One of the exercises in my Entrepreneurial Master’s Program at MIT was to select one thing for the whole year to focus on that would make a huge difference in your life.
I chose meditation which took me four years to make that one thing happen.
This year, the one thing I want to focus on is to improve my memory.
I’m currently taking a Science of Life & Breath Meditation course and for the past five weeks, the teacher (an older gentlemen in his sixties) has asked us to memorize pages and pages of lessons.
Impossible! Well, that’s what I thought to myself.
I’ve always thought that my memory was and will always be sub-par.
I think he overheard my self-talk and smy teacher said “If I can do it. . . YOU can do it.”
So in the pursuit of learning, I read Jim Kwik’s book Limitless and realized that just like meditation, greatly improving your memory can be achieved with deliberate practice.
Here are six tactics that I learned to improve memory:
1. Link the items you want to remember. Create a story around the items you want to remember. In Limitless, Jim shows us how to memorize the first 10 items in the periodic table (forward and backward!) WOW
2. Place the items you want to remember in a familiar environment. Read Memory Palace
3. Listen to Baroque music. I’ve downloaded Spotify playlists and have begun listening to it daily while I’m actively memorizing content.
4. Evoke your sense of smell. Put peppermint or rosemary oil on your wrists. Smell evokes memories!
5. Eat a brain-healthy diet including:
- Avocado
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Coconut oil
- Eggs
- Green leafy vegetables
- Salmon
- Turmeric
- Walnuts
- Dark Chocolate
Tip: Order farm fresh Farmers Market
6. Drink plenty of water! Your brain and body are about 75% water Several studies show that well-hydrated people score better on brainpower tests.
Here’s a link to Jim Kwik’s Limitless Food Recipes which includes an amazing easy brain smoothie!
Do have a good memory? How do you keep your brain fit?
Have a great week!
Xoxo
Kalika