You might think you have a bad memory, but it might be that you just have a bad memory strategy. By catching the moments when your memory works well, you’ll learn how your memory works and adapt your strategy for the better.
Picture: Andreas Eldh
Regularly misplacing your car keys doesn’t have to mean that you’re a forgetful person overall. It just means you have the wrong perspective on how your mind works. Kevin Horsley, International Grandmaster of Memory and the author of Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and Be More Productive, explains at Quora, your problem could be that you only focus on the fact that you forgot something:
Too many people become members of the ‘Bad Memory Club’ and focus on the 5% of the time that their memory fails them. If you think you have a bad memory, it means you have a good one because you can remember where your memory has gone wrong. Think about how much data you already have stored in your memory… Your memory does a lot right, so ask yourself, “How does my memory serve me — how did it serve me today?”
Notice how well you can recall information in a conversation, or maybe how you always seem to remember the lines from a movie. When you start to collect all the ways your memory works for you, you can begin piecing together the puzzle of how your own memory works. Plus, you start to realise that your memory isn’t nearly as bad as you tell yourself it is. Having a little confidence in your memory won’t hurt when you’re trying to give it a boost.
Kevin Horsley’s answer to “What is the fastest and best way to improve my memory…” [Quora via Inc]
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