The Hindu Business Line : Three steps to a better memory

Pay attention. That's the first of the three steps to take hold of your memory's reins and steer the wagon, says Frank Felberbaum in The Business of Memory, from Rodale (www.rodalebooks.co.uk).

"Walk into every important event with your eyes open and your brain on alert. You'll learn to notice key people, facts, and concepts," instructs the author. "Your mind can operate with all the power of a laser — but you have to focus your brain and bring your mental energy to bear. If you pay attention to the people you meet, the facts you learn, and the words you read, you'll be astounded at how rapidly your concentration grows."

The second step is visualising, to convert the experience to a form that can be stored. Because "once you convert an item into a visual memory, you're far more likely to retain the memory." To get more from your mind's eye, take care not to push, advises Felberbaum. "The fastest way to short-circuit a visual memory is to force it. Instead, encourage your mind to play freely, following its own natural curiosity. Think of the images you're seeking as shy, wild creatures. If you chase after them, they'll run away. If you become calm and receptive, you allow them to come to you."

And the final step is association; that is, connecting the experience to other information. "We remember information that means something to us — and forget information that doesn't. Connecting new data to facts, feelings, and ideas to which we already feel connected is the key to remembering what we learn." Association is the process of creating a pattern, explains the author. "Your brain loves making patterns." All the three steps are not compartments but work together, forming a synergy in the process.

The book also speaks of `the four zones of information'. These are people, spoken, numerical, and written.

A book you shouldn't forget to read!

The most important aspect of people info is remembering names. And you can do more, by incorporating other details about people.

"Many people seem to think that the less you know, the better your memory will work, simply because there are fewer facts to recall. In fact, the opposite is true: The more you know, the easier it is to remember everything."

How so? "Each additional piece of information can give you access to the rest... If you create a vivid circle of information around a person's name and face, with each fact and image connected to every other one, you'll find that the total picture jumps into your mind whenever you think of any part of it... ."

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