Sharp Memory Factors

Sharp Memory Factors

If someone was to read a list of words to you, it’s most unlikely that you will remember all the words in the list. You’ll be able to recall most of the words at the beginning, some at the middle, and a few at the end. These effects are known as primacy (words at the beginning) and recency (words at the end). The only way that a normal person can effectively recall all of the words in the list, is if he applies a mnemonic technique to help him remember. You’ll also find that it’s easier to recall a word if it’s repeated several times in the list, or if it’s related to the other words in any way, or if it stands out among the other words (for example, the word “ruby” will stand out from a list of vegetables).

To take advantage of your primacy and recency, you must find a middle ground. If you are doing something that requires a lot of thinking and you do this non-stop for hours, you’ll find that the dip in the recall between the primacy and recency can be quite considerable.

If, on the other hand, you stop to take breaks too often, your brain will not really reach its primacy because it keeps on getting interrupted. In a more practical application, instead of continuously studying or working for hours, you might want to try pausing and resting after 30-50 minutes of working, just to give your brain time to refresh itself and to maximize the time when your primacy and recency are balanced.
Contrary to popular belief, being smart is not synonymous to having a good memory or good retention. You don’t have to force yourself to study and understand more in order to improve your memory; the key is actually in your lifestyle, your attitude, your diet, and your habits.

Dealing With Paper And Interruptions

Getting Organized: Dealing With Paper And Interruptions

Daily, almost hourly it seems we get battered with messaged and demands on bits of paper. if that isn’t bad enough, the phone is constantly going off forcing you to stop and re-start tasks.

How are you expected to get things done with all of these forces working against you? In this

article we will look at ways to keep the interruptions to a minimum while you try to sort your life out. Most of us get something in the mail nearly everyday. If it isn’t junk, it is bills or other things that need our attention.

The highly organized person will check through their mail everyday and tackle those things immediately. Most of us just stuff it all in the drawer and wish it would go away. Something you can try is to get a small wicker or plastic basket. Make a deal with yourself. Put all of your mail in this small container and leave it. However, there are 2 conditions.

The mail must still be visible and once the container is full you need to go through everything

and tackle what needs to be done. This is effective for a few reasons. It does force you to look at your mail on a fairly regular basis. It also keeps it in a safe location so it is not cluttering up your house or office. Finally, keeping it visible will remind you it is there so it doesn’t fall into the out of sight out of mind trap.

How many times have you set aside time to do things only to be interrupted by a constant barrage of phone calls. The more times you have to stop and re-start a task the less likely it will get done. The best thing to do is set aside some time to return phone calls. If the phone keeps ringing, let it ring. Let your answering machine do its job. If you like you can even put a message for callers stating you are otherwise engaged and will return calls at this time.

It is important not to let outside forces stop you from getting your tasks done. The more times you have to restart the less likely you will finish. By keeping the mail in a safe place and setting aside time to return phone calls, you can devote your time where you need to, getting your life sorted out.

Getting Organized: Finding Those Keys

Getting Organized: Finding Those Keys

Small objects are easy to misplace and lose. This is likely most true of our keys. How often have you been ready to head out the door and are stopped in your tracks because you cannot find your keys. You turn the place up and down for hours until you locate them in the last place you had left them. We can all relate to this because it has likely happened at some point in our lives.

This problem is quite easy to overcome with a little practice and formation of new habits. If you’re in a position that requires you to have a beeper then you’re in a really good position to

never lose your keys again. If you simply attach your beeper to your keeps, they next time you misplace them, activate your beeper. When the sound goes off you should be able to find your keys quite quickly. This can work for other small objects as well.

If you don’t own a beeper then there are other things that you can try. Simply try putting a box for keys up so it is visible. Place near to the front or main entrance to your house, so it is the first thing you see as you come in and leave. Get into the habit of putting your keys in the box. Once you do it a few times it should start to become habit forming.

If you find your continually forgetting to put your keys in the box. Then some extra reinforcement might be needed. Get a roll of quarters, at least 20. Every time you put your keys in the box place a quarter in as well. Once you have done something 20 times it usually becomes a habit.

However, if it still isn’t sticking in your memory empty the quarters and start again. The quarters will serve as an extra reminder of where to put your keys until the habit is formed. No one needs expensive equipment or software to organize and remember. All you need are

simple devices and time to try to form new habits. Practice makes perfect and before you know it, you’ll never be searching for those keys again.

