It has not escaped me how often I forget many things in life — I blame it on age. Admit it, we get frustrated when we forget — whether it is struggling with a word on the tip of the tongue, misplacing important items such as keys or mobile phone, or even why remembering we came into a room.

But panic will not make you remember things better — so, don’t. Even if that happens once in a while.

Have you heard about chunking? Defined as “a memory technique that involves grouping individual pieces of information into larger, more meaningful units or “chunks” to make them easier to remember and recall,” chunking is used to overcome the limitations of short-term memory by enabling the brain to process and store more information by treating these groups as single items. Examples include grouping numbers on a phone, organizing a shopping list into categories, or learning phrases in a new language as a single unit.

In an article on CNN recently, it says humans are not built to remember everything.

How can we do anything but forget — especially in a time in which we are subjected to a firehose of information every waking minute, between our life in the physical world and what comes at us electronically via smartphones, TVs, computers and more?

More research says the human brain’s memory capacity in the average adult can store trillions of bytes of information. In a Stanford Study, it was reported that the cerebral cortex alone has 125 trillion synapses. In another study, it was reported that one synapse can store 4.7 bits of information. Neurons are the cells which processes and transmits messages within the brain, and synapses are the bridges between neurons which carry the transmitted messages. 

Running the numbers – 125 trillion synapses – 4.7 bits/synapse, and about 1 trillion bytes equaling 1 TB (Terabyte).

Did you know that the American is exposed to an estimated 34 gigabytes — or 11.8 hours’ worth — of information every day? Dr. Charan Ranganath wrote in his most recent book, Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What Matters that the figure came from a 2009 report by the Global Information Industry Center at the University of California, San Diego.

For Pinoys, a study on the memory of a group of Filipinos shows that a deeper level of processing, or semantic processing, in a person’s memory has a significant effect on explicit memory or the intentional recollection of past events or experiences.

“Last time I looked it up, the estimate increased even more since,” Ranganath told CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently on his podcast Chasing Life. Ranganath directs the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis, where he is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience.

Far from remembering all this information, he said the science of memory shows that humans are designed to forget. In fact, Ranganath’s book references the work of cognitive psychologist George Miller, who concluded in a 1956 paper that we can only keep seven items (plus or minus two) in mind at a time. (Subsequent research, Ranganath wrote, shows the number to be closer to three or four items.)

Improving memory isn’t about trying to stuff more information inside your head. “The thing that I like to say is: Don’t try to remember more, remember better,” Ranganath said. “Sometimes remembering better means memorizing less.”

Remembering, the struggle

What can you do if you struggle with forgetfulness? Here are Ranganath’s five tricks to help form memories for events that matter. All you have to is remember to “call a MEDIC!” he said. See if they work for you.

Read before you sleep

According to Melody Wilding, a performance coach and human behavior professor, students should think twice about pulling all-nighters when studying. Studies show that the best time to learn something is between 10 a.m. to 2 pm. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The worst time, on the other hand, is between 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. 

However, regardless of your routine, experts agree that it’s best to consume your readings before you sleep. Reading before bedtime can help in remembering concepts, and even exercises the brain. Simply put, a good night’s sleep is key to solidifying your new knowledge in your long-term memory.

Read after waking up

Your brain is usually at its best performance during the day. That’s why a lot of people recommend studying in the morning! With a refreshed mind, it’s ready to take in and process new information. So, how about adding some light reading to your morning routine?  

Take notes

When reading, make it a habit to annotate or take down notes. You can paraphrase, use keywords, and even add illustrations. Instead of copying the exact words from the book or presentation slides, make it your own. This way, you actively process new information as you write it down. The more you understand it, the easier your brain can remember it.  

Rewrite the material

Rewriting works as well. While you’re better off adding your own thoughts while taking notes, rewriting the material as it is has its perks too. Why not rewrite the important parts of your readings at home? This will help emboss the lessons in your head.

Quiz yourself

Now that you have your notes and you have gone through the material several times, Quizzing yourself is an effective way to evaluate your understanding of the lesson. This will determine if you really remember the terms, concepts and definitions from the source material.

For the seniors among us, try this: MEDIC 

M is for meaning

Attach what you want to remember to something of importance.

For instance, if you like chocolate, attach what you need to remember to chocolate. 

E is for error

Test yourself. Even if you make a mistake, Ranganath said trial and error is one of the best ways to remember something.

“If you’re learning a new name or foreign language word, take a guess about what the name could be or guess about the meaning of the word,” he said.

When you learn the answer, he said, the brain can “tweak that memory to make sure it is more closely associated with the right answer and less likely to be associated with competing answers.”

D is for distinctiveness

Make it pop.

For example, “When you put down your keys, take a moment to attend to a detail like a sound or a unique visual cue,” he said.

It will go a long way toward helping you remember where you put them, he said, as you’re frantically scrambling to get out the door.

I is for importance

Take advantage of the fact that the brain has adapted to flag moments that are significant.

“We retain memories for events that are important — in a biological sense,” Ranganath said. “When we have experiences that are rewarding, scary or embarrassing, chemicals like dopamine, noradrenaline or serotonin are released, promoting plasticity.” These neurotransmitters help cement the experience in your memory a bit more.

C is for curiosity and content 

“We have found that being curious has a similar effect on memory,” he said, noting that curiosity activates “dopamine-carrying areas of the brain” and promotes learning.

“So, before you learn, get curious about the subject!” he said.

Use your senses to do a little time traveling.

“Our memories for events, or episodic memories, are tied to where and when the event took place,” Ranganath said. “That’s why hearing a song that played during your summer abroad in college or smelling food that your grandmother used to make can immediately transport you back in time.”

“If you are trying to recall a past event, imagine yourself in that place and time — how you felt, what you were thinking about, the sights and sounds of the place — and you’ll find yourself pulling up a lot,” he said.

Just don’t forget

Remember, as people grow older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain. As a result, some people notice that they don’t remember information as well as they once did and aren’t able to recall it as quickly.