Some of the memory training tips that I can give you are very simple and others are a little bit more involved. Let’s start off with the basics.
1. Sleep is critical for your memory. When I competed in the World Memory Championships in 2009, I was incredibly sleep deprived. The event was in London and I was fighting jet lag in a serious way. I can memorize a deck of cards in about 1 minutes and 30 seconds fairly routinely. However, in the event for ‘How many cards can you recall in one hour?’ I didn’t get one pack! I was so tired; I got very sleepy and made a series of mistakes that cost me any decent score at all. Sleep, sleep and sleep!
2. Good nutrition and exercise are keys to a top-performing memory. There are specific foods that will help your memory, such as spinach and blueberries because of their antioxidants. Omega-3 fish oil pills are also helpful to your memory.
3. Trust your memory! One of the best tips I received from World Memory Champion Ben Pridmore was to trust my memory. I would tell him that I could memorize a deck of cards in about 2 minutes and I wanted to get faster. His advice to me was to trust my memory more. He said, ‘Go faster and just trust that your memory will remember it.’ That was precious advice to me as I became the national memory champion.
4. Stop negative self-talk! I hear so many people say, ‘I am terrible with names,’ ’I am a bad test taker,’ ’My memory is terrible.’ STOP THAT! STOP THAT! What you tell yourself about your memory will make a difference! Instead, say, ‘I find it easy to remember names and faces,’ ‘I have a good memory,’ ‘I am a good test taker.’ Yes, I know, it sounds as corny as all get-out, but it works. Are you more concerned about sounding corny or getting results?
5. Learn the memory method of loci, also known as the journey method. My memory system, Memory in a Month, explains this in a very straightforward way and, in my humble opinion, is one of the best memory training products on the market.
So there you have it—a few memory training tips that should help you to improve your memory. My goal is that you see dramatic improvement in your memory power and in turn I know it will impact your self-confidence and every area of your life