experience, and consider
what it means to you and how you can use this information.
I also thought about some of the main principles of memory and how
they might provide a frame of things to do for the next week. The key ones
are:
• Being well rested and alert (preparatory)
• Paying attention—and paying attention to yourself paying attention
(so you get the information into your working memory)
• Creating keys to help you pay attention (such as name triggers, mnemonics)
• Recording what you are paying attention to, such as through writing
or drawing, to intensify what you are taking in
• Using techniques to make what you have seen or experienced stand
out, such as imagining you are a camera taking pictures of a scene;
imagining you are a tape recorder recording a conversation
• Using associations with what you have seen/read/experienced, such
as images for names, places
• Reviewing what you have taken in
• Participating in activities to reinforce what you have learned
• Prioritizing what you have taken in, so you focus on what is more
important
• Categorizing and grouping what you have learned, so you can better
recall it, since we generally only can take in 7 bits of information (plus
or minus 2) together
• Sharing what you have observed, read about, or experienced with others,
since that intensifies the experience
• Keeping a written record, like this memory journal, to notice what you
remember more effectively and what you don’t, so you can increasingly
apply what works in the future
Similarly, you can develop your own memory journal, where you
record what you experienced and what’s important to you, along
with your ideas on what to do to improve your own memory. You’ll
see many techniques in this book. But as you keep your journal,
you may come up with your own ideas for what you need to better
remember and what you might do to increase your memory power. 68
on the first two entries in my own journal. I have used a more narrative
approach in keeping this journal, though later on, I frequently
broke each daily entry into separate categories, as relevant.
June 28, 2006
Now that I started working on this memory book, I began thinking
about paying attention more and thinking of strategies to better memorize
things when I prepared for a potential quiz in a Native American class I’m
taking. We had about 70 pages of creation stories from different tribes to read,
and the stories had a lot of detail. There were also many unfamiliar names,
overlapping storylines, and other things making it hard to remember. I began
thinking of strategies to make it easier for me to remember and thought about
how these might be applicable for others.
• Read once for the general flow of the story and to enjoy it, though I
might bracket major points to review later. Read the story a second
time a day or two later to more closely notice detail (like names of key
characters, title of the story, what group it refers to) and consciously
notice what seems new to me even though I read it before. Then, a day
or two later, skim over the story, paying particular attention to what I
have underlined.
• To remember something even more precisely, I can create a chart with
several columns that highlight the major points to remember. For example,
for these stories, I might use one column with the name of the
story, a second with the major plot line, a third with the names of key
characters, and a fourth column to note special themes, lessons, my
reactions, and any other thoughts I have about the story.
I also had a conversation about the class with one of the other students,
and she mentioned the difficulty she had remembering the stories. She had
read the stories the day after our weekly class, but then she didn’t remember
what she had read in the class. She didn’t even remember having read the
stories at all. Based on my own experience of reading each story two or three
times—and the last time, the day before the class—her account suggests that
it is better to wait until shortly before you have to remember something and
allow the time to read it by then; or use the multiple reading and review
process I used.
I also recalled how I found it helpful to recall unfamiliar names by not
only seeing them visually, but by saying them over in my mind a few times,
so I would learn the new information through multiple channels.* Another
technique that I found helpful is mentally reviewing what I have read, which
also applies to what I have seen or experienced. I just repeat in my mind or
use self-talk to tell myself what I want to remember. This way I reinforce my
initial information input.
June 29, 2006
As I drove home from school today I began to think of different types of
memory exercises, based on noticing things and paying attention. For example,
these exercises, which I can do by myself or with others, include:
• Looking at cards with multiple images where you have to notice what’s
different.
• Observing a scene closely on a card or in reality; then you see the same
scene again with something removed. Your job is to notice what’s missing.
In turn, this exercise might help you pay attention to what’s there.
• Observing a scene closely as above, except that instead of noticing
what’s missing, you have to notice and identify what has been added
to the scene. Again, another exercise to help in paying attention.
