1. Interest: Interest plays an integral part in learning new things. You automatically learn better when you are interested in something, but your motivation goes down when you are disinterested.
2. Association: We always learn something new by relating it to or associating it with something that we already know. For example. Associating new information to information that you already know forms the basis of memory since learning anything new depends on this principle.
3. Visualisation: Visualization is a powerful memory principle that helps you conjure up pictures in your mind. Your mind has the capacity to remember an unlimited number of visual images, and therefore, when you convert what you are reading into a mental picture, you will remember it better.
4. Imagination: Use your imagination to make learning anything new fun and enjoyable. Your imagination has no boundaries. Unleash it in your mind to make mental images as outrageous as possible, as ridiculous as possible and as funny as possible. Exaggerate the images, make them look like cartoons or caricatures in your mind and be as rude as you like. You tend to remember things that are out of the ordinary, outrageous, ridiculous, fun, exaggerated and rude better than you would ordinary things. The trick is to make ordinary things extraordinary in your mind. You will see an immediate increase in your ability to recall new information!
5. Active observation: People often limit observation to something that you can see with your eyes, but it is much more than that. Active observation involves using all your senses of touch, sound, sight, taste and smell to be more aware of your environment and what is happening to you and around you. Observation is the first step in memorizing anything because it is at this stage that information enters your awareness after which it travels to your brain where it is interpreted and stored or forgotten. When you actively observe things around you, you are more aware of the information that you are paying attention to and your brain will automatically store this information rather than forget it.
6. Concentration: This is the ability to block out distractions in order to stay focused on one specific item or task. Needless to say, when you focus and concentrate on one task, you will remember it better. The exercises in this book require your attention and concentration for less than 45 minutes every day. Even if you space out your exercises