# 5.2 Other memory techniques

Here are a few more techniques and tips for improving your memory.

## Mnemonics

- Stimulate your imagination to encourage your brain to make associations.
- Sentence/rhyme – put new words/ideas into full sentences or short rhymes to help you remember them.
- Acronyms – e.g. memorising the Great Lakes of North America with HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior).
- Memory palaces (aka the Roman Room technique) – linking something you know (your home) to new information through the use of imagination.

## Making learning more fun

- Teach others – teach your newly learned information to your colleagues, family members, a pet, or to yourself in the mirror!
- Play academic Trivial Pursuit or Pairs – write key words, ideas or concepts on blank cards. Put the key word on one card, and the explanation on another – then play with a friend, a group, or on your own.
- Use rhythm/melody – for those who are musical and can recall melodies or long lyrical sequences, matching this with revision can work. Try moving with the music or setting revision words to musical rhymes.

## Good to know

It sounds like a cliché, but maintaining a healthy diet, good sleeping pattern and regular exercise can also have a positive impact on memory.

Sleep is extremely important for transferring short-term memories into long-term memory.

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