Remembering All Those Little Things

Remembering All Those Little Things

How many times have you gotten home from work and realized you had forgotten to do some important chore? By the time you realized it, it is too late is has to be put off until another day. How many times have you forgotten to do something because, it was scheduled months prior but when the date roles around, you have completely forgotten about it. This happens to all of us at some point in our lives. We get caught up in the daily grind of life and our routines so anything that happen outside of that runs a great risk of getting missed. In this article we will look at some ways to remind yourself of those little day to day chores and errands and to help remind your self of those events coming up in the next few months.

Many of us need just reminding to do those chores and errands after work. There are various things you can try. You don’t need to invest loads of money in expensive software or hire a PA. You can do it with things you likely have in your home. The most basic tool is the little notebook and pen. Make sure you have this with you at all times and jot down those things you need to do that day. Always have it in your pocket as a reminder. Try to stay away from little scraps of paper. These frequently get lost making them useless.

If you have email or voice mail on your computer, try sending yourself messages. This is easy to do and takes just seconds. You can also set it up to send you messages while you are at work. Finally, if you have an answering machine in your home, phone it and leave yourself a reminder message. This is one of the first things we do when we arrive in our homes is check our messages. Should you forget during the day but are reminded as soon as you walk in. you may still have time to complete the chore that day.

Finally, what can you do about those dates that are due to come up in the future? Again, leave the high tech stuff alone. All you need is a small box and some index cards. Section the cards off according to month and label cards clearly with dates that something needs to be completed by.

This is an excellent system for remembering those doctors and dentist appointments that are months away or some bill or other financial obligation. By using these simple tips. The chances of you forgetting any important matters will greatly decrease.

Getting Organized: Directions, Warranties, Receipts

Getting Organized: Directions, Warranties, Receipts

How many times has something broken in your home? If your normal, likely loads. Many times items can be repaired but you have no idea where you left the assembly instructions. Without these, even with the replacement part, the item is now useless. This means it needs to be thrown out and replaced with something new. This wastes money and resources.

This happens also with items that cannot be repaired. How many times have you bought something and got it home to find it was broken. Either that or it breaks within its warranty period. The problem comes when you have no idea where the receipt or warranty evidence is. Again, this results in good money being wasted. A good thing you may want to try is designating a drawer or cupboard to these types of items.

Warranties and directions will fit nicely into kitchen drawers making them easy to locate. Receipts should be first placed in a large sized envelope and then placed in the drawer. Everything should be clearly labeled including the drawer itself. If at all possible. Do not put anything else in that drawer or things will start to get lost.

Having the ability to find these things quickly will save a lot of time and heartache. The kitchen makes the perfect place because it is one of the most frequently used rooms in the house. Nearly everyone in the family will go in there at one point of another during the day, and having that drawer clearly labeled will constantly remind family members where those documents, you never thought you would need are located.

Keeping documents safe and in a visible place is a great idea for keeping the home organized. Using a kitchen drawer will keep things out of the way but serve as a constant reminder where those needed documents are.

Organize Yourself And Your Children

Organize Yourself And Your Children

Despite the many advancements of today’s world, many of us still do not know how to shop properly. We always leave the store with to much or too little. Buying too much means that some could possibly spoil, wasting money. Buying to little means another trip to the store, wasting fuel. The answer to this problem seems simple, make a list. However, you need to put time into shopping lists or the wrong things get purchased.

Before you get that pencil and paper put, put your self into the correct room, the kitchen. As your making your list, you can actually check through and see what you are getting low on. You can see if certain items need to be replenished or if they can wait another week. A good, accurate list will keep unnecessary items from being bought and needed items from being forgotten.

Paperwork, for some reason seems hard to part with. Not many of us get emotionally attached to documents, but we fear the day we may need that particular document for reference. The first thing you should do is get everything into stacks. Take everything out such as passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates and tax returns. Put your stacks into boxes and put the date of 1 year from today on the top. If the year passes and you not had to look in the box, chuck it. You won’t likely need it.

Finally, our lovely children can be organizational nightmares. Getting them off to school alone can be a mammoth task. Something that may help is a large plastic or wicker laundry basket. Before your children go to bed make them fill that basket with everything they need for the next day. All of their gym clothes, books etc. Whatever they are going to need to get them through the day. This will make the items easy to access making the whole morning go faster. It will also teach your child responsibility and organizational skills. By implementing these tips, you life and the life of your children can be organized and much

less stressful.