Getting older is not for sissies.  This I know.  As I’ve gotten older, my long-term memory has remained fairly accurate. (Full disclosure: I can’t remember my locker combination from high school, but to be honest, I forgot it a lot back then too.) But facts, dates, and people? Those I can remember.

My short-term memory, however is like intermittent rain—hit or miss.  Certain words elude me –only to pop up in my mind during an entirely different conversation.  And don’t get me started on why I go into another room…LOL

My experiment is going to be a simple one.  I read an article online concerning tips to improve your memory and I intend to try those tips for a month.  I will then report my findings…did they help? Or am I as lost as I ever was?

Here are the 12 memory tricks that are supposed to help me remember anything EASILY.

Do puzzles or play games that target your memory. 

The study suggests apps (which I won’t use) or flash cards—even just trying to memorize a string of cards from a deck of cards.

Keep your brain active.

Just like your muscles weaken from physical inactivity, brain inactivity may lead to mental decline. It stands to reason that a more active brain is likely to be a healthier brain, and that having a healthy brain will benefit your short-term memory.

Eat a brain healthy diet.

The MIND diet (which is a hybrid of the DASH diet and Mediterranean diet) appears to slow down cognitive decline. It prioritizes leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, occasional fish consumption, and reduced red meat consumption. Drink plenty of water as well. Dehydration negatively impacts the brain along with the rest of the body.  (Reduced red meat?  Not likely)

Exercise regularly.

In general, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week for overall health benefits. (I already do this.)

Get enough sleep.

Research indicates that high quality sleep helps to encode existing memories so that they “stick” much better. (I do this too.)

Focus on what you want to remember.

Scientifically speaking, short term memory only lasts around 15-30 seconds—after that, the information is either discarded or moved to long term memory. Therefore, focusing closely on a new piece of info for 15-30 seconds can keep it in your short-term memory and may help transfer it to your long-term memory.

Engage multiple senses.

When you meet someone new, listen carefully and look directly at them as they state their name. Repeat their name immediately afterward. Shake their hand and feel their grip. Even take notice of their perfume or cologne! The more sensory associations you build, the more firmly the memory is encoded.

Utilize mnemonic devices.

Try constructing colorful, even silly visualizations or verbalizations to help encode a group of things in your short-term memory.

Try “chunking” items into groups.

Chunking is related to mnemonics and is the principle behind using hyphens to break up 10-digit phone numbers in the U.S.—remembering individual groups of 3, 3, and 4 numbers is easier than recalling a single string of 10. It works even better when you can create associations within each “chunk” — for instance, maybe the “3015” section of a phone number contains the jersey numbers of two of your favorite athletes.

Lay out structured associations.

Create a bubble map. In other words, prioritize remembering the most vital information, but also focus on memorizing the structure that connects this vital info to the less important material you also want to remember.

Address existing health issues.

Some medications can affect short-term memory.

Reduce your memory demands.

In other words, write yourself notes.  Again, I already do this.

So that’s the list of tips.  I intend to try as many of these as I can over the next 4 weeks. Wish me luck!

Source: Wiki How: How to Increase Your Short Term Memory

Over 80% of people feel more confident approaching an attractive person if that person has a dog with them.

A group of 400 trees in Poland’s Krzywy Las, or “Crooked Forest,” are mysteriously and identically bent. The J-shaped trunks remain a mystery to this day.

The word “queue” sounds the same even if the last four letters are removed. Before it meant “line,” a queue meant the tail of a beast in medieval pictures and designs.

A group of penguins in the water is called a “raft,” and a group of penguins on land is called a “waddle.”

Capitonyms are words which change their meaning if the first letter is capitalized. For example: Turkey (the country) and turkey (the bird).

The fear of running out of something to read is called “abibliophobia.”

Researchers from India recently discovered a new species of green pit vipers. They named the snake after Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter universe.

When the first consistent phone service was established in 1878, Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering the phone with “ahoy.”

The closest relative to bears are seals.

Under Joseph Stalin’s regime, “Hamlet” was banned. The official reason: Hamlet’s indecisiveness and depression were incompatible with the new Soviet spirit of optimism, fortitude, and clarity.

