Can trying to remember too many things cause you to forget all of it?
One of our readers asked this great question.
And the answer: Yup, it sure can!
Memory works best when we’re paying attention to what we’re trying to learn.
If we try to juggle too many things in our mind at once, we can fail to learn any of it!
If you don’t want this to happen, we can recommend three general strategies to prevent your memory from becoming overloaded.
Try to focus on one thing at a time. It might seem like a good idea to talk with your friend while studying for a History quiz, but you won’t remember the conversation with your friend well, and you also won’t remember your History material well. Turns out, you’ll be using your time better if you stop studying for History, focus on your friend, and then go back to your History.
Repeat. Repeat. And Repeat. Memory benefits from thinking about things a lot. That’s why things like flashcards can be really helpful - they make you come back to the material over and over again.
Give it a Rest. You don’t have to stay focused on the same thing for a really long time. If you’ve studied history for 15 minutes, you can take a break - think about something else, talk to a friend, take a short walk - and then come back to studying after that break.
Memory also likes rest, literally. So if you fall asleep while reading your History book, it might not be all bad. That sleep might help you get all those history facts into your memory! But seriously, getting enough sleep is super important for memory. You can learn more about that in one of our early blog posts on sleep and memory.