MEMORY LIKE A SIEVE? IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT
WAY!
A few months ago I was at an important event for my job. I'm freelance so you'll
appreciate how important it is for me to create a good impression!
I bumped into someone really important in my field who I really admire - I'd just
read one of his books - someone I really wanted to impress, and who I wanted to
invite to speak at an event I'm organising.
But, you've guessed it.. I simply couldn't remember his name. No matter how
hard I tried. So you can imagine how the conversation
went! 'Er, hello...I'm Gill and I've just been longing to meet you, er, I've always
admired you...and so on..' (trying to avoid saying his name because, of course, I
couldn't remember a syllable of it.. and all the while getting redder and redder
and hotter under the collar).
Needless to say, the conversation didn't last long and he ended up looking at me
as if I was crazy - and so did all the people around who overheard the
conversation, people I'd hoped to impress and perhaps work with in the future.
After that, I began to notice how I would sometimes forget important details times of events, key people's names, facts. Things I'd always relied on
remembering before because I thought I had a good memory. I made up my mind
that something like that would never happen to me again. I started to look into
how I could help myself improve my memory. And now I can confidently say that
my memory is better than ever. I was so excited by the results that I want to help
others achieve them. That is why I decided to produce this book.
First things first - what is memory?
I know you'll be as eager as I was to get started with the programme but it's
important that you understand something about your brain and how it works. It
really is a miraculous piece of engineering. Even the brainiest scientists don't yet
know everything about how it works. It's a little bit like a computer - but a
computer that is able to reprogramme and keep itself going. It runs everything in
your body and it does this through constantly sending 'messages' - they're
actually electrical impulses but that is as technical as I'm going to get - from one
brain cell or neuron to another. Your brain is already an amazing thing but the
exciting thing is that, while you can't actually make new brain cells you can
improve the speed and quality of the messages and help the brain to work even
better.Scientists have discovered that people whose brains were badly affected
by accidents have been able to recover and live normal lives because of this
'plasticity' as it's called -the ability of the brain to create new connecttions.
The exciting thing for us is, this applies to memory as much as to anything else
you might want to do. We all have an amazing capacity to learn and remember although we don't always use it to the full. Often, it's about knowing how best to
use the equipment we've got rather than buying in expensive new.
So what exactly is 'memory'? Just stop for a moment and think about the different
kinds of memory you have. You'll probably remember experiences you had,
recently or way back when you were a child, particularly if they were vivid or
attached to some kind of emotion (pleasant or unpleasant). This is episodic
memory. You'll remember people's names or names of things, facts. That is
called 'semantic memory'.
You'll remember how things look or looked or perhaps smelt or felt; (the French
writer Proust famously wrote about how eating a certain type of cake always
triggered memories of his past in 'In Search of Times Past')
You'll remember how to do things which you probably don't even realise you can
do and certainly don't think about any more - if you can drive or ride a bicycle and
have done so for a while this will certainly apply to you. This is called
'procedural memory' and is vital for going about our lives.
Some memories last for a long time and are meant to do so; others are what we
call 'short term' memory (remembering to pick up a bottle of milk or go to the
dentist's next week, or what you had for tea yesterday come into this category) useful while they last but not intended to 'stick around' for long. Looking through
this list might help you to decide what kind of memory you have trouble with and
where you want to improve. It's highly unlikely that all your different 'memories'
are causing trouble. You will probably find that you have real strengths in some
memory areas. Make a mental note of this because we will come back to it later.
Why do we 'forget' things?
When I work with people who want to improve their learning skills, they
sometimes say to me 'My memory is hopeless!' or 'I've got no memory at all!' or 'I
can't remember things! I always say to them: If you couldn't remember anything,
you wouldn't be here today, and you certainly wouldn't know who I was! If you
cannot remember anything at all, you would be suffering from amnesia, which
is a medical condition - one I can't help with, but which I don't believe any one
reading this actually suffers from. But quite often I hear people talk in this 'all or
nothing' kind of way, which gets in the way of actually sorting out the problem
they do have.
Here's another example of this kind of 'all or nothing' thinking. Sometimes people
say to me 'I can't spell!' If they were completely unable to spell they would be
illiterate. But I have not yet come across anyone who was able to read and write
who was completely unable to spell anything at all. They just can't spell all of the
words they need to spell right now. It's the same with memory. You clearly can
remember some things (your name, your birthday, your address?) but not all of
the things you now want or need to be able to remember.
