Anthony Metivier's Magnetic Memory Method Podcast

You absolutely can memorize Scripture. You just need a Bible memorization plan. That’s what you’ll learn to establish on this page. No matter how many times you may have tried and given up before, this approach to memorizing scripture will work. How do I know? I’ve coached verbatim memorization for fifteen years. My students have publicly recited Scripture. And I’ve interviewed people who perform entire passages of the Bible. The only difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is one word: They had a plan. Soon, you will too. And thanks to the example plans I’ll share below, this tutorial will make everything incredibly easy for you. Ready? Let’s dive in! The Step-by-Step Process to Create Your Personalized Bible Memorization Plan “Just get started.” That’s often the advice we hear. But when it comes to developing a Scripture memorization plan that works, you can’t go about it randomly. That’s why this first step is so crucial. One: Choose Your Focus Different people are drawn to various aspects of the Bible. Even if your goal is to memorize the entirety of the Bible, it’s critical that you learn how to memorize based on a strong foundation of interest. Your focus might lead you to select a set of specific verses you’ve always wanted to commit to memory. Or you might choose to focus on the Psalms, as did my successful student Matt Barclay. Perhaps you prefer to focus on the Sermons of Jesus in the Gospels. Or you want to start with one of the key epistles, like Romans or Ephesians. Don’t worry if you decide to change your mind later. That’s okay. The key is to make note of the verses, passages or Books of the Bible that stand out to you. Select from the list you’ve created. Then, later when you expand the Scripture you’ve memorized, you can build upon this deeply personal foundation. If you’d like to see the list of Bible verses I’m memorizing, you’ll see an example of how a chosen focus can be not only useful, but stimulating in several ways. Two: Set Clear Short-Term Goals Whether you work on a verse a day, or even a single word a day, the key is base your journey on a schedule to which you can stick. Although some might scoff at the idea of memorizing just one word a day from Scripture, I’ve done this myself in order to keep consistent. Over time, it adds up. And by keeping consistent, I’ve memorized and even delivered memorized Scripture from a related tradition in a TEDx Talk. Although I normally work on entire verses on a daily basis, that’s my personal short-term goal: Between one word and an entire sentence per sessions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5HEffOd27Q My student Mike McKinley followed a similar pattern and quickly memorized over sixty Psalms in this consistently measured manner. Three: Write Out Your Schedule Once you’ve chosen the Scripture you’re going to focus on, make a pact in writing. Then work out when you’re going to show up to both: Encode the verses into memory Review the verses I also encourage you to schedule when you’re going to use the verses you’ve memorized. Although no one can see the future, just jot out a number of situations where you’ll have opportunities to recite Scripture. That way, when those opportunities arise, you’ll be more likely to take the chance to practice. This simple action is a form of priming that helps ready you for taking action. Four: Review Daily Start each day by reviewing the previous day’s memorization. You won’t need to do this forever with each verse. But some repetition is necessary. To reduce the needed amount of repetition, use the principles I discussed in this tutorial on spaced repetition. You can also follow the basic practice of Tom Meyer, who is often called the Bible Memory Man. His recommendation is to make sure that you review by: Reading the text aloud to help with learning and retention through hearing Writing the verses out by hand Paying attention to rhythm and structure as you recite These are good tips. However, I suggest that when writing out verses, you avoid copying the text. Memorize first, then bring the verses to mind before writing them. This process follows the findings of what scientists call active recall. It will help your memories form faster. Five: Keep a Progress Journal Each time you review, note it down in a journal. Why? As renowned memory champion Johannes Mallow shared with us in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, keeping a Memory Journal is the secret of his success. It enabled him to see areas where he was strong and identify areas where he needed to improve. Journaling also helps eliminate that helpless feeling unstructured people often suffer. “Where has all the time gone?” When you keep a journal of your efforts, you’ll never have that feeling. Instead, you

If you want to know how to become an autodidact, I suggest you start by treating the adventure like a game. Not in terms of gamification. But in terms of game theory. By that, I mean set up your learning journey is such a way that you want to keep going. No matter what obstacles arise. Because, let’s face it. There will be obstacles. And that’s why the path of the self taught learner must include detailed studies in discipline, focus and determination. Anyone can pick up these skills, even though traditional educational institutions have sadly made them harder to pick up. I say it’s sad because you need to keep up with the rapid pace of change more than ever before. As a result, autodidactic learning has never been more important. As an autodidact myself who has started businesses, written multiple books, played in bands and taught thousands of people around the world, I’m happy to share the best practices I’ve found. So if you’d like to take charge of your education, settle in. You’re about to learn how to take charge of your education and master new skills all on your own. https://youtu.be/_sT0mUoD3Ag What Is An Autodidact? An autodidact is anyone who takes steps to acquire an independent education in a topic or skill. Often, people think autodidacts do this without the guidance of formal instructors. But this belief is not strictly true. The author David Morrell, for example, became well known for his deep research projects before writing various novels. For example, he learned to fly a plane before writing The Shimmer. He has also studied interrogation tactics, how to establish a false identity and defensive driving. This makes him a great example of a modern polymath. But the fact that he hired instructors to help him learn these skills doesn’t mean he taught himself. The distinguishing factor is that he took the initiative and arranged the learning journey on his own. There was no formal way to study for all those skills. So he informally crafted his own lifelong learning journey. To do that, people like Morrell cultivate as many of the following polymathic personality traits as possible. The Most Important Characteristics of Autodidacticism In addition to taking charge of the learning journey, an autodidact is: Flexible to the exact demands required to achieve their learning goals. Research-focused in order to find the best sources of knowledge. Capable of using critical thinking to assess the reliability of their instructors and information sources. Devoted to developing a personal empowerment mindset, sometimes called mental strength. Courageous and capable of withstanding isolation. These characteristics are so important because autodidacts have to take more responsibility for their learning outcomes than a strict polymath might. There’s no formal institution to blame, after all. As for Morrell’s most famous character, Rambo, it’s a jungle out there. As a self-directed learner, you are on your own. How to Become an Autodidact As you now know, autodidacts take responsibility for their own education and do not rely on formal instruction offered by institutions. At least not the way you would attend one university to complete a degree. When I was a student, that’s what I did for many years. I completed a B.A., M.A. and PhD without a shred of that learning journey involving any autodidacticism. When I learned how to write, publish and market bestselling books, on the other hand, these skills were self taught. Taking a cue from Morrell, to prepare for writing my first “Memory Detective” novel, Flyboy, I took two courses with a detective. One on gun handling and the other on the handling of crime scenes. I also completed a forensics course. In it, I learned about Cellebrite Pathfinder,and then took a course on how detectives use this software. My knowledge of this technology become good enough that a detective who read my novel was surprised I even know about it. He told me I described the technology and its use in digital forensics very well. This is where the research-focused aspect of teaching yourself comes in handy. You need to find the best information. That requires probing skills above and beyond just searching and analyzing the first page of a search engine. You also can’t just go with what an AI text generator tells you. So, how does one accomplish massive goals without cheating oneself by studying in shallow ways when you need to dig deep? Here are the exact steps I suggest you follow. One: Develop the Basic Self-Learning Skills As Barbara Oakley puts it, you need to learn how to learn. More than simply developing discipline, curiosity and a proactive attitude, your memory needs to be sharp. To get it as fit as possible, devote yourself to learning the best memory techniques out there. My preferred stack of techniques is: The Memory Palace technique Major System PAO System Pegword System Spaced repetitio

It’s incredibly helpful to remember dates in history. Not only that, but you want to also remember the names of the people involved. For example, I’ve taught memory techniques for over ten years and live stream a lot. My credibility soars every time I accurately recite the dates certain memory masters and other historical figures lived. In your case, you might need to remember names and dates in history to pass an exam. Or perhaps you want this kind of knowledge for personal satisfaction, to remember your family tree or to help your clients better by remembering critical dates related to their situation. No matter the reason, there’s a fun and relatively easy way to remember dates and names at the same time. Ready? Let’s dive in! How to Memorize Important Dates & Names: The Most Effective Process As we get into the ancient memory techniques people have been using for centuries, here’s a point that might seem obvious. But we need to cover it all the same: Names and numbers are two different things. They require memory techniques that are definitely related, but the brain perceives names and numbers differently. With that in mind, I’m going to show you how to use both techniques at the same time. Just understand that different mnemonic devices need to be use in combination. But don’t worry – they’re not hard. In fact, they’re a lot of fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y68uMCrY2n4 Step One: Learn to Remember Names First Learning how to remember names is one of the simplest place to start. Basically, start by looking for sound and spelling similarities you can use to forge associations. I memorize a lot of important philosophy, both its history and its ideas. When I come across a name I want to remember like Diogenes, I start by figuring out how the name is pronounced. Then I make an association, which in this case involved Princess Diana, who was often called Lady Di. For the second part of the name, I thought of Walter Ong. The sound of “Ong” is not nearly as close as Di, but it doesn’t have to be 100%. It just needs to serve as a trigger as the name is being learned. Step Two: Picture the Person Behind the Name If you’re anything like me, or have full-blown aphantasia, it’s not always easy to form a mental image of a historical figure. But that’s no reason not to briefly look the person up. Usually there’s either a photograph, illustration or painting. Getting a sense for the look of a person just makes sense overall as you expand your historical knowledge because many others will have developed impressions based on those images. Step Three: Simplify the Historical Information A while ago, I was memorizing the names and dates of my favorite philosophers while sitting in my dentist’s waiting room. I had a book about the history of philosophy on my lap and started placing the names and their dates into a Memory Palace. But before I started to use this special technique (which you’ll learn more about in a moment), I focused specifically on “chunking” down the dates associated with these historical philosophers. Chunking is a science-backed learning technique where instead of focusing on 1596-1650 for Descartes, you start just by remembering 15. Although this approach to memorizing dates might seem slow, it’s actually faster in the end for reasons you’re about to discover. Step Four: Associate Bit By Bit For now, let’s assume that you’ve already memorized the name Rene Descartes for the following example. You’ve checked out his Wikipedia page and now you’re ready to memorize the date he was born on and when he died. The key to association is to chunking down to dealing with just 15. Then link this smaller digit to something you already know that reminds you of this number. Now, immediately you might think… 15… that’s too abstract. You would be right. And that’s where memory techniques like the Major System or a PAO System come into play. These simple and fun mnemonic techniques give you images for numbers almost instantly. That way, you can use something called the story method to place images in the hands of your historical figure. My associations for these numbers are a bassist named Tal (15) and the rock band, Bush (96). My image for 16 is always Dashiell Hammett and 50 is Wonder Woman. Please take a moment to learn these powerful number techniques. They provide the most effective and efficient means to rapidly memorizing historical dates. If you find that simpler number techniques would be a better start, you can explore number rhymes. Although my mnemonic examples may not work for you, once you know the theory, scientific research has shown that personalizing your own mnemonic system simply works. Scientists call the process active recall. Once you have all of these principles combined together, you’ll be able to reme

