Memory Strategies

As we age, people often need reminders. I’ve been a consummate list maker since I was very young. I have always planned my days in lists, sometimes going beyond the average to do lists  adding specific timeframes.

Because my traumatic brain injury has resulted in short term memory deficits, I need ways to keep track of things. 

Thankfully, technology has come a long way since the paper lists I made as a child. I make a lot of lists on my phone in the notes app. 

I also keep notes on my Alexa. In my bedroom, where I have an Alexa, I’ll say, “Alexa Create a list called Things to do Thursday.”  Then you can add things to the list verbally and look at the list on your Alexa app. 

I also rely very heavily on my calendar. As soon as something is scheduled, it goes  on the calendar. I look at the calendar first thing in the morning and throughout the day.

Apart from technology, I also use memory strategies. 

Chunking is one strategy.

If you are trying to remember a group of items, it can be useful to put them in groups.

Say, for example that you are going to the grocery store and want to try to remember the items to purchase. 

If you could divide those into two groups:

(I) fruit 

and (2) carbohydrates (a loaf of bread; crackers)

Visualization is another strategy. When I look at something I need to remember, I try to take a mental snapshot.

If it is an elephant balanced on a ball, that would be pretty unusual, so sometimes the visualization helps.  

Short-term memory issues will always be an issue for me, so I have learned to compensate with these, and other, strategies. These strategies could assist anyone struggling with memory issues.