5 Memory Improvement Exercises That Don’t Require Another Annoying App

[image error]It’s annoying, isn’t it?

Your smartphone is supposed to be smart.

But instead, it’s packed full of junk you never use.

And if you’re like most people, you’ve downloaded a few brain trainers, some of which included memory improvement exercises.

Don’t worry. I’ve been there. And the good news is …

Memory Improvement Exercises Make Everything Better

It’s true. It’s not just about improving your memory. It’s also about bringing a higher level of fitness to your mind.

But the truth is that the science just doesn’t stand in favor of apps for exercising your memory.

Far from it.

Worse, companies have even been punished for some of the claims they make about the memory improvement an app can make possible.

Stop wasting your time on memory improvement apps.

Mind you …

I have discovered one that I think is worth your time and I’ll be talking about it later this year after I gather some more experience with it.

But for now – and even if you take up the app I’m using now in the future – you never need memory improvement apps in order to complete the best memory improvement exercises in the world.

Let’s dive in to my Top 5 faves.

5. The Gary Small Memory Improvement Exercise

It’s been awhile since I interviewed Dr. Gary Small, author of  the excellent book, 2 Weeks To A Younger Brain.

My favorite exercise from the book involves a simple exercise that will amaze you. You not only feel your memory improving over time, but you get a clarity boost too.

All you have to do is pay attention to people in the world.

Pick one of them.

Notice four details.

Then, later in the day, recall that person and the four details you noticed.

For example, the other day I chose a man I saw on the way to the gym. He wore a red scarf, black jacket, held his key in his hands and had scuffed brown shoes.

Don’t Try To Memorize!

This is important: I didn’t try to memorize these details.

Instead, I just noticed them and asked my brain to pay attention.

Then, on my way home from the gym and once again later in the day, I recalled those four details.

It’s such a simple exercise. Better than all the memory improvement vitamins in the world.

And it feels so good.

I’ve played a lot of memory improvement games and not a single one of them created nearly as much pleasure.

Best part:

You don’t have to stop with just one person. You can do this memory exercise all day long and really stretch yourself.

For example, when I got to the gym, I made it a point to notice four things about the woman at the desk who took my card and gave me my wristband.

I noticed the grooming of her eyebrows and the colors of her sweater, jogging pants and shoes.

And that made me more present.

Something we all need to be practicing. We know that meditation is good for the brain, and this exercise, although not a form of meditation, relates to the practice because of how it keeps you aware of your surroundings. Instead of being lost in thought, you’re actively paying attention to the world and the things you encounter in it.

4. Memorize Information From A Book

But not just any information.

Information that matters. Information that enhances the experience or even helps you make the world a better place.

For example, some of us are sloppy readers. Because character names are repeated so often, we never bother to memorize them. That, or the authors focus our attention on the in order to ensure that we instantly remember them.

But what if we made it our goal to actively practice our memory by making some memory improvement exercises from the characters?

For example, you can modify the Gary Small memory improvement game. Even if the author doesn’t provide visual details for you to practice remembering …

You Can Simply Make Them Up!

I do this all the time when reading. For example, the novel I’m reading now has a character named Stone Luckman. For obvious reasons, that name is instantly memorizable, especially since you can see the character getting stones thrown at him.

(Congrats to the novelist Matt Eaton of Blank for building an amazing mnemonic into this character’s name!)

But I add details. Like that he’s bald, has a scar on his cheek, wears a vest and knee-high military boots.

Disrespectful to the author?

Perhaps, but as Stephen King points out in On Writing, he tends to scrimp on physical details in his writing because he knows readers go ahead and paint their own portraits of the characters anyway.

The only question is …

Do Readers Remember Those Details?

Probably most don’t. But you most certainly can.

To let this exercise show you how to improve concentration and memory, give yourself a simple test with the next character you encounter in the novel you’re reading.

You are reading a novel, aren’t you? If not, no worries – the same exercise applies to non-fiction as well.

For example, I just finished reading No Limit: The Rise And Fall Of Bob Stupak And Las Vegas’ Stratosphere by John L. Smith. (Nothing like a book about buildings that can be used as Memory Palaces, right?