The first two steps of accelerated learning involve preparing our state (mental, emotional, and physical) for learning and then acquiring the skills and knowledge using a variety of research-based learning techniques.  After that, the next step of accelerated learning is making sure that the information we just learned gets stored into our long-term memory. After all, learning something new does us no good if we can’t remember the information when we need it.

The good news is that your memory is already excellent. If you think it isn’t, take a moment to consider the countless number of words, facts, images, and other items that you have already memorized. Personally, I am constantly amazed at my brain’s capacity for remembering random bits of knowledge such as Simpson’s quotes and jingles from commercials that I haven’t heard in years.

In reality, there is no such thing as a good memory or a bad memory, only a trained or untrained memory. Anyone can improve their memory – all it takes is practice and proper technique.

I will be sharing a variety of memory techniques with you in future posts. However, before I do, we need to pause for a little test. Don’t worry and please don’t get your amygdala all fired up! This is a simple memory test designed to illustrate a few of the techniques that I will share with you in future posts. For this test, you will need a stopwatch or timer, a piece of paper, and a pen. In fact, why don’t you pause right now and make sure that you have everything ready. I’ll wait right here.

Welcome back. I missed you 🙂

Immediately following the image below is a list of 20 different words. After you scroll below the image, give yourself exactly 41 seconds to memorize as many of the 20 words as you can. When the time is up, look away (or minimize your browser) and write down as many of the 20 words as you can in one minute.

Remember, you have exactly 41 seconds to memorize as many of the 20 words listed below as you can. Ready, set, go!

 

 

Eraser                          Pizza                            Dahlia                         Contemplate

Meadow                      Pencil                          Odor                            Dandelion

Peace                           Beige                          Cereal                        Tree

Bacon                          Chair                           Bigfoot                        Stream

Desk                            Paper Clip                   Juice                            Sandwich

 

So how did you do?  

How many of the 20 words were you able to memorize in 41 seconds?

If you are like most people, you remembered roughly half of the 20 words. And, if you are like most people, two of the words that you remembered included eraser and sandwich. (I bet you also remember cereal. Am I right?) So why those two words in particular? The answer to that question will be revealed in my next post, so stay tuned …