How to Improve Working Memory: Practical Strategies for Adults

If you've ever lost your train of thought mid-sentence, walked into a room and immediately forgotten why, or needed to be told the same instruction three times before it stuck, you already know what working memory challenges feel like from the inside. A Redditor in r/GradSchool recently put it plainly: "My working memory sucks so bad, and it takes me A LONG TIME to memorize a bunch of things."

This is a familiar experience for millions of adults navigating ADHD, executive dysfunction, or the kind of cognitive overload that comes from simply carrying too much for too long.

For adults with working memory challenges, getting through their days can be difficult. This is because they constantly lose their train of thought, forget things easily, or simply find it difficult to hold multiple pieces of information in mind.

To minimize or eliminate many of these experiences, there's a need to improve working memory, and thankfully, there are practical ways to do that. But before we dive into these strategies, it helps to be clear on what working memory actually is.

What is Working Memory?

Many people use working memory and short-term memory interchangeably, but the two are not the same, believe it not. Short-term memory is only a temporary storage unit.

According to the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning, working memory is the conscious part of our memory that allows us to temporarily hold information, keep track of what we are doing, and make connections between new and old information.

In simple terms, working memory, as a core executive function, holds information in your mind while you're using it.

For example, during a conversation, you listen, decide how to respond, when to respond, or what to do with the information being shared. That is your working memory at play.

ADHD and Working Memory

Adults with ADHD can experience challenges with working memory and other executive functions. Tasks such as starting a project at work, staying attentive during meetings and presentations, following several instructions, and remembering what you were just told can become more difficult.

A voice outside the boardroom is enough to distract you and keep you distracted for a long time. A notification on your phone or someone interrupting you while you are speaking can put an end to a great meeting.

Working memory is one of the ten executive function domains assessed at Coaching Executive Function, because understanding exactly where a person's cognitive load is breaking down is what makes the difference between a generic strategy and one that actually works.

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4 Practical Strategies to Help You Improve Working Memory

1. Minimize Cognitive Overload

Your working memory can only handle a limited amount of information at once, so you have to learn how to sort information. This means being intentional about what information you input into working memory, what can remain in a notebook, or what should be discarded entirely.

To minimize cognitive overload:

Take Notes During Meetings - Instead of letting your brain do the entire work of memorizing every detail that was said during meetings and discussions, make a habit of jotting down important points. This does not mean that you have to write down every word, but rather focus on what is most relevant. For example, instructions, deadlines, names, and dates.

Chunk Information - Chunking is a working memory strategy that groups related information instead of leaving everything to sit separately. For instance, the number 25934577765 is far easier to hold and recall when chunked as 259-345-777-65. You can use the same strategy at work. Instead of trying to remember a long list of unrelated tasks, group them into meaningful clusters.

Reduce Multitasking - Working memory degrades when it is asked to manage too many active threads simultaneously. Rather than trying to get everything done at once, focus on protecting single-task windows where your working memory can operate without constantly switching context. Prioritization tools can help you decide what genuinely needs your attention now versus what can wait.

2. Train Your Working Memory

Adopting cognitive training methods can strengthen your ability to manipulate, maintain, and update information when needed. A note on honesty here: the research on whether working memory training transfers to real-world function is mixed. Structured exercises and drills can be useful for building awareness of your working memory demands and for reinforcing specific skills, but they work best when combined with environmental supports and personalized strategies rather than applied in isolation.

Working Memory Exercises - Working memory exercises, such as delayed recall and repeating information in your own words, can be a useful way to improve working memory. With delayed recall, all you need to do is read your notes, put them away, pause, and try to recall what you read. Start with a sentence or a main point and gradually increase it.

Working Memory Drills - Working memory drills can also be introduced into your regular workday. After an important discussion, a presentation, or a meeting, repeat the information that was presented, then check your notes to see how much you remembered. Do this again until you can recall most of it.

Working Memory Games - You can create working memory games around anything, for example, work notes, conversations with colleagues, or your assigned tasks for the day. You can decide to mentally associate tasks with a color: red for urgent tasks, white for tasks that excite you. Because this lets you get creative, it is your choice to make them as simple or as challenging as you find useful.

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3. Prioritize Breaks

At the end of each task or between time-consuming tasks, it is okay to rest. Take a break and re-energize. While doing so, it is easy to get carried away and spend more time on breaks than on completing tasks, so give these breaks a time limit.

4. Make Lifestyle Changes When Needed

Sometimes, choosing to live intentionally is another way to support your working memory. Make the effort to get enough sleep, move around regularly instead of remaining in the same sitting position for hours, and practice simple breathing exercises when you feel overwhelmed or mentally overloaded.

If these strategies feel familiar but have not stuck, that is not a failure of effort. It is a signal that you need a system built specifically around how your brain works. Our coaches specialize in exactly that. Book a consultation with one of our Executive Function Coaches today.

Conclusion

Your working memory is the cognitive skill that allows you to temporarily hold information in mind while you use it. If you have ADHD or executive dysfunction, challenges with working memory can make workdays more difficult than they need to be.

The strategies in this article, such as minimizing cognitive overload, training your working memory, prioritizing breaks, and supporting your brain through intentional lifestyle choices, are solid starting points. The ones that will hold over time are the ones built around how your specific brain actually functions, not how a generic framework assumes it should.

For strategies specific to your brain and lifestyle, be sure to contact one of our Executive Function Coaches.

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Improve Working Memory

Can working memory be improved in adults?

Yes. While working memory has biological limits, adults can meaningfully improve their functional working memory capacity through a combination of external supports, targeted strategies, and reduced cognitive load in their environment. The most reliable improvements come from personalized approaches rather than generic drills.

Is poor working memory a sign of ADHD?

Working memory challenges are common in adults with ADHD and are one of the core executive function domains affected by the condition. However, poor working memory also occurs during burnout, chronic stress, sleep deprivation, and in high-cognitive-load professional environments, regardless of whether a person has an ADHD diagnosis. A formal diagnosis is not required to benefit from strategies that support working memory.

How does working memory affect work performance?

Working memory directly affects your ability to follow multi-step instructions, hold information while completing a task, track where you are in a complex project, and recover after an interruption. When working memory is strained, even straightforward tasks require disproportionate effort, errors increase, and the gap between knowing what needs to happen and actually making it happen widens significantly.