*Though I didn’t yet know about the different aspects of the working memory, this
would be a good example of improving one’s memory by reinforcing it through
rehearsal and repetition, and using both imagery through the visuospatial sortbox
and words through the phonological loop to drive these names into my long-term
memory.
• Imagining yourself taking a series of pictures of the scene; then you
recall as many objects you saw in the scene without looking, and later
check your recollection.
• Having a mental conversation about what you just did or learned;
imagine you are telling yourself or a friend what you just experienced,
or imagine you are a teacher instructing your class.
• Reflecting on what you have learned or your experience, and consider
what it means to you and how you can use this information.
I also thought about some of the main principles of memory and how
they might provide a frame of things to do for the next week. The key ones
are:
• Being well rested and alert (preparatory)
• Paying attention—and paying attention to yourself paying attention
(so you get the information into your working memory)
• Creating keys to help you pay attention (such as name triggers, mnemonics)
• Recording what you are paying attention to, such as through writing
or drawing, to intensify what you are taking in
• Using techniques to make what you have seen or experienced stand
out, such as imagining you are a camera taking pictures of a scene;
imagining you are a tape recorder recording a conversation
• Using associations with what you have seen/read/experienced, such
as images for names, places
• Reviewing what you have taken in
• Participating in activities to reinforce what you have learned
• Prioritizing what you have taken in, so you focus on what is more
important
• Categorizing and grouping what you have learned, so you can better
recall it, since we generally only can take in 7 bits of information (plus
or minus 2) together
• Sharing what you have observed, read about, or experienced with others,
since that intensifies the experience
• Keeping a written record, like this memory journal, to notice what you
remember more effectively and what you don’t, so you can increasingly
apply what works in the future
Similarly, you can develop your own memory journal, where you
record what you experienced and what’s important to you, along
with your ideas on what to do to improve your own memory. You’ll
see many techniques in this book. But as you keep your journal,
you may come up with your own ideas for what you need to better
remember and what you might do to increase your memory power. 68
10 Nisan 2011 Pazar
How to Use the Journal to Improve Your Progress
As you keep notes about what and how you remember in your journal,
you can use this to guide what you do.
For example, suppose you note that you have had trouble remembering
names at events you attend. That will suggest that you
target this area of memory to work on. Or suppose you notice a pattern
that you are forgetting things more at certain times of the day.
This might suggest that you are more tired and less attentive at this
time. You need either to take steps to up your energy (say, getting
more sleep or eating an energy snack around that time each day) or
to recognize that your memory ability is less sharp at this time, so
you find another time to seek to learn something new if you can. In
short, use what you learn about your memory powers as you keep
your journal to determine what you need to work on or when your
memory powers are at a lower ebb.
Conversely, if you note memory successes, take some time to
congratulate and reward yourself, which will help to keep you motivated
to continue to improve. When you see signs of your success
and are rewarded for them, you’ll feel even better about what you
are doing to increase your memory. For example, say after a history
of not remembering the names of most of the people you meet at a
business mixer, you consciously work on encoding those names into
your memory and find you are better able to make them part of your
long-term memory, so you can recall much more—from the details
of what they do to what you need to do to follow up with each
person. That’s great! A terrific achievement! So acknowledge this to
yourself and give yourself some reward, such as praising yourself,
patting yourself on the back, treating yourself to a coffee latte, or
giving yourself a star or blue ribbon. This way you recognize your
progress and keep yourself going to the next level of improvement.
A good way to use rewards is to provide a small amount of praise
or give a small reward to yourself after a day of good progress. But
make the reward even bigger for your achievements for the week.
Then, after 30 days, go all out to reward yourself as well as clearly
indicate where you have made your progress. This will show that
you have completed 30 days to a better memory successfully—then
you can sign on for another 30 days to work on making even more
improvements. 64
you can use this to guide what you do.
For example, suppose you note that you have had trouble remembering
names at events you attend. That will suggest that you
target this area of memory to work on. Or suppose you notice a pattern
that you are forgetting things more at certain times of the day.
