How to remember everything?

To remember the things which we come across, we can first get a gist of how human memory works.

First and foremost - what is a memory? Memory is the ongoing process of information retention over time - this is common definition for humans as well as machines.

These so called information are stored in synapses of our brain. Memories are stored in these synapses by the process of Memory Encoding which itself is a topic for another day. Memories that are formed basically gets associated acoustically, semantically, visually - in case of visiting a new place or meeting new people or elaboratively - use the existing knowledge you have towards the topic.

With lot of information being around us constantly being encoded into our memory, the evolution of human brain made the memories to be short-term memories - memories which our brain thinks it's not much important in the long run - something like an OTP which we just got during a transaction and long term memories - like our first love. Basically, an optimization that nature provides for the memory storage.

Once obtained and stored, memory can be retrieved from synapses through two methods - recall and recognition. But we tend to forget memories - this concept can be easily visualized by Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. Also, our chances of remembrance increases with how often we tend to remind ourselves about the memory - we don't forget the memories which we tend to share with others, for instance, sometimes when asked a specific question like, share some of the best moments in your childhood - not only the answer, but the words we choose to describe the memory also tend to remain the same.

With the knowledge about how memory works in human brain, here are few hacks that you can follow to boost up your memory power -

Just try to associate your memory with the things you already know. As the memories are stored associated with acoustically, semantically, visually or elaboratively, we can try and remember our memories with them - for example, when I learn new things - I associate it with the things that I already know and try to expand the knowledge around it elaboratively. There are some studies where students perform better when they are exposed to same mild music during classes, study and tests. Have you experienced a scenario when visiting a new place -  time tends to move slower? That's because, your brain tends to process the new information it gets and associates it visually.  

Constant reminders - no, not the reminders on your phone. We can take some time off the day to reflect about the new memories which we created on the day. As we say earlier by forgetting curve, the more we remind ourselves of the memory, better.

Rest your mind - this is the easy and most effective brain-boosting method. Take enough rest - sleep is essential part to make your memory operational. Most of us don't get enough sleep. Try to have a morning routine and a night routine which you could help you be not only get better sleep, but also towards a better day.

Exercise - Both physical and mental exercises pay a good sum towards your memory. Have an overall healthy lifestyle. As we know, our human brain is made up of 70-80% of water, keep it hydrated.

Focus  - Yes, just focus and pay attention - you can't remember things which you never had or never experienced. Most of us read books or watch a documentary to consume a content - but that's not enough for us to create memories and retrieve them.

Meditate - Studies across different times have shown the same results, just meditating decreases stress levels, allows us to have a better focus, reduces depression and anxiety, even rises our IQ. You can look at the below image of brain activity of a normal person and a constant meditator.

Practice - Of all the methods discussed here, take a method and start practicing it. Our memories tend to be malleable and will change over-time and that is perfectly normal. In most cases we don't need to remember everything and that's ok!

There are different memory techniques out there like memory palace which are some tricks we can use to create memories and store them for longer periods of time which could be a topic for another day!