It is often said that listening well in class accounts for 50% of the memorisation work: it’s true! The more you are focussed on the information you receive, the better you understand it, and the more likely you are to remember it. It’s worth it to make an effort and keep the chatter for the interclasses!
2. Sort it out
Memory needs to be organised, structured, classified. Also to retain information, it is important to give them an order of importance (to be made appear on your revision sheets). Giving them a logical order will also help you, as when you unroll a ball of wool. .
3. Play the parrot
To learn something by heart, it is not enough to read it, you must also repeat it in your head or out loud. Do it several times right away, then half an hour later to make sure that the information is recorded. But be careful, don’t try to learn everything by heart! Remember a lesson plan, a formula, dates… but not every word, which would be counterproductive.
4. Did you say mnemonic?
Memory uses different elements to remember information, for example the place or time you learned it, the people you were with, the feeling it gave you, etc. Thus, by associating an element during the encoding phase (see box), you increase your chances of restoring it.
5. Run away from the routine
There is nothing worse for memory than putting your brain on autopilot. In order not to soften yourself, try to regularly change your routes, your places of exit, your morning or evening “ruals”. Similarly, avoid passive activities. If you watch TV, try to opt for a show that will make you think or on which you can engage in a discussion with your loved ones.
6. To sleep!
Memory also works at night! The different phases of sleep are indeed used by our brain to classify and consolidate knowledge, whether it has been acquired during the day or whether it is more distant memories. It is therefore essential to sleep well, and especially in sufficient quantity.
7. Run, swim, pedal…
Playing sports helps to oxygenate the brain and thus improves its cognitive functions. In addition, taking breaks in your revisions is crucial, because it gives memory the opportunity to classify the information and record it well.
8. Exit the stress
Being depressed or stressed can disrupt the learning process. In these moments, we are indeed less available and attentive to the information received. Then, stress promotes the production of cortisol, a hormone harmful to the recording of memories in long-term memory.
9. Take care of your plate
If there is no miracle food or magic pill that keeps everything heartfelt, some foods stimulate memory. This is the case of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins and antioxidants, but also fish, chocolate and all foods containing Omega 3, which strengthen the walls of neurons.
10. Strengthen your memory
To optimise the capabilities of your memory, you must train it regularly with small simple exercises. Every day, try to remember a phone number or a list of objects. Similarly, at the end of the day, try to reconstitute the thread of what you did, who you met, what he or she was wearing, what you said to yourself, what you ate at noon, etc.
