Memory is creativity
"The thing is, I have a really bad memory."
You can even say this with pride, as if having a memory were the same as not thinking. That other sentence, though:
"The thing is, I learn really badly."
When someone says that one, they say it with shame or worry. We could talk at length about why the school system created this association between memory and boring repetition, but it's obvious that:
Without memory there is no learning.
What the school system has never understood is that:
Memory is creativity.
Don't believe me? You're going to memorise 10 words in order. But instead of doing it the way you would by repeating them 20 times, ending up remembering 4 or 5 at most, we're going to do it another way.
Before starting the exercise, go somewhere quiet and free of distractions. I'll show you the words along with an instruction and, as soon as you press the next button, you won't be able to go back. Relax, visualise, feel, and you'll see that the ending is going to surprise you.
How did it go? This technique is more than 2000 years old. You didn't repeat anything, you only imagined, that's how your mind works. This simple technique stimulates your imagination and makes your mind connect ideas more easily. If you train with attention-read, you'll be able to remember 10 words in 4-5 seconds.
And what's the point of doing it so fast?
Just as running a sprint strengthens your body, intense memory exercises strengthen your mind.
An average person can memorise 4-5 words in 4-5 seconds; with training you'll be able to do 10.
But it's not about speed, it's about what speed builds. If you can memorise 10 words, it means you'll have a much stronger working memory and attention (essential for learning).
In fact, when you train intensely, after 15 minutes you start to feel a slight warmth in your head. That's your neurons working at full throttle!
At attention-read there are more techniques that train different parts of your mind, and, most importantly, a plan to keep progressing day by day, always raising the difficulty.
Don't let the tobacco companies of the 21st century keep your attention. Your attention is yours. You decide where to put it. You decide whether to strengthen it or weaken it every day.