Remember the Important Element by Associating It With the Action
I forget almost everything about the physical things that I need to take with me from my apartment to another place. I have at least a dozen umbrellas to prove this fact. I know it will rain, I plant one at the door to take with me when I leave, and then I get to the center and realize that I have forgotten about it.
Recently, researchers at Baycrest Health Services in Toronto discovered a new way of remembering these often forgotten items: by linking them to something else. A group of scientists published an article in the journal “ Memory and Knowledge”.
This is a strategy called “pooling”. The researchers hope to use this technique with dementia patients.
Basically, the idea is to think about what you need to remember and associate that with action. This will anchor the thing in your memory and make it more likely that you will remember it when you need it.
The study was conducted with the participation of 80 people aged 61 to 88 years. The results of this (albeit small) group showed that linking an action to a task makes people more likely to memorize than any other traditional memorization technique.
The Telegraph reported on the study this week and suggested several options to try. For example, the thought of your umbrella stuck in a door lock may remind you to take it with you when you go to open the door later. Thinking about your dog blocking the door at work, you may want to remember to bring dog food home.
When an action is specifically related to a thing, you are more likely to remember what you need to do and therefore make it possible.