Here are five memory techniques to help you learn quickly and remember for a long time.

1. Visualization and Imagination

From a very young age, we learn through creative activities such as drawing, coloring, using vibrant colors, and visualizing—essentially all these activities stem from our imagination.

As we grow older and attend school, adults teach us to forget these methods and force us to memorize using our brains.

Of course, not everyone thrives with this method; many struggle and develop the mindset that they are "not as smart as others."

Connecting abstract concepts with concrete images is an effective way to help the brain understand better.

Don't hesitate to draw lots of colorful pictures and diagrams if they help you grasp abstract and dull concepts.

This method is not only useful for learning and understanding the relationships between concepts but also stimulates the brain and maintains your enthusiasm for studying.

2. Comparison and Association

The brain retains information better when you compare one concept to another. This is where the power of association comes into play, helping you understand and remember for longer.

Using one concept to illustrate another helps you perceive the relationship between them.

Therefore, you need to grasp the essence of key concepts to explain other abstract concepts.

For example, you can compare radio waves to ripples on water; electric current to water flowing through a pipe, etc. Associating new concepts with familiar ones will help you simplify complex things and remember them longer.

3. Association (Method of Loci)

If you've ever met someone who can remember the random order of an entire deck of cards, it's not because they are smarter than others. It's because they use the method of loci to remember.

The method of loci requires you to use your own imagination, creating a 'story' and linking each item together to form a narrative.

If you want to remember a list of items to buy (such as oranges, milk, bananas, honey), you can imagine a man dressed in orange (orange) carrying a cow (milk) to a monkey (banana) who was stung by a bee (honey).

4. Knowledge Immersion

You might have heard of the method ‘language immersion.’ More broadly, knowledge immersion means putting yourself in an environment filled with the knowledge you want to acquire, allowing your brain to ‘bathe’ in that environment and gradually absorb it.

For instance, if you go abroad and no one speaks your native language, you will have to adapt to survive in the new environment.

This adaptation mechanism and constant repetition accelerate the learning process tenfold, as your brain must always remain active.

5. The ‘5-Year-Old’ Method

This is a great way to test how well you understand new concepts.

Imagine you have to explain a new concept to a 5-year-old child or someone completely unfamiliar with the topic!

You will need to simplify the knowledge you have learned and find alternative explanations so that even a 5-year-old can understand.

Whenever you learn something new, ask yourself if you can explain it to someone else.

If you can, it means you have mastered the knowledge. So, try to explain it in the simplest and most understandable way.

Often, we struggle to learn because we are not sure if we have fully grasped all the related concepts. This method will eliminate that worry.

Conclusion: Don't hesitate to return to your childhood and unlock your imagination; it will greatly benefit your learning.