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Did you have difficulty supercharging your memory for those upcoming final exams? Well, Mads Soegaard, the mastermind behind the Interaction Design Foundation (IDF), has just unleashed a mind-boggling hack that almost anyone can pull off!
Consider this scenario: you're drowning in a sea of study materials, desperately trying to soak up every ounce of knowledge before the trimester comes crashing down on you. Forget mindlessly typing away on your computer, hoping the information magically sticks.
Mads Soegaard has a better trick up his sleeve, and it involves a colorful twist!
Embrace Your Artistic Adventure
Instead of relying on your keyboard's clacking prowess, why not pick up a trusty pen and some vibrant companions? That's right, folks, it's time to go old school and get hands-on with your note-taking.
But not just any note-taking—grab those snazzy colored pens, highlighters, and sticky notes like you're about to embark on an artistic adventure! Mads Soegaard knows what's up. He's here to shatter the misconception that cramming your brain with as much information as possible is the way to go.
Nope, it's time for a strategic approach. By manually jotting down key points in different colors, you're triggering some serious memory boosters. 
You see, when you put pen to paper, magic starts to happen. Your brain gets all fired up, processing the information in a much more detailed way than a boring ol' keyboard could ever manage.
It's like a mental workout, forcing you to be selective and cherry-pick the juiciest nuggets of knowledge. Quality over quantity!
Visuals: The Brain's Best Friend
Let's not forget the power of color. It's not just there to make your notes look like whimsical rainbows.
Oh no, it actually works wonders for your memory. Those vibrant hues are like little sparks that ignite your brain cells, ensuring those crucial facts and figures stick around for the long haul. Did you know that adding a splash of color to your writing can supercharge your memory? Apparently, some intelligent psychologists discovered that writing in color can boost your memory performance by 80%!
Our brain is a sucker for visuals, with 90% of information transmitted visually. No wonder our gray matter processes images 60,000 times faster than plain old text. You see, our brain treats words as little individual images that it needs to recognize before making sense of them.
But fear not, my friend, because there's a simple trick that can make your words a breeze for your brain to process in a jiffy. Soegaard says: “Using colored pens when writing keynotes allows us to see words as visual information rather than a block of text, which means we’re more likely to understand what we’re reading and can take in the information much faster than we could otherwise."
As well as boosting our memory, color also helps to form associations between notes, as when you recall a fact linked to one shade, your brain will naturally start thinking of the other points that share the same shade."
He adds, “You can also use this association to your advantage when it comes to actually sitting your exam.
By bringing something that’s the same color as your notes into the exam with you - such as a bracelet or pen - you’ll trigger your brain to remember facts in the same shade”.
Context-Dependent Memory: When Vibes Boost Your Recall
You know when you're trying to remember something, and suddenly you find yourself in a situation that feels just like when you first learned it? Well, that's what we call context-dependent memory!
It's like your brain says, "Hey, I remember this vibe!" And guess what? When those familiar cues surround you, your memory gets a major boost! So, thanks to our brain's little party trick, you're more likely to recall stuff when the context is just right.
Pretty nifty, huh? Mads Soegaard knows the secret to make your notes pop! He says, "Colors invoke different reactions, and so it’s vital to choose attention-grabbing shades associated with importance - particularly warm shades like red, orange, and yellow." Don't stop there!
If you want your notes to go BOOM, try mixing and matching contrasting colors. Think of it as using different flavors of highlighters or sticky notes. It's like a party for your eyeballs! Just remember, don't go overboard and turn your notes into a rainbow explosion.
The trick is to make those important facts shine without overwhelming them.
Fun And Engaging: Unleashing The Joy Of Learning With IDF's Tips
Who knew that incorporating color into your learning wasn't the only way to make it visually stimulating? The brilliant minds at Interaction Design Foundation (IDF) have some fascinating tips to boost your memory in a fun and engaging way.
Let's dive in, shall we?
- First up, we have the power of diagrams. If you find yourself drifting off into a daydream when faced with a never-ending wall of text, fear not! Transform your notes into a captivating spidergram, flowchart, or table.
It's like turning a boring lecture into a colorful adventure without the overwhelming rainbow explosion. Ah, the wonders of organization!
- Next, let's shed some light on the matter. You're studying late in the evening, surrounded by artificial light, and your attention starts to fade.
Well, it's time to brighten things up! Just like colors, light can serve as a mighty cue for your brain. So, find a well-lit room, bid farewell to those pesky distractions like TV and your phone, and create the perfect ambiance for some serious knowledge absorption.
- But hey, we all need a breather, right? Who can blame us for wanting to stretch our legs and take a break from all that note-taking frenzy? Turns out, it's not just an excuse to procrastinate; it's a smart move.
Studies show that after about 25 minutes of reading, your brain starts to lose its mojo, retaining only a measly 15% of what you've consumed. So, dear knowledge seeker, be kind to yourself and embrace the power of breaks. Give your brain a chance to recharge, refocus, and come back stronger than ever.
With these tips, you'll master visual learning in no time. So go ahead, make your notes pop, bask in the glow of knowledge, and don't forget to take those well-deserved breaks. Learning has never been this fun!
Finding Your Visual Learning Strategy
Mads Soegaard believes that some individuals will benefit more from these tips than others.
He says: “If you’re someone with a preference for seeing and observing things in your day-to-day life - including pictures and written directions - you’re a visual learner, and you’ll struggle to retain information that’s just written down with no visual elements to trigger the memory.
Incorporating visual elements like colors, diagrams, and images into your day-to-day note-taking can help in a range of situations, not just studying - so try it out if you’re somebody who often struggles to remember important dates or personal details.
Of course, some people do better with visual memory prompts than others, as not everybody is a visual learner. It’s important to leave yourself plenty of time to study before an exam so that you can figure out a strategy that works for you”.
