Memory Blog
Memory techniques and articles from two times Australian memory champion Anastasia Woolmer.
You are not stuck with the memory you have now.
Free Webinar: How to remember names
Struggling to remember names? People often think they are naturally bad at remembering names. The good news is that anyone can improve their memory for names. You just need to know and practice the memory techniques that memory athletes use. I will be sharing the...
How to remember phone numbers
If you are like many people, you probably don’t remember many phone numbers. I mean, why do we need to anymore? In a convenient world with smartphones and the internet it can feel like there is no need to memorise anything. However, there are good reasons. One is...
For exam success, use a memory palace
Ace your exams When it comes to preparing for exams, a memory palace can be your best friend. They serve as mental filing systems, aiding in information retention and help your brain organise your learning. This blog is aimed at an intermediate level, so if you yet...
Join the next Memory Workshop in Brisbane!
(click to book into the next open event) Unlock the Potential of Your Memory: If you've ever wanted a...
Remember Ballet Terminology
Memory techniques that help teachers help students remember Being able to remember ballet terminology and syllabus is no small feat (pardon the pun). French ballet terms need to be learnt together with the intricacies of the syllabus exercises, tempo and style. This...
Unlocking the power of memory: at any age
Fun Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp as You Grow Older Aging is inevitable. As my husband says, it sure beats the alternative. But a gradual decline in our health and faculties as we age is not entirely ‘inevitable’. We can do something about it, in fact we can do a lot...
Remember numbers using memory techniques
There’s a reason phone numbers are made as short as possible. We struggle to remember more than around 7 digits*, so a new phone number is just within our capacity to quickly remember. But we all can use simple memory techniques that make it easy to memorise phone...
Memory hacks to remember your next holiday
Looking back on holiday snaps can be a great hook to bring back more memories. They can act a bit like a memory palace where you can retrieve lots of other information. But be careful, you want to make sure that you are not just reliving the one moment in the photo....
Memory Improvement Cram School
Memory Improvement Cram School I’m excited to announce I am considering adding Cram School to the list of services offered to students. The Memory Improvement Cram School idea is in response to the number of enquiries I get around learning memory techniques and...
Memorise new words, memorise a dictionary
This blog is for me to organise my thoughts on the why and how of a new potential project – memorise new words and learn the Macquarie Dictionary. 😊 Ok, why memorise a dictionary? I’ve been considering for a while not just to memorise new words but a whole dictionary....
Memorise detailed information faster – a memory training example
Memory techniques can substantially speed up how quickly you can remember new information, its like a brain hack. No more rote learning, yippee! Once you master how it works it becomes easier and quicker the more you use it. If you want to memorise fast, read on! I...
Neuroscience and memory
Neuroscience and Memory Athletes - Neuroscientists are discovering more about what happens when our brain revisits a memory. Their findings are right on target with what memory athletes do on purpose when memorising. We ‘deposit new information into folders’ – by...
The inevitable decline of aging – just say no
I’m turning 45 this year. I have 3 teenage kids. I often feel there are not enough hours in the week to do everything I want to do. Not enough time to spend looking after and nurturing myself. I am fit enough, I eat fairly well and I can certainly remember information...
Keeping your memory sharp – how to minimise age related memory decline
As people age their memory often declines. But it is not inevitable. Here I discuss the problem, likely causes and suggested strategies to combat it. Memory often declines with age There is no doubt that memory generally declines with age. Aging is linked to...
Making the jump from simple lists to useful stuff
Using Memory Techniques to actually improve your life. There is a common pattern I see with many people first learning memory techniques – joy followed by despair. First there is a honeymoon period where learners feel they have stumbled on the elixir of memory. Joy....
Memory Palaces – Long term vs Short term
Recently I was on the ABC podcast “All in The Mind” with Sana Qadar. You can listen to "The making of a magnificent memory" here. One of the topics we touched on was learning for short vs long term using memory techniques. In this blog I expand on some differences in...
Memorizing terminology for movement
Different learning objectives need different mnemonic strategies. Which one to use depends on what you are learning and your own best learning method. Regardless of if you are memorizing terminology for movement, foreign language vocabulary, or anything else, it can...
Can I re-use a memory palace?
Memory palaces are fantastic for toolkits for your brain, but for those who are new to them, sometimes they can be a little confusing. I’m often asked: ‘How do you re-use memory palaces over and not getting confused with old information?’ and ‘How can I stop my memory...
What you want to remember, faster – The survey results are in!
The survey results have been collated for the upcoming workshop in October. I asked what you would most like to remember faster - with 0 meaning no interest and 10 as yes please. The results surprised me. ‘How to remember for work’ is the clear winner for the October...
Movement and memory – how to remember movement faster
I get a lot of questions from students asking if they can use mnemonic techniques to improve their ability to remembering movement. Exercise is good for your memory. But is memory good for exercise? Can we use memory techniques to improve our ability to remember...
How to improve your memory besides learning memory techniques
The number one tip memory tip is to practice memory techniques that exercise your cognitive skills. Even 15 minutes of daily practice can make a major improvement in memory and cognitive ability. But there are many other areas in our life that can have an important...
Exercise and Memory
Training your memory is obviously a mental exercise, right? Hit the study, head down. In fact, that’s not the whole story. The learning and memory benefits of exercise have been well documented in numerous medical studies. It is a fact that regular aerobic exercise...
How to remember a speech in a flash (without the flash cards)
Look forward to your next speech Being confident to speak publicly from memory is an empowering skill. It isn’t hard to memorise long speeches, once you know how. Remembering speeches or a block of writing simply requires the use of a few well-known memory techniques....
How to make and use memory palaces
In this blog we explore memory palaces, their usefulness and how to make them. Memory palaces are one of the most powerful memory techniques, are fun to use and are surprisingly easy to make. What is a Memory Palace? A Memory Palace is a place you know or can imagine,...
How to remember a list of words
A long list of words is probably the best place to start when beginning memory training. While it might appear too simple, practicing this technique is a great exercise for sharpening your memory abilities. Remember that people train in Pilates or Yoga because it...
2018 IAM Australian Memory Competition – What I learned.
Sickness stopped me, and why its not all bad. I am going to get to learn lots of fun stuff, just because I can. At first I was really disappointed I couldn’t compete in the 2018 IAM Australian Memory Competition, held in November. About two days before the competition...
Asia Memory Championship 2018
What can I say about the mental marathon that was the 2018 Asia Memory Championships? The Championships were held in Singapore in September 2018 . It was a great honour to represent Australia as the current Australian Memory Champion and being my first international...
How to remember names and faces
A guide to the basics. Do the names of people you meet blur together? Remembering names is a powerful skill. In fact the most common memory complaint I hear is “I’m so bad at remembering names”. Before training in these memory techniques I used to be one of those...
Why memory techniques are not just a gimmick
Memory athletes and the one year itch. Argh! Did I do this all for nothing? When I first started memory training I felt exhilarated. Suddenly I knew how to quickly remember large amounts of data of any type. Enter the “I’m a genius” honeymoon period. I could remember...
Alzheimers, Dementia, Dance and Memory.
Research strongly supports the hypothesis that dance can help ward off Alzheimers disease and other dementia illness. Studies also find that at any age dance improves cognitive acuity and neural connectivity - see my blog Exercise and Memory. "A thorough...