總是忘記重要的事情？試試下面這幾個方法吧！

We all have a good memory; the problem is no one taught us how to use it.

我們有着很好的記憶力，但問題是沒人告訴過我們如何正確使用記憶力。

Forget to send that email? Return a call? Meet a deadline? If you chalk up memory mishaps to having too much to think about, you might be making excuses. “We all have a good memory; the problem is no one taught us how to use it,” says four-time USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis.

忘記發郵件了?忘記回電話?到了截止日期纔想起來有任務沒有完成?如果你把記憶錯誤歸結爲有太多的事情要考慮，你可能在找藉口。“我們都有很好的記憶力;問題是沒有人教會我們如何使用它，”四次獲得美國記憶冠軍尼爾森•戴利斯（Nelson Dellis）說。

Dellis says he always had a mediocre memory, and didn’t think he had championship-caliber memory potential. Today, he’s the record holder for remembering the most names, memorizing 201 in 15 minutes. He was inspired to train his memory after his grandmother passed away in 2009 with Alzheimer’s disease. “She had been of sound mind just 10 years before,” he says. “I didn’t want that to happen to me. I wanted to find something I could do now that would prolong my brain health.”

Dellis說他的記憶力一直都很差，他認爲自己的記憶能力並不強。如今，他是記住最多名字的記錄保持者，在15分鐘內記住了201個名字。他的祖母在2009年去世，患有阿爾茨海默氏症。他說:“10年前，她的思想還很健全。我不想讓這種事發生在我身上。我想找到一些能延長我大腦健康的方法。”

Dellis decided to enter the championship as a way to measure his memory gains. While you might not be interested in remembering a couple hundred names, you can use Dellis’s favorite tools to improve your memory and focus.

Dellis決定參加錦標賽，以此來檢測他的記憶力。雖然你可能對記住幾百個名字不感興趣，但你可以使用Dellis最喜歡的方法來提高你的記憶力和注意力。

One of the best ways to boost your memory is to take advantage of what the brain is naturally good at: remembering the extraordinary. “Most people can recall a traumatic or memorable event,” says Dellis. “It’s not some sort of super human memory; in those instances, there was something special and our brains absorb that better. Ninety percent of your day is non-interesting; you need to turn it into something memorable.”

提高記憶力的最好方法之一就是利用大腦天生擅長的東西:記住不同尋常的東西。“大多數人都能回憶起創傷或難忘的事情，”Dellis說。“這不是某種超級人類記憶;在那些情況下，有一些特別的東西，我們的大腦吸收的更好。你每天90%的時間都不是很有趣;你需要把它變成值得紀念的東西。”

Trick yourself into making things exciting. It helps to understand that your brain works well with pictures instead of abstract ideas. If you want to remember to pick up pizza on the way home, for example, picture the cheese sizzling and then burning your mouth.

欺騙自己讓事情變得令人興奮。這有助於理解，大腦對圖片而不是抽象想印象深刻。如果你想記住在回家的路上去買披薩，比如，想象一下奶酪噝噝作響，然後會燙着嘴巴。

“Give it a color and make it as real as possible,” says Dellis. “If you want to remember a name, come up with picture of what the word could represent.”

“給它一個顏色，讓它儘可能真實，”Dellis說。“如果你想記住一個名字，可以想象一下這個詞可以代表什麼。”

For example, picture someone named Nelson turning into Nelson Mandela. Once you have a picture, it’s more easily stored in your mind, says Dellis.

例如，想象一個叫Nelson的人變成了Nelson Mandela。Dellis說，一旦你有了一張照片，它就更容易儲存在你的腦海裏。

Dellis’s most tried-and-true technique is creating a memory palace, which involves creating pictures and memorizing them along a path through a space that you know well, such as your home or office. “You could probably walk through with your eyes closed,” he says. “If you want to remember grocery items, link each one to that space.”

Dellis最可靠的方法是創建一個記憶宮殿，它包括在你熟悉的地方(比如你的家或辦公室)中創建圖片和記憶。“你可以閉着眼睛走過去，”他說。“如果你想記住食品雜貨，把每一件都鏈接到那個地方。”

For example, imagine toilet paper covering your front door, then make up a story about why it’s there. “Did kids come by and throw it on your door?” asks Dellis. “Take it as far as you like. If the next item is milk, imagine a cow spraying milk all over the door. Continue to create mental pictures through your house. When you get to the store all you have to do is think of your house and mentally walk the same path, and the pictures will be waiting for you. All elite competitors use some form of memory palace.”

