TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

• Tell yourself to remember. When you first learn a person's name, for example, tell yourself, "remember that". This signals your unconscious mind to rank this input higher in importance.
• Know why you want to remember something. For example, to remember a person, think about how that person will be important to you in the future. If you want to remember fact about something, think about how you'll will need them someday.
• Visualize the future. Imagine where you'll see a person next, and anything you notice about them. Use this with the last technique. The additional associations will set the memory more firmly in your brain.
• Retrace your steps. When you forget something, like where you put your keys, you probably retrace your steps. This works, but try it in your mind, as if you were watching yourself from a distance. This can help keep you from blanking out parts of your route, as you did when you first set the keys down.
• Plan your memory. When you set down the keys on the chair, see yourself walking in and setting the keys on the chair. You could also quickly imagine someone asking where you put them and you answering "on the chair." You'll remember where they are if you do this.