Many times we look at people with photographic memories and say to ourselves “I could never do that”. The truth is that there are memory techniques out there that can be applied by normal people to help them do just as amazing mnemonic feats.
Some of the greatest memorizing athletes out there are able to do it, even without the help of a photographic memory. So how do they do it and how can we use their tricks to get ahead in school whether we are working toward a philosophy degree or just studying business management?
Make things exciting enough to remember
This is an obvious but often overlooked aspect of our memories. We really do remember the things that don’t bore us so it is a good idea to make things exciting. This means that you need to be able to take the mundane and make it more abstract and visual. This can be done with names and people easily when you compare them to animals or associate colors with them.
Another way is to associate a name with another famous figure who you will remember, or to make things bizarre. This means that you remember that person from some bizarre story you make up in your head. This same thing can be done with math and other principals. You can visually store this information in an area that you will come back to. This doesn’t just mean that you put the information in the back of your head but actually store it in an area that you see around you. Yes, it is possible to do it with a little imagination.
Relate it back
If you can connect information back to things that you already know and relate to, then you will be able to pull it back out of your memory box. This can be tough if you don’t practice using your imagination. This is really where all of your creativity can be a huge asset. Memorizing takes creative ways at approaching information and spitting it back out when you need to.
Practice makes perfect
There are many different mnemonic techniques but all of them have one thing in common – it takes a lot of practice to see results. Just as you cannot expect to be running at full speed when you haven’t done much running, it will take some practice to learn how to fully use the technique. With each technique you practice, the easier it gets, just like a sport or anything else you learn to do well.
Exercise the recesses of the mind
All of those corners and crevices that have started getting cobwebs over time need to be cleared out and you need to start working with all parts of your brain when you start talking about memorization techniques. Bottom line is that if you want to apply these techniques to business management, or any other degree you are studying, it takes practice. You will be able to apply it more and more as time goes by.