First things first. Sometimes we need to forget things! Like any computer, the
brain needs to clean up its systems from time to time. If you have forgotten a
telephone number you used to have, or the name of your first primary school
teacher then that is probably because you no longer need to know those things.
As I said above, forgetting things only becomes a problem when we regularly
forget the things we want or need to know.
There are many causes for forgetting things. As we've just seen, sometimes it is
necessary - the brain is deselecting things you no longer need to know.
Sometimes it is because the 'track' or pathway laid down in the brain is not strong
enough or has become weak through disuse (this can apply to procedural
memory or to facts which have gone in 'short term' for example for an exam but
are not retained because we no longer need them or do not revisit or use them).
There are plenty of things we can do to remedy this.
Sometimes the individual is stressed and the brain needs to focus on more
immediate concerns than retrieval of information - examinations, tests or
interviews are a prime example of this. Lack of sleep, poor diet, lack of attention
or focus and illness or dementia can also cause forgetfulness. I do not say 'age'
because there are many examples of healthy older people whose memories are
in excellent condition.
Processing disorders like dyslexia/dyspraxia can impede memory or slow it
down. This does not mean that people who are dyslexic cannot remember things.
They may just need to go about memorising things in a different way.
Lack of use of the brain. Like a muscle, the brain needs to be stimulated and
exercised. 'Use it or lose it' is the message. We need to challenge our brains
from time to time with new learning (this could be anything from learning a
language, to a craft or hobby, or taking up puzzles or reading a different
magazine or newspaper or watching a more challenging TV programme about
topics we are less drawn to - which probably means I need to start watching
programmes about cricket or motor racing!)
What can we do about it?
You may have heard that people have different 'learning styles'. These relate to
the way people interact with the world. According to Neuro Linguistic
Programming theory, we apprehend and understand the world through our
senses (how else could we do so?) and each person 'favours' a particular sense
or senses. Some people are primarily 'visual' and are drawn to the sense of sight.
They will often be people who are good at or enjoy art, are sensitive to colour
and to the visual aspect of the world around them.
Others are 'auditory' and relate to the world primarily through the sense of
hearing, and they might be those who enjoy or make music, or who are very
sensitive to loud and discordant sounds. Another group are 'kinaesthetic' which
means they relate to the world through the sense of touch, taste and smell. At the
beginning of Marcel Proust's novel, 'In Search of Things Past' the taste of a
madeleine sponge cake recalls the past vividly to the narrator. This is of course a
very basic introduction - to find out more you should check out Neuro Linguistic
Programming on line - but it does seem to make sense, and relates to how
people learn or where their strengths lie.
It's well worth thinking through the things you find easy to remember, and why
that is the case. This could be the key to where your memory strengths lie, and
where you could help yourself to improve. Are you excellent at remembering
people's faces but find their names difficult? It could be that your memory works
primarily in a visual way.
Or, do you 'hear' their names but find if difficult to relate the face to the name? If
so, it could be that you favour the auditory sense. If you can hold a tune or learn
a poem or the times tables by recitation or setting to music, it's also very likely
that you have a good auditory sense. If you are good at learning processes and
remember them through doing them, it is likely that your kinaesthetic memory is
good. It is not that any one of these is better than another - it's about knowing
what works best for you and applying it to what you need to remember. When I
was at school, we had to learn the tables by rote - there was no other option.
This clearly worked well for those whose auditory sense and sense of
sequencing suited that approach. But it must have been a disaster for the people
whose memories worked in a different way.
In addition to the above, there are some common factors about things we
remember well. We all remember better things that are 'out of the ordinary',
strange, very exciting, or appeal to the emotions, the stronger the better.
We remember things that are very familiar to us because our neural pathways
have been laid down by constant exposure to the memory - just as a well-trodden
track is easier to walk along.
We remember things that are meaningful and have a strong emotion
attached to them (positive or negative).
We tend to remember things that are of particular interest AND use to us.
I take part in a lot of quizzes, and my 'special' areas are literature and art AND I
have a genuine interest in these areas. So if you asked me about a character in a
novel or a play the likelihood is that I will have it stored in my memory. On the
other hand, if you asked me about a football score in 1966 I will probably not
know - I do not have the interest and the desire to remember these things. But
ask one of the guys in my team...!