Would you like to know how to improve your memory? Perhaps you’re: a student who values the ability to recall new information — which is essential to learning, impactful on critical thinking, and streamlines studying for better test performance, or a business professional who’d like to quickly master associates’ names and memorize current statistics to lead more effective and productive business conversations, or a healthy senior who wants to assuage the frustration of normal age-related “senior moments” and other forgetfulness with better brain function. But you wonder. Is it really possible? You probably know fellow students, colleagues, or family members who effortlessly remember historical facts, names, birthdates, or phone numbers. You’re amazed at their ability to recall details of previous conversations, recite scripture, or learn a new language. Do your so-called memory-wizard friends have special powers you don’t? The resounding answer is “no”. However, they’ve likely (naturally or intentionally) adopted the use of some simple memory hacks that could help you too! So, how do you keep up, or at least get in the game? Have no fear! In this post, we’ll take a look at what scientific research has uncovered and reveal tips and techniques for how to make your memory better. Spoiler Alert: Memory help is on the way! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXI7gmOR5VI Here’s what this post will cover: Can You Really Improve Your Memory? 18+ Proven Ways to Improve Your Memory 1. Get Moving for Your Memory 2. Do Strength or Resistance Training 3. Maintain a Healthy Weight 4. Get the Right Amount of Quality Sleep 5. Avoid or Limit Alcohol Consumption 6. Stop Smoking (and Vaping) 7. Avoid Substance Abuse 8. Balance Stress in Your Life 9. Support Memory with the Right Foods 10. Schedule a Check-Up 11. Brain Exercises: Pump Some Gray Matter 12. Have an Open Mind: Meditation and Yoga 13. Simply Socialize 14. Keep a Reflective Journal 15. Memorize Numbers with the Major Method 16. Do Some Mind Mapping 17. Magnetic Memory Map 18. Memory Palace (or Square) Where To Start? How to Improve Short-Term Memory Improving Long-Term Memory Strive to Be Your Best Self! Let’s begin with the question on everyone’s mind. Can You Really Improve Your Memory? So, what do we mean by memory improvement? Aside from individuals with cognitive diseases or memory disorders, you may be one of the many people who are curious about improving their ability to process and store information for easier recall at a later time. Scientific research has discovered several positive external effects on the different types of human memory. This means humans have several actionable ways to enhance their short-term and long-term memory retention. Not surprisingly, memory research has shown that improvements to physical health go hand-in-hand with brain function and memory improvement. Stronger psychological, emotional, and spiritual health boosts memory as well. By taking a comprehensive approach to your good physical and emotional health, you steer clear of the primary reasons for cognitive decline: Poor diet Lack of exercise Lack of neurobic activities Alcohol and drugs Inadequate sleep We’ll explore the long list of actionable steps you can take to improve your ability to remember. We’ll also look at some proven memory improvement tips and techniques that you can use to enhance your approach to learning, storing, and recalling information. (The good news is that you’re not completely at the mercy of your brain’s current state!) A caution here: There’s no single miracle elixir for improving memory. Currently, there’s no miracle pill or other single simplistic way to improve your memory. Your memory improvement depends on “checking as many boxes” as you can from the following list. Let’s dive in. 18+ Proven Memory Improvement Tips While you don’t have to do everything on this list, it’s helpful to incorporate as many of the following methods as you can. 1. Get Moving for Your Memory We all know that physical exercise is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but did you know that even mild physical exercise benefits memory? A 2018 brain imaging study of healthy young adults showed hippocampal-dependent memory (memory processing) improvements immediately after 10 minutes of very light exercise, comparable to walking at a slow pace. Brain chemical researchers have learned that higher levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) protein correlate with improved cognitive performance. This is due to the protein’s strong supporting role in encoding long-term memories in our brains. This animal study shows higher levels of BDNF in rodents that exercise in contrast to those that do not, leading clinicians to now include exercise in neurotherapy programs. Ancillary benefits of aerobic exercise – to help with weight loss, promote better sleep, and elevate mood – provide multiple memory-boosting reasons to put on your tennis! 2. Do Strength or Re

Mindfulness expert Michael Taft had long know about the Memory Palace technique. But something was missing. An ingredient absolutely critical for success in memorizing mantras for meditation. Join in as Michael Taft, host of the Deconstructing Yourself podcast and author of The Mindful Geek, discusses with me ways that ancient memory methods can enhance mindfulness and spiritual growth. All the more so when you have the missing ingredient that evaded him for so long. To that end, in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you’ll learn a powerful spaced repetition strategy for mantra meditation that most people unfortunately miss. And you’ll discover science-backed approaches to training your mind as we explore the challenging aspects of meditation practice rarely discussed by traditional teachers. Michael shares insights from both contemplative traditions and modern scientific insights, offering a unique bridge between multiple worlds of knowledge. Whether you’re a seasoned meditator looking to deepen your practice or a memory enthusiast curious about spiritual applications, our discussion takes you deep into practical techniques for combining memory palaces with meditation. In this transformative episode, we explore: How to use Memory Palaces for enhanced mantra meditation Practical memory techniques for spiritual practice Challenging aspects of meditation many teachers infrequently discuss Advanced mind training methods combining multiple approaches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrgxBOCXEo8 Who is Michael Taft? Michael Taft is a highly-regarded mindfulness teacher, author, autodidact and thought leader working at the intersection of contemplative practices and neuroscience. With decades of experience, he is a voice many look to for deeper results from their meditation practice. As Michael shares with us in this episode, his commitment to mindfulness goes back decades. He’s studied and collaborated with some of the most accomplished professionals in the field, paying forward the absolute best techniques for establishing clarity, calm and more concentration in your life. His groundbreaking book, The Mindful Geek struck a chord with me personally. As a mostly skeptical person, his demystification of various “woo-woo” ideas helped me be more open to exploring why they may have evolved. And why they might be useful to engage with even if I’m skeptical. When you listen to the Deconstructing Yourself podcast, you’ll find Michael’s style is warm, but also characterized by a no-nonsense approach. I hope to one day attend one of his mindfulness retreats and suggest you connect with him for news of upcoming opportunities. And above all, I hope his experience encourages you to discover and implement the missing ingredient. It has a name in the memory science, which is spaced repetition. Just make sure to add ye olde “Magnetic” twist! Connect with Michael Taft: Deconstructing Yourself Podcast The Mindful Geek book Michael’s YouTube channel

The best way to study flashcards is not to study them at all. Now, before you bounce away, hear me out. There’s a small set of techniques that make learning with flashcards so fast, you really won’t feel like you’re studying at all. Instead, you’ll feel like you’re creating the knowledge you want to learn. Isn’t that exciting? I’ve been using cards for decades and spent hundreds of hours experimenting to find out how to memorize flashcards effectively. I’ve used them to help me learn languages and get my Ph.d. at York University in Toronto. Later, I used optimized flashcards to help me lecture at the University of Saarland in German. And on this page, I’ll share with you the best tips I’ve discovered along the way. That way, you can also enjoy similar results. Ready? Let’s dive in. https://youtu.be/0GNnQGLfly8 How to Memorize Flashcards Effectively: 10 Proven Tips There are a small number of steps to follow. They’re easy to learn, but let’s not beat around the bush. What I’m going to share may feel counterintuitive at first. You probably won’t be used to thinking or learning in these ways. But please don’t stress it. To get comfortable with the approach, I’m about to teach. You just need to practice. Seeing me talk about how I link some of my own flashcards with a variety of mnemonic devices will also help. That’s why I’ve included videos for you on this page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6HrJCWygmg Now that you know this particular approach to flashcards involves some highly specific mnemonic strategies, here’s step-by-step information on how to set yourself up for success. Step One: Identify The Main Points And Subpoints Before you start making flashcards or committing them to memory, it’s important to have a strategy for identifying the main points. Often, your study material is loaded with clues. Knowing how to analyze your information sources is key, so be sure to learn how to memorize a textbook effectively. Step Two: Use The Right Sized Flashcards Typically, 3×5 is a good size. It helps you focus on recording just the key points. However, you may need to experiment first with a few different sizes. Use discernment and your own experiments to find out what sizes are best for you. And don’t hesitate to use different sized flashcards for different kinds of learning projects. Also, keep in mind that you can always photograph cards of any size and import them into a spaced-repetition software like Anki. Step Three: Use Multiple Colors Nothing limits your imagination like using just one color. I try to always use at least 3 colors in each of my cards, a tip I learned from memory expert Tony Buzan. Making sure your flash cards have multiple colors is a key strategy for engaging your brain and amplifying the learning process. Not only does using multiple colors make the card creation process more interesting. It also makes looking at your cards later much more engaging. Step Four: Integrate Words And Drawings When learning how to study with flashcards, it’s easy to get stuck on using words. By the same token, people with aphantasia cannot fully or partially visualize. That’s where this next tip comes in handy: Even with limited artistic skills, it’s important to incorporate images as much as you can. Even the simplest of sketches will help you with the next tip. I sometimes joke that my drawings look more like chicken scratches – and that’s probably too much praise. But here’s the important point, especially for people who do not easily see images in their mind: All that matters is that you can recognize your quick doodles on the cards. And as the next makes clear, even if you have to guess at your own drawings some of the time, that will actually help your brain start establishing the desired memories. Step Five: Create Puzzles For Your Brain To Solve The number one problem people face when using flashcards is rote repetition. This is when they use the cards to repeatedly expose themselves to the information. That is no fun! Instead, use keywords, images and even empty spaces to give your mind the opportunity to fill-in-the-blanks. Let’s talk about the empty space principle in a bit more detail. This simple flashcard creation strategy lets you harness the power of active recall. For example, on this card for the Mandarin word Měishù guǎn or art gallery, there’s a line instead of an image for the guǎn sound. Notice the three colors in this flashcard example and how the blank space stimulates the use of active recall for rapid memory formation. When looking at the card, I know it’s my job to press my imagination for a solution. Although it might seem uncomfortable, it’s the stretch that helped me pass my Chinese test with flying colors, including the Chinese characters. I was happy because I was able to reach almost as many words that are needed for basic fluency in this language. We’ll talk more in a minute about how we use our imagination, but for now

Learning how to teach yourself can be fast, fun and incredibly effective. It can even be relatively inexpensive. But discovering how to learn on your own can also be psychologically and financially disastrous if you go about it the wrong way. Whether you’re looking to advance your career, enrich your personal life, or simply satisfy your curiosity, there definitely is a right way to go about educating yourself. And make no mistake: In today’s fast paced world, you can’t afford to make too many rookie mistakes. I know this all too well from my experiences getting a PhD, learning languages and figuring out how to reach millions of people through books, video courses and this blog. My journey has been filled with mistakes that you can avoid by reading this post. I’ve taught at three universities too and seen many learners make enter irrelevant learning mazes. But because I’m so passionate about helping my fellow lifelong learners, I’m delighted to at least try and help you avoid the dead-ends and save time as you harness the power of learning on your own. Ready for my best tips? Let’s dive in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw32p0p7PEY How to Succeed Along Your Solo Learning Journey: 9 Powerful Tips Learning on your own starts with four core commitments: Creating and reviewing a vision statement that guides your journey Deep engagement with topics and skills beyond surface-level understanding Critical thinking about which accelerated learning techniques are worth pursuing A long-term investment in active learning strategies You need these commitments because it’s all too easy to feel like you’re involved in serious autodidactic efforts. But if you want to become a polymath and master several skills and topic areas, especially if you lack the most common polymathic personality traits, you can’t afford to rely on your feelings. As this peer-reviewed study demonstrates, many learners think they’ve learned much more than actually did because of how passive learning feels. Although it’s true that the passive consumption of information is comfortable and often fun, it’s usually a dead end for self-learners. We actually learn better through active engagement. And that means feeling challenged, which is a different sensation than understanding or even remembering something. The lack of alignment found in the University of California study I linked you to above is not new. St. Augustine addressed this problem long ago, as did a very important medieval mnemonist named Hugh of St. Victor. With the need for active learning in mind, here are my best tips for making sure all of your self-learning activities keep you challenged and deliver real results. Ignore them if you choose, but please understand that without most of them in action, you risk learning little or nothing. One: Spend An Epic Amount of Time Structuring Your Goals A lot of people claim that S.M.A.R.T. goals can help keep you focused (Specific, Measurable, Relevant, Time-bound). Really? I’ve always found SMART goals to pale in comparison to creating a vision statement by hand in a journal. I suggest focusing on a goal that is neither measurable nor time-bound in any traditional sense. Specific and relevant yes, but what the other two terms even mean makes little sense to me. Think about it: How can you measure a goal when you don’t know the main points or aspects of a topic you want to learn? When setting and planning my learning goals, I prefer to avoid reinventing the wheel. I use traditional educational structures instead – very old learning cycles that remove a lot of cognitive load. I’m talking about traditional semesters used at universities. See, even though you’re learning on your own doesn’t mean you can’t harness institutional methods for structuring time. Whether it’s three month or six month learning periods, I suggest you plan your self-study projects within the academic term framework. I don’t think I’m biased when I make this suggestion, even though my long history as both a student and professor have clearly placed this kind of learning pattern deep in my procedural memory. The Benefits of Planning Within the Semester Structure, a.k.a. T.E.R.M.S. Even if I am suffering from a memory bias, the benefits are clear. Planning your goals within a 12-15 week will help you: Pace yourself Having clearly designated recovery periods will prevent topic exhaustion Defined start and end dates make accountability efforts meaningful Easier to fit around your regular duties and obligations You can better track your progress You can batch a small set of subjects together and use chunking while benefitting from interleaving Practice using a “Not Now Folder” (more on that in a moment) Rather than thinking in terms of SMART goals, I’ve replaced this acronym with TERMS: Time bound sessions within a clear semester-like

