The more interested you are, the more the info will be burned into your brain! Find some angle that you find interesting. Additionally, those happy “interest” brain chemicals enhance learning.
Project new learning onto the screen of your brain; what you already know. For example, if you seek to remember a map, apply the map to your preexisting knowledge of the area. Plot the areas you know on the map within your brain.
Comb topics forward and backward. If you learn only in the same order, for example from front to back of your text book, you may struggle when taking the test bc you will not remember it in a more flexible order like it is on the test. Just like intermittent reinforcement is the most effective in regard to learned behavior, random study routines will send you straight toward an A.
Negative thoughts deter learning. Additionally, did you know that a symptom of depression is poor concentration? If you are depressed you may struggle to concentrate, which is imperative for memory retention. 
A mindmap, or outline, will help you remember the information in a condensed, compact format. This will help when you are transitioning from one subject to another. You will understand how each piece of information fits with the rest of the puzzle.
This will help you to see the information from additional perspectives. The best students are those who ask a lot of questions. This will allow you to understand the concept more completely.
The more sensory input, the better. The more varied sensory input and you won’t be able to forget if you try!
Listen. Say it out loud.
Look. Make it colorful with crayons, markers, or even colored pencils. Color code it!
Touch. Even if you are touching your textbook, the carpet in the library, or the desk at which you sit, the touch will help to encapsulate experience of learning.
Taste. Chew a piece of your favorite flavored gum. Additionally the increase of blood and oxygen flow to the brain always improves memory.
Smell. The aroma of a lavender scented candle will relax tense muscles often associated with the stresses of studying. Think of the aroma as you recall the information learned and you will notice the memory is that much more vivid.
Attention is necessary for Memory retention. If information is not stored in our short-term memory for long enough, it will never make it to long-term Memory. It won’t stick!
Take your knowledge a little further. What else might you assume? What are you not sure you may generalize? Make a note of this for future learning reference.
Don’t let the hard stuff intimidate you! Just spend more time understanding it. Ask questions! The most complex concepts are often the most interesting and always the most rewarding.
Are you a visual, audio, tactile, or hands-on (doing) learner? Find which learning style suits you best (hint: which do you enjoy the most).
Do whatever it takes to not be interrupted by stressors. If you need to make a quick phone call to take care of something so it stops popping up in your mind, do it! It will only take a few minutes and save you time in the long run by making your hour of study time much more effective. 
Explain your newfound learning or wisdom to someone else in your own words. This forces the language centers in your brain to translate the concepts to language specific to you, further anchoring the concept.
Motivation is one of the biggest predeterminants of good learning.
Don’t EVER waste time or mental energy worrying about whether you will remember what you are studying. This will distract you and cause a host of other problems that will take away from your ability to retain the info.
Calm down. Even if it takes a relaxation ritual, Just do it! This will give you a guarantee on your study time investment, since stress neurotransmitters KILL brain cells and destroy new learning.
Exercise pumps more blood and oxyen into your brain, helping memory. 
Your brain needs respite after a long period of intellectual stimulation. Give it a break! Meditate, take a nap, doing something mindless for about 20 minutes… then get back on the horse, if you need to! 
Make notecards with pictures if you can. Play a matching game with a friend.
Create a method of associating information with some kind of mental concept, such as Visualize positive imagery. Use acronyms. Rhymes. Jokes. Etc.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The creative visuals in “21 ways to improve memory” are refreshing.
Thank you so much for this page!!
Stacy- Thank you!! I found your praise to be refreshing as well.
Johnson- Sure anytime!
Love it! your use of large fonts and different styles/colors for the headings drew extra attention to them and helped create a mind map.