Similarly, if you had to learn something for an exam which would decide your
future career on which you had set your heart, AND you had a genuine interest in
the topic, the chances are you would be able to remember enough to pass. But if
it was 'something you had to do' but in which you had little interest, the
motivation might not be there. (Although as ever there are exceptions, and of
course sometimes stress gets in the way and stops people remembering what
they dearly desire to know and are interested in).
We remember things that have a structure and 'make sense' to us.
This is why, once we have mastered our numbers and alphabet, we can deploy
them to help us remember other things.
So what can we do to improve our memories?
Sorting out all the things I've mentioned above will help. But over and above that
there is a lot more that can be done.
Exercise
I firmly believe in 'Mens sana in corpore sano' (a healthy mind in a healthy
body). This doesn't mean that you have to be a complete fitness freak or perform
60 press-ups every morning (unless you really want to!)
What you should be doing is:
30 minutes exercise 5 times a week. By exercise I mean simply a brisk walk (so
your heart rate is slightly raised). This costs nothing (other than a sound pair of
shoes and comfortable clothing), can be done anywhere - even indoors - try
walking up and down the stairs or up and down your living room or hallway if the
weather stops you going outside - and can be done by just about anyone. You
don't need to do a solid half hour if you really can't spare that time all in one go break it up into halves or threes - and fit it in where you can eg getting off the
bus/train a stop earlier, doing without one car journey per week, etc.. It confers
tremendous benefits in terms of physical fitness, weight loss, improved mood and
mental wellbeing. Try it and see. If you already do some exercise which you
enjoy, don't stop - just fit this in around it on the 'other' days. The human body
was designed to be on the move most of the time, not to sit about watching TV.
You will be pumping more oxygen to all of your body, and that includes the brain.
Relax!
Stress is the number one enemy of good memory. When you are stressed, your
body goes into 'fight or flight' mode ready to deal with whatever it perceives as
the immediate danger, and floods your system with adrenaline. Unless you can
dispel that adrenaline in a positive way (as our ancestors would have done, by
killing the wolf, or, nowadays, by taking some exercise or by deep breathing
techniques) it will turn against your system over time. Stress seems to be
endemic in our society, and some people seem to be proud of the fact that they
are stressed out. But long term, excessive levels of stress are not good for you,
because they can lead to :insomnia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, migraines, skin
disorders and ultimately high blood pressure, heart problems and stroke.
!Symptoms of a high level of stress include:
!Poor sleep/Tiredness
!Irritability
!Drinking excess coffee/alcohol, or smoking to excess
!Inability to make decisions, frustration
!Depression/low mood
!Palpitation, tremors
!Feeling 'pressurised' as if something always needs to be done, so you can't
relax.
How can you help yourself avoid falling into the stress trap?
Here are some tips: they're by no means exhaustive and you don't need to do all
of them though exercise, better breathing and a good diet are highly
recommended to get rid of stress!
!Get fitter! Choose an exercise or activity which works for you and incorporate it
into your life. (See above for some tips on exercise).
!Identify what is stressing you (work, home, other people, your surroundings
etc.) and look at realistic ways to tackle it.
Get away from the stressor, if you can. Even going outside for ten minutes will
help you get things into perspective.
!Learn some breathing techniques to help in a crisis situation. Here is some
basic yoga breathing: sitting up straight, put your hand on your solar
plexus (just under your breasts). Breathe in deeply, feeling your hand
move out. When you breathe 'in', you are filling your lungs with air so your
diaphragm should expand. Fill as much as you can. Then slowly release
the breath, saying 'aah', or 'om' as you do so until you can feel no more
air. Repeat five or six times. This should have a calming effect.
!Carve out time for yourself so you aren't always at others' beck and call. If
necessary, move yourself away to achieve this.
!If you are into writing, keep a diary so you can jot down your thoughts (don't
self-censor)
!Engage in some form of creative activity (drawing, singing, dance etc) so that
you feel part of a larger and more meaningful community
!Eat the right kind of breakfast (see some diet tips below)
!Organise your life to a level that suits you eg do you need to declutter, what kind
of filing system suits you, look at post only once etc.
