Best ways to improve memory

The most useful memory habits are to focus while learning, test yourself from memory, and protect time for sleep and exercise.

• Focus and alertness: Give the material your attention when you’re learning it; alertness helps you focus and begin forming memories. Exercise can support alertness, whether it’s a brisk walk or another activity that raises your arousal level. 1
• Self-test instead of only rereading: Try recalling information without looking, and let yourself reach the point where you can’t remember. Then check the answer and reinforce it. Making errors during retrieval can help strengthen learning. 2
• Repeat what you want to retain: Reciting or practicing information repeatedly strengthens the neural connections involved in that memory. 3
• Sleep after learning: Sleep supports the rest and consolidation needed for learning to take hold; occasional poor sleep isn’t presented as catastrophic, but consistently shortchanging sleep is discouraged. 4
• Build a regular exercise and meditation practice: Exercise supports learning in part by raising alertness. A study discussed in the episode found memory and attention benefits from 13 minutes of daily meditation after eight weeks—not four. 5 6