I think so, but I can't recall how it went..

The answer is really "it depends"... because memory is more complex than you probably realise, so your question is very broad... in any case...

The "secret of a good memory" is thus the secret of forming diverse and multiple associations with every fact we care to retain. -- William James

"Memory improvement books can be divided into two kinds: popular and scholarly. Typically, the popular books are written by people with no formal training in memory; they are either professional entertainers who have discovered techniques for memorising a large amount of novel information for a brief period of time, or they are promoters of seminars and training sessions that, among other things, are designed to improve memory. Indeed, on the cover of many of these books are phrases such as "More Money! Higher Grades! More Friends!" Most of the popular books report the same techniques, and almost none offer much by way of explanation of how or why these methods work. The good news is that most of the methods do lead to substantial improvements in memory performance. The bad news, however, is that because many of these authors are removed from the scientific literature, these books often contain many errors, omissions, or statements that are simply meaningless. Furthermore, there is no easy or magical way to develop a perfect memory overnight. [...] The best way to improve your memory is to practice retrieving the desired information." -- Human Memory, by Neath & Suprenant (2nd ed.)

"The keys to developing an exceptional memory are neither mysterious nor difficult to master [...]. First, associate the to-be-remembered material with something you already know, to take advantage of already existing structures and organisations. Second, process the material in a way appropriate for the test. Third, distribute your rehearsals over time." -- Human Memory, Neath & Suprenant (2nd ed.)

Mnemonics...
Avoiding proactive and retroactive interference...
Transfer appropriate processing...
Mood congruent learning...
... etc.

I really doubt it. Self-help is largely an enterprise designed to move money from your wallet to someone else's for nothing else in return. In short, to improve your memory you should consciously think the following whenever you receive a new piece of information: "Should I immediately discard this information or should I repeat it a few times to myself (which includes writing it down) to commit it to memory?" Being selective as to what you attempt to remember and engaging in repetitious memory encoding is the key.