So we really depend on our memory to prioritize both what we remember and what we forget.

There are strategies you can use to avoid forgetting. During encoding, there are four things that you can focus on doing. F-O-U-R. The F means that you should focus your attention on what you want to remember. Don't multitask. The O means that you should organize the information. For example, if you're a student studying for an exam, don't try to memorize your notes until they're organized in a logical way. And if you're needing to memorize your shopping list, organize it by category or in some other way that makes sense to you. Our brain holds onto chunks of organized content, and so the better organize the information, the more we can fit into a chunk, and that's the more information we can retain. This is why experts can remember so much in their specific domain of expertise. They've learned how to organize the information. Do means to understand the information. Confirm you've heard the person's name correctly. Make sure your boss's request for your next meeting makes sense to you, and only then try committing them to memory. The R means to relate the information to something you already know. Does the person's name overlap with one of your favorite authors? Make a mental note of that association. Doing those four things will help you to both encode the information for the short term and also to get that information stored for longer term access. When it comes time to retrieve that information, the fact is we often thwart our own retrieval attempts. First, we get so anxious we cannot think of the information that's stored in our memory. It's important to try to relax. Deep breaths might be enough, or in some cases you might want to reframe your goal. Don't worry if you can't think of your colleague's name. Just reframe your goal as engaging and interesting conversation. Second, we often think it will help if we generate possibilities for the information we're searching for. We might think of possibilities for the person's name or think of information that might be related to the exam question. But because of the way the brain works, when we retrieve one piece of information, we actually make it less likely that we'll retrieve related pieces of information. Instead, try to return mentally to the context in which you experience the information. One of the last times you saw your colleague, or one of the last times you were studying that content for an exam. Memory retrieval works when the brain is able to return to a state similar to the one that it was in at the time of encoding. And bringing to mind that prior context can be one way to help the brain do just that, allowing you to access the content you need when you need it.

Thank you, Andrew and Elizabeth. Okay, listeners, now that you're on track to having a sharper memory, I probably don't need to remind you that in addition to this podcast and our app, we've got an actual book club that sends physical copies of books right to your home. Curated by Susan Kane, Dan Pink, Malcolm Gladwell, and Adam Grant, the club offers the best in new nonfiction and saves you from having to remember to go to the bookstore. To check it out, go to nextbigideocleub.com and use promo code DAILY for a special discount. Come on back tomorrow when we'll hear from MSNBC host, Medi Hassan, who's going to share some of the ideas from his book, Win Every Argument, The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking. I'm Michael Kavanagh. See you tomorrow.