The number one reason students struggle to find the main points in their assigned reading is simple: You are being tested on your ability to figure out what they are and why they’re important. Teachers worth their salt won’t give you the answers because to do so violates your ability to learn this skill. Why is this true? Because all of human progress relies upon unique and innovative solutions to problems. And knowing how to find the key points in an article is something that is learned by doing. Plus, content is not king in this regard. Instead, context is god. So you not only need to practice identifying what the key points are. You need to justify in your own words why those points are so important. The best part? I have tips for you that will help you improve your skills in not only finding the main points, but also explaining why those points count. And I’ll teach you how I as a person with two MAs and a PhD earned my degrees by doing just that: finding, outlining and justifying each key point. Ready to see A+ written all over your report cards and university transcripts? Let’s get started! https://youtu.be/fMcVofEtn2U My Top 4 Tips For Finding the Main Point Quickly I’m going to give you a bunch of tips in this article from my years as a university student and professor. But let’s start with the most important of them all: Start at the end of most books and read the conclusion. Authors usually summarize the most important findings at the end. Memorize the key words and terms authors use as you go. Don’t wait. The sooner you understand them, the sooner your comprehension will grown. Don’t skip the charts, graphs and diagrams. Copy them out yourself to help aid understanding. Use index cards. It’s important not to lock your notes in linear notebooks. When you follow these four simple tips, you can skim and scan books quite effectively. You still want to read them thoroughly for best results, but by following these tips, you’ll get much more out of the process. I’ll expand on each of these points in greater detail below. But first, let’s spend a moment exploring the exact definition of “main point.” The meaning of this term might surprise you. What Counts As A Main Point? A main point has several aspects to it. For starters, we have: What the author meant What the author actually said Now, you might think that this is splitting hairs. But as Stanley Fish put it, “the world is one thing, words another.” Fish is the author of How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One. A huge part of his point is that there’s a difference between what a person actually means and how words can be interpreted in many different ways. There’s a word for this problem: Polysemy. We face it when “a single word, phrase, or concept has more than one meaning or connotation.” Because many sentences have this issue, the main idea of a passage almost always requires interpretation in your own words. And if you want to interpret really well, you need to give evidence to demonstrate why your take on the meaning of the passage is valid. So we might as well face an uncomfortable truth: To a certain extent, a main point is what you say it is plus what you can validate through argumentation. Main Points In The Classroom The definition I’ve just given applies to all aspects of life, but might not be what a teacher in a classroom is looking for from you. It may be that you need to give a specific answer. This is why I say that “context is god.” In order to pass a test or get an A+ on a paper, the right answer might not be in your control no matter how much evidence you provide. I’ve personally suffered situations several times where in multiple choice exams, the wording of the question made it impossible to give the best possible answer. That’s why I’m glad that I used to follow a few simple steps: Read the textbooks thoroughly and answer any section or chapter quizzes Talk to my teachers to make sure I knew exactly what they were looking for Go through sample exams from previous years Attend study groups to discuss possible exam questions in advance Once in the exam setting, if I could not figure out what answer the person grading the exam considered correct, I took a detour. Many times, I have handwritten on the reverse side of my exams simple messages. In these notes addressed to the examiners, I explained that I could not give an answer in good faith. Then I would write a full explanation of why I thought the question was worded poorly. Finally, I gave the answer in prose that I felt was the best possible answer to what I felt was a better way of framing the question. Although I cannot advise you to do the same, this strategy saved my skin in several exams. I always passed and ultimately completed most of my degrees with honor, something that would have been impossible if I had followed the “rules.” In my case, my main idea paragraphs (or what I sometimes called “paragrow

In the world of memory improvement, the mere mention of photographic memory is usually connected with some kind of scam. But the problems begin with how so many people confuse the term “photographic memory” with a completely different concept called eidetic memory. Another problem is the validity of the available research. Frankly, most scientific material about people being able to look at information, take a mental snapshot and recall something perfectly has not been well evidenced. Not only that, but if you think about it, no sane person would even want to be able to recall everything in such perfect detail. I’ll explain why with a notorious case study of a woman who wishes she could forget information. And by the end of this article, I hope to convince you of one simple fact: Photographic Memory Does Not Exist (And I Can Prove It) Unless you’re a painter who would benefit from memorizing every single detail of a room or landscape, there are very few benefits to the idea of photographic memory. Serious artists make study sketches even from photographs because it’s not just about what they see. Artistic representation is what they can reproduce using their mind’s eye and their muscles. But let’s say you did want to memorize an entire book. Who would listen to you recite each and every word? Where and when would you perform the recitation? The answer is that you almost certainly would never use such a skill. And these days we have professional audiobook narrators, and even AI voices to handle such long-form content tasks. You can watch me question the limited value of memorizing entire books in greater detail in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3bn63x6aCM In reality, you need only memorize the most critical pieces of information in any given book. That’s why I wrote and recorded an entire podcast episode about how to memorize a textbook the right way. In brief, the method involves identifying the main points of a book and memorizing only the important information. Doing that releases you from not only memorizing thousands of words like “and, “if,” but, etc. You don’t need to bother reciting or recalling them either. The question is: Why do people want to possess so-called “photographic memory” when it won’t actually do anything for them? I believe the answer boils down to just one word: Fear. People Seek Fantasy Memory Tricks Because They Want Something Unrealistic… They want certainty in life. Since none of us knows what’s going to happen next, the idea of photographic memory is attractive because it creates a sense that some level of security is possible. They believe that if you can remember “everything,” you’ll be able to pass exams, never look foolish and always be prepared for debates. Maybe, but as you’ll see soon, you might just be looking for trouble. You actually can study successfully without photographic memory. You can make mistakes and still avoid embarrassing situations and easily succeed in many areas of life. You can even stop forgetting important things once and for all. I know because I’ve been researching, practicing and teaching legitimate memory techniques that are proven to help. They are all well-evidenced by memory science and the incredible records produced by memory champions. But photographic memory is not how any successful learning or memory competitor achieves their results. Let me explain why. The Strange Research Behind Photographic Memory The idea of photographic memory may have first appeared in a 1970 Psychology Today article by Charles F. Stromeyer. Discussing a supposed Harvard student named “Elizabeth,” Stromeyer claimed she could remember detailed images with great clarity. He even claimed she could reproduce a stereogram, and some of his reports even wound up in Nature. Why is this research questionable? Two reasons. First, Stromeyer proceeded to marry Elizabeth. Second, he never studied her memory again. Wouldn’t you think that someone with such extraordinary memory would be the subject of continual analysis for the rest of her life? Why would such an incredible example disappear from view? The mega-savant Kim Peek remained public throughout his life, after all. Akira Haraguchi gives interviews about how he has memorized so many digits of pi. In reality, the answer is simple. There’s no such thing as photographic memory. The closest thing to it that exists is sometimes called highly superior autobiographical (HSAM) or hyperthymesia. But this condition has little to do with visual memory or even iconic memory. Her story and how she uses her memory in mostly verbal ways is quite unusual given what science has shown us about our massive storage capacity for images. As you’ll see, many people displaying superior autobiographical memory recite not images, but historical dates, names and numbers. The

2024 is winding down as a wild year for learning and memory trends. Largely because it’s been marked by record levels of disruption from Artificial Intelligence technologies. But have they really changed that much for learners in any practical sense? And are they helping human memory? If so, who is helped? Who gets left behind? I’m in touch regularly with learners who experiment wildly with learning technologies and report substantial results. But I also hear from people who just wind up overwhelmed. Then there are those who are innovating with new technologies, hoping to help more people by meeting them where they’re at. Which is all too often with their attention buried in devices. That’s why in this post I’m sharing my reflections from the past year and making a few predictions about what’s likely to happen in 2025. Buckle up, learning fanatic. This is going to be an intense ride! Learning And Memory Trends: My Predictions For 2025 The landscape of learning and memory seems to be developing rapidly. However, memory science and neuroscience at large shows us that the human brain doesn’t evolve quite so fast. But the fact that evolution moves slowly over generations, and that we might eventually adapt to our influx of technologies, doesn’t mean that our brains aren’t being rewired. 2024 saw the release of Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. His argument is that we are rewiring the brain by exposing ourselves to too much online technology. His prediction based on existing data is that if we don’t make some serious changes, mental illness is going to spike. Especially amongst young people. Whereas Haidt focuses on young people overall, Richard Reeves wrote specifically about the effect on males in Of Boys and Men. Although I’m not quite as anxious as these two well-acknowledged thinkers, I mention them upfront because their themes are important. But by the end, you’ll find a bold prediction from me about how the current alarming trends might converge in ways that not only revolutionize how we learn. They could well fundamentally alter how we experience consciousness itself. For the better. Elderly woman sleeping with string on her finger One: Poor Sleep Will Continue to Erode Memory & Critical Thinking We’ve known for a long time just how important sleep is for remembering information optimally. A major 2024 study published in Science only underscores the facts. The terms they use involve how sleep helps not only form memories. It also establishes and maintains “network stability” based on what another study calls “neuronal assemblies.” Although the human brain is not a computer, there is a very real sense that the information we share flows between us like software code. Critically, our lack of sleep ruins more than recall. If we’re not well-rested, critical thinking often goes out the window. Part of the problem has to do with the maiming of working memory. You need to be able to juggle multiple details in real time when making decisions. It’s also easier to be influenced by emotions instead of reason when you’re tired. As these researchers have discovered, emotions and memory are tightly connected. So even emotional decisions that could be good if you were making them while well-rested stand a chance of being particularly poor when made while tired. Worse, poorly rested people struggle to remember the details of how they arrived at their bad decisions. Even if they normally have “random access memory” to the very best critical thinking strategies. My suggestion: Instead of falling for the apps and add-ons claiming that blue light or some other hack make it okay to use devices while in bed, try this in 2025 instead. Set a computer curfew and stick with it. Give yourself 2-3 hours of “digital fasting” before bedtime. Both your memory and your thinking skills will thank you for it. Two: Robot Created Learning Products Will Flood the Market I’m not going to boost any particular company by citing specific examples. But because I work online, advertisers target me with “automatic course creators” and “instant Ebook” artificial intelligence apps. They tell me I can produce entire books in minutes and script flagship courses ready to be recorded with my video camera within an hour or less. Used well, there is no doubt in my mind that experienced and ethical writers and course creators will become better than ever before. Wordy people (like me) will be able to get help with how they describe things without having to pay expensive human editors. (Editors who often have no expertise in the topic area, so wind up cutting out crucial details students need to have in their deliberate practice of many skills). But all kinds of people who really only care about identifying markets and selling products for cash and prizes will flood the

If you’re wondering what specific causes of forgetting are holding you back from acing exams or getting (and keeping) a great job, you’re in the right place. As a graduate student, and later as a professor, I worked hard on eliminating various issues that harmed my memory. I’m talking about everything from improving my diet to dealing with childhood trauma. These days, I battle ageing and take action every day to keep my stress in check. On this page, I’ll share with you everything I’ve learned about eliminating issues that harm my ability to recall critical information. And everything I do as someone who writes, blogs and podcasts for a living. As a memory expert, I absolutely have to make sure that whatever is behind my forgetfulness is quickly and thoroughly handled. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to effectively eliminate the gremlins causing you to forget too. Ready? Let’s dive in, starting with this handy infographic I created to list all of the major issues that could be causing your memory to operate in less than spectacular ways. 7 Causes Of Forgetting And How To Eliminate Them Quickly As we go through this list of, it’s useful to quickly define exactly what forgetting is. Sure, it’s obvious, but let’s look at forgetfulness in all of its dimensions. Forgetting specifically speaks to any situation in which: Information that was once stored in the brain because inaccessible Memories can be lost temporarily or permanently Some forgetting is normal and a healthy part of your cognitive functioning Excessive forgetting indicates issues that could be neurological in nature or indicate a health problem With this nuanced definition of forgetting under our belt, let’s look at the most common causes behind why we sometimes struggle or fail to remember a variety of information types. One: The Decay Theory Of Forgetting Sounds brutal, right? Yes, but “decay” is the right word. As you’ll see, my personal experience with deliberately testing it proves the case. According to scientific work conducted back in the 1950s, time is the number one factor behind why our memories fade. But the term itself goes back to Edward Thorndike‘s work in a 1914 book called The Psychology of Learning. He was influenced by Hermann Ebbinghaus’ “forgetting curve.” You’ve probably felt what it’s like for memories to fade, or “slip.” That’s what the forgetting curve described: how long it takes for something learned to slide beyond your ability to recall it. To beat the forgetting curve, you just need to use spaced repetition. The difference between the decay theory of forgetting and Ebbinghaus’ curve is that the forgetting curve assumes you’re still trying to recall the information during regular intervals. Learning to use spaced repetition to defeat the Forgetting Curve started in earnest with the research of Hermann Ebbinghaus. Decay theory, on the other hand, describes the amount of time it takes for information to exit your memory after a period or not accessing it. This explanation basically matches a phrase that we use all the time: “Use it or lose it.” Although that phrase doesn’t sound all that scientific, there are principles of deliberate practice and spaced repetition that help ensure we do continue using information. Personally, I’ve experimented with the decay theory by deliberately not reciting the Song Celestial. This set of Sanskrit phrases took a few weeks to memorize. After three months of not reciting them, I found that I could still recite the first 10. But beyond that, the word “decay” definitely applied. After the first ten, the rest of the phrases had crumbled. Sure, I could get back some of the words in some of the phrases, but there was literally “decay” that had eaten into them. It was an interesting experiment, but the tragedy is that I would need to memorize them again if I wanted to be able to either speak them aloud or review them mentally. Thankfully, I have maintained several other long-form pieces in Sanskrit that I do main. Two: Interferences Make You Forget You’ve probably experienced interference many times. It happens a lot during arguments, for example. Someone establishes a point that you want to raise later, only to have it disappear from your mind. Less dramatically, imagine the following scenario: Someone introduces themselves and before you can commit their name to memory, they tell you something else that completely knocks it from your mind. This happens not only because of interference, but because short-term memory only has a few seconds to encode the memory. If it doesn’t stay in working memory so that the information can enter long-term memory, it will typically be gone for good. Another aspect of interference involves competition between similar memories. In the memory im

