Intro
Spending time studying and rereading notes does not always create strong memories. When information feels random, abstract, or overloaded, the brain is far less likely to retain it.
Memory techniques can help make information easier to understand, organise, and recall. By reshaping information into patterns, images, stories, and connections, you give your brain more ways to retrieve it later.
In this article, we’ll run through some of the most effective memory techniques for studying, when to use them, how to use them, and how they combine with active recall and spaced repetition so you remember more of what you learn.
What are memory techniques?
Memory techniques are strategies that make information easier to encode, store, and recall.
Why memory techniques help you remember more
Memory improves when information is:
- organised
- meaningful
- visual
- connected to something you already know
That is why memory techniques work so well. Instead of trying to remember isolated facts, you turn information into something more structured, memorable, and easier to retrieve.
4 memory techniques to use while studying
1. Chunking
Chunking is a memory technique where you break a large piece of information into smaller, meaningful groups, so your brain has fewer units to hold at once. It helps working memory by reducing mental load and making recall easier.
Example: To remember 234567899420, chunk it as 2345 6789 9420 and recall the 3 groups instead of 12 separate digits.
Scientific study: How does chunking help working memory? found that chunking improved recall and reduced working-memory load. Read the study
2. Acronyms and acrostics
Acronyms and acrostics turn lists into memorable phrases.
Example: To remember the planets in order from the Sun, use the phrase My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Scientific study: The Impact of a Mnemonic Acronym on Learning and Performing a Procedural Task and Its Resilience Toward Interruptions found that using a mnemonic acronym improved learning of a sequential task and reduced learning time compared with learning without acronym support. Read the study
3. Visualisation
Visualisation means attaching an image to an idea. The stranger, more vivid, or more exaggerated the image, the easier it is to remember.
Example: To remember that you need to buy milk, eggs, and bananas, imagine cracking giant eggs into a carton of milk while slipping on a banana in the kitchen.
Scientific study: Mental-Imagery-Based Mnemonic Training: A New Kind of Cognitive Training found that mental-imagery-based mnemonic training significantly improved long-term memory-related task performance, with effects lasting up to one year. Read the study
4. The memory palace method
The memory palace method involves placing ideas in familiar locations, such as rooms in your home. It works especially well for ordered lists, speeches, definitions, or essay points.
Example: To remember the three branches of government, picture lawmakers debating in your hallway for the legislative branch, a president signing executive orders in your kitchen for the executive branch, and a judge delivering a ruling in your living room for the judicial branch.
Scientific study: Building a memory palace in minutes examined the Method of Loci as a way to improve serial recall. Read the study
Combine memory techniques with active recall and spaced repetition
Memory techniques help you encode information more effectively, but they work even better when combined with proven study methods:
- Use a memory trick to encode the information
- Use active recall to test yourself on it
- Use spaced repetition to review it over time
After using a mnemonic, visual image, or memory palace, test yourself with active recall and review it later with spaced repetition.