Of all the tools in a student’s mental toolbox, memory is one of the most used… and least improved. Think about it. You’ve practiced reading and writing, but when was the last time you took a class on memory.

Thankfully, you don’t need a class to improve your memory – just a couple of new methods.

How much time and energy can you save on your studies by improving your ability to remember what you’ve learned?

#1 Turn Off Your Music

If you’re like me, you enjoy turning on music when you study. As much fun as music is, studies have shown that playing any kind of music – whether you enjoy or hate it – actually decreases your ability to focus and memorize.

Science has shown that music has the same effect as any other type of noise. While complete silence will probably seem strange at first, you will be rewarded by a better memory.

#2 Exercise a Little

You don’t need to become an Olympian to realize memory benefits from exercise. If you find your concentration dwindling or if a knotty problem is foiling your solutions, try going for a short jog or walk. The time away from your computer will give your brain time to subconsciously process everything you’ve learned, and the blood flow will encourage greater thinking abilities.

Even better, though, this exercise will improve your ability to remember what you learn both before and after the exercise. If you maintain regular exercise for six months or more, studies have shown an additional boost in brainpower.

#3 Make a Fist

This one seems a little strange, but science has found that squeezing your right fist for 45 seconds or more will improve your ability to remember the material you study just afterward. When it comes time to recall these memories, make a fist with your left hand to improve your recall.

If you’re left-handed, this fist trick will still work, but you’ll need to reverse hands: squeeze your left when studying and your right when remembering.

#4 Write in Longhand

If you’re like most of our generation, you probably can’t read your own handwriting and take all your notes on a computer or tablet. That’s all very well for notes you want to review in the future, but longhand notes are actually more effective for long-term memory.

Even if you never read those notes again in the future, the act of handwriting your notes will help commit much of it to memory.

#5 Chew Gum

While this one doesn’t necessarily directly improve memory, chewing gum helps maintain your focus for longer periods of time. If you’re starting to get tired of studying or are feeling easily distracted, chewing a stick of gum will help you focus longer and more effectively.

Interestingly though, study participants who did not chew gum performed better at the beginning of a task. You may want to postpone your gum until you start feeling distraction setting in.

#6 Sleep on it

Pulling an all-nighter sounds like it must require impressive dedication to learning. While it certainly does require dedication, studying instead of sleeping is actually one of the worst injuries you can do to your memory.

Try to study more effectively instead of just more by sleeping when you start to feel tired. Even just taking a short 20-minute nap in the middle of the afternoon can improve your memory abilities for the rest of the afternoon.

#7 Doodle in Class

Spending important class time simply drawing sounds like a terrible idea, but it actually might improve your memory of the class.

While you will definitely want to make notes your top priority, doodling in the boring parts of class will make those parts less mind-numbing. By engaging your brain in drawing, you will actually also engage your mind in class.

#8 Make Time for Social Events

The top students are the ones who spend all their time locked in the library with their nose in a book, right? Actually, not so much.

While solitary study is key to success in college, social interaction is too. Taking the time to invest in others improves your brain health which boosts your immediate memory and concentration while also building your long-term health.

Which of these tips will you apply today?