How can one improve one's memory?

Best of all by learning naturally and without fear. Artificial memory tricks often do more harm than good, while reading a lot without pressure strengthens memory in the long run.

There are many techniques that promise a better memory. One assigns letters to numbers, invents little stories or learns long lists forwards and backwards using tricks. Such feats can be impressive. For learning in real life, however, they are often of little help.

The reason is simple. From childhood on, every person has their own natural way of remembering things. God has given each of us a memory that takes in and stores information by itself, like a very fine instrument. When this natural way is overlaid by an artificial method, the two easily get confused. Sport offers an example. A player who shines with his own style sometimes loses his strength when a foreign technique is forced on him.

What harms memory most is fear. Whoever learns under pressure, for instance out of exam anxiety, retains much of it only briefly and forgets it as soon as the pressure eases. The more tensely one tries to remember, the worse it goes. Whoever learns calmly and without fear, on the other hand, can use their abilities to the full.

A good way, therefore, is to read a lot without forcing oneself to memorise. Whoever reads many books with interest ends up retaining more than someone who laboriously crams a single book. For people who find it hard to remember names or numbers, for example, small aids can be useful, as long as they do not push aside natural learning.

And finally, one may ask God for knowledge. The verse above teaches a short prayer for this. Whoever learns, prays and stays calm gives their memory the best conditions.