Judy Marcus - Memory Improvement Tips

Remember to Know your Focal Point, if you want to Remember to Focus

A funny thing happend on the way to writing this blogpost.  I got sidetracked.  Does this ever happen to you?

Here's how I pulled myself back in:  I took a deep breath (sorry loyal readers, but yes, I am mentioning that all important breath again.  In fact, there was a great article in Sunday, November 29, 2009's Chicago Tribune BY BOB CONDOR,  "BREATHE RIGHT AND MEDITATE - RESEARCH SHOWS DAILY ATTENTION TO MIND-BODY DYNAMIC REDUCES ANXIETY, STRENGTHENS IMMUNE SYSTEM".  Good stuff.  Google it if you are so inclined...)

As I was saying, I pulled myself back in with a breath.  Then, I asked myself, "What is your intention, Miss Judy Memory Lady?" (and then I started thinking about how I so quickly knew after three months of dating that I was going to marry Steve, and I wondered to myself, "What is your intention, Steve?"  And you can guess his intention because we're about to celebrate a lot of years of marriage, so my memory goes way back...)

"Alright, already", you're beginning to think, "Stop meandering Judy - FOCUS", and I did.  I took another breath, and realized that my attention was easily distracted because I had no roadmap to where I was headed.  

How can you find the light at the end of the tunnel when you don't know which tunnel you're traveling down? 

In a quick nutshell:  Think of the time I would have saved myself if only I had made a quick outline of what I wanted to say.  And then, should my mind wander, my breath could draw me back, and I would know just where I was headed, and then headed there. Don't you agree?  It's much easier to focus when you know your focal point.

Let's hear from you. 

WHAT ARE YOUR "I need to put more FOCUS in my life" STORIES?   Blog on and share your LOVE Memory Method stories as well. 

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

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Create Breathing Space for a Better Memory

How often do you give yourself breathing space?

Breathing space is vital to our ability to function in all areas of life, including our ability to remember.  Yet, most of us live hectic, over-busy, over-multi-tasking lives.  Have you noticed how the cell phone follows us, even into the bathroom?

CBS Sunday Morning ran a segment on how we spend our Sundays, and included author Judith Shulevitz's statement that "we are on all the time" and suggested we spend one day a week for "time off" to reflect.

A whole day of rest and reflection each week sounds wonderful to me.  (I'm not making a religious statement here; that's not my department.  I'm simply talking about how to remember better.)

"Life is better when you trust your brain to remember."  You can quote me on that.

When it comes to "time off" from being frantic, frustrated, fragmented and forgetful -- one simple path to peace, calm, centeredness and brain reliability -- and to refocus our precious mental energy -- is to consciously create breathing space for ourselves every day, in both business and every day life.

Memory mishaps can be avoided just by taking a deep breath at every transition time.  One of the examples I suggest at my memory workshops is:  before you get out of the car, take a breath, and check to make sure you take the car keys with you.  The breath you take prevents you from locking the car door with the keys inside!

A worse case scenario is the man who locked his sleeping toddler in the car as he rushed to catch a train. True story.  Luckily, a happy ending.  A passer-by noticed the child, called the fire department, and the toddler was safely rescued.  I'm thinking the man will now - based on his experience - always take a deep breath and check the back seat of the car before locking the car door with his son inside!

Be pro-active.  

Why wait till you learn a lesson the hard way?  Memory mishaps can be prevented by taking a deep breath before switching activities.  The breath gives you time to reflect on what happens next.

Yes, it takes special effort to create breathing spaces throughout our hectic days -- each and every day.  And, I believe, you'll find it's worth it!

Let's hear from you. 

WHAT ARE YOUR "I need to create breathing space" STORIES?   Blog on and share your LOVE Memory Method stories. 

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

What do the LOVE Memory Method, Obama's Reggie Love, and my cousin Fred's wife Janet have in common?

Wouldn't you LOVE to have a great memory?

President Obama doesn't need to remember where he put his jacket, pen, or list of phone numbers.  He uses Reggie Love, his personal aid, to remember for him.  See (On the Court and on the Trail, One Aide Looms Over Obama - NYTimes.com)

• Love is Obama's system of brain assurance.  This frees the President to spend his mental energy on important matters of State.    
• My cousin Fred uses his wife Janet, the woman he loves, to keep track of where he put his keys and other belongings. 
• In lieu of having a Reggie Love or a Cousin Janet on your memory team, here's another approach:

You, too, can use LOVE to remember - in both business and every day life. 

Just as "Kleenix" is the generic word for "tissue", 

I hope to see "LOVE" as the

 generic, household word for "remember." 

As in "LOVE where you park your car", or "LOVE the name of the book you're reading, or "LOVE your best friend's cellphone number just in case your speed-dial's not available. 

I'm talking about the four-step LOVE Memory Method.  It's an acronym I created - to make remembering unforgettable.  It works for me when I use it.  It works for countless people around the world, and it can work for you, too.  

The word LOVE is an acronym for the four actions you need to take to capture, record and recall anything and everything you choose to remember, instantly, upon demand.  It's easy to learn, fun to use, and best of all, it works.

     This method works for anything you actively choose to remember.  Next time you meet someone new, apply the four-step LOVE acronym: 

• Look:  See the face, listen to the name, use your finger to write the name in your palm. 
• Overstate:   Think something outrageous about their name, i.e.  Sherrie Wolf. Imagine Sherrie chugging a bottle of Sherry while riding on the back of a dancing wolf. 
• Visualize:  Picture the outrageous image in your mind's eye on the movie screen right inside your forehead.
• Engrave:  Repeat this movie image every twenty minutes until it's firmly stored in your brain.

Those of you reading this article who don't yet "remember with LOVE" 

• can see a longer explanation in the December, 2007 archives of this blog.  
• can go to my website or Amazon.com to order a copy of my book, WHERE ARE MY KEYS?  
• can invite me to speak in person at your next event.    

In this fast-paced world, where our minds are scattered in so many directions, we need to take control of our memory.  And, life's better when we trust our brain to remember.

Yes, you can trust your brain to remember what you choose to remember, when you take the time to remember with LOVE. 

Let's hear from you.  

WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES?  Blog on and share your LOVE Memory Method stories.

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."

WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES?  Blog on and share your LOVE Memory Method stories.

Blog on with your comments.  And forward this blog to as many friends and associates as you wish.  Hopefully they'll become Memory Tipsters as well. 

(Copyright - Judy Marcus - 2009)**********************************************************************************************************

Reprint Permission: You are welcome to reprint any items from the Memory Improvement Tips Blog.  However, please credit Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, as a source, with the following paragraph:

"Reprinted from the "Judy Marcus - Memory Lady - Memory Improvement Tips Blog",www.memory-improvement-tipster.com  Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, Judy's blog features tips and strategies to take control of your memory and keep your brain strong."