Matthew Welp's Blog: Being your own teacher and the nuances of memory

One key component to improving memory is to realize that one can use logic and reason as tools to make memory function better.

Example Question:
When was the last time you drank milk?

This does not immediately pop into my head. This is the journey I personally went on to jog my memory.

Thought Process:
Visualize myself drinking a glass of milk
Think of the usual times and places that I would drink milk.
Consider if I feel like I just had milk or if I feel like it’s been a while.
Ask myself questions about specific details
-Did I pour it myself or did someone pour it for me?
-Was it particularly cold or warm?
-What were the drink options, and why did I choose milk?
-What did the cup look like?
-Was anyone with me when I drank the milk?
-Did I eat anything at the same time?
-What did I do with the cup when I was done?


There are a near infinite number of strategies and techniques one could use. This is just what I did. Any query into memory is like a puzzle to be solved. You have to have the mindset that the information is there, and you are like a detective that has to figure out how to get to it. Memory has to be navigated like a maze to get where you want to go. This process can take a long time at first. Practice makes it happen faster. It should eventually become a habit for the mind to do it on its own. If one gets good enough at it, then they’ll start doing it as part of everyday life. That's the tipping point.

A lot of people would describe their minds as cluttered and disorganized.

If you were given the task of finding a specific item in a messy room, then it would take a long time and would probably be frustrating. If this happened once, then nothing would really change. If you had to continue finding items in that room on a regular basis, though, then eventually you would just clean the room so that things could be found more easily.

I believe the same thing can happen with our memories. If we spend time and effort trying to remember things, then behind the scenes our mind will start to organize itself better so that it will take less time and effort the more often we do it.

Let's say you are with a friend and that friend asks what you did last Saturday. You only have a few seconds to find the information in your memory. If you take longer than that, then it halts the conversation. If you are a person who believes they have a weak memory, then while this is going on your mind is generating negative self-talk: "My memory is so terrible" "I just don't want to embarrass myself" etc... It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Now, let's say you are on your own and try to remember all that you can about last Saturday. This is much more relaxed. And it is much more in-depth. You could spend an hour thinking about it if you really wanted to. You could even think about it for a while in the morning, let your subconscious work away at it during the day, and come back to it in the evening. Doing memory exercises like this gets those neurons firing and can strengthen memory so that it becomes easier when you do use it as part of everyday life.