Memory Exercises to Improve Recall at Work

When we actively recall/retrieve information our brains put a little hashtag on it: #useful. And those tags compound with more retrievals. In addition, memories are best strengthened if they are retrieved just before we forget them. This means that the time between retrievals should increase with each one. Furthermore, the fewer cues we are given for recall increases the likelihood of making more associations between new information and prior knowledge. As such, learners can think analogously & apply concepts across contexts. Strategy 1: Use low stakes formative assessments as retrieval practice to enhance memory retention. Strategy 2: Incrementally increase the space between retrieval practice to maximize the effect. Strategy 3: Gradually increase the complexity of retrieval practice using the three types of recall to enhance depth of understanding. 3-4 of these retrieval events will suffice at about 15 minutes per. 🧠 Go for recall over recognition:  Don’t use multiple choice questions as a summative assessment because in the real world they won’t be given a set of options where one is the correct answer. Learners being forced to generate the information is more effective. Free recall is more effective than cued recall and recognition, though it’s prudent for learners to work their way up from recognition to recall. 🔠 Make sure the context and mode of retrieval is varied:  Mix it up. One day they post a video. Next, have them write something. The Later, have them create a diagram or map, etc. Generating information in multiple modes is even more powerful than being presented information in multiple representations. What’s more, this also goes for practicing related information in varying combinations. See Interleaving. 🌉 Make sure retrieval practice is properly scaffolded and elaborative:  Go from concrete to abstract, simple to complex, easy to difficult; from questions to answer to problems to solve. Each retrieval event along the curve should be increasingly more involved to create a Desirable Difficulty. See also Bruner's Spiraling Curriculum & Reigeluth’s Elaboration Theory. 💡 Push creation of concrete examples, metaphors, and analogies:  Concrete examples and analogous thinking have a high positive impact on memory. Especially if it is learner-generated. This provides students with the opportunity to put new, abstract concepts in terms of what they already know. It updates their existing schemas. 🔁 Give feedback, and time it right:  If you’re not giving feedback that is corrective and often, your learners might suffer from confusion or even start to develop bad habits. But don’t wait too long to do it. Check out PREP feedback and Quality Matters helpful recommendations. Be sure to fade feedback as student develop mastery. #instructionaldesign #teachingandlearning #retrievalpractice

🧠 Your memory is muscle, not magic—train it right and it will work wonders for your career. Here are 10 practical ways to sharpen recall and turn “I forgot” into “I’ve got this.” 1. Create vivid mental pictures When you meet new information, convert it into a colorful image or short movie scene. The brain files visuals faster than plain text. 2. Chunk, don’t cram Group data into bite-size sets of three-to-five items (phone numbers, project phases). Smaller packets travel through working memory with less friction. 3. Teach it to someone else Explaining a concept forces you to reorganize and simplify it. If you can teach it, you truly own it. 4. Leverage spaced repetition Revisit material at increasing intervals—1 day, 3 days, 1 week. Each “re-ping” strengthens neural pathways instead of building new, weaker ones. 5. Build memory palaces Place facts along a familiar mental route (your commute, childhood home). Walking that route later cues each item effortlessly. 6. Engage multiple senses Read it, say it aloud, write it by hand. Multisensory input gives your brain more entry points to retrieve the same memory. 7. Sleep like it matters—because it does Deep sleep transfers short-term data into long-term storage. Aim for 7–8 hours and protect the last 90 minutes from blue light. 8. Move your body A brisk walk boosts blood flow and neuroplasticity, priming the hippocampus for easier encoding right after exercise. 9. Reduce cognitive clutter Use external tools (calendars, to-do apps) for routine info. Freeing working memory leaves space for high-value learning. 10. Associate facts with emotions Tie dry data to a personal story, a joke, or a “wow” moment. Emotion is the highlighter pen of the brain. 🔄 Which tip will you try first? Drop a comment or share your own memory hacks—let’s help each other remember what matters.

12 tips to better retain what you learn. Use these to improve your memory: Whether you're: ↳Studying for tests ↳Trying to memorize a work presentation ↳Learning a new language ↳Or just wanting to remember someone's name or your grocery list It pays to have a great memory. Often, however, people see their memory as fixed. "I'm so forgetful!" they'll say. Or, "I'm bad with names." But the reality is: You can improve your memory with practice. Use these tactics to strengthen yours. 1) Teach It ↳To remember, you must first understand - and to truly understand, try explaining ↳Ex: Learning physics? Describe Newton's Laws in simple terms - if you can't, you've found a gap 2) Space Repetition ↳Review at increasing intervals, adding more space as you improve ↳Ex: Learning Spanish? Review the new words you learn after 1 day, then 3 days, then a week 3) Create Mnemonics ↳Turn less ordinary or more complex info into shortcuts - odder is often better ↳Ex: Memorize the planets with "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos" 4) Make It Ordinary ↳Connecting new ideas with ones you're already familiar with helps retention ↳Ex: Learning supply and demand? Think of Uber's surge pricing - when demand is up, cost goes up 5) Write It Down ↳Writing things down (by hand) boosts our ability to remember them ↳Ex: Forget names easily? Write them down three times after meeting someone 6) Say It Out Loud ↳Speaking information also reinforces recall ↳Ex: Using names again - Say, "Nice to meet you, Sarah!" to remember her name 7) Chunk Information ↳Break long info into smaller, digestible parts that are self-contained ↳Ex: Want to memorize a speech? Divide it into short, distinct sections 8) Use Memory Palace ↳Tie information to images for recall, placing things in familiar locations ↳Ex: Remembering a grocery list? Picture milk at your front door, eggs on the couch, and bread on the TV 9) Engage Senses ↳You know how sounds or smells sometimes trigger long-ago memories? Use it ↳Ex: Learning a language? Read, write, listen, and speak it in one session 10) Use Active Recall ↳Test yourself - or have someone else test you - instead of just re-reading ↳Ex: Studying from a book? Cover key parts and recall them before checking to see if you were right 11) Don't Multitask ↳Our inability to remember is often tied to a lack of real focus ↳Ex: Studying? Put your phone in another room to avoid distractions and let your brain prioritize one task 12) Sleep Well ↳Memory consolidates during sleep, and good rest improves our retention ability ↳Ex: Study briefly before bed to let your brain reinforce it overnight Have you used any of these before? --- ♻️ Repost to help others improve their ability to retain information. And follow me George Stern for more content on growth.