From: Lifehack - Monday Apr 16, 2018 05:23 pm
Are you good at remembering names? It almost seems like you're either really good at it, or just completely hopeless. I used to be in the second category. I'd be in countless situations where someone would introduce themselves to me, and within the next heartbeat, I would completely forget their name. It was like my mind was a blank slate. Does that ever happen to you? It was so embarrassing that I tried to overcome it by repeating the person's name over and over in my head instead. How well did it work? As you can probably imagine, not very well at all! Because I would forget the person's name the second I stopped repeating it... usually when the next person introduced themselves to me! Looking back, it was a consequence of misunderstanding the way my brain worked. Since a young age, we are taught to learn a lot of things by rote memorization. Like our multiplication tables, historical dates, or scientific facts. It ends up becoming a default pattern, continuing all the way until we're adults. The problem is, our brains aren't built to store information that way. Instead, our brains are designed to make connections. This is also how we really remember different things. The more connections we make, the better we remember something. It's directly linked to how we learn and experience our world. No surprise then, that the more deeply we learn something, the better we also end up remembering it. Like riding a bike - it's why you never really forget after you've learned it. So back to remembering names. I was able to overcome this particular challenge by changing my strategy. It started by changing my perspective. Instead of trying to memorize a person's name, I decided to learn their name instead. It was a small but important distinction. Because when you learn something, you have an intention in mind - and that intention is able to stimulate your brain to form all sorts of connections and patterns. So I formulated a specific method which I was able apply to not only remembering names, but also to other things - like remembering what I read or watched. It's helped me to retain a lot more knowledge than I ever could before. I describe the technique in this article: The Only Way to Remember Everything You Have Read I hope this little tip can give a boost to your brain. I this is helpful, please send your feedback! Would love to hear your thoughts or experiences. Best, - Leon