!Learn to say NO and stick to it
!Delegate tasks so you can focus on what you are truly good at/love
!Do something new or in a different way
Garbage in, Garbage out
The right diet. I think we all really know what that is. It means that 80% of your
diet should be 'fresh' foods ie not processed, with at least 50% being veg and
fruit (frozen and tinned are fine but avoid canned in sugar where possible), and
the remainder complex carbs (brown rice, brown pasta, oatmeal, wholemeal
bread as opposed to white bread, rice, cakes, etc) and lean protein - chicken and
fish (particularly oily fish eg herrings, sardines) in preference to red meat. Keep
the alcohol, tea and coffee to a minimum. Many guides give more detail - check
out Optimum Nutrition. It's also important to drink enough fluid - water, dilute
juices and herb teas rather than fizzy drinks. Studies carried out in young
offenders' institutions found that behaviour, concentration and attention improved
when a whole food diet was adopted.
Many nutritionists now believe that 'little and often' - three smaller meals a day
with light snacks between - is a better way to eat for most people's brains and
bodies than three big meals or (even worse) no breakfast, quick sandwich or bag
of crisps/biscuits and big evening meal. This ensures that there is a constant
flow of nutrition to the body and brain rather than 'feast and famine'.
Scientists have also known for some time that nutrition is as important for
optimum brain health as for the body. What's different now is that it is much
easier to target specific areas with specific help - silver bullets for the brain, that
is.
These supplements can all be helpful for your general health as well as helping
with mental sharpness:
!multivitamins and minerals
!Vitamin C (1000 mg)
Omega-3/6 oil capsule
For extra brain boosting properties, add:
!Antioxidants (can be included in your multivitamin but should include Vtamin E
and beta-carotene at the very least)
!Brain-friendly nutrients (includes phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl serine,
DMAE, pyroglutamate, gingko biloba and vinpocetine. Look out for a
combination supplement that combines these).
For more information on these and other nutritional advice contact The Institute
of Optimum Nutrition at: www.ion.ac.uk.
Paying attention.
This sounds almost too obvious to mention! Of course we should 'pay attention'; but what exactly does it mean and are we really doing it?
To me, paying attention involves two things. Being aware of our own capacity to
take in information and ensuring that we maximise it whatever it is, and being
discriminating about what we do take in, so that we can truly honour what is
important and necessary for us to know and learn.
Nowadays we are increasingly bombarded with information from many different
sources which compete for our attention; we pressurise ourselves to 'multi-task'
(which can in practice mean doing several things not very well) and feel that we
do not have time to do all the things we feel we ought to be doing and beat
ourselves up for that.
If you find that you are not able to take in information as effectively as you would
like, think about why that is. Is it because of your own mental capacity, because
of the way you are trying to take it in (which may not suit you - see the Learning
Styles information above for some pointers on how to overcome that), or
because of factors in your environment? These days lots of us work in open-plan
offices where we are surrounded by colleagues all engaged in their own tasks,
talking to each other or on the telephone, walking past etc. Younger people seem
to positively welcome this! When we are at home we may be subjected to
ambient noise (the TV, the radio, traffic other people talking etc). While some
people work better with some noise (music being a good example) it is always
worth checking whether this is right for you, and looking to
see how you can mitigate or avoid it. If you work in an office with colleagues see
whether you can use a quiet room when you know you need to concentrate on a
piece of work, or a desk away from the main action (many places of work now
provide this facility), or invest in a good pair of earphones. Set aside some time
to do this type of work and explain to colleagues that you will not be available to
talk to them/discuss issues etc at that time (but happy to do it any other time).
You can do the same for them when they need to concentrate on something!
Try this to extend the length of time you can concentrate:
When you carry out a task, time yourself to see how long your longest 'time of
concentration' is. Do the task and, when you've got to that point, stop and reward
yourself with a break, short walk, exercise including breathing exercises - I
include a useful exercise below -, drink of water/cup of tea, healthy snack etc ( probably not best to introduce alcohol or sweets at this point!)
When you are ready, return to the task and repeat, adding on 15 seconds to your
time. Do this over a period of several days until you reach a length of time you
are happy with and feel you can sustain.
Taking in the key points of a document
Some of my clients have told me that they need several 'goes' at a document
before they can take in the main points of it. This is fine if you have the time to do
so, but here are some suggestions if the issue is quickly taking in the key points
of a document. I use this exercise to help with spelling, reading, comprehension
etc.
