Do you always find it hard to remember names or cannot recall the telephone number of your friends? Or do you find yourself always forgetting where you have put your keys? Another way of stretching your mind is to boost your memory. Everyone has memory, but it seems that although we have memory, we still forget things. That's why we need to learn how to use our memory fully - to boost our memory. If our memory are deteriorating, it is not the matter that we are not clever enough, or we are not born with exceptional ability to memorize things, what really matters is that we haven't trained with our brain and our memory.

Most of the people know that memory lapses make life difficult, cause embarrassment and sometimes even lead to ridicule from other people. If you suddenly forget something you know, there's really no reason to be afraid of. We always remember things that really interest us. These are things that receive the essential attention and they are given a long-lasting place in our memories.

'One picture is worth a thousand words.' Have you heard of this statement before? It clearly shows how important optical impressions are for memory. Talented memory champions usually use a special trick to help them to memorize things. They make connections between pictures and the things we want to remember. The scientific term for this is 'association'. Ancient Greeks understood that the brain could remember names, facts and figures much better when these are connected together with particular images in one person's imagination. For instance, if you find it difficult to remember a certain foreign word - autobahn (which means 'highway' in German), turn it into pictures: 'there is an auto-ban on speedy driving', in which it means there is a law against speeding.

When we are using the power of association, it is very simple to allow our impressive rove freely. Our memory can store about 10,000 images, and we can use this special 'library' of images to form a chain between each picture for us to memorize things easier. The crazier, the more unreal and ridiculous these pictures are, the more easier it is for us to memorize things.

One of the reasons for why we always forget things is because we are lack of attention and concentration. If we want to remember something, it is very important to focus on what you want to remember. If we only remember information in a fragmentary way, we will not be able to recall it later on. Frederic Vester, the psychologist, decided there are 4 learner types: the visual type, who handles things best through visual stimuli, like pictures; the auditory type, who understands things mostly through speaking and hearing; the haptic type, who remembers things best through physical experiences, such as touch; and lastly, the abstract-verbal type, who is very happy working with definitions and formulas. Do you know which category you belong to? While you are working according to your learning type, you can find it much easier to memorize things.

Often, when we are under the influence of strong feelings - when we are afraid, overloaded with work, under pressure or feeling weary and exhausted, our memory will become fragmented. When this occurs, our feelings can overpower your thinking in a way that we won't be able to concentrate our attention on other matters.

Sudden interruption can also affect your ability to concentrate. Have you ever tried that you want to say something, but suddenly the bell rings, then you'll forget what are you going to say? Most of the people do. The above situation is a typical example.