I was skeptical of mind maps until Tony Buzan personally taught me how to use the technique in ways that unpack the true benefits of mind mapping. In case you don’t know Buzan, he wrote many bestselling books on the topic. But I still wound up ignoring his advice about this “mental Swiss Army Knife,” because I wrongly assumed there was no way mind mapping could be so good. Thankfully, I finally put his instructions into action when we met. Now, I still follow the mind map I created under his guidance in my work. I’ve created many more mind maps since that day and they have never failed to help me achieve some impressive goals. In fact, a lot of the posts I’ve written for this blog started as mind maps using a few special ingredients I’d like to share with you today. Ready to learn more about this special tool for creativity, planning, brainstorming and remembering more? Let’s dive in! What Are Mind Maps Are & How They Help As usual, different people define mind maps in a variety of different ways. I like the definition Tony Buzan gave best. He told me that it was a means of “radiant thinking.” Of allowing your creativity to go “supernova.” In Mind Map Mastery, Buzan defined mind mapping: …initially as an innovative form of note-taking that can be used in any situation where linear notes would normally be taken, such as attending lectures, listening to telephone calls, during business meetings, carrying out research and studying. However, it quickly became clear that Mind Maps can also be used for ground-breaking design and planning; for providing an incisive overview of a subject; for inspiring new projects; for uncovering solutions and breaking free from unproductive thinking, among many other things. In my experience, mind mapping does offer all of these outcomes. And as you’ll see, it can also help boost memory, a goal that Buzan says he ultimately abandoned in favor of teaching mind mapping for other outcomes. I’ve always thought that his decision was premature, and I’m excited to share with you ways that mind mapping can help with memory improvement. 6 Benefits of Mind Mapping As we go through these advantages of mind mapping, keep in mind that it’s important to experiment and explore the technique in a variety of ways. If any ideas arise that you don’t see covered here, or by other mind mapping experts like Phil Chambers and Joseph Rodriguez, follow your instincts. It’s just ink and paper, so you have nothing to lose. In fact, as Joseph explained in this podcast episode, you potentially have everything to gain: One: Rapid Career & Business Planning I created the mind map that finally changed my mind about the technique when I met Tony at a ThinkBuzan event. I told him about my hesitations around using the technique to plan my entire business, and he reminded me to simply take the core ideas and give it a try. I’m glad I did and here’s what that mind map, which I still refer to often, looks like: Basically, this highly visual mind map represents the core goals I have for my work with the Magnetic Memory Method. Although this business mind map might not make sense to others, I can see and understand at a glance the goals I’ve set for myself. At the seven o’clock position, for example, I see a quick doodle of the symbol for medicine with a sad face and a happy face. This symbolized my commitment to help nurses and doctors with mnemonics for medical terminology. Since getting this goal visualized on this mind map, I’ve: Written and released two editions of How to Learn and Memorize Medical Terminology Written many posts for medical students on this blog Started a medical mnemonics podcast with one of my most successful nursing graduates Shared some of my own medical history to inspire all kinds of people to improve their health by releasing The Victorious Mind All that from just one on the tributaries on this mind map. “Tributaries” was Buzan’s word for the colorful, triangle-like shapes that you extend from a central image that established the theme of a mind map. Here’s the point: If you want to achieve your goals, mind mapping them will likely help. The trick is to keep the mind map in view so that it helps you maintain your focus. Two: Creative Depth I write a lot of books, articles and video scripts. Many are successful because I take the time to dig deep into the issues worth discussing by mind mapping using the basic principles Buzan suggested. For example, here’s a mind map I created while planning a blog post about how to retain information:   In addition to using tributaries, I have benefitted from Buzan’s suggestion to switch colors frequently. It provides a form of interleaving as you give your mind a break to come up with more ideas. By boiling ideas down to simple keywords and giving your self space for a fe

If you want to know how to remember concepts, the trick is to use memory techniques that can handle conceptual information. But deeply absorbing concepts is not entirely about memorization or using learning techniques. On this page, I’ll teach you the Memory Palace technique and how to use it for developing expert levels of familiarity with multiple concepts. And go further by making sure you embed the memorization steps in the larger process of processing what you learn. How do I know why it’s so important to combine memorization with other learning activities? My knowledge is based on my experiences as a professor who taught critical thinking at university. And as a memory expert who has written over a dozen bestselling books on memory techniques, I’ve memorized dozens of concepts. I learn a lot from the broad fields of philosophy, music, grammar, business and sometimes even physics. From a memory perspective, the tools you need boil down to five “systems” that combine the best mnemonic devices for effective recall. I’m going to share all of them with you and give some examples. But we’ll also talk about the bigger picture so that you’re not just reciting concepts from memory. You’ll also be able to connect them across multiple fields. Ready for a deep dive tutorial on turning even the most abstract information into concrete ideas you will easily remember? Let’s dive in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIBq-k9pP_I How To Remember Concepts: 5 Simple & Effective Steps Before we get into the individual steps, you might want to read my tutorials on turning abstract thinking into concrete thinking within just a few seconds. This opening step is essential because without it, you’ll be stuck thinking that concepts are much more abstract than they might be in reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBYBu-Qystc This video tutorial above details the first step: Knowing your concepts and recognizing them by name. I highlight this important step because a lot of people think that they are dealing with concepts when in fact, it’s specialized terminology they’re struggling to remember. In other words, it’s often the case that you get the “gist” of the term. But it’s the term itself that’s got you stumped. If that’s the case, you can move directly to my tutorial on how to memorize vocabulary. It will save you a lot of time whenever you’ve got the basic idea, and are really just struggling with the words themselves. One: Start With The Concept By Name (With Or Without Understanding It) Here’s a principle that I think you’ll find useful based on a problem: A lot of people think you have to understand concepts before memorizing them. As a result, they wait until they understand before committing anything to memory. Although that delay can be useful in some contexts, I disagree that you have to wait for understanding before you start memorizing. Here’s a personal example, one I unfolded in my TEDx Talk: I only came to understand a lot of the Sanskrit phrases I’ve memorized while studying a philosophy called Advaita Vedanta after memorizing them. Just memorizing the term “Advaita Vedanta” and its meaning helped me better understand it. The process of memorizing first and understanding later might sound counterintuitive. But once you give it a try a few times, you’ll quickly see that the name of any concept is core information. So, it’s well worth starting by memorizing the name of a concept first. Next, understand that every part of the concept is also essentially a name. Example of a Concept with a Name and Multiple Parts For example, a Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass student recently asked me about memorizing the Eightfold Path in Buddhism. The main concept is that certain behaviors will free you from suffering. Then, you need to memorize each of the eight interconnected aspects of the concept. Each are themselves conceptual. You can spend a lifetime reflecting on these paths and still not fully understand them. And that’s okay. The key is to simple know how to memorize a list of information. And as I told my student, from there you couple memorizing the names of the parts by combining further study and practice over time. How to Memorize Multiple Concepts by Name To accomplish this, I personally use multiple Memory Palaces. That way I always have a lot of room for all the concepts I want to commit to memory. We’ll talk more about layering concepts into Memory Palaces in a moment. But here’s another tip: Always say the concept and its definition out loud as you’re learning it. This step is important because often we try to understand things purely in the silence of our minds. That’s just not workable for most of us. That’s why formal courses often get you to engage in discussions with your fellow students. It&#8217

Do you really need to take vitamins for memory improvement? For many people around the world, the answer is tragic. Not only do they dump hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per year on the hope that pills in a pretty package will lead to a boost in memory is a common habit… Sometimes they take vitamins that cause harmful interactions. This happens especially to seniors who believe that it is essential to take nutritional supplements to combat against age related memory loss, brain fog. It certainly can be, but you need the best possible vitamins to combat everyday forgetfulness and deter the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia. On this page, we’re going to look at a number of memory enhancing vitamins. In many cases, you’ll be able to get what you need from food. But as we age, we often need supplementation. The trick is making sure we get the absolute best supplements matched with what we actually need. As someone who has studied memory for a long time and who combats a number of health issues, I’ll also share the vitamin supplement pills that help me most with my own memory issues. As I age, they become more and more important for me to tackle correctly. Ready for all of my best research findings and the vitamins I focus on above all? Let’s dive in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb8g91419gE 7 Best Vitamins For Memory Improvement As we go through this list of vitamins, keep in mind that vitamins are a group of organic compounds. They are different from fats, carbohydrates and proteins, substances that nourish our body and are essential for our growth and functioning. We usually get them through the food we eat. Vitamins are equally important to maintain brain health: “In particular, research over the past 5 years has provided exciting evidence for the influence of dietary factors on specific molecular systems and mechanisms that maintain mental function.” That’s from Dr. Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a leading authority on nutrition and the brain at the University of California, Los Angeles in his research paper, Brain Foods: The Effects of Nutrients on Brain Function. Now that we have a working definition of what vitamins are, let’s look at the essentials you need to keep your memory operating at its best. One: Vitamin B12 B12 has been connected with cognitive impairment – something you definitely don’t want to suffer. As this study demonstrates, people with normal levels of B12 were able to remember things much better than those who did not. Shockingly, even having a small imbalance mean that people lacking proper B12 struggled to recall information correctly. This raises an important point: While we need vitamins only in small quantities, if any vitamin is absent from our diet, a deficiency disease may occur – a fact first noted by William Fletcher in 1905. But here’s the kicker: If you are already getting adequate B vitamins though your diet, getting extra through supplemental pills will not give you a memory boost. Luckily, there are other foods that improve memory, many of which contain Vitamin B12. Two: Vitamin D When I started noticing my memory slipping while teaching university courses in Germany, I immediately followed the research showing that Vitamin D helps improve memory function. Although it’s a memory supplement that comes in the form of a pill, I also make sure I get plenty of sunshine. Exposure to sun for Vitamin D is especially critical during winter, as this scientific study has made clear. Three: Vitamin E This vitamin isn’t so much about boosting your memory. Rather, studies like this one have shown that making sure you have enough Vitamin E is essential for reducing your chances of developing dementia later in life. Four: Vitamin C Want an immediate memory boost? This study shows that people who take it not only enjoy better memory quickly. They also enjoy improved visuospatial and language skills. Researchers speculate that these benefits might come from how Vitamin C improves your cerebrospinal fluid. Five: Vitamin B6 Although Vitamin B6 is not directly tied to memory in this study, it has been shown to slow the degradation of the brain. Having enough of it can also help regulate anxiety, as discussed in this study. Make no mistake. Anxiety can affect your memory, so it’s important that your B6 is in order. Six: Vitamin K2 Scientists previously thought that K2 was mostly about bone and cardiovascular health. Now, as this report discusses, researchers believe K2 is of holistic importance to all aspects of your health. The catch might be that K2 is often taken by humans through dairy. Personally, when I eat dairy, I experience brain fog. Frankly, it’s worth a little bit of unclear mental capacity a few times a week for the greater good of my brain health. But each person has to make these decisions on their own – ideally with guidance and insight from a doctor. Seven: Vitamin A The interesting thing about Vitamin A is tha

