Memory Tip #5: Make your 2008 resolution inescapable

By contributing author Paul Li, a neuroscience graduate student at Columbia.

Hopefully some of us have or will set some realistic and flexible New Year’s resolutions for 2008. Of course a good resolution doesn’t necessarily translate to reality, as they tend to fade from our everyday recollection. To remind you of your goals throughout the upcoming year, the following mnemonic might be helpful.

First, write down your resolutions and strategically place these notes in your home, car, and work area to constantly remind you of what you want to accomplish. Second, send yourself email reminders or mark your calendar. Creatively using associations and visualizations can help you remember and ultimately reach your goals by the end of the year. As you might have noticed, a recurring theme in our previous memory tips is that association and visualization are key strategies in making it easier to remember important information. These tricks help your brain become more conscious and attentive to the things you want to remember, which in turn makes them easier to recall later.