How to Improve Working Memory: 7 Practical Strategies

You walk into a room and immediately forget why you’re there. (Walking back out and re-entering doesn’t magically restore the memory, though we’ve all tried it.) Someone tells you their phone number and it evaporates before you can write it down. You’re following a recipe but lose track of which step you’ve completed. Sound familiar?

These aren’t signs of a failing brain—they’re simply your working memory reaching its natural limits. Think of working memory as your mind’s scratchpad: a temporary workspace where you hold and manipulate information whilst completing tasks. When it’s functioning well, you can juggle conversations, follow instructions, and solve problems with ease. When it’s overloaded, even simple tasks feel frustratingly difficult.

The good news? Working memory isn’t fixed. Research shows you can strengthen it through specific strategies and practices. This article explores seven evidence-based approaches to improve your working memory, drawing from cognitive psychology and learning science to give you practical techniques that actually work in everyday life.

Understanding Working Memory (And Why It Matters)

Before diving into improvement strategies, it helps to understand what working memory actually is—and why it’s so crucial to nearly everything you do.

Working memory is the cognitive system that allows you to temporarily hold and process information. Unlike long-term memory, which stores information for extended periods, working memory is fleeting—typically lasting only 10-20 seconds unless you actively maintain it through rehearsal or attention.

Most people can hold about 3-5 “chunks” of information in working memory at once. That’s why phone numbers are grouped into sections, why to-do lists become overwhelming beyond a certain length, and why multitasking often backfires spectacularly. (Attempting to cook dinner whilst helping with homework whilst on a work call isn’t poor time management—it’s just impossible neuroscience.) You’re not necessarily distracted or disorganised—you’re simply bumping up against the biological limits of your working memory capacity.

Working memory underpins nearly every cognitive activity: reading comprehension, mental arithmetic, following instructions, problem-solving, and decision-making. It’s the difference between smoothly navigating a complex work project and constantly losing your thread. When your working memory functions well, you feel sharp and capable. When it’s overloaded, you feel scattered and overwhelmed.

The distinction between working memory and long-term memory matters because the strategies for improving each are quite different. Chunking information helps working memory, whilst spaced repetition strengthens long-term memory. Understanding this difference allows you to apply the right technique for the right situation.

1. Reduce Cognitive Load Through External Systems

The single most effective way to improve working memory performance isn’t to make your brain stronger—it’s to make it work less hard.

My work conducting cognitive assessments has taught me that even the brightest minds struggle when they’re trying to hold too much information at once. The smartest strategy isn’t heroic mental effort; it’s building external systems that capture and organise information for you.

Use these “cognitive offloading” strategies to free up working memory:

Write everything down. Maintain running lists for tasks, ideas, and commitments. The act of writing doesn’t just record information—it also reduces the mental load of trying to remember it. Use a dedicated notebook, app, or planner that becomes your external memory system.

Create visual cues. Place objects where you’ll need them: leave your gym bag by the door, put bills to pay near your keys, position books you’re reading on your pillow. These environmental reminders eliminate the need to remember tasks through pure mental effort.

Establish consistent routines. When actions become habitual, they require far less working memory to execute. Morning and evening routines, standardised workflows, and regular schedules all reduce the mental load of deciding and remembering what to do next.

Use technology strategically. Calendar reminders, to-do list apps, and note-taking systems aren’t signs of weakness—they’re cognitive tools that let you redirect mental energy towards creative and analytical thinking rather than mere remembering.

The goal isn’t to memorise everything. The goal is to preserve your limited working memory capacity for tasks that truly require active mental processing.

2. Practice Chunking Information

Chunking is the cognitive technique of grouping individual pieces of information into larger, meaningful units. It’s why you remember phone numbers as “07700 900982” rather than “0-7-7-0-0-9-0-0-9-8-2”, and why acronyms like NASA or BBC are easier to recall than the full organisation names.

When you chunk information, you’re essentially compressing it—fitting more into your working memory’s limited capacity by treating multiple items as a single unit.

Apply chunking to everyday situations:

Group shopping list items by category. Rather than remembering “milk, bread, apples, cheese, chicken, bananas”, think “dairy, bakery, fruit, meat”. You’ve reduced six items to four categories, making the list easier to hold in mind whilst shopping.

Break complex instructions into phases. When learning a new skill or following complicated directions, identify the major steps first, then fill in the details. A recipe becomes “prep, cook, serve” before you worry about specific temperatures and times.

Create meaningful patterns. Look for connections, sequences, or logical relationships that bind separate items together. When someone gives you directions, visualise the route as a story: “left at the red building, straight past the park, right at the roundabout”. The narrative structure chunks the individual turns into a single mental map.