例如，想象一下用衛生紙蓋住前門，然後編一個關於它爲什麼在那裏的故事。“孩子們過來把它扔在你的門上了嗎?””Dellis問道。“就按照你所喜歡的去編吧。”如果下一項是牛奶，想象一頭奶牛在門上噴灑牛奶。繼續在你的房子裏創造圖片。當你去商店的時候，你所要做的就是想想你的房子，並在思想上走同樣的路，這些照片將會在你的身邊等待着你。所有的精英選手都使用某種形式的記憶宮殿。

Another memory tool is using a linking method. “You’re still coming up with pictures, but the way you store them is different,” he says. “A linked list connects each item to the next, so it’s a narrative.”

另一個工具是使用關聯法。他說:“你還在拍照片，但你儲存照片的方式不同。”“一個鏈表將每個項目連接到下一個，連起來就是一個故事。”

For example, if you need to reply to an email, call the IT department about computer issues, and schedule a meeting, imagine the person you need to email is involved in a crime ring after receiving dozens of stolen computers and you need to go to a meeting to decide what should be done with him.

例如,如果你需要回覆電子郵件、打電話給IT部門詢問關於計算機問題、安排會議,想象你需要回覆電子郵件的人收到了幾十個偷來的電腦，參與了一個犯罪團伙,你需要開會決定如何對付他。

“The more bizarre, over the top, hilarious, or vulgar it is, the easier it is to remember,” says Dellis. “We remember things that are truly out of the ordinary.”

Dellis說:“越奇怪，越搞笑，或者粗俗，就越容易記住。”“我們記得那些真正與衆不同的東西。”

A lot of memory is about paying attention. “It sounds obvious, but we live in a day when our attention span is very fickle, because there’s so much coming at us all the time,” says Dellis. “Force yourself to be laser-focused on one thing at a time.”

很多記憶都是需要集中注意力的。“這聽起來很明顯，但在日常生活中，我們的注意力持續時間很短，因爲每時每刻都有很多信息涌來，”Dellis說。“強迫自己一次只專注於一件事。”

For example, when Dellis meets people and wants to learn their names, the first thing he does before asking their name is to mentally ask himself, “What is this person’s name?” over and over.

例如，當Dellis遇到陌生人並想要知道他們的名字時，他首先要做的就是在心裏一遍又一遍問自己:“這個人叫什麼名字?”。

“This process, as insignificant as it seems, does wonders,” he says. “You’re not thinking about what to say or noticing something across the room. You’re paying attention to the person in front of you, getting ready to accept their name.”

他說:“這個過程雖然看起來微不足道，但卻能創造奇蹟。”你不是在想該說什麼或注意到房間對面的什麼東西。你在關注你面前的人，準備認真聽他們的名字。

Tools and tricks can help you remember things, but the key to building a strong memory is practice. Dellis recommends a few websites that will help. MemoCamp is a paid site that tests you on remembering names, numbers, words, and more. Dellis uses it to get ready for competition. Another tool is MemRise, a free site that helps you memorize words with games. Anki is another app Dellis uses for memorizing language. And Dellis is also the cofounder of Art of Memory, a website that helps you learn and practice memory techniques.

工具和技巧可以幫助你記住事情，但是建立強大記憶力的關鍵是練習。Dellis推薦了一些可以幫助你的網站。MemoCamp是一個付費網站，它可以讓你記住名字、數字、單詞等等。Dellis用它來準備比賽。另一個工具是MemRise，它是一個免費的網站，可以幫助你在遊戲中記憶單詞。Anki是Dellis用來記憶語言的另一個應用。Dellis也是記憶藝術（Art of Memory）的聯合創始人，這是一個幫助你學習和練習記憶技巧的網站。

Give your brain a daily workout by ditching to-do or grocery lists, suggests Dellis. “It’s easy to write something down,” he says. “I love the fact that I’m using my own memory power, exercising my brain, and taking a moment of the day to stretch brain muscles. Commit a speech to memory. Memorize a poem or a deck of cards. Whatever your interest, it helps your memory.”

Dellis建議丟開待辦事項或者購物清單，給你的大腦一個日常的鍛鍊機會。“寫東西很容易，”他說。“我喜歡我用自己的記憶力量，鍛鍊我的大腦，花點時間來鍛鍊大腦肌肉。記住一篇演講、記住一首詩或一副紙牌都可以。無論你的興趣是什麼，它都會幫助你提高記憶力。