The story method is a cool mnemonic technique that helps you rapidly remember just about anything. And here’s the very good news: Because I know a lot about this specific approach to mnemonic linking, the specifics of the story method for learning faster are detailed for you on this page. I’ve used it successfully for target learning projects like getting my PhD and learning languages. And you can too. But please don’t get worried by the use of the word “story” for this method. It’s not really about creativity or spending hours coming up with a detailed narrative. By the same token, if you’d like to become more creative and connect in a deeper way with your imagination, this method is the ticket. You just need to understand what the technique is and how to get it working effectively. That way, you’ll be able to use it efficiently. Ready to dive in? Let’s go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhN0rigUHTQ What Is The Story Method? For many people, a story is easier to remember than a list of facts. According to one researcher, our brain is literally wired to pay attention to stories, specifically through oxytocin. In his co-authored study, Paul Zak found that people who say public service ads featuring stories, were more likely to respond to the messages in the desired way. In order for the participants to respond, they have to remember what the messages were about. When using memory techniques, people have seized upon using stories to either improve memory or have ideas remembered for a very long time. For example, we know a lot of about memory techniques because stories about Simonides of Ceos that teach the technique are themselves highly memorable. In the most famous story about his legendary memory skills, we learn about how Simonides memorized names at a banquet hall. However, shortly after the dinner ended, an earthquake destroyed the building, ending the lives of everyone inside. Simonides, had already left, however. When the authorities asked him to help identify the dead, he used the method of loci to name where each person was sitting. The drama of the story makes it memorable, and helps you learn the core processes involved in the Memory Palace technique. Benefits Of Using The Story Method The story method is good for specific learning outcomes, typically lists of names, items, certain kinds of events and simple concepts. At a more granular level, you can add story elements to other linking methods, such as a PAO System or the pegword method. Usually, I think of adding narrative elements as a kind of mnemonic vignette rather than a full story. Beyond that, I find the story method quite limited compared to other memory techniques. But if you need to memorize lists, it’s a solid option because stories can help you forge strong connections quickly. You just need to understand how and why stories work so well as mnemonic devices, which is why we paused on the points above. Now let’s look at how to implement the technique. How To Use The Story Method Let’s have a look at how to use this method, followed by some examples and alternative approaches. There’s no right or wrong, as such. Each person needs to experiment with the options and work out what I call a “mnemonic style.” The more tools you have in your toolbox, the better. Step One: Gather Your List & Optimize The Order This step sounds kind of obvious, but it’s worth looking at some nuances. For example, if you’ve got the main points gathered from a textbook, is it better to memorize them in the order you found them? Or should you order them in a hierarchy of importance? I suggest taking a moment to reflect on your options. The only time I don’t take time to organize information is when I’m memorizing names at an event. Or, in the case of memorizing a poem or speech, the information is already organized. Anthony Metivier memorizing and recalling names at a memory demonstration in Brisbane Step Two: Add Story Elements Let’s use the example of memorizing names at an event. A few years ago, I memorized 32 names at a presentation I gave in Brisbane. The first two names were Haley and Allan. My basic mnemonic images were Halley’s comet and an allen key. The story I added involved Halley’s comet crashing into a giant allen key. To make the story even stranger, and therefore more memorable, I had Allen Funt hold the allen key. The next person was named Sharon, so I had Allen use his allen key to adjust Sharon’s next. The story built from there and I was able to recall each and every name with 100% accuracy 15 minutes later during my demonstration. Now, I mentioned that little or no creativity is involved, but that using the technique can make you more creative. Notice in my example that I didn’t invent Halley’s comet or allen keys. I just drew a relationship between the sounds of the names as they were me

The Knowledge Gene is one of those excellent books that doesn’t come around nearly often enough. Except Lynne Kelly has a habit of only writing incredible books. Of course, I’m partial because I share Kelly’s love of memory. But I don’t have anything like the scientific background and depth of research she brings. Not to mention the wisdom that allows her to glean insights from so many cultures across space and time. That’s why I couldn’t wait to talk with Lynne about The Knowledge Gene: The Incredible Story of the Supergene that Gives Us Human Creativity. More than your standard interview, our discussion covers the book in-depth and topics we mnemonists love: Memory Palaces Mnemonic images Learning faster and retaining information for longer We also discuss a few of the social and political implications of how and why our species may have gone wrong when it comes to matters of education at all levels. Click the play button above or watch the discussion using the video below: https://youtu.be/rp17com8mAA As you watch or listen, consider the implications… What if we could prove that education needs to change due to the way our genes work? Wouldn’t you like to see more people succeed as learners in a vibrant and holistic education system that serves us all. Not just those who can sit still behind a desk? The Knowledge Gene: A Brief Review How’s this for a compelling quote? ADHD can grant broad thinking and endless performance. I highlight this brief statement because so many people email me and talk about their experiences with ADHD, dyslexia or other issues. And there’s no doubt about it. They can effect focus, concentration and of course memory and intelligence. But what if education were to change, and operate more like the societies who used ancient memory techniques? This is one of Lynne’s premises in The Knowledge Gene, something hinted at in one of her previous books, The Memory Code. As Lynne demonstrates amply, our ancestors learned and retained far more than we do. They knew the location of critical medicines and could tell hundreds, if not thousands of stories. Not only that, they used performance to help them encode memories, kind of like how Anastasia Woolmer once demonstrated the mnemonic use of choreography in a TEDx Talk. The Genetic Difference The Knowledge Gene takes all of Lynne’s work to the next level by explaining how music, art, story and a variety of performance activities help us store information. The scientific findings Lynne shares were produced in collaboration with a variety of researchers from fields like archeology, psychology, music, art and of course, genetics. She also shares discussions from her fieldwork with a diversity of neurodiverse kids, adults and fascinating colleagues like Tyson Yunkaporta. Lynne expertly weaves the central thesis that some of the learning disabilities associated with NF1 help explain how humans learn. The science is, true to the theme of the book, wonderfully told in the form of a story. That means you’ll get an understanding of how and why scientists operate in particular ways in order to arrive at statements that are highly likely to be true. You’ll have a hard time putting The Knowledge Gene down as Lynne introduces you to a variety of cultures, individuals and memory techniques. True, some of the words might be challenging. But when you use the mnemonic methods discussed throughout the book, you’ll love how quickly they become second nature. Of course, you”ll want to make sure you follow up with Lynne’s excellent work Memory Craft for more. A Return To Knowledge Awaits… If We Dare Although this book is grounded in data, Lynne strikes a careful balance between urgency and optimism in The Knowledge Gene. That’s important because facts without emotional resonance are hard to take in. Lynne is cautionary, but never alarmist about what will happen if we don’t incorporate more of what we know about learning from our ancestors into modern life. She’s even occasionally humorous, sharing bits about her life as a mnemonist engaged in a noble battle against forgetting. Overall, you’ll love Lynne’s objective and clear stance. It’s inclusive, empowering and you will not left wondering what to do. The genetics facts alone should make it clear that out time and our opportunity is not just now, but right freakin’ now. Read this book and then get busy living the knowledge gene within you.

Get Better At Anything originally made me skeptical when I first saw the title. I mean, I’m usually not one to judge a book by its cover, but… “Anything”? That right there is what you call a big promise. So, of course, I had to invite Scott Young onto the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast to asking him what counts as “anything.” And I wanted him to define “better.” As usual, Scott did not disappoint. From accelerated learning techniques to rapid skill acquisition, the science demonstrating what really works is all there. Click play on the the audio or video players to join in on the conversation. And keep reading for a written review of this epic new book. Whether you’re a lifelong learner, productivity enthusiast or simply curious about how you can explore more of your potential, Get Better At Anything is the book for you. https://youtu.be/QBSGLoiwqmU Get Better At Anything: A Review One of the highest virtues of Get Better At Anything is how it gently, but thoroughly tackles many of our assumptions about how we learn. Even if there are some issues with how scientific studies play out (which I’ll address further on), questioning common myths about learning is a valuable activity. For one thing, questioning stimulates new ways to think about your own past as a learner. That way, your future learning efforts are more likely to succeed, especially as you take on new challenges. Failure Isn’t Always A Good Teacher One big takeaway I can foresee for many people involves the supposed value of falling flat on your face. For example, Scott addresses the common wisdom that we need to fail to learn. As we speak, there are productivity gurus loading up their X accounts with tweets about how you have to “take action” so you can “fail faster.” It’s not that they’re entirely wrong. We all need feedback and errors can be corrective. But as Scott takes pains to show, it’s not the case that you absolutely have to fail in order to enjoy positive learning outcomes. I’ve experienced this effect directly as a card magician, especially when learning memdeck routines. There are many magicians who preach that it’s better to learn from books. It’s not that they are wrong, but I’ve learned faster and mastered knacky moves very quickly when I could see them performed on video. The real problem with no having examples in certain contexts is that people often give up on learning certain skills. I’ve certainly done that with more than a few magic instruction books. It’s a problem stimulated by the fact that a lot of talented magicians simply aren’t skilled writers. Scott is great about showing how various “problem spaces” can be solved by finding ways to avoid failure. You’ll enjoy how this part of the book gets you thinking about ways to succeed faster and more often as you learn new skills. Variety (And Theory) Is The Spice Of Learning Although I think I talk about it in a different way than Scott presents the idea of getting plenty of variation into your deliberate practice and study sessions, I talk about how I use interleaving all the time. Scott goes far deeper into the idea of shuffling between the various actions and aspects of learning. A potential point of frustration with the suggestions in this section is that it’s not always clear when and where variability matters. For example, it seems unlikely that switching between chemistry books and fiction will make any of us better readers of either category. That said, the research Scott presents seems to confirm something I’ve thought all along: understanding the theory behind many skills and topic really helps when it guides the actions we take during learning. Michael Shermer says something similar in his introduction to Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye. Shermer says we need an “interplay of data and theory” to guide our thinking. Scott extends this imperative seeking a balance of theory and practice from as many sources as possible: “Talking to people in the field, and finding out what tools they’re using and theories they’re working with, gives a roadmap for acquiring more tools to work with.” In our age of digital amnesia, extending beyond books and the Internet strikes me as sage advice indeed. Expertise Guarantees Nothing As a former story consultant, I was very interested on the material about a problem I sometimes think of as “coaching effect.” You’ve probably seen coaches at the side of the basketball court who look like they couldn’t sink a ball to save their life. Well, back when I was working in the film industry, but like an out of shape coach, I probably couldn’t have sold a screenplay. Yet, because I was able to memorize a few varieties of story structure, I was able to see “models” in the stories wr

Imagine mastering a new language using the same memory techniques the help memory champions remember thousands of random digits or multiple decks of cards. Although you’d be forgiven if you can’t see the connection, I’ve interviewed many memory athletes over the years. Not all of them also learn languages. But many do. And for the first time ever, I’ve gathered the best tips from seven highly successful memory athletes who have also studied at least one other language. Each of the memory champs you’ll discover on this page know exactly how you can make even the most abstract word or challenging grammar principle stick like glue. So read on to discover how these memory mavens can help you revolutionize how you approach language learning. In some cases, their approaches might seem to challenge conventional wisdom. But as a PhD and professor who has followed their tips myself to pass more than a few language exams around the world, I know the value of how using memory techniques can dramatically slash time spent learning. Ready for these potent strategies for your journey into fluency? Let’s dive in! The Common Memory Technique For Language Learning That Binds Them All One quick point before I introduce you to our first memory athlete. Each and every one of the champions I’ve spoken to over the years uses the Memory Palace technique in one form or another. There’s good reason for that, but in case you’re not familiar with this ancient mnemonic method, it works like this: Choose a familiar location (like your home, school or workplace) Create a mental map by imagining a specific journey through the location with special places you’ll use to… Mentally link words and phrases you want to learn with mnemonic images at each stop Mentally walk back through each location to retrieve the images using a process called spaced repetition Practice elaborating and strengthening the associations while reading, writing, speaking and listening to the target language That’s the basics of the technique each memory athlete will mention in one form or another. For more on using this technique for developing fluency, you can check out this post on the Memory Palace for language learning. Now let me introduce you to someone who is not only an accomplished memory athlete, but also a highly respected scholar. She’s even a recipient of the Order of Australia! One: “Have Hooks For Everything” Lynne Kelly is an Australian author, science educator and memory athlete. Her books The Memory Code and Memory Craft are legendary amongst people who use mnemonic strategies. In Memory Craft, Kelly advises language learners to prepare their memory systems in advance, particularly the associations they will use. She gives a number of examples for “hooks” she’s used while learning Chinese, for example. Because Mandarin characters involve so many radicals and other components, you can learn them a lot faster by having a “bestiary.” That’s a medieval and renaissance era word for what some of us now call pegwords. Basically, to use this type of memory system, you assign an image to each letter of the alphabet. That way, when you need to memorize a new word, you always have some kind of starting point for placing associations in your Memory Palaces. For example, if you have to memorize the words “to be,” you just draw from your bestiary of images, such as a toad and a bumble bee. Kelly prefers animals for these images. But you can use anything that makes sense to you, such as celebrities, friends, teachers and so on. The key is to forge the links alphabetically. Two: “Study In Focus Bursts” I was surprised when I told Dave Farrow I was studying Chinese. He immediately spoke to me in Mandarin – like it was nothing! Farrow holds two Guinness World Records for memorizing multiple decks of cards. He’s also an author, entrepreneur and inventor with a keen interest in robotics. As you can see from the picture I took with him below, he also has a sense of humor about his last name sounding like “pharaoh”. The trick for Dave is that he never spends too much time focused on learning any one thing. As he told me when it comes to language learning: Get all of the vocabulary on your phone and do five minute chunks here and there. Do it really intensely for a short time, have a timer on you, and that’s what can get you to that level. Although you might be skeptical that this technique will work, scientists have studied processes they call interleaving and chunking. Dave is basically doing a personalized version of these techniques with some Memory Palaces and other mnemonics woven in. Three: “Crazy Combinations On Cards” Brad Zupp has done all kinds of things on the memory competition circuit. He’s memorized an entire deck of cards in 90 seconds, 1,050 digits in 30 minutes and s

