Life hack: how to quickly remember any information

1. Structure the material

Cramming Does not help retain information in your head for a long time: by looking through a textbook or article, you will learn the numbers and rules, but it will be difficult to recall them at the right time. This is because different parts of the brain are responsible for different types of memory. Recognition involves the visual cortex, while memories are supported by the frontal cortex and temporal lobe. To really remember something, it is important to structure the information - for example, rewrite a paragraph, breaking it into thematic blocks. These fragments can be composed so that you understand the logic of the text.

2. Look for associations

In situations where it is impossible to reorganize the material, mnemonic techniques will help out. We've known some of them since high school. For example, the phrase “Pythagorean pants are equal on all sides” helped me remember the Pythagorean theorem. Try also to look for associations - even absurd ones. For example, if you need to remember the English word look, imagine how hard it is to look at someone when he is cutting an onion.

3. Repeat what you've learned

A day after training a person remembers half of the information, and after a week about 25% remains in your head. Therefore, in order to remember something, you need to repeat it. Flash cards are suitable: write a question, term or date on one side, and the answer on the other. Such cards can be cut out of cardboard or filled out in a mobile application.

4. Take notes by hand

A letter on paper can bring to a greater increase in brain activity when remembering information than when using a tablet or smartphone. This is probably due to the fact that a regular sheet provides more tactile information - it may have roughness and bent corners. Digital “paper” is uniform, scrolls evenly up and down, and disappears when the application is closed. By the way, researchers believethat taking notes by hand is even more important for schoolchildren than for adults, because children's brains are still developing.

5. Create meaningful groups

Random data is more difficult to remember than organized data. Suppose you need to remember the names of four plants: garlic, hawthorn, rose, cinnamon. The first letters are abbreviated to CHBRK, this combination can be associated with the image of the cartoon character - Cheburashka. Now all you have to do is remember to introduce the character, and the names of the plants will appear in memory.