incredibly bad short-term memory

Wondering whether other people have really bad memory and what you do to study with that problem?

I try to make notes during class; I hear the professor and start writing down what they say but forget after a few words but the professor has already moved on so I can't remember what to write. Also, when I'm reading the textbook I read something, start making notes, forget, take ages to find the bit I just read, find it, start writing...repeat.

It means I miss out on so much in class and it takes me absolutely ages to make notes from the textbook.

Help!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

Kullyb93

Original post by Sabertooth

IMO Several things lead to this. A lack of sleep, poor nutrition, dehydration, fatigue.

Try and get sufficient sleep every night before a day of lectures! It really helps stop the clock-watching. Prior to lectures, a coffee/tea can also help.
Make sure you eat well, especially for breakfast if you have a day of lectures ahead! A lack of energy will make it a lot harder to focus. I also take supplements, multi-vits and fish oils.
Drink plenty of water! If you're unsure as to why, this is definitely the cause, otherwise this is a given.
Exercise! You fatigue a lot slower while studying and can therefore process information a lot faster, you have more energy, reduced stress (exercise has an endless number of academic benefits) - 3/4 times a week for 30 mins minimum!

Other than that i would say when taking notes, read and interpret what you're told/shown and write it in your own words - as if it's to teach yourself again in the future! This makes you think a lot more about what it is you're writing, helping you remember it. When I use text-books, my notes, especially for memorising, represent a much more condensed but understandable form of the book. I then go back and make notes a second time, this time condensing them more! It becomes easier to condense each time you go over them - but it is the procedure of thinking about how best to re-write the textbook in a much shorter version that helps me remember things.

Reply 2

triphazards

Original post by Sabertooth

Yes, I have found that this is increasingly a problem when my mental health is 'bad' it makes it harder to concentrate or focus on anything at all including retaining information for any period of time and I get brain fog and mind blanks. I don't really have a solution sorry but I'm glad I can relate to someone
Hope you find a solution soon :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 3

davidguettafan

Original post by Sabertooth

Are you American? It's the way you say professor lol

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 4

Sabertooth

Original post by Kullyb93

Thanks for the advice. :smile:

I would say that i get enough sleep, usually in bed around 10 and have to get up at 8am for class...maybe I'm getting too much? :confused:

I would love a cup of tea or coffee before class, except I'm on an acid-reflux diet so not meant to have anything with caffeine, can't even have a bottle of coke; it sucks.

You mentioned exercise....I've done some weightlifting in the past couple of months but no cardio - I can't find the time to go to the gym. I feel like everytime I could go I'd be missing out on time when I could be working. I really do feel like I need exercise. One of my classes is on the 3rd floor and it kills me climbing those stairs :colondollar:

I don't know how to reconcile exercise with work. I feel guilty everytime I do anything except work (including TSR!).

Yeah, I didn't describe it very well in the OP, but I do think about what I'm writing and not merely coping what the professor say - it's in that thinking stage that I forget what I'm meant to write.

Reply 5

Sabertooth

Original post by davidguettafan

Are you American? It's the way you say professor lol

Posted from TSR Mobile

I live in the US. :smile:

I did try to think of the UK term but couldn't decide what it would be. :tongue:

I mean "lecturer" what if she's doing a lab class?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

Sabertooth

Original post by triphazards

Posted from TSR Mobile

Do you see a psychiatrist or on medication or anything?

Reply 7

furryface12

Is there any chance you'd be able to use a dictaphone or something like that to record the lectures? I don't know how expensive they are but can't imagine they're that bad, I know it would be more time going over them afterwards but if you could skip forwards and backwards and stuff could be useful. I have a similar problem but not found any way round it really, not studying at the minute but as and when I (hopefully) am again it's going to be a nightmare :/

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 8

triphazards

Original post by Sabertooth

Do you see a psychiatrist or on medication or anything?

Nope neither, why?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 9

Tw1x

I have exactly the same problem, which gets worse when my mental health declines. I can be having a conversation with somebody and halfway through the conversation I won't know what we are talking about. Similarly i can have a conversation with someone at work about something that needs doing and 10 minutes later it has gone out my head.

Reply 10

McNuggetsAhoy

Original post by Sabertooth

I had this problem when I was on certain medications. I'd either say hello to someone then when they said hello back I'd forget that I had already said hello and say hello again :smile:

. That got me some funny looks I'll tell you :tongue:

.

I'd also be talking to my boss and they would tell me what to do and they said my eyes would glaze over and I'd lose the thread of the conversation. In the end they just started telling me what to do via email so I wouldn't forget.

What medication are you on? It might be the same stuff as I was on.

If you can afford it could you not get a Dictaphone to record your lectures so you don't need to take notes or if you do they would be much shorter and more concise?