If you want to know how to memorize numbers, you might be getting frustrated… After all, there is a ton of confusing information about the main remembering numbers technique known as the Major System. I found it frustrating too when I first learned it as a PhD student at York University in Toronto… but I pushed through and it ultimately helped launch my career as a Mercator Scholar in Germany. And that was interesting because the Mercator is named after a person very skilled in mathematics. So to help you out, we’re going to address the question of just how many numbers a person can remember when using number mnemonics. And you’ll learn how to use a Memory Palace to memorize numbers. As many digits as you want. To do so, in this post, I will show you: The Major System that allows you to memorize numbers with letters and words. How to connect the Major System with a Memory Palace. How to expand the Major System into a PAO or 00-99 system. Or you can just watch the video version of this lesson: https://youtu.be/Nlm4FKwoogU No matter how you choose to learn these techniques, this is important: Your goal is to shift the burden of memorizing numbers to recalling fun and straightforward images that are already in your memory. This simple shift from trying so hard to using mnemonic images instead will reduce the cognitive load on your brain and make learning and remembering any number exciting and fun. Using these techniques will also expand your mind as they provide substantial mental stimulation over the years to come. How to Remember Numbers: Simple Mnemonic Examples Have a look at this image: This is a nun. She represents the number 22 in the 00-99 Major System I use. Every time I see 22, I bring this nun to mind (I actually imagine Mr. Bean dressed as a nun. More on why later…) I do this because if I next see the number 235, I can see an animal, it’s easy for me to use the Major System to add another image. When the nun interacts with the animal in an unusual way, I’m able to remember a longer digit with ease: 22357. The Major System That Underlies The Technique That Helps You Remember Numbers To get to the stage where you can use nuns and animals, you need to understand why 22 is a nun and 235 is an animal. The Major System has different terms, including: The Phonetic Number System Phonetic Mnemonic System Number Consonant System Herigone’s Mnemonic System … and more. The exact history of it is not known, but in Mind Map Mastery, Tony Buzan attributes it to Johann Just Winckelmann. Others cite Aimé Paris and Major Beniowski, from whom we most likely take the name, Mnemonic Major System. And that’s just in the west. The Katapayadi system goes back at least to 869 BCE. Although there are many variations and you can make up your own, a large number of people use an arrangement like this: 0 = soft c, s or z 1 = d, t 2 = n 3 = m 4 = r 5 = l 6 = ch, j or sh 7 = k 8 = f or v 9 = b or p In this way, I came up with Nun for 22, but perhaps you would prefer a piece of naan bread. Try to make sure that you have a vowel between the two consonants, but if that doesn’t work for you, a word like “onion” is also acceptable. It’s really up to you, but I suggest that you avoid abstract concepts like “noon.” If you want to use “noon,” make sure it is a clock with its hands pointed at noon, and maybe include Gary Cooper who starred in High Noon to make it even more concrete. Likewise with a word like “anon.” This word could make an excellent Magnetic Image for 22, but only if you make it concrete, such as by having James Woods with a particular book. Why James woods? Because he starred in My Name is Bill W. about the origins of Alcoholics Anonymous. I realize this specificity requires you to stretch your imagination, but its excellent brain exercise (better than any app) and is the secret of how to get a solid 00-99 working from the beginning. (Instead of having to fuss with it for years and potentially give up, as others sadly do.) How To Expand Your Major System Into A Full 00-99 List to Memorize Numbers To expand the rules that underly the phonetic Major System is easy. I suggest you take it 5-10 sets at a time. But first, get a Memory Journal so you have a place to chart down your ideas on paper. Overall, the best way to learn how to memorize numbers using this approach would go like this: 1. Get a Memory Journal for completing the creative task 2. On a new page, copy the start with 00 and write all the numbers up until 10. 3. Starting with 00, think of words that begin and end with ‘S.’ I personally use Thomas Szasz, but many use Dr. Suess. Sissy Spacek would also work. Or a pair of eyeglasses built by Zeiss. Many other options are equally concrete. If you choose Zeus, use the character from Planet of the Apes or a clear painting or cartoon of Zeus so you’re not relying on a vague concept

If you want to become conversationally fluent, you might wonder how many words and phrases you need to learn. You probably also want to know how long it’s going to take to tie enough threads of the language together to speak without hesitation. You also want the certainty that the language will in fact wind up deep down inside you and become part of your being. On this page, you’ll discover the best way to become fluent in a language — and how to define fluency in the first place. It’s not exactly what a lot of people think. In fact, when you define “fluency” in the best possible way, you can achieve goals in the languages you want to learn with incredible speed and efficiency. Why am I saying that becoming fluent is different than you might think? Well, I used to believe that learning a language would be impossible for a busy person like me. Especially since I was easily distracted and stressed at the time. But when I started my PhD at York University in Humanities, not having skills in at least one other language wasn’t an option. Later, when I taught at the University of Saarland in Germany, not knowing German wasn’t an option either. Then there was the time I needed to pick up Mandarin in a pinch in order to maximize a career opportunity. It’s on the basis of these successful experiences that I can tell you that fluency isn’t exactly what many people think it is. And I’m going to share with you each and every career-making tip and tactic I know on this page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2TOary2yQQ Here’s what this post will cover: What Does It Mean To Be Fluent? The 5 Stages of Language Fluency How To Become Fluent In A Language Fast: 8 Powerful Tips Becoming Conversationally Fluent Is Easy And Fun Let’s begin. What Does It Mean To Be Fluent? Let’s start our definition by ruling out what fluency isn’t. Fluency is not: Being 100% accurate every time you speak Knowing every single word in a language Mastering grammar Think about your own mother tongue. Do you say things 100% perfectly every time you speak? Of course not. We all stutter sometimes or forget simple words we’ve known our entire lives. Likewise, any honest person who looks through a dictionary will find hundreds of words they do not know in their mother tongue. As for grammar, I remember showing off in German to my friend Olly Richards in Berlin several years ago. When I asked someone I was speaking to if my grammar was correct, the native German speaker shrugged and looked at me as if I was insane for asking such a question. The point of this story about asking a native German speaker if my grammar was correct? Very few native speakers actually know much about their mother tongue. And that means in order to become proficient in a language, you don’t have to either. The 5 Stages of Language Fluency As you start learning a language, you’re going to go through phases or stages. These can be broken down into: 1. Zero knowledge of the language. You literally don’t know a thing. You might not even know what the language is called in the language you’re learning. (For example, German is called Deutsch.) 2. Basics of the language, like the alphabet. In different languages, you’ll face different demands depending on the character set and any symbols you need to learn. Obviously, Asian languages have bigger demands than Russian with Cyrillic, or you might lose a few letters when learning a language like Italian. 3. Starting to speak. In this stage, you will perhaps have a few words and phrases you can use. You may be practicing entirely on your own or with a teacher. 4. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In this stage, you’ll ramp up your efforts by using what is called The Levels Of Processing. You need to combine multiple forms of input and output in order to consolidate what you’re learning. 5. Flying solo. This is when you are able to hold conversations that flow — or at least accomplish goals. You’ll usually find this incredibly pleasurable, but all that matters is that you can understand and be understood pretty much on demand. You can start understanding interesting aspects of a language at all of these levels. You really don’t have to wait for the fifth stage to understand innuendo, for example. Even just knowing a bit about how certain letters are sounded can give you access to the psychological experience of the language. You can also work on your accuracy at each stage. In fact, you’ll want to keep coming back to hone the accuracy of each stage over time. For example, I’ve been studying Sanskrit for three years, and I still learn new things just about the alphabet.   How To Become Fluent In A Language Fast: 8 Powerful Tips You came here to understand how to learn a language fluently, so let’s get into 8 things you can do to reach fluency fast. 1. Create a Vision Statement and a Learning Plan Realize that there are good rules of thumb but no one path that suits everyone. It’s important to accept

Aphantasia. Sounds like a magic word a magician would say before conjuring a rabbit from his hat, doesn’t it? But let me ask you this: Can you visualize the magician pulling out the rabbit by his ears? For most of us, it will be easy to recall images inside our heads, using our mind’s eye. However, if you could NOT see any image in your mind’s eye – no colors, no sounds, no smells, no textures, no flavors, nothing at all – you may have a condition called aphantasia or a blind mental eye. Don’t freak out, though. Many people have aphantasia, even magicians. Familiar with Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame)? He is a famous magician and entertainer, and, he is an aphantasic(!). This was according to his own words on his Sunday School podcast, Episode 174. By his own admission, Penn says he cannot conjure a mental image of a person or a place to save his life. Back when I was in university, both as a student and later as a professor at 3 different universities, I also couldn’t “see” images in my mind. But after learning what you’re about to discover on this page, everything changed for me. What Is Aphantasia? A Detailed Definition The term ‘aphantasia’ comes from the Greek words a, meaning “without”, and phantasia, meaning “a capacity to form mental images”. The phenomenon was first described by the controversial psychologist Francis Galton – one of the pioneers of eugenics – in 1880. The interest in the phenomenon was renewed after the publication of a study conducted by a team led by Dr. Adam Zeman, a professor of cognitive and behavioral neurology, at the University of Exeter. Zeman’s team published a paper in 2015 on what they termed “congenital aphantasia”, now known simply as aphantasia. For Firefox co-creator Blake Ross it was a surprise revelation that other people could visualize things in the mind’s eye while he couldn’t. “I can’t ‘see’ my father’s face or a bouncing blue ball, my childhood bedroom or the run I went on ten minutes ago,” he wrote in a Facebook post. According to Craig Venter, the biologist who created the first synthetic organism: “It’s like having a computer store the information, but you don’t have a screen attached to the computer.” One of the main scientists researching aphantasia is Adam Zeman. He simply calls it living without imagery. When I was a kid, they told me I had something quite similar. But back then my teachers called it “Imagination Deficit Disorder.” But are these really the best possible terms and definitions for aphantasia? And what about the mental imagery you experience when you dream? Can You Dream With Aphantasia? It depends on what you mean by “dreaming”. For example, I just told you about Gerrard. He’s never seen Mt. Everest, and yet he’s climbed it. He had to have a dream to do it. Some people with this condition do report that they dream. Others say they don’t. But even people without this condition also report they don’t recall their dreams. The only way to really know is take it case by case and visit a dream lab. Personally, I dream very vividly, but not particularly visually. I never see faces when I dream, for example. Strangely, I tend not to see technology either, such as cellphones or computers. I know this because I have journaled my dreams for many years. I made them more “visual” over time by placing them in writing so I could cross-index the dreams, chart patterns and observe the workings of this mind at rest. What About Lucid Dreaming with Aphantasia? Some people with aphantasia also report that they can lucid dream. I’ve had similar experiences, and the sensations all culminate as physical, rarely visual. For example, when I go lucid, I often find myself piloting a spacecraft, balancing on a tight wire or even levitating as I write in my dream journal. And my regular experience of finding myself journaling when I go lucid suggests a trick you can use: By keeping a journal consistently, you’re likely to start dreaming about it. When it appears in your dreams, you may become aware that you’re dreaming. It’s quite wild! Also, you can think verbally throughout the day about your dreams. You don’t have to approach them from a visual angle at all in order to explore the wonderful world of dreaming as an aphantasic. The Role of Daydreaming Then there’s the question of daydreaming. I often think conceptually when daydreaming, and have also wondered about my ability to read fast and retain what I’m reading. Could it be that the kind of reading-assisted “daydreams” I experience while going through novels without visualizing saves mental energy? One point to consider is raised by Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. He basically says that he stopped putting much time into visually describing characters because his readers weren’t following his instructions anyway. I

