Did you ever hear someone say I have a terrible memory? I just can’t remember anything.

When you learned to walk, you pulled yourself up with a chair, let go, and fell. But that didn’t discourage you. Instead, you did it repeatedly until you could walk without help. You learned to walk by repetition.

When you learned the alphabet, your parents had you say the letters aloud repeatedly.

All the things you learned were by repetition. Walk, learn the alphabet, ride a bicycle, drive a car, swim, and hit a baseball, to name a few. The things you learned by repetition you never forgot. Once you learn something, it is in your subconscious mind, and you do it without thinking about it. The key to learning is a good memory, and a key to a good memory is repetition.

One of the things I learned as a senior citizen is that you lose short-term memory as you get older. Example: I need to get bread and milk at Walmart. By the time I drove to the first stop sign, I would forget where I was going and what I needed to get. Then I remembered that I learned the alphabet by repeatedly saying the letters. So I tried it. I would say out loud three times, go to Walmart and get bread and milk. It worked; when I got to the stop sign, I remembered where I was going and what to get. I now repeat things I want to remember three times or more. Repetition helps memory.

When someone shows you how to do something, especially on a computer, do it as many times as needed until you can do it twice without help from the person who showed you how to do it.

A great memory improver is to write it down. A sharp pencil is better than a long memory. I have a calendar with notes on it where I can see it from my computer chair. I carry a pen and paper with me at all times. I use a small clipboard with paper and write down my to-do and grocery lists.

Making notes on the voice recorder that is on most smartphones will help you remember things. I use mine regularly. My phone can convert a voice recording to text. Check your smartphone for a voice recorder that was installed when you purchased the phone. If you see a microphone icon on a search or text message page your phone has a voice recorder. Find it and learn to use it.

Your memory will greatly improve when you put the above tips into practice.

Don Searles