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Ask HN: How Do You Remember?

6 points by conor_f ↗ HN
I have never really had a good memory - short term or long term. My working memory is pretty good, but that's about it. I have always envied people who have the ability to remember a relevant quote/figure or recalled the reference to a book/film/tv show etc in conversation. I read frequently but struggle to remember the characters names and plot points. I watch films/TV shows and struggle to describe the plot a day or two later.

Is there anything I can do to improve this type of memory or is this just a reality of my mind? How do people of HN remember things? Any particular tools, techniques or resources used?

6 comments

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WHA8m
Proven methods are 'spaced repetition' and 'active recall'. Programms like Anki can help you enforce these methods without having to learn an awful lot about it.

If you were talking about remembering things "on the fly", I can't tell you a lot about it. Generally speaking, your brain can be trained to a certain extend. So telling yourself you're just like that might hinder you more than your actual preconditions.

conor_f
I have used Anki extensively in the past. It works decently for me, but the primary issue I have is that there's no streamlined way to add information I have found. e.g. if I hear read a figure I want to remember, I have to go take out my phone/laptop, open the application, format it some way into a cloze style question, then go back to what I was reading. Do you use it in a more streamlined manner?
WHA8m
Unfortunately I don't have a quick and easy way as well. It's a external program that has quite extensive options to create a knowledge base after all. How I do it, is, that that I make flashcards in bulks. I don't go back and forth to create a card here and there - like you mentioned, that is disrupting to the work flow - but rather make a reminder for later. If it's a non-fiction book, you'll have to go through it more than once either way. But yeah, not a quick and easy fix...
flipcoder
You don't have to add things one by one. It can import lists.
throwawayvibes
>and struggle to describe the plot a day or two later.

Chances are you were not watching, just attending and staring. Do you have your phone at hand in these events, by any chance?

conor_f
Never (or at least very rarely!) this in particular is why I find it frustrating, I feel like I am actively engaging to the best of my ability. This is a good alternative for me to think about, to search for some more active watching practices.