Chunking works because it leverages your existing knowledge to create shortcuts. The more expertise you develop in a domain, the more efficiently you can chunk information within that field. Expert chess players, for instance, can remember complex board positions because they recognise patterns and chunk pieces into meaningful strategic formations.

3. Strengthen Working Memory Through Targeted Mental Exercise

Whilst general “brain training” apps have mixed evidence for improving working memory, specific types of mental exercises do show genuine benefits.

The key is choosing activities that challenge your working memory directly—requiring you to hold and manipulate information in mind whilst completing tasks.

Dual n-back training. This exercise presents you with a sequence of items (usually letters or spatial positions) and asks you to identify when the current item matches one from N steps back in the sequence. Starting with 1-back (remembering the previous item) and progressing to 2-back or 3-back challenges your working memory to constantly update and maintain information. Research suggests that regular dual n-back training can improve working memory capacity and fluid intelligence.

Mental arithmetic. Solving maths problems in your head—without paper or calculator—exercises working memory as you hold intermediate results whilst performing additional operations. Start with simple calculations and gradually increase complexity. The mental effort of keeping track of numbers strengthens the cognitive systems underlying working memory.

Working backwards tasks. Recite sequences in reverse order: spell words backwards, count down from 100 by sevens, recall lists in reverse. This requires you to hold information in mind whilst simultaneously manipulating it—exactly the dual task that defines working memory.

Complex card or strategy games. Chess, bridge, and strategic card games challenge you to remember multiple pieces of information (cards played, pieces moved, opponent’s likely holdings) whilst simultaneously planning several moves ahead. Unlike passive puzzles, these games demand active working memory throughout play.

The critical factor isn’t the specific exercise—it’s the cognitive demand. Choose activities that feel challenging but not overwhelming, and practice regularly. Even 10-15 minutes of focused mental exercise several times weekly can produce measurable improvements over time.

4. Leverage Dual Coding and Visualisation

Your working memory processes verbal and visual information through partially separate channels. When you engage both simultaneously, you effectively expand your working memory capacity.

This principle, known as dual coding, explains why diagrams often help more than text alone, and why visualising what someone tells you improves retention. You’re not just doubling the information—you’re creating richer mental representations that occupy both your verbal and visual-spatial working memory stores.

Convert abstract information into mental images. When someone explains a concept, actively picture it. If you’re learning about a process with multiple steps, visualise each stage as a scene. The more vivid and detailed your mental image, the more effectively it anchors the information in working memory.

Draw diagrams and mind maps. Physically sketching information engages both visual-spatial and motor memory whilst also creating an external representation that reduces cognitive load. Even crude sketches help—the act of translating verbal information into visual form strengthens your mental representation.

Use the memory palace technique for sequences. This ancient method leverages your excellent spatial memory to remember lists and sequences by placing them in imagined locations along a familiar route. Because it engages visual-spatial working memory for verbal information, it dramatically expands what you can hold in mind.

Narrate visual information verbally. When looking at charts, graphs, or diagrams, describe aloud what you’re seeing. This dual encoding—visual input plus verbal processing—creates stronger working memory traces than either channel alone.

The principle works both ways: adding visual elements to verbal material strengthens it, whilst adding verbal labels to visual information enhances recall. Deliberately engage both channels to make better use of your working memory’s full capacity.

5. Manage Cognitive Fatigue and Stress

Working memory is remarkably sensitive to fatigue, stress, and emotional state. You’ve probably noticed this yourself: when you’re exhausted or anxious, even simple tasks requiring concentration become frustratingly difficult.

This isn’t weakness—it’s biology. Working memory relies on executive control processes in the prefrontal cortex, one of the brain regions most vulnerable to stress and fatigue. When you’re tired, stressed, or emotionally overwhelmed, these systems simply function less efficiently.

Prioritise adequate sleep. Sleep deprivation dramatically impairs working memory performance. Just one night of poor sleep can reduce your effective working memory capacity by 30-40%. During sleep, your brain consolidates memories and clears metabolic waste products that accumulate during waking hours. Seven to nine hours of quality sleep isn’t a luxury—it’s a cognitive necessity.

Take strategic breaks. Working memory fatigues with sustained use. After 60-90 minutes of concentrated mental work, your performance degrades noticeably. Brief breaks—even five minutes of rest or light physical activity—allow working memory systems to recover. The Pomodoro Technique’s 25-minute work intervals followed by short breaks align well with working memory’s natural rhythm.

Manage stress through proven techniques. Chronic stress floods your system with cortisol, which directly impairs prefrontal cortex function and working memory. Mindfulness meditation, regular exercise, and stress-reduction practices aren’t just good for general wellbeing—they specifically protect working memory from stress-related degradation. Research shows that even brief mindfulness exercises can improve working memory capacity within weeks.

