There’s a quiet kind of frustration that comes with reading the same paragraph three times and still not remembering it. Or walking into a room, only to forget why you’re there. We brush it off—“I’m just tired,” “I have too much on my mind”—but when it keeps happening, we start to wonder if something deeper is going on.
And most of the time, there is.
If you’re finding it hard to retain new information—whether it’s learning a skill, remembering names, or recalling what you just read—it might not be your memory that’s the issue. It might be your habits. The ones you’ve picked up so gradually you hardly notice them anymore.
Below are seven sneaky habits that research (and real life) suggest might be quietly sabotaging your brain’s ability to absorb and remember information. Some of them might surprise you. They certainly surprised me when I first began paying attention to them.
1. Constant Multitasking
You might feel productive flipping between your inbox, that podcast, and the document you’re editing—but your brain doesn’t agree.
Multitasking doesn’t actually mean doing multiple things at once. It means switching back and forth rapidly, and each switch drains a little mental energy. The more you do it, the less cognitive bandwidth you have left for deep focus or encoding new information.
A study out of Stanford found that chronic multitaskers were actually worse at filtering distractions and recalling information than those who focused on one task at a time. Worse, they had a harder time even identifying which information was important.
I used to pride myself on being “good at multitasking”—until I realized I was just becoming really good at being distracted.
Try this instead: monotask. Even for short windows of time. Set a 25-minute timer, silence notifications, and give your full attention to the task at hand. Your brain—especially your memory—will thank you.
2. Lack of Quality Sleep
We throw the word “sleep” around like it’s a luxury. But for your brain, it’s a necessity. Not just for rest, but for memory consolidation.
Think of your brain like a sponge. During the day, it soaks up new experiences, conversations, information. At night, it wrings out the noise and organizes the meaningful stuff—filing it away for future recall.
If you cut that process short—even by an hour or two—you’re essentially leaving your sponge dripping wet. Foggy. Disorganized.
I’ve had seasons where I was running on five or six hours a night, wondering why I couldn’t focus or retain anything. The answer wasn’t more coffee. It was more sleep.
And it’s not just about quantity. Quality matters, too. That deep, slow-wave sleep is what allows your brain to replay and cement what you’ve learned.
3. Mindless Scrolling (Yes, That Includes Doomscrolling)
We all do it. Waiting for the kettle to boil, sitting on the bus, lying in bed at night. We reach for our phones and scroll.
But the problem isn’t just the screen time—it’s the way it fragments our attention. The rapid-fire nature of social media trains your brain to expect novelty every few seconds. It rewires your reward system so that slower, deeper learning starts to feel… boring.
I noticed this most when I tried reading long-form articles again. I’d get two paragraphs in and my thumb would twitch toward Instagram out of habit.
A 2021 study found that heavy social media use was linked to worse memory performance—especially when it came to absorbing factual or educational content.
I started putting my phone in a different room when I wanted to read or work. It’s a small thing, but it’s made a big difference.
4. You’re Not Moving Enough
This one shocked me. I knew exercise was good for heart health and stress. But memory?
Turns out, moving your body literally changes your brain. It increases blood flow to the hippocampus—the part of your brain critical for memory and learning. Regular aerobic movement (think brisk walking, dancing, swimming) has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus in adults.
Even a quick walk after lunch can boost your ability to focus and retain information later in the day.
When I began doing this consistently, I didn’t just feel more energized—I started remembering more from meetings, recalling conversations with more clarity, and even remembering where I left my keys more often (bless).
5. High Stress, All the Time
Stress isn’t always bad. In fact, short bursts of it can actually sharpen memory and attention in the moment. But chronic stress? That’s a whole different story.
When your body is constantly flooded with cortisol, your brain shifts into survival mode. It starts prioritizing threat detection over learning. It weakens the hippocampus and impairs working memory.
I saw this play out during a particularly rough stretch in my life. I’d stare at a screen for hours and retain none of it. I was surviving—but I definitely wasn’t learning.
One of the best things I did was start meditating again. Just five minutes a day. And journaling. Anything to signal to my brain: “We’re safe now. You can calm down.”
6. Poor Nutrition (Yes, Your Brain Is Hungry Too)
I’m not here to food-shame. Life is busy. Meals are rushed. But your brain is an energy-hungry organ, and what you feed it matters.
Low intake of omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, antioxidants, and proteins can affect cognitive performance, including memory retention.
Researchers have found that diets high in processed foods and refined sugars are linked to inflammation and impaired brain function. Not forever—but over time.
One easy upgrade I made: I started adding walnuts (a great source of omega-3s) and berries (high in antioxidants) to my breakfast. It wasn’t revolutionary, but it was a start. And with every small change, my mental fog began to lift.
7. Passive Learning (Just Consuming Without Engagement)
We think reading or watching educational content equals learning. But if we don’t engage with that information—talk about it, write about it, apply it—it often floats away.
It’s the difference between watching someone swim and actually getting in the water. Passive exposure gives you the illusion of knowing, but it doesn’t anchor the knowledge.
I used to “learn” by bingeing podcasts and YouTube tutorials. But when I started doing—taking notes, summarizing, applying—I noticed my retention skyrocketed.
The more actively you engage with what you’re trying to learn, the more likely your brain is to store it. Spaced repetition, teaching others, and even drawing connections to things you already know all make a massive difference.
Final Thoughts
Memory isn’t just about brainpower. It’s about rhythm, rest, attention, and care. And most of the habits that damage memory don’t scream loudly. They creep in. Silently. Slowly.
But the flip side is also true: subtle shifts—better sleep, less scrolling, deeper focus, more movement—can spark a real difference in how much you retain and how sharp you feel.
I’ll leave you with something a therapist once told me when I was beating myself up for forgetting things:
“Your brain isn’t broken. It’s just overwhelmed.”
And sometimes, the best way to fix that isn’t to try harder—but to slow down, take care of yourself, and listen to what your mind actually needs.
Because your brain wants to remember. You just have to give it a fighting chance.
