Remember, remember: strategies to improve your memory

Discover strategies for retaining and recalling information

Our brains take in much more information than we need. If we don't make active use of the information, it is as if the path to it becomes overgrown, making it hard to access. The way we take in information also affects what we remember.

The more you know about how the brain and memory work, the more you can develop techniques to remember what you want to remember for when you need it.

One way to improve recall is to actively engage with each stage of the memory process.

Select the headings below to learn more about each stage

1. Take in information
2. Retain it
3. Encode it
4. Maintain it
5. Recall it
6. Refresh

What we already know and have a name for affects how we direct our attention, what we notice and, therefore, what goes into memory. We need to maintain our attention in order to remember.

If you study on 'automatic pilot' little attention is involved, so you will remember less. You will remember more if you:

Direct your attention consciously and purposefully
Take regular breaks, so as to maintain relaxed attention - a few minutes moving around and doing something different is sufficient
Link new information to what you already know
Give names and labels to new information, so that the brain can grasp it more easily
Deliberately arrange or adapt new information so that it is structured and yet stands out as odd, distinct, different or more interesting - so that it grabs your attention

Rehearsing new information in short-term memory helps your brain to hold onto it. Rehearsal must start within a few seconds, as information fades quickly. This is a useful strategy for remembering names, dates, numbers, formulae and instructions for long enough to write them down. You can then employ other strategies to commit this information to your long-term memory.

Your brain encodes new information so that it can be represented in your memory.

For example, when you tell a story, your brain encodes the pattern of fine-muscle movements you used to speak and stores them. It can also encode and store the sound of your speech; the images and emotions that the story brought to mind; the look of the text; and details such as who was in the room. Your brain links information it has encoded, so any one element could trigger streams of memory later. The more elements of an experience your brain has encoded, the more triggers there are to aid recall.

You can assist your memory by choosing to encode information in several ways. Try:

Associating each subject or topic with a different location or item of furniture.
Associating each movement in an exercise routine with something you wish to remember. To refresh the memory, repeat the exercise in your mind.
Recording yourself reading your notes aloud and playing the recording back, or explaining a difficult topic to a friend.
Assigning a topic to an object, such as a car, and labelling the different parts of the object with the things you need to remember: the steering wheel with the main point; each wheel with a major theorist; each door with a practical application of a theory; background information could go in the boot; and the engine could represent future developments.
Highlighting references, formulae or themes in a given colour throughout your notes, so that you can spot these more easily at a glance.
Writing out the information you need to remember in as few words as possible.
Considering all the ways in which one area of study is similar to another.

If you don't use information, you'll lose it. Most information is lost in the first 24 hours. If you can hold onto it for a day, you are more likely to remember it forever.

You can reduce how much you forget by drawing upon information in passing - for example, when making sense of new material - or by incorporating it into your knowledge base and values.

Good recall is linked to how much attention and awareness you bring to processes of taking in material and encoding it.

If you want to recall information at will, such as for exams, you can use 'over-learning'. This involves using active learning strategies and checking what you have learnt multiple times until you know it without prompts.

It takes less time to commit material to memory a second time round. This is why it pays to interact with, learn and review material from early in the year. Even if you forget most of it, you can learn it again much faster just before the exam.

Much information is retained in your long-term memory without you even being aware of it. If you start to think about the topic, snippets of information can emerge that you might not even remember having learnt. Quickly jotting down what you can recall of a topic can help stimulate release of stored memories.

Moving forward

How confident are you of remembering information for exams and other situations where you need good recall?
Which of these strategies could you use to you improve your recall?