5 Ways To Improve Your Memory Today

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Some quick ways to boost your brain power.

Let's face it - as we get older, keeping up with details and learning new skills gets a little more difficult. Things that used to be easy when I was in my early 20's aren't nearly as simple these days. The problem is, when you're looking for a job, trying to stand out at the job you have or are trying to learn new skills to improve your career options, keeping your brain functioning at a high level and keeping track of all the details is important.

There are many websites, herbal supplements and exercise programs that promise to improve your mental functions and increase your memory. I'm sure that you've probably seen many advertisements for just these products. The problem is that they either cost a lot of money without any real, proven record of success, or they involve a whole lot of work. And, if you're like me, you're probably hesitant to try something that is going to take a lot of effort. After all, if you can remember to take the supplements and do the exercises every day, you probably don't need help with your memory.

So, how can we boost our brain function and improve our memory easily? Well, here are 5 ways that you can make your memory better today:

1. Write it down - I know, writing down lists is a time-tested way to remember things, but who can remember to bring the lists along with them? Don't worry, that isn't what I'm talking about here. Try writing a journal or even a blog each day where you can write about the things you need to remember, about what's going on in your life and what your goals are for the coming day, week, month or even year. There is something about writing that helps your brain turn short term memories into long term ones. If you have trouble remembering to write everyday, there are even free sites that can help. OhLife is a microblogging journal site that sends you an email each day asking how your day was. From there, you just write things down in an email and send it back. The site keeps your entries in order for you and they are only visible to you.
2. Meditate - Meditation can help you feel better, increase your attention span, reduce stress and boost your brain function. It only takes about 30 minutes a day and it could possibly be the best 30 minutes you ever spent. Personally, I try to meditate every day, even though I often forget. I started by making a goal of meditating every day for 30 days. If I forgot a day, it was no big deal, I just start back at day one. I have been working on this goal for about two years now, and I have hit 20 days in a row twice. Still, the thing with meditation is that it about the journey, not the results. So, give it a try and see if it helps you work to your full potential.
3. Use body language - Research has shown that we use our bodies to think almost as much as we use our brains. Using gestures to help learn a new language or memorize a list can really help. In fact, many Japanese programs that teach English phrases use body movements and gestures to help students learn. If you want to watch this in action (and have a good laugh) take a look at this YouTube video of a program that teaches helpful English phrases.
4. Say that you are going to remember - Believe it or not, just asking yourself if you'll remember can actually help you to remember things more effectively. Studies have shown that just saying that you will remember something can raise your odds of recalling the information by almost 50% in some cases.
5. Play a mentally challenging game before bed - This is a relatively new idea, but it seems to have merit. Researcher have found that if you play a mentally challenging game like Tetris or Bejeweled for 30 minutes before you go to bed, you can see a marked increase in brain function and memory. The thought is that playing these types of games gives your brain something to focus on and gets it warmed up. Then, while you sleep, your brain is able to do a better job at sorting which things to move from short term memory into long term, and which things to dump entirely.

Improving your memory is basically just tricking your brain into working in a more efficent state. We can't remember every detail of every day, so your brain has to decide what things are important and which things can be forgotten. These suggestion can help you work better, be more productive and maybe they could even help me remember what I did with my car keys.

Are there any tricks or things that you do to help you remember important information? Let me know your suggestions in the comments.


By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for Administrativejobsblog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.