'Intelligent Memory' Can Increase Brain's Productivity

Dr. Barry Gordon, a doctor and professor of neurology and cognitive science recently explained on the 'The Early Show' how we can become smarter and more productive. He is a proponent of using "Intelligent Memory", which is a memory that happens automatically and substitutes for your ordinary memory as you grow older.

Basically, "Intelligent Memory" is your experience and your wisdom, gained through time at a gradual pace. It complements your forgetfulness by bringing in past experiences or events that help you recall. For example, you run over to the grocery store to get something. When you get there, you realize that you’ve forgotten your shopping list. But as you walk down the aisles and
glance at the shelves, you recall what you really needed in the first place.

The doctor who wrote the book, Intelligent Memory: Improve Your Memory No Matter What Your Age says: "The best way to improve your Intelligent Memory is to strengthen the mental processes that manage it. These processes are paying attention, storing memories or pieces, building connections, finding the right memories or pieces, and tuning the entire system by testing your results as you go along. Since Intelligent Memory learns automatically, improving it doesn’t have to be work—it can be fun. When people think slowly or produce mediocre ideas, it’s often because they haven’t tuned up their intelligent memories properly. They’ve neglected the mental activities that give intelligent memory a workout and make it perform better. Good thinkers don’t neglect these mental workouts. The situation is similar to the difference between amateurs and professionals in sports. The amateur swimmer rarely thinks of the specific parts of the motion that moves her from one side of the pool to the other. The professional swimmer, however, mentally breaks down the main components of a stroke—like the elbow lift, catch, pull, and hip rotation—and considers how she uses them while she’s swimming. That way, she makes each movement better, and makes them all work together better. "