Address environmental distractions. Background noise, visual clutter, and interruptions all consume working memory resources as your brain filters irrelevant stimuli. Create a workspace that minimises these demands: use noise-cancelling headphones, clear your desk of unnecessary items, and batch notifications rather than allowing constant interruptions.

The relationship between stress and working memory creates a vicious cycle: stress impairs working memory, which makes tasks more difficult, which increases stress further. Breaking this cycle through sleep, breaks, and stress management isn’t optional—it’s fundamental to maintaining working memory function.

6. Enhance Working Memory Through Physical Exercise

The connection between physical activity and cognitive function might seem surprising, but the evidence is remarkably strong: regular exercise significantly improves working memory performance.

Aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain, promoting the growth of new neurons and strengthening connections between brain cells. It also triggers the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports neuron health and enhances cognitive function, particularly in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex—regions critical for memory and executive function.

You don’t need to become an athlete to experience these benefits. Moderate physical activity—even brisk walking for 30 minutes several times weekly—produces measurable improvements in working memory within weeks.

Incorporate regular aerobic exercise. Activities that elevate your heart rate—walking, cycling, swimming, dancing—show the strongest evidence for cognitive benefits. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly, as recommended by health guidelines.

Try acute exercise before cognitively demanding tasks. Even a single bout of exercise can temporarily boost working memory. A 20-minute walk or brief workout before an important meeting, exam, or complex project can enhance your mental clarity and focus for the subsequent hours.

Break up sedentary periods with movement. Extended sitting impairs both physical and cognitive health. Brief movement breaks every hour—a quick walk, some stretching, or light calisthenics—help maintain working memory performance throughout the day.

Consider combining cognitive and physical challenges. Activities that require both mental and physical coordination—dance, martial arts, team sports—may provide additional cognitive benefits by simultaneously engaging motor learning and working memory systems.

The brain-body connection isn’t metaphorical—it’s physiological. Physical activity quite literally changes brain chemistry and structure in ways that support better working memory. Perhaps that’s why I often get my best ideas during long walks. (Though I’ve learnt to immediately write them down, because even clever thoughts fade if I don’t engage my external memory systems.)

7. Improve Working Memory Through Active Learning Strategies

How you engage with new information dramatically affects whether it sticks in working memory long enough to process and understand. Passive approaches—simply reading or listening—place minimal demands on working memory and lead to minimal retention. Active learning strategies force deeper processing and strengthen working memory in the process.

Use active recall rather than passive review. Instead of rereading notes, close the material and attempt to recall the key points from memory. This retrieval practice strengthens both working memory (as you hold and manipulate information) and long-term memory (as you practice retrieval).

Explain concepts aloud. The act of teaching material to yourself or others requires you to hold information in working memory whilst organising it coherently. This elaborative processing creates stronger mental representations than passive review.

Ask questions and make connections. As you learn new material, actively question how it relates to what you already know. Making these connections engages working memory as you hold both new and existing knowledge simultaneously, strengthening understanding and retention.

Practice distributed learning. Spacing study sessions over time rather than cramming forces your working memory to retrieve information repeatedly, strengthening the neural pathways. This approach aligns with how working memory naturally functions—through repeated activation and consolidation.

Active learning isn’t just more effective for long-term retention—it also trains your working memory to process information more efficiently. The more you practice holding, manipulating, and connecting information, the better your working memory becomes at these fundamental cognitive operations.

The Long-Term Perspective: Building Cognitive Reserve

Whilst the strategies above can improve working memory within weeks, the most profound benefits come from sustained practice over months and years. Think of working memory improvement not as a quick fix but as an ongoing investment in cognitive health.

The concept of cognitive reserve explains why some people maintain sharp mental function well into older age: their brains have built up redundancy and resilience through years of mental engagement. Every challenging mental task, every new skill learned, every instance of effortful thinking adds to this reserve.

Improving working memory isn’t just about remembering phone numbers or following instructions more easily. It’s about building a brain that thinks more clearly, solves problems more effectively, and maintains cognitive function across your lifespan.

The strategies in this article work best when combined rather than used in isolation. External systems reduce cognitive load, freeing working memory for more important processing. Chunking makes efficient use of your working memory’s limited capacity. Mental exercises strengthen the underlying systems. Dual coding expands functional capacity. Managing stress and fatigue protects performance. Physical exercise supports brain health. Active learning trains more efficient processing.

Together, these approaches create a comprehensive framework for improving working memory. Start with the strategies that feel most accessible and relevant to your daily life. Build consistency before adding complexity. Remember that marginal gains compound over time—small improvements in working memory can cascade into better focus, clearer thinking, and enhanced performance across every domain of life.

Your working memory isn’t fixed. With deliberate practice and the right strategies, you can strengthen this crucial cognitive system and experience the benefits in everything you do.