Beekeepers in France noticed that their bees were producing honey in unusual shades of green and blue. After investigating, the beekeepers discovered that the bees had been eating remnants of M&M candy shells from a nearby factory.

In the late Middle Ages, books were so valuable that libraries would chain them to bookcases.

Hummingbirds can’t walk or hop. Their tiny legs are only used for perching and moving sideways while perched_.

A woman who lost her wedding ring found it 16 years later on a carrot in her garden. She lost her wedding ring after accidentally throwing it out with the compost in 1995. In 2012, she found it around a carrot in her garden.

Smaller animals tend to perceive time as if it is passing in slow motion. Insects and small birds, for example, can see more information in one second than a larger animal such as an elephant.

Killing a dolphin in ancient Greece was considered sacrilegious and was punishable by death.

A group of goldfish is called a “troubling.”

A “glisk” is sunlight that is glimpsed through a break in the clouds, a fleeting glance at a glittering sight, a brief glow of warmth from a fire that’s burned low. It can also mean a sudden flash of hope in the heart.

Pet owners usually have better self-esteem, are more in shape, and are less lonely than those who do not own pets.

Though not commonly used, the day after tomorrow is called “overmorrow.”

The word “ferret” is from the Latin “fur,” meaning “little thief.” Indeed, one of the ferret’s favorite activities is stealing and hiding things.

A snail’s mouth is no larger than the head of a pin, but it can have over 25,000 teeth.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” has her own mailbox at the Louvre because of all the love letters she receives.

The cartoon character Tweety was originally named Orson. He was also naked, far more aggressive, and saucy.

A group of lizards is called a “lounge.”

The name “coronavirus” is derived from the Latin word “corona,” meaning “crown” or “halo.” This refers to the appearance of a crown or a solar corona around the virus particles.

Tigers cannot purr. When they are happy or feel safe, they squint or close their eyes.

According to a Yale study, people who read books live on average 2 years longer than those who do not read at all.

Moonflowers unfurl in the evening and stay open until the sun rises. Several varieties of moonflower also give off a lemon fragrance when its flowers are open.

Octopus skin contains the same light-sensitive proteins as octopus eyes. This means its skin can “see” and respond to light without information from the eyes or brain.

Pangolins are the only known mammal with scales. When threatened by predators, pangolins roll up into a ball, protected by their armor-like coating of keratin scales.

To “snirtle” means to laugh with snorts.

The name “daisy” is thought to come from the Old English “daes eag.” “Daes eag” means “day’s eye,” after the way in which the delicate flower opens at dawn.

Termites chew through wood twice as quickly when they are exposed to rock music.

A grasshopper’s ears are found not on its head, but rather, on its belly.

The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head.

The two highest IQ scores in recorded history belong to women.

An average cumulus (white, puffy) cloud can weigh more than a million pounds.

Studies show that bronze medalists are happier than silver medalists because they are happy just to get a medal at all.

The word “swan” is derived from the Indo-European root *swen, meaning “to sound, to sing.”

Kobe Bryant was the youngest player to start an NBA game, at just 18.5 years old.

Drivers of expensive cars are less likely to slow down for pedestrians. They are also more likely to feel a sense of superiority over fellow drivers and to break traffic regulations.

Giraffes give birth while standing up. Their babies must drop more than five feet (1.5 meters) to the ground as they’re born.

In Ankara, Turkey, sanitation workers created a public library out of books they found while collecting garbage. It contains over 6,000 books.

Research shows that most individuals spend 60% of their conversation time talking about themselves. This number jumps to 80% while conversing on social media.

In central Italy, there is a fountain that flows red wine 24-hours a day. It is free to everyone, except for “drunkards and louts.”

The word “robot” comes from a Czech word “robota,” which means “forced labor, compulsory service, drudgery.”

Due to Covid-19 lockdowns, deodorant sales declined, and ice cream sales soared.

The difference between jelly and jam is that jelly is made with fruit juice, and jam is made with mashed fruit.

Afghan poppy farmers have switched to solar power to run their irrigation systems. This has significantly increased the world’s supply of heroin.

Source: Factretriever.com