No, there won’t be 1001 memory exercises in this article, but who knows if by the time this blog achieves its goal, there might be that many.
Let’s get started. Abruptly, so I don’t forget what I want to say.
Motor Memory Game
Read the list below and perform the movements in the indicated order. After an interval of 10-15 minutes, repeat all the movements in the same order, without having the list in front of you. For a higher degree of complexity, after another interval of time, do all the movements in reverse order.
1. Go to the window.
2. Say the name of a loved one.
3. Sit down. Stand up.
4. Name three objects around you.
5. Stand on one foot while counting to 10.
6. Go to the window.
7. Hum a song you like.
8. Go and drink a glass of water.
You can replace the suggested actions here with whatever you want, depending on the space you are in and the objective you have.
There are also some extremely funny games and competitions with friends coming out. In this case you can add other requirements, such as:
Everyone makes a drawing with the non-dominant hand. Hide the drawings for 15 minutes while we talk about everything else. After 15 minutes we draw the same thing, with all the details, but this time with the dominant hand.
At first you might miss the order of the moves. It’s not to be worried about. And it doesn’t mean you have “memory problems” either. It just means it’s not practiced enough. We have so many technological conveniences at our fingertips that it is easy to forget the existence of our own memory. Natural endowments are, or at least appear to be, supplemented in the most subtle ways.
Putting Objects Away
Take a few objects (5-6) that have long-established places. Put them in completely different locations. Note where you put them. Plus a reminder for a day about a month from now. On that day, try to remember, without consulting your notes, what objects you “hid” and especially where.
To complement the exercise, do the following training:
Choose a drawer where you have several items. Without opening it, say what you have in there. Write it down, if necessary. Then check if you missed or added something. Repeat after a week. Two…
You can do the same type of exercise for the contents of your refrigerator. Maybe this way you will also remember what groceries you still need to buy.
Why I Liked Latin
Because my teacher brought, from the very first beginning, a collection of expressions and proverbs that, translated into Romanian, piqued our interest. She told us:
You use expressions like: Seize the day or The die has been cast or A sound mind in a sound body, but do you know what they mean, where they come from?
Carpe diem. (Seize the day)
Mens sana in corpore sano. (A sound mind in a sound body)
Alea iacta est. (The die has been cast)
Aquila non capit muscas. (The eagle does not hunt flies)
De gustibus non disputandum. (About tastes, it is not to be disputed)
Dura lex, sed lex. (The law is hard, but law)
Ex nihilo nihil. (Nothing comes from nothing)
Semper idem. (Always the same)
An extraordinary source of general knowledge. Besides that, a constant memory exercise, because we were encouraged to use these expressions in different contexts. That’s how latin lessons were.
The latin expressions above are just a few of the most common ones. Try to keep them in your memory and, why not, use them.
General knowledge is sometimes acquired through the effort of memorization. The next article in the series of 1001 memory exercises will include such notions. If I don’t forget.