This might suggest that you are more tired and less attentive at this
time. You need either to take steps to up your energy (say, getting
more sleep or eating an energy snack around that time each day) or
to recognize that your memory ability is less sharp at this time, so
you find another time to seek to learn something new if you can. In
short, use what you learn about your memory powers as you keep
your journal to determine what you need to work on or when your
memory powers are at a lower ebb.
Conversely, if you note memory successes, take some time to
congratulate and reward yourself, which will help to keep you motivated
to continue to improve. When you see signs of your success
and are rewarded for them, you’ll feel even better about what you
are doing to increase your memory. For example, say after a history
of not remembering the names of most of the people you meet at a
business mixer, you consciously work on encoding those names into
your memory and find you are better able to make them part of your
long-term memory, so you can recall much more—from the details
of what they do to what you need to do to follow up with each
person. That’s great! A terrific achievement! So acknowledge this to
yourself and give yourself some reward, such as praising yourself,
patting yourself on the back, treating yourself to a coffee latte, or
giving yourself a star or blue ribbon. This way you recognize your
progress and keep yourself going to the next level of improvement.
A good way to use rewards is to provide a small amount of praise
or give a small reward to yourself after a day of good progress. But
make the reward even bigger for your achievements for the week.
Then, after 30 days, go all out to reward yourself as well as clearly
indicate where you have made your progress. This will show that
you have completed 30 days to a better memory successfully—then
you can sign on for another 30 days to work on making even more
improvements. 64
How to Set Up Your Memory Journal
Set up your journal like a diary or chronology in which you make
entries in your diary each day—or even several times a day, as you
get ideas related to your memory. You might even consider including
the parts of your journal you want to share on a blog. You might
even add a section on this to your blog, if you are writing a blog on
your own Website or on one of the popular sites for blogging. If you
do turn this into a blog or something you share with others, be sure
you feel comfortable with others reading what you post. If not, consider
just posting those parts of your journal anyone can read and
keep the other parts offline. A good way to make the distinction is
to keep personal observations and thoughts about yourself in your
private offline journal; but if you have any insights about what you
can do to improve your memory—which could be useful for anyone
else—by all means, post them for all to see.
To make your journal more helpful to you, divide it up into a
series of sections, such as listed below, so you have a series of goals
for developing your memory, keep track of your successes in remembering
different types of information, and note when you experience
memory lapses. This way you can notice trends in your ability to
remember over time, chart improvements and continuing challenges,
and record insights. You can turn this study of your own
memory into a chart, with a column for each section.
For example, in your notebook you might have these sections:
1. My overall goal (i.e., what you hope to achieve by the end of
30 days).
2. My goals for today (i.e., the areas of memory improvement
you are focusing on now).
3. My memory successes (i.e., specific incidents, experiences,
and observations where you enjoyed a notable, outstanding,
or unexpected success).
4. My memory lapses (i.e., specific times when you found you
weren’t able to recall or recognize something at all or where
you remembered it incorrectly).
5. Trends and patterns (i.e., types of things you are likely to remember,
types of things you find you often forget or remember
incorrectly).
6. Memory improvements (i.e., things you find you can remember
now that you didn’t before).
7. Memory challenges (i.e., things that you are continuing to
find especially difficult to remember).
8. Memory insights (i.e., ideas and tips you have gained from
your own experiences in trying to remember things or in
keeping this journal, plus ideas and tips you have gained from
your reading or from others—including talking to people or
from radio or TV).
If you turn this into a chart, such as by creating a table in Word
or an Excel chart, make each of the above categories a column
header.
Then, enter what you feel is most relevant each day, and use
these categories to help focus your attention on different aspects of
your memory development. You can also use this journal to direct
your attention to what you consider the most important areas to
work on, so you can better plan and prioritize what to do. In effect,
you are using your central executive function, which you read about
in Chapter 1, to recall and think about what you have and haven’t
remembered and decide what to do about this so in the future you
remember more.
