Easy Way To Never Forget Anything Again

Did you know that most of us have memory a lot worse than our parents did in our age? Well, it's true. And this is because we have access to Internet 24/7 and often we don't need to remember anything because we can Google it at any time. But when it comes to things we cannot search on web, bad memory is something that can stand on your way to success. Think about awkward situations when you forget someones name, or a date of your wedding, or a time you need to be at an important meeting.

But the good news is now you can forget about forgetting things. This simple technique we will tell you about is widely used by successful contestants of IQ shows to remember zillions of facts. This technique is called spaced repetition.

The SRS (Spaced Repetition System) is a presentation method that gives you the information before you would forget it and makes sure that it stays constantly fresh in your mind. For example, when you're learning a new language and trying to remember many new words. With spaced repetition you might see a word a few minutes after the first time, then a few days later, then a few weeks later etc. always at the time you need to see it most to make sure it is constantly fresh in your mind. Unlike the old good flashcard system when you have a word on one side of a card and its translation on the other - SPS uses 21st century technology to make remembering it easier while considering the time dimension.

How It Works?

We all know that we have short-term and long-term memory. You can remember anything like a phone number or a history fact if you try hard enough for a few minutes. But in a day or two you will forget the bigger part. That is how short-term memory works.

But if you will constantly repeat it, it will go to your long-term memory and stay there for a really long time or even forever. Think about your own phone number or an address of a house where you grew up. You've repeated them so many times that you will remember them many years ahead.

But the thing is, the short-term memory and long-term memory are not different things. Everything that now lives in your long-term memory started in short-term memory.

Think of repetition as watering. Massed repetition is like watering a plant over and over all at once, and then failing to do so for months. Spaced repetition is like watering the plant once a week for a period of months.

 

What To Do?

A century of scientific research has shown that the very best way to space repetition of material in the service of efficient, long-term learning is in fact to water memories just before they’re about to shrivel, and with gaps that increase with time. Optimally, we want to revisit a new memory roughly after a minute, five minutes, an hour, a day, a week, a month, three months, a year: always catching the memory just before it expires.

In other words, if you are a busy person and need to commit something to memory, you should space out the repetitions to improve retention.

To use this technique properly and effectively is, of course, using smartphones and computers. There are a number of programs available. Anki for example. It is free. Anki uses an algorithm to predict when you need to be re-exposed to a flashcard for optimal retention. After each quiz question, if you say that one was easy, it won't be introduced for a long time, but if you were stumped, then it'll ask it again in a few minutes, until you've got it. This means that the more times you review a card the greater the time interval until the next review. Anki not only helps space the cards appropriately (though I’m sure the algorithm is not perfect) it helps the learner stay disciplined so that you focus on your weaknesses and learn the cards you need to learn.

Also, you can either download or create your own sets of flashcards. This means you can create cards with names of your colleagues or important dates you seem to forget often.

In business, names and facts about people you meet and work with - help to build relationships. And relationships really help in building career. If you will remember (and use) name and a few facts about everyone you work with - believe me, colleagues will love you. Plus, with this system you can easily remember a couple of phrases, quotes or even speeches, so you can talk with anyone for any given topic.