You’re Not Terrible at Remembering Names

“Sorry, I’m terrible with names.” How many times have you heard someone say this? More importantly, how many times have you used this excuse yourself? We all reach for that de facto line when we forget someone’s name, but it’s time to own up and admit that registering a name with a face isn’t a difficult task. Rather, distractions and lifestyle choices are the culprit. Read on for our tips for honing your retention skills for a more productive day:

In fact,studieshave found that “hearing one’s own name has unique brain functioning activation specific to that name.” If you want to show someone you care, such as a client, then it’s crucial that you commit their name to memory. To better do so, repeat the person’s name immediately after they say it. “Hi, I’m Jules.” “Hi Jules, it’s nice to meet you.” See? Simple.
Never forget an important task by visualizing it first. Visual imagery is always more powerful than word associations, as most of us are visual learners. For instance, if you have an important meeting scheduled the next day, picture yourself in the meeting room with the other participants and your notes at hand. The idea is: the more detail the better.
Did you know that our rote memorization only handles around three items? This means you’ll likely to forget or inaccurately recall a shopping list of 3 or more things. Not very convenient, considering how complicated our lives can get. Don’t be lazy, and make making lists your best friend.
Grouping through association (e.g. sensory cues), chunking (e.g. grouping a long phone into 3-number groups), mnemonic devices(e.g. acronyms) helps our brain make connections between unrelated information.
Much of our inability to remember things comes down to the fact that we just don’t pay attention. Multi-tasking and facing too many distractions around means that no stimuli lasts long enough for us to commit to memory. The solution? Focus on one task at a time and really take time to process the information that’s relayed to you.
This one's a no brainer (pun intended), and that is to lead a healthier lifestyle in terms of diet, exercise, and sleep. These elements can have the most significant impact on your memory. Also, taking short breaks throughout your day also allows for you to unwind and remember information more clearly.