In some situations of memory and learning, repetition and visualization are very helpful. The more times we repeat an action or verbally repeat things, we will better be able to remember them. This is why commercials and advertising are so repetitive. You can repeat almost any skill, and verbally repeat any data. Visualizing is used increasingly in professions to improve peak performance. You can replay in your head a time when you made a perfect golf stroke, played a piece on the piano without mistake, or confidently spoke in front of an audience. Visualizing can help you remember peak performance.

Association is another technique of memory. We recall information more easily if we can connect it with another thing we remember. An example of this is we may remember a new person's name if they share the same name with someone we already know. We can deliberately select association so we can remember better. If you want to remember where you parked your car, you might associate it with the lamp post it is near. But associations do not always have to make sense. Once in a class the students were asked on the first day to introduce themselves and also to name a vegetable that began with the same letter as their first name. Interestingly, it was easier to remember each other's names because you would first think of the vegetable, and then have the first letter of their name, which would help you to recall their name. Odd associations and strange events are easier to remember because they are different.

Grouping is a technique you can use to remember sets of things. For example, if you wish to memorize the names of all the states in the U.S.A., you might try to remember that there are four states that begin with the letter A, three that begin with the letter C, etc. to help you remember in more manageable amounts. This can also be done to remember such varied things as anatomical terms, learning a song, or what you need to do today (ex: 4 phone calls, 6 tasks).

These techniques will help you to improve your memory under many circumstances. Pause when you receive information you wish to retain. Learn to use review and repetition to your advantage. Write things down. Simplify routines and eliminate clutter. Group. Use association to link information to things you will remember.