Memories can last minutes, hours, months or years but sometimes we forget about them. Some memories we keep and others we repress. We tend to repress bad or insufficient memories and remember the good ones or memories that are important to us. There are many ways to improve memory, but first of all you need to understand what memory is. “Memory is the internal record of a previous event.” (Corwin, Elizabeth J. 2008) It lets us know where we are every morning. You might think of memory as a storehouse for everything we know. Memory allows us to recall good and bad memories, daily functions and skills. There are 3 different memory processes which include encoding, storage and retrieval. Encoding is the process of transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory. “For example, a visual experience is broken down into discrete attributes of color, shape, and size, and these attributes are stored separately.” (Corwin, Elizabeth J. 2008) We are continually bombarded with a variety of sensory information. The storage process consists of retaining or maintaining information in memory and forgetting inefficient information. The encoding phase for storage is called consolidation. The last process is recovery. This occurs when information from stored memory is recalled to mind. (Samuel E. Wood, Ellem R. Green Wood, Denise Boyd, Eileen Wood, Serge Desmarais, 2008) But what if you can't remember that memory? “In the age of Google, with unlimited information at our fingertips, it's tempting to think that a good memory is obsolete. Obviously anyone who is studying for exams or learning a new skill, or simply trying to remember their password, knows otherwise.” (Robson, D. 2011) Memory is so significant that we take it for granted when it is halfway through the paper to begin implementing organization, overlearning, and active learning. Memory is a delicate process and should not be taken for granted. Without memory I would have forgotten to write this article! Works Cited Coon, D., John O., M., Patrick, B., Malik, B., & McKenzie, S. (2010). Psychology a journey. (3rd ed.). Thomson Wadsworth. Corwin, E. J. (2008). Manual of pathophysiology. (3rd ed.). Philadelphia PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Wood, S.E., Wood, E.G., Denise, B., Wood, E., & Desmarais, S. (2008). The world of psychology. (5th ed.). Pearson Education Canada.Foster, J. K. (2011). Memory. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=p3h&AN=69611567&lang=en-ca&site=pov-canRobson, D. (2011). Improve my memory. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=p3h&AN=61021182&lang=en-ca&site=pov-can