Start by visualising either a dog or a cat (whichever you prefer) in as much detail
as you can. It doesn't matter if the animal is one you know or from a picture in a
book - the key is to visualise in detail. You may find that the 'picture' doesn't stay
in your mind for more than a few seconds - that doesn't matter. Ensure that the
picture is just above eye level for you.
When you have the picture, imagine you are writing the name of the animal on
the picture, and spell it out forwards and backwards. If spelling is an issue for
you, you can use this technique for any problem words, visualising the item, then
writing the name on it, and highlighting any problem letters.
When you are happy with the technique for individual words, try using it for
passages of writing. You can start by listening to the radio or a recording, and
visualising the main characters, events, background etc. for each paragraph of
the passage. Try to make the pictures as vivid as you can but don't worry if you
miss the odd detail - you are practising a new skill at the moment. The best way
to practise this is with a friend or colleague who can check your understanding by
asking questions about the passage; alternatively you can record and play back
the passage to check your own understanding.
For more information about this technique and spelling generally check out
www.seeingspellsachieving.co.uk.
Practise the technique with a passage you would read. Read paragraph by
paragraph, creating a picture in your head of each one in as much detail as you
can and then check back. USEFUL TIP: I often tell clients that they should
highlight Verbs and Nouns in a passage if they are trying to get the gist of what
happened and to whom. If they want more detail eg more about the location,
appearance of people, feelings etc., I suggest highlighting adjectives and
adverbs . These are the key words you need to look out for in a passage.
Just in case (and if you know your grammar feel free to ignore this information)
Verbs are words that describe actions eg run, walk, read, sit etc. Nouns are
'names' of things, animals, people, qualities eg dog, man, table, Jane, the
Government, happiness. Adjectives describe nouns (the fierce lion, a kind
man, an interesting book etc) and adverbs describe verbs eg he walked
quickly, she reads well, the Government is doing poorly in the polls etc.
General Memory techniques
The memory is like a muscle; it will strengthen with the right kind of practice.
Here are some techniques to help with this; try whichever appeals to you - none
is right or wrong - it all depends what works for you.
Creating a story or movie
Start practising this technique with a list of words. It's important that they are
unrelated to each other, because what you want is to develop the skill of relating
them to each other for yourself. A sample list might be: cat, chocolate, hat, car,
garden, yellow. Either get someone to read them out to you quite slowly, or read
them yourself and cover them. As you hear each word, create a picture of it (as
you did for the reading technique above). When you hear the next word, create a
link in your mind to it (so the cat could be eating the chocolate and have it over
her whiskers). Put in enough detail to help you remember, but not so much that it
distracts you from the main word. You should have a short story or a little 'movie'
in your mind. Simply read back the story or play back the movie and you will
have the items you remembered, in the right order.
Chunking
It's been said that people typically remember up to five or six items on a list.
Knowing this can help you organise and structure memorising something longer.
Learn or memorise five, check back several times, have a break and go on to the
next.
The method of locus
This is a very ancient way of memorising a sequence or series of items, topics
etc. You simply think of a place which is very familiar to you (your own home
works well). Then you take a mental walk (the one you would normally take eg
through the front door, into the front room, over to the TV, back to the sofa etc)
around that location situating the items you need to remember along the route.
So, if we take as an example a shopping list, you could mentally write down, or
say to yourself, 'Front door, bananas, hall table, bleach, door of front room,
cheese, TV, vegetables, sofa, washing powder, etc, etc.,). It's important that the
location is really well known to you so you can see it in your mind's eye.
Association with a known sequence eg numbers, the alphabet
Assuming you already know your alphabet or numbers you can use them to
memorise things, If for example you have to remember ten items or numbers,
think of a word which rhymes with each number up to ten (sun for one, shoe for
two, tree for three, door for four etc.). Then either physically draw or imagine
each of those items in a circle. Then think of a way of linking the item or number
you need to remember to the rhyming word, eg if your first item was a hat, you
could turn it into a sunhat. Give it some detail to enable you to remember it, eg
crazy colour or style. If your second item was a dog, you could imagine a dog
wearing outrageous shoes. The sillier and wilder the associations, the better you
will remember them. Try it and go back over the items. You can of course
remember more than ten but I suggest you start with ten and build up so you are
really comfortable with and confident about the technique.
