Intelligence is what you know. Working memory is what you can achieve with that knowledge.
Humans are capable of prioritizing information and combining facts in ways that create something constructive. In the brain, the management of all this information is called working memory. A strong working memory is beneficial in work, school, daily life, and leisure. It is essential for learning, so taking care of your working memory is important.
Time limits and a ticking clock create pressure and reduce working memory performance. Excessive tasks and other distractions, such as loud noises, also affect working memory function. In such cases, the amygdala can take over, emotions rise to the surface, and working memory stops producing rational decisions. A well-managed working memory can resist the influence of emotions.
An easy way to restore working memory function is to think about something other than the distraction and ask yourself, for example, why you should be worried about it. This way, thoughts no longer circulate through the amygdala, and the rational hemisphere of the brain is regained.
Improving Working Memory
The capacity of working memory can be significantly increased by simplifying tasks and taking care of your brain and memory function. Various memory and calculation exercises, reading, cooking, and emotional regulation activate working memory for better performance.
Memory can also be trained using mnemonic techniques. You can learn a list of meaningless items by assigning each item a value or linking them into a story. For example, consider a shopping list with: tomato, cucumber, milk, cheese, egg, chocolate egg, and a package of coffee. Normally, you would just take the list with you, but if you want to improve your working memory, decide to memorize it. Create a story to help you remember the items:
“I put on red shoes in the hallway, which reminds me of the tomato. I take a green umbrella, representing the cucumber. I have to clear snow off the car roof, which is the same color as milk. On the way, I cross the Aura River and a chicken coop, so I remember to buy cheese, eggs, and chocolate eggs.”
This way, you can remember to buy all the items on your shopping list.
Easy Exercises to Improve Working Memory
All Mental Calculation Improves Working Memory
Doing mental calculations forces you to use your working memory, as you need to keep track of previous results while performing the next operation. Try the following calculations without a calculator, and you will naturally exercise your working memory.
Calculate mentally without a calculator:
What number do you get if you subtract 7 from 100, then subtract 7 again from that result, and subtract 7 once more from the new result?
100-7=93
93-7=86
86-7=79
100-7=93
93-7=86
86-7=79
Calculate in your head without a calculator:
What is 58 × 76?
There are probably as many methods as there are people calculating. I personally calculate large multiplications like this:
6 × 8 = 48 and 6 × 50 = 300, then I add these together: 48 + 300 = 348. I try to keep this partial sum in mind and move on to multiplying by the tens digit.
70 × 8 = 560 and 70 × 50 = 3500. I add these partial sums: 560 + 3500 = 4060.
The final result is found by adding the partial sums together: 348 + 4060 = 4408.
There are probably as many methods as there are people calculating. I personally calculate large multiplications like this:
6 × 8 = 48 and 6 × 50 = 300, then I add these together: 48 + 300 = 348. I try to keep this partial sum in mind and move on to multiplying by the tens digit.
70 × 8 = 560 and 70 × 50 = 3500. I add these partial sums: 560 + 3500 = 4060.
The final result is found by adding the partial sums together: 348 + 4060 = 4408.
Reading and retaining a short text so that you can answer related questions without looking back at the text is an excellent way to train your working memory.
Read the story only once and then answer the questions.
Peter is going to the store and puts a yellow shopping bag in his pocket. On the way, he picks up a Coca-Cola can from the ground and returns it to the store. He buys lettuce, milk, eggs, and jam at the store. Peter goes back home and puts his groceries in his brand-new steel-gray refrigerator.
What color is Peter’s shopping bag?
The first sentence says that the shopping bag is yellow.
The first sentence says that the shopping bag is yellow.
What did Peter do with the Coca-Cola can he found?
Peter returned the can to the store.
Peter returned the can to the store.