Copyright
© 2012 by Sandra David
ISBN 9781456611439
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photographic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or in any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author or publisher, except where permitted by law.
Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of any copyrighted materials in any form. To do so is a violation of the author’s rights.
Terms of Use
Any information provided in this book is through the author’s interpretation. The author has done strenuous work to reassure the accuracy of this subject. If you wish you attempt any of the practices provided in this book, you are doing so with your own responsibility. The author will not be held accountable for any misinterpretations or misrepresentations of the information provided here.
All information provided is done so with every effort to represent the subject, but does not guarantee that your life will change. The author shall not be held liable for any direct or indirect damages that result from reading this book.
Contents
Introduction
From the Inside Out – Diet and Exercise
Check Your Stress at the Door
Mnemonic Devices
Names, Places and Numbers
More Simple Memory Tricks
Brain Boosting Exercises
Introduction to Speed Reading
Speed Reading Basics
Breaking Bad Reading Habits
Conclusion
Introduction
Ever walked into a room and then could not remember why?
Ever gone to the store with a short list and realize when you get home that you have forgotten one or two things?
Do you struggle to remember names of the people that you just met?
That is awkward, especially in a work setting, is it not?
Is the only way you can remember phone numbers is to write them down?
Memory is a tricky thing. We might not remember what we ate for breakfast, but we can recall down to the last detail something that may have happened a week ago.
Some people seem to have a flawless memory, pulling up facts with ease about events from the past.
Granted, some people are wired to remember things easier, and so they can easier recall their memories while others have to think about it for a lot longer.
From remembering the groceries, to remembering meetings at work, our minds are always full of things that we must remember.
Some people have to write everything down, something that the digital age has helped with greatly, but still, it is time consuming to have to write everything down.
Thankfully, our brain is a mini supercomputer, and we can learn to improve our memory. We will help you learn some easy ways to learn how to improve your memory, so that you rely less and less on scribbled notes.
Better memory will help you in both your work and your home life.
Our brains are amazing, thanks to neuroplasticity, our brain is able to adapt to changes including, forming new neural pathways, alter existing connections and react and adapt to many situations, especially stimuli.
That is what we are going to be going over, to use the brain’s natural ability to improve your memory skills.
Another aspect that we will go into for improvement is your reading speed.
We all know somebody who is done reading before the rest of us are even half-way through.
How can they do that? Are they pretending or do they really read that fast and do they retain what they have read?
The answer is that yes, they do read that fast and yes, they retain what they have read.
We will go over techniques to help improve your reading speed and retention as well.
Do not just wish you had the ability, unlock it.
From the Inside Out – Diet and Exercise
Before we go into the tips, tricks and exercises to improve your memory, you first need to make sure that your body is properly prepped for learning.
There is a very strong mind/body connection in humans and so what effects one, will affect the other.
Therefore, you want to improve one, you must also improve the other.
Do not worry, we are not talking about anything extensive or intensive, just some overall changes that will make it easier for you to learn new things, improve your memory and your overall health.
We will start with sleep. It is essential, we all need it, but we rarely seem to get enough, especially if you have a busy home life and work life that you are trying to juggle.
When we sleep, our brains are not overloaded with information from all five senses; our brains use that time to sort through, review, and store the information in the appropriate areas of our brain.
Furthermore, during our deepest stages of sleep is when the most memory-enhancing activity occurs.
When we are running low on sleep, we are not operating at our best; our abilities are diminished; especially in the areas of critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and our attention span.
When we get enough sleep, our brains will have small changes, those pathways necessary to remember things.
The more sleep we get, the stronger those pathways are, the better our memory.
Feeling groggy in the middle of the day?
If possible, opt for a short nap, around 10 minutes or so, instead of that afternoon caffeine.
Physical exercise is another part of keeping mentally fit. When you exercise, it increases the blood flow to all areas of the body, including the brain.
With increased blood flow, is increased oxygen flow, and that will improve your health, and your ability to learn.
Try to get between 15-30 minutes of exercise a day. You can take walks at lunchtime, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or even just do some basic
