8 Tricks to Boost Your Memory

Mnemonic devices are memory aids that help us recall complex information easily. By associating new data with familiar concepts, these tools enhance our ability to recall facts quickly and accurately. Here are eight popular mnemonic devices that many people use.

1. ROY G. BIV

This acronym helps us remember the colors of the rainbow in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Each letter stands for the first letter of a color, making it easy to recall the sequence.

2. Never Eat Soggy Waffles

This phrase is used to remember the cardinal directions on a compass: north, east, south, and west, with each word corresponding to a direction.

3. Righty-Tighty, Lefty-Loosey

This classic play on words helps people remember which way to turn nuts, bolts, screws, and jar lids to tighten or loosen them.

4. Left Hand Makes an ‘L’

This trick helps people distinguish left from right; your left hand can make an “L” shape with the thumb and pointer finger, while your right hand would make it backwards.

5. My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas

This mnemonic helps the user remember the order of the planets in our solar system from the sun outward: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and (historically) Pluto. The first letter of each word in the phrase corresponds to the first letter of a planet.

6. PEMDAS

PEMDAS stands for parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division, and addition and subtraction, which is the order of operations in mathematics. The phrase “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” is often used to help remember this sequence.

7. Every Good Boy Does Fine

The notes on the lines of the treble clef are E, G, B, D, and F. These letters can be remembered through various phrases like “every good boy does fine,” “every good boy deserves fudge,” or “even great bugs die flying.”

8. Knuckle Months

By counting the months on your knuckles and the grooves between them (excluding your thumb knuckle), you can easily tell which months have 31 days and which have 30 or 28 days. Months landing on a knuckle have 31 days, while those in the grooves have 30 days, with February being the exception at 28 days.

Mnemonic devices simplify the process of remembering complex information. Whether it’s for school, work, or daily life, mnemonics provide a useful strategy for improving memory and efficiency.

References: 21 Clever Mnemonic Devices That Will Help You Remember Almost Everything | Helpful Mnemonic Devices That Everyone Should Know