| A. Practice more! B. Watch how others do it. C. But self-belief is often an even bigger factor. D. Now, the record is 37 packs-in just one hour. E. Experiment with a range of creative memory techniques. F. People always limit their abilities for lack of confidence. |
Expect More from Your Memory
How many African countries can you remember? Try to say as many as you can before reading on
There are 54 countries in Africa. If you got them all, well done! Hardly anyone does, of course. But most people could have gotten more than they did. Motivation is a big part of memory. Be honest: if there had been a big prize of this task, wouldn't you have pushed yourself a bit more? And, since most people don't expect much from their memory, they limit their chances of success from the word go.
Not everyone, though. When people get competitive about memory, they do amazing things. Back in the 1980s, I broke a world record by memorizing six packs of playing cards. Psychologist Carol Dweck popularized the "growth mindset" -the belief that you can keep improving your abilities, with commitment. Here are four ways to use that approach.
Step 1: Admit what you're good at. Think about the things that you remember with ease. There's no reason why your memory can't work that well all the time.
Step 2: Notice people who seem to have a clever trick for names, or manage to hold their to-do list in their head. See if you can spot some of their secrets.
Step 3: Find ways to get better. Any information can be made more memorable by organizing it effectively, and using your imagination.
Step 4: Practise: Take every opportunity to use your memory. Stretch it a little each day by setting yourself challenges.
Now, go back to the challenge at the beginning. Push yourself to do better, and really believe that you can.