While the above sections may be a helpful way to divide up the
study of your own memory, as an alternative, you can make entries
in your journal as a narrative, just keeping those categories in mind
so you can incorporate these different topics in your journal as you
write.
Most importantly, write in your journal each day if you can, since
this way you can better chart your progress and stay focused on what
you need to do to improve. Then, too, you will be able to better remember
what happened on a day-by-day basis; otherwise, your images
and impressions from each successive day will interfere with
you remembering what you did the day before. You know the feeling.
Someone asks you what you did during your lunch break yesterday,
and you very likely have trouble remembering exactly what you
did—unless it was something dramatic that cut through the clutter
of many thousands of sensory inputs and memories for each day,
like observing a fight between two women in the supermarket while
you were waiting on line.
If you do skip a day, return to writing your journal as soon as
you can and try to recall what happened the day before, along with
your thoughts and insights from those experiences.
entries in your diary each day—or even several times a day, as you
get ideas related to your memory. You might even consider including
the parts of your journal you want to share on a blog. You might
even add a section on this to your blog, if you are writing a blog on
your own Website or on one of the popular sites for blogging. If you
do turn this into a blog or something you share with others, be sure
you feel comfortable with others reading what you post. If not, consider
just posting those parts of your journal anyone can read and
keep the other parts offline. A good way to make the distinction is
to keep personal observations and thoughts about yourself in your
private offline journal; but if you have any insights about what you
can do to improve your memory—which could be useful for anyone
else—by all means, post them for all to see.
To make your journal more helpful to you, divide it up into a
series of sections, such as listed below, so you have a series of goals
for developing your memory, keep track of your successes in remembering
different types of information, and note when you experience
memory lapses. This way you can notice trends in your ability to
remember over time, chart improvements and continuing challenges,
and record insights. You can turn this study of your own
memory into a chart, with a column for each section.
For example, in your notebook you might have these sections:
1. My overall goal (i.e., what you hope to achieve by the end of
30 days).
2. My goals for today (i.e., the areas of memory improvement
you are focusing on now).
3. My memory successes (i.e., specific incidents, experiences,
and observations where you enjoyed a notable, outstanding,
or unexpected success).
4. My memory lapses (i.e., specific times when you found you
weren’t able to recall or recognize something at all or where
you remembered it incorrectly).
5. Trends and patterns (i.e., types of things you are likely to remember,
types of things you find you often forget or remember
incorrectly).
6. Memory improvements (i.e., things you find you can remember
now that you didn’t before).
7. Memory challenges (i.e., things that you are continuing to
find especially difficult to remember).
8. Memory insights (i.e., ideas and tips you have gained from
your own experiences in trying to remember things or in
keeping this journal, plus ideas and tips you have gained from
your reading or from others—including talking to people or
from radio or TV).
If you turn this into a chart, such as by creating a table in Word
or an Excel chart, make each of the above categories a column
header.
Then, enter what you feel is most relevant each day, and use
these categories to help focus your attention on different aspects of
your memory development. You can also use this journal to direct
your attention to what you consider the most important areas to
work on, so you can better plan and prioritize what to do. In effect,
you are using your central executive function, which you read about
in Chapter 1, to recall and think about what you have and haven’t
remembered and decide what to do about this so in the future you
remember more.
While the above sections may be a helpful way to divide up the
study of your own memory, as an alternative, you can make entries
in your journal as a narrative, just keeping those categories in mind
so you can incorporate these different topics in your journal as you
write.
Most importantly, write in your journal each day if you can, since
this way you can better chart your progress and stay focused on what
you need to do to improve. Then, too, you will be able to better remember
what happened on a day-by-day basis; otherwise, your images
and impressions from each successive day will interfere with
you remembering what you did the day before. You know the feeling.
Someone asks you what you did during your lunch break yesterday,
and you very likely have trouble remembering exactly what you
did—unless it was something dramatic that cut through the clutter
of many thousands of sensory inputs and memories for each day,
like observing a fight between two women in the supermarket while
you were waiting on line.