Mnemonics
This tends to work better for people who are attuned to what they hear, but
everyone will know some of these, examples being 'i before e except after c' and
'30 days hath September, April June and November, all the rest have thirtyone..etc.'. By all means use these but I suggest you also make up your own if
you are good with rhymes and words.
Setting to music/rhyme/a rhythm
Some people love learning their tables this way. I learnt them chanting them by
rote and while it worked I wouldn't recommend it as it was such a joyless
exercise. Much better to choose music you love (suggest with a strong rhythm from Bach to Rap, anything will work but it should be music you enjoy and can
listen to) and make up a chant or song for the item or items you want to
remember. Or use a poem you love if you are into poetry. You can go one further
than this and record them onto tape or your ipod or equivalent, and listen
whenever you want. Lots of people have learnt very successfully using this
method. It is supposed to work well if you listen just before you go to sleep.
Suggest you try this.
Mind maps, prompt cards etc.
These are what I would describe as aids for the memory. If you are learning
discrete phrases or words prompt cards can help as they are very portable. I
suggest small cards about the size of a business card, which you can carry in
your pocket/bag. On each one write your phrase or word in clear, legible writing (I
suggest not joined up) and on the other side of the card, the explanation. This
works well for formulae if you are trying to learn these as well - but don't cram too
much information into the card. If you find it helpful you could put the phrase in
one colour and the explanation in another, or colour code your cards (eg if you
are learning a language which has 'masculine' and 'feminine' words, write the
masculine in blue and the feminine in pink, or use pink/blue cards - corny, but it
works)! Or have a different colour for each subject - you
experiment and see what works for you. Wherever you go, take a selection of the
cards with you (you can put them in a small wallet a la business cards, or put a
rubber band around them) and look at them when you have a spare moment,
visualising the word/phrase/formula and then reading it over to yourself in your
head, or aloud if you want. Might get you a few funny looks at bus stops but who
cares? You are learning!
Another technique which is also useful for writing notes or stories, essays and
reports, making sense of a topic and so on, is Mind Maps. These are the
creation of Tony Buzan and you can find his website at www.buzanworld.com.
They work on the principle that the brain works through making connections
rather than in a linear fashion, so when you are taking in information, you
structure it as follows: take a piece of paper (ideally A3 or larger) - or create a
page on your PC or laptop - 'landscape' style is better. In the centre of that piece
of paper or screen, write one word or a very short phrase which sums up the
topic you are dealing with eg 'Memory'. Draw a suitable image to suggest this
(whatever works for you) and then let your brain come up with associations
arising from that topic, eg 'How it works', 'The brain', 'techniques', and so
on. As each one occurs create a line or branch from the central point radiating
outwards, along which you write your 'sub-topic'. Use as many colours as you
can, or at least one for each sub-topic. From these 'branches' you can create
smaller, radiating branches eg from 'techniques' you might put 'visual', 'auditory'
and so on. They might have further sub-topics - it's up to you. Once you have the
main branches in place, you can create connections between them using arrows.
Ensure that you do not use too many words and that you create appropriate
images for each item you put into your map. You don't need to be a brillliant
artist - it's about what makes sense to you. You'll be surprised how evocative
your map will be once you have created it.
Here are a couple of exercises to help you freshen up your brain. If you have
space and are either alone or don't mind people seeing you moving about, try
this: Stand up on tiptoe. Raise your arms above your head while breathing in
deeply and count to four. Exhale while at the same time swinging your arms
vigorously down on each side of your body,bending your knees and putting your
feet flat on the floor. It helps if you shout out 'Ha!' as loudly as you can while
doing this. Take three or four breaths and repeat three times for maximum effect.
While sitting down, rest your elbows on a table or desk which should be about
elbow height. Put your hands over your face and close your eyes. Imagine that a
bright light is coming from your head into your hands, moving down your arms to
your elbows, from elbows to shoulders, and then down your chest to your navel.
Make the light go through your body and come out at the back in your spine area.
Move it down the spine until it reaches the base of the spine and then brighten
the light. Keep your hand over your eyes for another half minute or so, exhaling
and inhaling at least three times.
Good luck - I hope you enjoy these memory exercises and tips.
Gill Woon
dyslexiacoaching.co.uk
Acknowledgements to: 'The Memory Prescription', by Dr Gary Small
(pub.Hyperion)