Task Odors

You can activate your memory by pairing an odor and a specific task. For example, to help you remember a certain phone number, use a specific smell every time you dial it. (For this exercise, use few small herb plants.) Crushing some thyme, mint, or sage provides a strong and effective olfactory cue.

Certain odors produce increased alertness and energy. In Japan, nutmeg or cinnamon odors are added to air-conditioning systems of office buildings to enhance productivity (Aromatherapy). This exercise takes the use of odors one step further: Rather than providing odor stimulation as a passive background to everything you do, odors can be used to highlight specific aspects of your workday, which provides a tag for longer-lasting memory.