Brainfit Tricks For ’26 – Part 3:

At Brainfit, we are brain fitness and memory coaches. In 2026 we’re sharing  52 weekly, science-backed Brainfit Tricks designed to strengthen memory, sharpen focus, and build greater confidence at any age. Welcome back to Brainfit Tricks for ’26. This month, we’re focusing on another foundation of brain performance: memory recall

 

At Brainfit we often hear people say: “My memory just isn’t what it used to be.”

But in many cases the real issue isn’t memory itself – it’s how information is first encoded <insert link to attention article from Feb> and then retrieved.

Memory works best when the brain is given clear signals that information matters. When we actively engage with information by speaking it, organising it, visualising it or explaining it  we create stronger neural pathways that make recall easier later.

That’s exactly what this month’s Brainfit Tricks for ’26 are designed to support.

These simple strategies help your brain store information more effectively and retrieve it when you need it, whether you’re remembering names, instructions, lists or key information from a conversation.

 

Why Memory Recall Sometimes Fails

Many everyday memory slips happen not because information was forgotten, but because it was never fully encoded in the first place.

Your brain filters enormous amounts of information every day. If something feels unimportant, repetitive or passively processed, the brain often allows it to fade quickly.

Effective memory techniques work because they help the brain:

• pay deeper attention to information
• organise it into meaningful patterns
• create multiple memory traces
• practice retrieving it

The more neural pathways connected to a memory, the stronger it becomes and the easier it is to retrieve later. That’s why simple strategies can make such a powerful difference, regardless of age.

 

4 Brainfit Tricks to Strengthen Memory Recall

These four Brainfit Tricks work together to help the brain encode information more deeply and retrieve it more reliably. You can watch a short video about each by clicking on the hyperlinks:

 

Trick #9 – Say It Out Loud 

Say it to remember it.

The science:

When you say information out loud, your brain activates more neural systems than when simply reading information silently. This includes:

• language processing areas
• motor speech pathways
• auditory processing (hearing your own voice)
• working memory networks

Speaking information forces the brain to slow down, articulate and rehearse the material, which strengthens encoding and retrieval.

Why it matters:
This is one of the simplest ways to boost memory and it takes only seconds. It gives your brain another neural pathway to store and retrieve the information. It’s particularly helpful when trying to remember names when meeting someone, instructions, items you need to buy or information you’re studying

Try this:

The next time you learn something important, repeat it out loud once. For example:
“Nice to meet you, Sarah.” Or “I need to buy milk, bread and apples.”

It takes seconds but gives your brain another pathway to store the information.

 

Trick #10 – Chunk It

Breaking information into small groups makes recall easier.

The science:

Your brain’s working memory can only hold a small amount of information at one time. Research suggests most people can manage around three to four chunks of information at once.

Chunking works by grouping individual pieces of information into meaningful units, which reduces cognitive load and makes recall easier.

For example, instead of remembering a string of separate numbers like: 4 9 3 8 2 7 1

Your brain remembers them as grouped patterns: 493 – 827 – 1

This turns many individual items into a few organised chunks that the brain can process more efficiently.

Why it matters:

Chunking helps the brain detect patterns and structure, which makes information easier to store and retrieve later. That’s why everyday information like phone numbers, credit cards and dates are usually organised into groups.

Try this:

When remembering information, organise it into groups of three or four items.

Shopping list
Instead of remembering seven separate items: milk, apples, yoghurt, carrots, bread, cheese, bananas

Group them into chunks:

Fruit → apples, bananas
Dairy → milk, yoghurt, cheese
Bakery → bread

Tasks for the day
Instead of one long list, group tasks into:

Morning → emails, call supplier
Afternoon → meeting, report
Evening → groceries, exercise

Your brain remembers organised information far more easily than random lists.

 

Trick #11 – Picture It 

Pictures power memory.

The science:

Your brain is highly visual. In fact, the brain processes images far more efficiently than abstract words. Visual imagery activates multiple brain regions including the occipital cortex (visual processing) and hippocampus (memory formation). This creates richer neural encoding.

The more unusual or vivid the image, the stronger the memory trace becomes.

Why it matters:

Images create additional cues for recall, which helps the brain retrieve information more easily later.

Try this:

Turn information into a quick mental picture.

Example: If you need to remember milk, apples and bread, imagine: A giant apple balancing on a loaf of bread while milk pours over the top.

It may sound silly, but unusual images are exactly what the brain remembers best.

 

Trick #12 – Teach It 

Teach it to keep it.

The science:

Explaining information to someone else forces the brain to:

• organise the material
• simplify it
• retrieve it from memory

This strengthens neural connections through a process known as retrieval practice.

Retrieval practice is one of the most powerful learning tools because it strengthens the pathways needed to recall information later.

Why it matters:

When you teach something, your brain moves information from short-term understanding to long-term memory.

Try this:

After learning something new:

explain it to a friend

describe it to a partner

or simply say it out loud to yourself

If you can explain something clearly, your brain has begun to store it in long-term memory.

 

Why These Strategies Work Together

Each of these Brainfit Tricks strengthens a different part of the memory process.

• speaking improves encoding
• chunking improves organisation
• visualising improves association
• teaching improves retrieval

When used together, they help create multiple memory pathways, making recall faster and more reliable. This is why professional memory competitors and effective learners rely on strategies, not just natural ability.

Memory improves when the brain is actively engaged in the learning process.

 

Want to Go Deeper?

If you’re curious to explore more about how memory works, these expert-backed resources are a great place to start:

📖 Read: Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer. A fascinating exploration of memory techniques and the science behind extraordinary recall.

🎥 Listen: Brainwaves – BBC Scotland Podcast. An accessible explanation of how memories are formed and why some memories are more vivid than others.

Even one new insight can help strengthen how your brain remembers.

 

A Final Brainfit Reminder

If you remember just one thing from this month’s Brainfit Tricks, let it be this: Memory isn’t magic – it’s strategy.

When you actively engage with information using simple techniques like speaking, visualising and explaining, your brain builds stronger memory pathways.

Small strategies practiced consistently create powerful improvements over time.

 

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