Regular sleep helps your body to recharge, making you more alert and more attentive to detail. Also, if you are studying or working into the night, try to go right to sleep as soon as you're done. Going out afterward for a cup of coffee, a drink, a meal, or staying up late to watch the news will make it harder to remember the information the next day. Close, but no cigar. Taking a detour may get you to your final destination.
Minds can get cluttered.
If you have telephone books, address books, calendars, computer files, pencils, pens, and sticky paper, use them. Save your alertness for the important stuff, not trivia. Mind your minerals. Nothing is better for your memory than a healthy, balanced diet. People who have low levels of boron and zinc in their bodies tend to score lower on short-term memory tests than those with normal levels.