I’ll test your memory right now. Without looking at your phone, can you recall your childhood home phone number? How about your best friend’s address from when you were young? The license plate of your family car from the 1970s?
If you rattled those off without hesitation, you’re demonstrating something remarkable. Your memory is functioning at a level that most people have already lost by their 50s. And before you dismiss this as just being good with numbers, there’s something deeper at work here.
I can still recite phone numbers from decades ago because patterns stick when they matter. At 64, this ability has become increasingly rare among my peers.
But here’s what I’ve learned: the difference between those who maintain sharp memories and those who don’t isn’t about winning the genetic lottery. It’s about specific habits and mental practices that either preserve or erode our cognitive abilities.
The research is clear on this. Memory decline isn’t inevitable with age. It’s largely a product of how we use our minds once we stop being forced to remember things. And that’s where most people fall into a trap after 50.
1. They still memorize things on purpose
When did you last deliberately memorize something? Not just glance at it hoping it would stick, but actually work to commit it to memory?
Most people stopped doing this the moment smartphones made it unnecessary. Why memorize a phone number when it’s stored in your contacts? Why remember directions when GPS does it for you? This convenience has a cost we’re only beginning to understand.
Those who maintain strong memories into their 60s and beyond still practice deliberate memorization. They learn poems, memorize recipes, or commit important information to memory even when they could easily look it up. This isn’t about being old-fashioned. It’s about keeping those neural pathways active and strong.
I keep old notebooks filled with meeting notes from my career. The act of writing things down and then reviewing them later created memory patterns that persist today. The physical act of writing, combined with the mental effort of organizing thoughts, creates memories that typing into a device simply doesn’t match.
2. They create mental maps and associations
People with exceptional memories don’t just remember isolated facts. They build mental frameworks that connect information in meaningful ways.
Think about how you learned that childhood phone number. You probably didn’t memorize seven random digits. You noticed patterns, rhythms, or associations. Maybe the first three numbers matched your street address, or the last four had a pattern you could visualize.
This skill of creating associations and mental maps is what separates those who maintain memory from those who lose it. They don’t just try to remember their new neighbor’s name. They connect it to someone they already know, create a visual association, or link it to a characteristic.
In retirement, I’ve had to face how much self-worth was tied to usefulness and competence. Part of maintaining that competence has been keeping these mental organization systems active.
When younger colleagues still ask for advice on handling difficult personalities and internal politics, I can recall specific situations and solutions because they’re filed in a mental framework, not floating as isolated memories.
3. They engage in challenging conversations
Here’s something most people don’t realize: complex conversations are memory workouts. When you engage in substantive discussions where you need to track multiple points, remember what was said earlier, and build on ideas, you’re exercising the exact cognitive muscles that preserve memory.
After 50, many people’s conversations become simpler. They stick to familiar topics with familiar people. They avoid debates or discussions that require mental effort. This comfortable pattern is memory poison.
Those who maintain sharp memories seek out challenging conversations. They join book clubs where they need to remember plot details and character names.
They engage in discussions where they must recall facts and examples to support their points. They ask follow-up questions that require them to hold multiple pieces of information in their working memory.
4. They maintain routines that require memory
Modern life has eliminated most memory-dependent routines. Calendars send alerts. Pills come in dated organizers. Shopping lists live on phones. While these tools are helpful, completely outsourcing memory tasks accelerates cognitive decline.
People who keep strong memories maintain some routines that require active recall. They might keep a mental grocery list and only check their written one at the end.
They remember appointments without immediately checking their calendar. They recall what they need to do tomorrow without consulting their task app.
This isn’t about making life harder for no reason. It’s about maintaining the cognitive habit of holding information in your mind and retrieving it when needed. Use the tools, but don’t let them completely replace your memory function.
5. They stay physically active in ways that challenge coordination
Physical exercise benefits memory, but not all exercise is equal in this regard. Activities that require coordination, balance, and spatial awareness have particularly strong effects on memory preservation.
Dancing, where you must remember steps and sequences while coordinating movement, is exceptional for memory. So are sports that require strategy and spatial memory like tennis or golf. Even walking new routes instead of the same familiar path exercises spatial memory and navigation skills.
The connection between physical coordination and memory might seem strange, but the same brain regions that process movement and space also play crucial roles in forming and retrieving memories. When you challenge your body in complex ways, you’re simultaneously challenging your memory systems.
6. They teach or explain things to others
Want to know if you really remember something? Try explaining it to someone else. People who maintain strong memories regularly put themselves in positions where they need to retrieve and organize information for others.
This might be formal teaching, mentoring younger colleagues, or simply being the person who tells family stories at gatherings. The act of retrieving information, organizing it coherently, and presenting it to others is one of the most powerful memory-strengthening activities available.
Since retirement, I’ve discovered that writing serves this same function. Organizing thoughts and experiences into coherent narratives exercises the same memory muscles that teaching does. You can’t fake your way through teaching or writing. You either remember and understand, or you don’t.
Closing thoughts
If you can still recite those old phone numbers and addresses, you have a gift worth protecting. But even if you can’t, these patterns can be developed at any age.
The brain’s plasticity doesn’t disappear at 50 or 60 or even 70. What disappears is the external pressure to use our memories, and most people don’t replace that with internal motivation.
Start with one habit. Pick something to memorize this week, even if it seems pointless. Create a mental map of your neighborhood.
Have a conversation where you deliberately avoid saying “what’s his name” or “that thing.” Your future self will thank you for keeping these cognitive muscles strong while others let theirs atrophy.
The real tragedy isn’t that we age. It’s that we surrender cognitive abilities we could easily maintain, simply because modern life no longer demands them. Don’t let convenience rob you of capability.