Reflective thinking provides one of the fastest paths to living a better life. I saw the power of it year after year while serving as a professor at three universities around the world. No kidding: The students who were reflective thinkers constantly came up with resources that helped them navigate life’s challenges – not just the assignments they faced in school. People who aren’t reflective thinkers? They remain blind to the resources right in front of their eyes. Even better, the substantial improvements you can expect when you practice reflective thinking often include: Improved memory Optimized decision making Reduced stress Better relationships Superior reasoning skills So if you’d like a reflective thinking model you can add to your life, stick around. I’ve been practicing reflective thinking since I was a teenager and this post is for you. What is Reflective Thinking? I first came across this form of mental exercise when I read Albert Camus’ The Stranger in high school. It was the first time I realized it was possible to lead an interesting life, one much more exciting than the dreadful future I felt I was facing at the time. Camus was an existentialist, which essentially boils down to using “radical honesty” and accepting the limits imposed upon our lives. To achieve radical honesty, you start by reflecting on the human condition for what it is, not what you want it to be. As challenging as this form of reflection can be, shortly after I discovered this way of looking at the world, I realized that reflective thinking is a tradition. It goes back much further than the Ancient Greeks, for example. But Socrates remains a famous figure when it comes to this type of thinking. He said three highly memorable things that demonstrate reflective thinking in action: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” “I know that I know nothing.” “Look at how many things there are which I don’t want.” In each of these examples, Socrates is turning the lens upon his experience of consciousness. He is looking at both the bigger picture of life and demonstrating something even more critical: He is showing that self-examination by being a reflective thinker gives life more value He recognizes the limits of his knowledge (like an existentialist) He divides his quality of mind from external, material objects in the world By examining these statements and what they mean, we can develop a working definition of reflective thinking. It is a form of self analysis that creates a more valuable experience of consciousness by revealing what is truly important in life. Its main requirement is radical honesty so that you avoid self deception. Major Philosophers And Psychologists Who Used Critical Thinking And Reflection The psychologist Albert Ellis remarked that he never would have discovered the processes that ultimately led to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) if “I had not been strongly influenced by philosophers rather than psychotherapists.” (You can find this quote in the Albert Ellis Reader.) Ellis’ reflection is an important observation (and example of self-reflection) because philosophers were doing the work of psychologists long before Sigmund Freud arrived on the scene. Albert Ellis was influenced more by philosophers than his fellow psychologists when working on a form of reflective thinking to help people lead better lives. In fact, in the Minutes of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society (the session of 28 October 1908), Freud remarked that he found reading Nietzsche challenging to his sense of self-importance. He observed that Nietzsche had already covered the core ideas of psychoanalysis and could barely get through half a page without encountering insights Freud thought he’d discovered on his own. There are many examples in Nietzsche to consider, but one of the strongest takes place at the end of Beyond Good and Evil. In the closing passage, he demonstrates reflective thinking by directing radically honest questions at this own career: Did I seek where the wind bites keenest, learn to live where no one lives, in the desert where only the polar bear lives, unlearn to pray and curse, unlearn man and god, become a ghost flitting across the glaciers? This passage is highly poetic, but read in context, Nietzsche is essentially asking: Did I try hard enough? Both Sigmund Freud and Friedrich Nietzsche were hugely influential on the development of reflective thinking. When applied to both our personal lives and our careers, this is one of the hardest questions we can ask ourselves. Yet, the benefits of taking on the rigors of this form of thinking are clear: Only by asking such hard questions can we identify our weaknesses and find the path to personal growth. Other philosophers and psychologists with a particular focus on thinking reflectively include: Voltaire Spinoza Leibniz (especially viewpoint dependency) Giordano Bruno Carl Jung Robert Langs How to Think Reflectively In 5 Simple Steps Albert Ellis gives

Memory recall, sometimes incorrectly called retrieval, is the experience of remembering information. Here’s the catch I’ve noticed after more than a decade serving the public as a memory expert with one of the most watched TEDx Talks on memory issues: Proper recall can only happen after at least these other levels of memory have succeeded first: Noticing and recognizing the importance of information (like someone’s name) Encoding (making an effort to remember) Decoding (making an effort to recall) Only after these stages have succeeded do you have memory recall. And now you know one of the major reasons we forget: Something has interrupted the retrieval and recall process. The good news? We can improve. We just need to know more about how our memory works, so let’s dive in. Recall Vs. Retrieval: What’s the Difference? In brief, “retrieval” refers to the general process of how your brain interacts with your mind to access information you’ve stored in memory. Recall, on the other hand, refers to a specific type of retrieval. It often involves: A conscious request to remember something, such as in a conversation or when completing a test. The use of cues, such as when something in the environment “triggers” a memory. Effort, like when you deliberately try to remember an important detail. Understanding the difference between retrieval as a whole and recall is useful in memory science because it helps with making accurate cognitive assessments. I find the distinction helpful in my teaching as well because it helps me figure out what kinds of memory problems various people are actually facing. Often people looking for help simply say that they’re having issues in a general way. Thanks to these distinctions, it’s easier and faster to give memory training recommendations that are likely to work. The distinction has also been useful in court. As this research paper demonstrates, how and when people involved in accidents or criminal cases recall case details can create distortions. Elizabeth Loftus is one of the most important researchers in this area and papers like this provide a great way to learn more about recall and retrieval in real world situations. The 3 Forms of Memory Retrieval The challenge of learning about recall is that it’s not just one thing. Memory retrieval happens in several different ways that are related to other stages of memory, but are ultimately different. These forms are: Free recall Cued recall Serial recall Free recall allows you to retrieve information in any order. For example, if you watch a movie, you can tell your friend about the middle first, then the end before talking about the beginning. You’ve remembered enough to narrow in on different elements without getting confused or forgetting. Cued recall, on the other hand, involves triggers. Here’s an easy way to think of this kind of retrieval: Certain forms or recall can be compared to a chain or set of linking structures. When memory athletes memorize lists of words, they use their memory skills to combine elaborated associations so that one mnemonic triggers the target information in a chain. When I did my memory drills this morning, for example, three of the words were blizzard, tea and piano. Tea and piano were easy to recall because I saw Ozzy Osbourne in a blizzard pouring warm tea on his piano. One image “cued” the recall of the others. Note: Cued recall itself helped me associate Ozzy with the word “blizzard” because he recorded a 1981 album called Blizzard of Oz. When you create all your associations based on links that already exist in your memory, you can remember things a lot faster. This kind of recall happens in everyday life too, even if you’re not a memory athlete. For example, if you’re trying to remember the name of an actor, thinking about movies he’s been in can help trigger the name. Serial recall involves recalling information in temporal order. It relates to episodic memory in some circumstances. Think of it as when you’re relating a series of events and talking in a “and then this happened” kind of pattern. Does your mind really use just one of these kinds of recall at a time? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Recall is definitely not like replaying a movie. It’s more like assembling actors on a stage. For example, you might have started giving details from the beginning of a story using free recall but realize your friend isn’t following the plot. Your serial recall kicks in and that’s when you say, “let me start at the beginning.” As you relate the plot of the movie, cued recall will likely help you add in nuance and detail that you would have forgotten otherwise. What Is Recall Memory? One thing that defines memory above all is that it is always dealing with the past. Think about it: Let’s say that you imagine a future scenario, like taking a trip. Later, when you want to plan the trip, you are recalling that vision of the future up from the past. So w

The classic way to strengthen memory involves cleaning up your act in ways you’ve heard a thousand times before. Most articles talk about nutrition and memory, sleep and fitness. Maybe they’ve even got ads for some dodgy memory supplements alongside a few tips they never completely explain. That’s not what you’re going to find here. As the author of multiple bestselling books on using memory techniques, I can tell you that diet, sleep and fitness are important. But that’s not the message that helped me memorize the TEDx Talk that reached millions of people. No, the truth is that strengthening memory requires actually using it, the same way building muscles involves lifting heavy things. As in weight training, however, there are optimal ways to put in your reps. So on this page, I’m going to show you the best ways to give your memory a workout that will actually improve its strength in measurable ways. Ready? Let’s dive in! Strengthen Your Memory By Following These 7 Unusual Steps I’m calling the training on this page “unusual” for a few reasons. First, I’m going to connect you with a lot of free training from across this blog. You’ll literally need nothing else, unless you want to gather up some of the best Memory Palace books and memory improvement courses I might mention. Getting into those kinds of advanced memory techniques is well worth the investment. But in reality, you need to commit first. And as we all know, commitment is quite rare in our world. In fact, even decision making itself has been shown in this study to already require good memory. With that in mind, take this list of suggestions as a whole. There’s no particular order of importance. Each and every step matters, especially if you struggle with making commitments and sticking with them. One: Start Using Mnemonics No matter how strong your memory is right now, it can be stronger. And one of the best things you can do is understand that memory science completely validates the effectiveness of using both ancient memory techniques and modern variations. The exact techniques to start with require a bit of personal exploration. After decades of teaching memory, I suggest you start learning and using them in this order: The Memory Palace Technique The Pegword Method The Major System for memorizing numbers Spaced Repetition Although that might seem like a lot of ground to cover, many of my students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass pick all of these skills up in a weekend or two. The reason why these mnemonic strategies work so well in combination is that they’re mentally stimulating and give your brain a great workout. You also get great visualization exercise. Two: Reduce Any Apps That Might Be Causing Deskilling When I first started this blog, people weren’t sure that smart phone addiction was really damaging memory. These days, the problem is known and has a name: Digital Amnesia. Not only that, but researchers have found that social media use is leading many of us into poor health. Sure, it’s still a good idea to eat foods that improve memory. But you still need to stop deskilling your brain. I’m not saying that anyone should stop using computers. Rather, choose to use your natural memory at least half the time. Use journaling to actually dig up some of your autobiographical and episodic memories so these types of memory get a little exercise on a daily basis. That way, you can get the best of both worlds: our amazing digital technologies and some memory fitness simply by writing for a few minutes each day. And manually using your mind to recall information instead of always looking things up. Common sense, right? Using your memory is a clear and obvious way to strengthen it, so please start today. Three: Read Daily Confession time: I love video. I even recently received a Silver Play Button from YouTube for earning over 100,000 subscribers. But I try to limit how much video I consume in favor of reading. That’s partly because I honestly just love reading. But I’m ageing and completely aware of longitudinal studies like this which demonstrate that reading prevents cognitive decline. A subset of reading daily is to take on reading challenges. To do that, I switch between reading purely for pleasure and going through dense material that takes me time to understand. I know that a lot of people try to avoid challenges, but such evasion is a surefire way to weaken your memory. It also can ruin your mental dexterity, which is why I created this training for you called How to Think On Your Feet. In some ways, reading requires a bit of spontaneity in your thinking. For example, when I come across difficult materials, I don’t toss the book aside in frustration. Rather, I start to read the challenging passages aloud. As it turns out, this study shows that reading aloud can help you remember more of your reading. But more tha

Annoying, isn’t it? You say to yourself, “I’ll just search for it.” Then you fire up your favorite search engine. Get the goods. Move on. Only problem is … Next time you need the info … Thanks to Digital Amnesia … It’s Gone! Honestly, this condition called “Digital Amnesia” or what some researchers call “Digital Dementia” … stinks. Not only do you have a fine brain humming along in your skull … There are also a gazillion good reasons why you should be using it properly. Yes, properly. Even if you really can just look stuff up online. Because here’s the VERY good news: This year is the best year ever to use your memory at the highest possible level. And this is the year you’re going to make it happen, even if battles with net neutrality are starting to make the Internet we’ve come to love look like an endangered species. Here’s how: You Can’t Annihilate A Problem You Haven’t Defined It’s fun to throw around cool terms like “The Google Effect” and “Digital Dependence.” But until you’ve spent some time defining the monster, you’ll have a hard time setting it on fire. Or at least using your Magnetic torches to herd it out of the village. That said … what exactly is “Digital Amnesia”? Back in 2015, the Internet security company Kaspersky Lab put out an interesting report on the matter. You really should read it. Much of it is in response to the research of Manfred Spitzer who has studied the side effects created by adding technology to traditional education. You can watch Dr. Spitzer discuss his years of research into what he prefers to call Digital Dementia in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZG1bPD-otE To condense the Kaspersky report for you, Digital Amnesia occurs whenever your mind draws a blank on information you’ve stored on a device you trust. And as the report suggests, this outcome isn’t always a bad thing. For example, do you really need to remember the thousands of website addresses you’ve bookmarked (and never visited again)? Heavens No! But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Also included is information like the phone numbers of family members and friends. And the reality is that by not remembering them anymore, we’re endangering lives as we weaken our brains. Seriously. Without knowing the numbers of your loved ones, what would you do in an emergency if your phone wasn’t working? Ask a good Samaritan if he remembers your spouse’s number? No way, Jose. That’s your job. And you’ve got all the tools you need to get all kinds of simple number strings done when you use the Major Method. How To Suck The Life Out Of Half Your Brain Ever heard of “deskilling”? It basically means that you become less capable over time because you’re no longer using certain skills. And that can only lead to bad outcomes: * A destroyed brain * Crappy employment * No employment * … and much, much worse, including linguistic deskilling. But you’re probably asking: How exactly does having Google and your devices remember everything for you destroy your brain? Simple. When you develop dependence on technology, the areas of your brain responsible for memory start to decay. Just like the muscles in your body would do if you stopped walking. The Truth About Deskilling Your Brain No, deskilling the muscles of your memory won’t necessarily happen to you overnight. But one day you’ll wake up and … Bam! You Can Barely Remember A Thing! And it gets worse. Because memory has a sibling. Concentration. And as long as you have the Internet at your fingertips, you don’t even bother using your concentration to try and access things you might actually have in your memory. How To Put A Barrier Between Need And Action Instead of instantly searching for information you already know, pause for a second. Give your memory a bit of space. Ask and you might just receive. But when you push it away and go straight to the search engines, you’re deskilling your memory every time. And that means you’re also damaging your concentration. The good news is that you can improve focus fast with these tips, but there will be more work to be done. Starve The Brain To Rebuild The Brain Yes, I’m talking about destroying digital amnesia by going on an information diet. But wait! you protest. I don’t want to miss out on – Miss out on what? More fake news of the impending apocalypse? Come close, my friend. I’ll show you exactly how to take a powerful, memory-boosting digital detox so you can seriously improve your entire life in the process. Stop Letting The Internet Push You Around Here’s a little secret for you: I have never once “allowed push notifications.” So far, I don’t think I’ve missed out on anything of any interest. I could be horribly wrong about that, but I recommend you never accept notifications of any kind in your life that you don’t control. By being in control of when you’re disrupted, you automatically improve your ability to concentrate. F

