I have always been jealous of people with really good memories. My best friend has an amazing memory. I find it infuriating from time to time. He can remember practically everything I have said my whole life, and can remind me of some rather ridiculous statements but I have made over the years. I have always had a rather poor memory by contrast. I remember bs and pieces of this and that, but I can’t organize facts in a useful way. That is why I finally decided to get together and try out some memory exercises.
I was amazed when I first saw how many exercises to improve short term memory exist. There are plenty of memory exercises for basically any skill. There are games to improve visual memory, pattern recognion, memory for faces and names. As a matter of fact, when I first looked into improving my memory, I was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices and activies. I couldn’t figure out where to start.
I finally figured out that the best way to start learning memory exercises was to get a book of them. Although there are plenty of free online memory games, it’s much better to have a systematic approach at first. After you learn your way around various memory exercise activies, you can choose ones that you like. Until then, you should get a good solid introduction to different memory skills so that you can figure out which of yours need improvement.
I found out that my visual memory is my weakest area by far. One of the most famous memory exercises involves creating what is known as a memory house. Memory houses are basically elaborate, symbolic structures that you can use to remember various facts. Every object in a memory house has a meaning. For example, if you’re using a memory mansion to remember what cards have been played in a deck, A black coat rack with three overcoats hanging from can represent the three of spades. Even doing the most simple tasks with this memory game was almost impossible for me. After a few months, however, I finally started to get it. My memory was improving and my brain felt healthier and more active generally. I had even mastered a memory exercise or two. Now I can keep track of things much more efficiently, and my brain feels clear and sharper than ever has before.