If you do skip a day, return to writing your journal as soon as
you can and try to recall what happened the day before, along with
your thoughts and insights from those experiences.
Creating a Memory Journal
The first step in your 30-day memory plan should be creating a memory
journal in which you think about what you remembered, what
you didn’t remember, notice patterns, and start to pay increased attention
to things. This way you create a baseline for where you are
now and can track your progress as you move to where you want to
be. Since a first step to remembering anything is paying attention
(apart from being in good health, getting a good night’s sleep so
you’re alert, and otherwise having your mental equipment tuned up
to remember), being attentive to your memory processes will help
you focus on remembering more.
So devote your first week to paying attention and upping your
awareness of when and how you remember. Besides setting up the
journal, described in this chapter, devote this week to some attention
exercises to help you pay more attention. Then, as you develop this
habit it will carry over into your everyday life.
journal in which you think about what you remembered, what
you didn’t remember, notice patterns, and start to pay increased attention
to things. This way you create a baseline for where you are
now and can track your progress as you move to where you want to
be. Since a first step to remembering anything is paying attention
(apart from being in good health, getting a good night’s sleep so
you’re alert, and otherwise having your mental equipment tuned up
to remember), being attentive to your memory processes will help
you focus on remembering more.
So devote your first week to paying attention and upping your
awareness of when and how you remember. Besides setting up the
journal, described in this chapter, devote this week to some attention
exercises to help you pay more attention. Then, as you develop this
habit it will carry over into your everyday life.
3 Nisan 2011 Pazar
Summing Up
So there you have it, a series of quizzes to test your memory for
different types of information—from everyday experiences and observations
to words, faces, and images. In fact, just taking the quizzes
will help you think more about using your memory, which will
contribute to your ability to observe and pay attention and therefore
better encode information.
Compare your scores on different quizzes, too, to notice where
you have a better memory ability and where you have more difficulty
remembering. These differences will help you know where you already
excel and where you need to improve in the future. For example,
you may be much better at remembering what you observe
compared to words or numbers. In turn, these differences may reflect
what has been more important to you in your life. But as you
concentrate on improving your memory in other areas, you should
begin noticing improvements there, too. 60
different types of information—from everyday experiences and observations
to words, faces, and images. In fact, just taking the quizzes
will help you think more about using your memory, which will
contribute to your ability to observe and pay attention and therefore
better encode information.
Compare your scores on different quizzes, too, to notice where
you have a better memory ability and where you have more difficulty
remembering. These differences will help you know where you already
excel and where you need to improve in the future. For example,
you may be much better at remembering what you observe
compared to words or numbers. In turn, these differences may reflect
what has been more important to you in your life. But as you
concentrate on improving your memory in other areas, you should
begin noticing improvements there, too. 60
Test #7B: How Much Did You See?
Here’s a test where you look at a room or some people doing something
and try to remember everything you see there. In fact, you can
create your own test for this—just go into a room or observe any
group of people, look away, and see how much detail you can remember.
You’ll see two similar images for your initial test and your test
after 30 days. In each case, look at the image for 1 minute, look
away, and write down as many things as you remember. Then, look
back at the image and see how many things you have remembered
correctly. Score 1 point for each item you correctly remember; deduct
1 point for each item you incorrectly recorded or omitted completely.
Then, compare your current and 30 days later scores. While the
scenes to look at are slightly different, they are of similar types of
scenes for the two time periods.
and try to remember everything you see there. In fact, you can
create your own test for this—just go into a room or observe any
group of people, look away, and see how much detail you can remember.
You’ll see two similar images for your initial test and your test
after 30 days. In each case, look at the image for 1 minute, look
away, and write down as many things as you remember. Then, look
back at the image and see how many things you have remembered
correctly. Score 1 point for each item you correctly remember; deduct
1 point for each item you incorrectly recorded or omitted completely.
Then, compare your current and 30 days later scores. While the
scenes to look at are slightly different, they are of similar types of
scenes for the two time periods.
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