Advances in technology mean we have fewer things to actually remember. Speed dial, PDAs, picture phones and a hundred other programmable gadgets memorize details for us. With daily agendas packed to the max, life could be difficult without these devices; but at the same time, they may be making your memory lazy. So, what can you do to keep your brain sharp—maybe even improve your memory? There are ways, and most are remarkably simple. The trick is to select a technique that works for you and stick with it.

The Long and Short of It

There are two types of memory: short-term and long-term. Each processes information in a different part of the brain for a different purpose.

Short-term memory (STM), also called working or active memory, involves the brain recording information currently in use. STM is brief, lasting at most a mere 20 seconds. For instance, if someone tells you her name is Mary, you will likely forget it within 20 seconds. The brain, however, is willing to work with you, and it often comes down to repetition—something as simple as saying, “Hi, Mary. It’s great to meet you, Mary.”

Long-term memory (LTM) involves information that’s stored for a potentially unlimited time period. Riding a bicycle is one form of LTM, as is the memory of July 4th fireworks when you were 10. Then there are facts and figures, which usually begin as a short-term memory, but with attention can be scooted over into long-term storage.

Kenneth Higbee, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Your Memory: How It Works & How to Improve It, explains it this way: “Retrieval from short-term memory is analogous to the inbox on your desk. Space is limited, and eventually you have to dump everything out in order to fit new things in. When you dump everything out, it either gets thrown out or it moves on. In terms of the brain, this means information is either forgotten or it’s moved to long-term memory. On the other hand, retrieval from long-term memory involves a search, like a series of filing cabinets.”

Remember These Tricks

Higbee agrees that programmable devices may indeed nick away at your ability to remember things, but paying closer attention usually remedies the situation. “When people complain about having a weak memory, many times what they’re really saying is that they never got it in the first place,” he explains. “Maybe someone tells you his name, and you immediately put it into electronic storage without really hearing it. Or maybe your mind is busy thinking of a clever comment. So in truth, you never got the name to begin with. That’s attention. You must get something before you can forget it.”

To keep your brain from wandering, Higbee says that repeating new information is a good first step, but integrating this tidbit into conversation is even better. For instance, if it’s a name you want to remember, you might ask about its origin or its correct spelling, or mention an immediate association that comes to mind. Association involves connecting a new fact or figure to something that’s already neatly tucked into long-term memory.

For example, if someone tells you her name is Ruth, and you have an Aunt Ruth, then you’ve made an association. Or perhaps you need to memorize a figure for a meeting. Is this figure the same as your childhood home address or your monthly mortgage payment? If so, then you have an association. Whether you speak the connection out loud or think it, association is a strong memory booster.

Daniel Schacter, Ph.D., author of The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers, cautions that association works best when it comes naturally. “Associations are hard to do,” he says. “That’s what many of the commercial memory programs are about—making up outlandish associations. And this technique helps, but for most people it’s a tiring practice on a daily basis. So what I think is much more productive is to really think about incoming information.”

To avoid superficial processing and to strengthen your focus on incoming information, Schacter recommends spaced retrieval. “You immediately say the person’s name upon first hearing it, and then repeat the name a few seconds later,” he advises. “Wait a little more time, about 10 seconds, then say the name again. Wait 20 seconds then bring it back up. Maybe do this one more time, after 30 seconds or a minute. Spacing out information retrieval in this manner is shown to significantly improve retention.”

Another memory trick, as Higbee explains, is chunking. “Chunking is a way to organize facts,” he says. “For example, it’s easier for most people to remember a phone number as several two-digit numbers rather than seven single-digit numbers. So 2, 6, 8, 8 becomes 26, 88.”

Shake Out the Cobwebs

Researchers are finding that mental exercise is often key to maintaining a sharp memory. “I think a lot of us suffer from information overload, and when the brain gets saturated it’s sometimes easier to not even attempt memorizing anything,” says Christina Truemper, nurse manager at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix and a 2003 MSN graduate of University of Phoenix. “So, we need mental exercises to keep the brain in shape. It can be something as simple as doing a daily crossword puzzle, reading a book or playing board games. These exercises not only sharpen your brain in the moment, but there’s a wonderful domino effect. This sharpness continues after the book or game ends.”

Research suggests, however, that the positive effects of mental exercise do not last indefinitely. You need to stick with it. The 2004 MacArthur Study followed 23 healthy people as they learned to juggle. After three months of juggling, participants underwent an MRI brain scan, which showed an enlargement of gray matter in each participant’s brain—the part responsible for higher mental function. After the study ended and participants stopped juggling, the gray matter shrunk. This suggests that mental exercise directly correlates to positive brain function, but if we stop exercising our brain, the positive effects decline.

When it comes to mental exercise, Truemper urges everyone to do it in good company. “Being part of a group forces you to remember names and practice information recall—essential things for conversation,” she says. In other words, reading a novel is great, but discussing it in a book club is better.

Let’s Get Physical

In addition to mental exercise, there’s increasing evidence that physical activity is linked to memory. A 2004 study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health tested more than 18,000 women between the ages of 70 and 81, and the study concluded that the more active we are, the better our cognition. Researchers found that the women who walked at an easy pace (one mile in 20 to 30 minutes) for at least six hours weekly had a 20 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment than those with low activity levels, or the equivalent of walking less than two hours a week at an easy pace. Researchers feel this may indicate a connection between physical activity and the production of chemicals in the brain, called nerve growth factors, which improve the brain cells’ survival and growth.

So grab your PDA, boot up your laptop and program your TV remote. Just remember that your memory skills need attention, too. Protecting and even boosting your ability to recall information comes down to paying attention, really listening or seeing, and only then feeding it into the latest gadgets or gizmos. Of course, all this paying attention comes with an added bonus—you’ll be much more likely to remember where you put that PDA, laptop and remote control.

Cause (and effect)

The reasons for memory loss constitute a science unto itself, but in most cases, brain damage due to disease, injury, emotional trauma including depression, overexposure to alcohol or drugs, or the natural aging process is what causes unusual or excessive forgetfulness. The exact reason and degree of brain damage determines whether forgetfulness progresses slowly or quickly and whether it’s a temporary or permanent condition. It’s important to note that misplacing the TV remote or forgetting to pick up your dry cleaning is not considered memory loss. These types of memory lapses generally amount to nothing more than poor focus or overindulgence in multitasking.

On the subject of aging, researchers believe that the process itself plays only a marginal role in memory loss, and extreme forgetfulness in the elderly is more often a result of illness, such as arteriosclerosis or Alzheimer’s disease, and poor nutrition. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the brain begins to very slowly lose cells in our 20s. This is also when the body begins making less of the chemicals our brains need to work. These changes affect how the brain stores and recalls information, but this is normal and minimal.

Hippo-what?

No, the hippocampus is not related to the large, aquatic African herbivorous mammal. The hippocampus is the part of your brain where short-term memories are encoded so that they can be moved over to long-term memory. A team of researchers is currently developing the world’s first artificial hippocampus. The team, led by professor Theodore W. Berger, director of the Center for Neural Engineering at the University of Southern California, is working toward a silicon chip implant that will connect to brain tissue and take over the function of the hippocampus, in effect mimicking the brain’s memory center. The goal is to someday help those with brain damage due to stroke, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. While the chip is about 15 years away from being human-ready, early reports say that this bionic memory is no longer a matter of if but when.

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See how long you can repeat the computer-generated pattern. There’s no resulting assessment, but it’s fun nonetheless.

Read: Your Memory: How It Works & How to Improve It by Kenneth L. Higbee

Read: The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Daniel L. Schacter