Wish you knew how to remember names? Back before I learned to use mnemonics for memorizing them, I struggled. Within seconds, names would completely disappear from my short-term memory. Now, with over 12 years of experience as a memory coach and author of over a dozen bestselling memory improvement books, I specialize in helping people enhance their memory skills through scientifically supported techniques – including rapidly remembering names. Not only have my methods for remember names been featured in Forbes, multiple seminars and workshops, I’ve successfully trained professionals in various industries to improve their name recall abilities. Like Lee Escobar, whose major name memory demonstration we’ll discuss below. It’s really important to learn how to remember all the names that come up in your daily interactions because… Forgetting names sucks, especially at events where you’re meeting important new contacts. Glancing down at business cards is fine and dandy, but it doesn’t exactly scream professionalism. No. You want to be looking that new person in the eyes and connecting, not constantly peeking at the sweaty lump of cardboard stuck to your palm. Instead, you want to hold each person’s name with the certainty that can only come from mastering your memory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71DYmsKGf7Y 3 Key Reasons We All Forget Other Peoples’ Names The first way you can help yourself stop forgetting names is simple: Understand why it happens. First, names are abstract. Unless you’re a philologist, most names will hold zero meaning for you. Though there are some ways that the meaning of names can be manufactured to help your memory, most names disappear from working memory within seconds. Memory expert Harry Lorayne used to say change starts when you pay attention, but that’s only partly true. As Lynne Kelly demonstrates in The Memory Code, memorizing even the most abstract names is a skill that has helped the human species survive for thousands of years. We’re here not merely because our ancestors paid attention and used memory techniques. No, our ancestors kept the use of mnemonics for names in rotation with deliberate practice. Please make sure you use the steps below with some level of practice as well to ensure that you master this skill. Now we can talk about attention. When we meet people, we might hear names, possibly even registering them in our auditory memory. But we’re either dazzled by their good looks or horrified by the food dangling off their faces. Worse, we’re thinking about what we’re going to say next in the conversation. In other words, our concentration is directed inward instead of outward. Finally, we forget things like names because we’re bombarded by stimuli. The room is filled with noises, we may be drinking alcohol, suffering jet-lag. or moving around the meeting space. All of these elements distract us and make it very difficult to remember a wide variety of things. We also distract ourselves. For example, you hear the name. But before you’ve taken a second to digest it, you ask where they’re from and what they do. In combination with all the activity in the room, you’ve just pushed the name away instead of drawing it closer. Anthony Metivier memorizing and recalling names at a memory demonstration in Brisbane I never push names away. When I give live demonstrations at business meetings, I follow the steps we’re about to cover, so please read on. How To Remember Names Quickly: The Super-Simple Mechanics Let me teaching you the techniques in the form of a story, the same techniques my student Lee Escobar used to remember nearly 200 names. He discusses his triumph in this video testimonial for my Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgx5W5p0VM A few years ago, my friend Max Breckbill held one of his great entrepreneur dinners in Berlin. A bunch of people get together to network and just chill out in a relaxed restaurant. His dinners are amazing. Max always begins the evening with a round of introductions. As each person said their name, I created a crazy image to help me with remembering names. For example, there was a guy named Lars, so I saw Lars from Metallica playing drums on his head. The principle here is simple: Lars brings to mind a famous person named Lars that I already know. The mechanism here is a direct association. Let me give you another example: Someone at this event was named Lukas. For this name, I saw Luke Skywalker using his Light Sabre to carve an S onto Lukas’s chest so I would remember it was Lukas with an S instead of Luke as in Skywalker. In this case, I’m using a familiar name but using an exaggerated image to highlight an important variation. A bit later, I imagined one other person named Jeremy in a fistfight with Eddie Vedder with the Pearl Jam song of the same name playing on the soundtrack. Now,

Have you heard the hype about active recall, but still feel skeptical? Or maybe you’ve heard the latest “learning guru” say that this recall method is better than the Memory Palace technique. If that statement has gotten your hackles up, I can’t blame you. As a memory expert with over a decade of publishing, teaching and experience writing about memory, it raises my hackles too. After all, the Memory Palace, when used correctly, is active recall and self testing all rolled into one. At least, that’s what I needed to realize in order to have the techniques truly help me finish my complex PhD at York University. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of confusion out there about this approach to learning, including people saying that using Anki is all you really need. Well, if that was true, everyone with a smart phone would have a Nobel Prize by now. So if you want information to “stick” in your memory permanently, you’re in the right spot. On this page, you’re getting an in-depth understanding of active recall, drawing upon everything I’ve learned in my years of studying memory science in-depth and putting proper active recall principles into action. Of course, I’ve also made mistakes with this important memory technique. So I’ll take extra care to help make sure you avoid them. The biggest mistake of all? Not getting into proper active recall principles sooner. So let’s dive in. What Is Active Recall? Here’s the best scientific definition I’ve found so far: Active recall is a personalized recall strategy that involves variety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um9S6TDVP0Y   In other words, spaced repetition software might help you use active recall. But it can only help you and pales in comparison to what personalization with variety can do for you. And that’s where the memory techniques taught on this blog come in. Here’s what I mean with an example: This morning I learned 态度 (tàidu). It’s Mandarin for “attitude” or “manner.” To use active recall and spaced repetition to rapidly place the sound and meaning of this word into my long term memory, I followed these steps: Memory Palace Elaborative encoding Revisiting the Memory Palace Elaborative decoding Speaking practice in a sentence Writing Reading Listening Technically, the “active recall” part happens only during the attempt to recall the information. However, we know from memory athletes like Boris Konrad, that active recall is a lot easier when you use personal associations to “encode” information. He’s a neuroscientist too, so his views are very valuable. If you have difficulties with coming up with associations, consider learning how to image stream the Magnetic Memory Method way. Retrieval Practice Another way of looking at the recall part is to use the term “retrieval practice.” When I recall the association I made in the Memory Palace for this word, I’m practicing one level of retrieval. Speaking and writing the word are other levels. Pulling up the meaning when hearing the word through listening is yet another level. The reason retrieval practice at multiple levels helps your brain form memories faster is simple. The more levels of recall you engage, the faster your brain makes multiple connections. This has been called the “levels of processing model” and works for just about everyone. People with schizophrenia may struggle, however, no matter how much active recall they perform. Does Active Recall Really Work? In a word: Yes. The real question is: Are you doing it? And if you’re doing it, are you doing it in a deep or shallow way? If you’re using Anki or some other flashcard app and not using elaborative encoding, then that is a passive and shallow way to engage with what you’re learning. But if you at least make personalized associations for each and every piece of information, your recall rates will soar. In order for active recall to work, your associations need to be personalized and varied. You are a living being, not a programmable computer, so if you use software, always personalize how you use it. (Side note: There is a place for passive memory training, and it is shared by Dr. Gary Small. It’s very powerful for its intended purpose.) Why Active Recall Works In Any Language One of the key researchers to know about is Dr. Richard Atkinson. He has shown 88% retention rates for those who use elaborative encoding. That’s compared to 28% recall for those who don’t. Here’s more on retaining information efficiently. You can also learn more about why features of human language make this process work, and see it reproduced for students with different mother tongues. For example, Dr. Horst Sperber has reproduced these research findings for German speakers with ease. In other words, the language you speak doesn’t matter. It’s your strategy with this recall method that makes all the difference. So the question isn’t really whether or not these techniques work. The question is: How do

Do you ever wonder, “what is mind mapping” exactly? Well, imagine you’re listening to a history lecture. Instead of taking notes, your fingers itch to make a mindmap of World War I events as you hear them. But how do you draw mind maps? And, can mind maps alone boost your memory, learning power, and creativity? In this article, you’ll explore a complete guide to mind mapping, how to draw one, including multiple examples of mind maps. We’ll also examine whether mind mapping alone can improve your brainpower and creativity, and what else you can do. Why am I someone worth listening to when it comes to this visual note-taking and learning activity? Well, I learned it directly from Tony Buzan, for one thing. And he and I mind mapped the vision statement behind the blog you’re reading right now, giving me a plan I’ve stuck with ever since. Plus, I’m a PhD with over two decades of experience in teaching, instructional design and course creation. I’ve used mind mapping to help me craft and deliver courses at some of the world’s top educational institutions, such as York University, Rutgers University and the University of Saarland. Even my TEDx Talk with its millions of views started with a mind map. With all of these experiences to guide us, here’s what I’ll cover on this page: What is Mind Mapping? Benefits of Mind Mapping Who, When, and How to Make a Mind Map Tools You Can Use for Mind Mapping Can Mind Mapping Alone Improve Your Memory? How to Combine a Mind Map with the Major System What is Mind Mapping? Mind mapping is a simple, visual way to organize your ideas for better clarity and recall. Mind maps focus on only one central concept or idea and are based on radial hierarchies and tree structures. What does all that mean? Let’s get into the details. A Brief History and Definition of Mind Mapping Methods The practice of drawing radial maps to map information goes back several centuries. Some people credit the first mind maps to the 3rd-century philosopher Porphyry of Tyros. Ramon Llull, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Isaac Newton also used mind mapping techniques. Much later, in the 1960s, scientists Allan Collins and Ross Quillian developed the semantic network into mind maps. However, it was psychology consultant Tony Buzan who first popularized the term “mind map.” As a master of the technique, Buzan drew colorful, tree-like structures called radial trees where a central topic branched out to several sub-topics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgG8GuQHHIs The Tony Buzan Learning Center defines their Mind Map as “a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, color, and spatial awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful manner.” These pictorial representations introduced by Buzan are now being used by students, teachers, engineers, psychologists, and others in many ways. His Mind Map Mastery is probably the best book he produced on the topic. So, what does a mind map look like? Mind Map Examples To get the most benefit out of mind mapping or any kind of mind-mapping exercise, make sure your mind maps are colorful and engaging. Don’t worry: the results can look analytical and artistic at the same time. To help you see what I mean, here are some great examples of how fun and engaging mind maps can be. Some of them look messy — but look deeper and you’ll see they are examples of detailed trains of thought. Source: Tony Buzan Learning Center   Source: MindMapArt   Source: MindMapArt   Source: BiggerPlate These fascinating examples are colorful, though in some cases, also quite visually overwhelming. That’s why I’ve pared down my own style, and am glad I got Tony Buzan’s seal of approval after doing so: Anthony Metivier with a Buzan-style Mind Map But you might be asking: aren’t these the same as spider maps, concept maps, and other such visualizations? No. There are some key differences. For example, this mind map Tony helped me create for business outcomes has a central image and flows based almost purely on images. Part of the effectiveness comes from what is called mental imagery and how it is personal to me and my goals. And there are further reasons why this particular approach works so well, which we’ll cover in the next section. Why are Mind Maps Effective? Nobel prize winner Dr. Roger Sperry’s research helped establish that visual forms of note making are more effective than written methods. He showed that the brain is divided into two hemispheres that perform cortical skills like logic, imagination, color recognition, and others. These functions work in sync when you mindmap your thoughts, creating a lasting impression in your brain. Mind maps are effective because: They nudge you to ditch the usual, bullet-point style of thinking, which pushes you to use your creativity. They are presented in a

What comes to mind when you think about visualization exercises? Does the simple phrase conjure up images of some woo-woo, fluffy mind game offered by a two-bit guru? Or are you ready for the real deal from a guy who struggled to see pictures in his mind and almost failed, but… … after hundreds of hours of struggle, finally found a way? I‘m that guy, by the way. And although not having a “mind’s eye” challenged me for years, especially while studying for my PhD at York University, I finally learned how to visualize properly. Not only did proper visualization help me get my PhD, especially when it comes to using memory techniques for learning faster and remembering more. It also helped me get a Mercator Grant, which enabled me to teach in Germany. I’m going to share all the exercises I used to help make these achievements happen in my career on this page. And there’s even something more profound about visualization I’ve got for you. Ready to wake up your mind’s eye? Let’s get started! Why Visualization Is Not Just About “Seeing Pictures” In Your Mind I’ve discovered a simple process that suggests everything you thought you knew about “seeing pictures in your mind” is wrong? Especially when it comes to memory techniques, the Memory Palace and everything related to mnemonics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovmxrHkXcrA There are at least 8 Magnetic Modes: Kinesthetic Auditory Visual Emotional Conceptual Olfactory Gustatory Spatial And “seeing” is just one of them! Multiple Modes Of Visualization Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t “See” Mentally”… Now that you know there are so many different ways to visualize, would you give a few alternative visualization techniques a try? If you said “yes,” or are at least nodding your head in the affirmative, that’s wonderful. Read on. Did you know that visualization is so much more than meditation, and can actually serve you in your everyday life in a practical way? Again, it’s more than seeing pictures in your mind. But don’t get me wrong! The ability to conjure up mental pictures is a great skill. Some people with aphantasia can’t do it at all. But let’s not disregard our other senses. Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of time focusing on only the visual. That’s a shame because visualization techniques are most powerful when embedded in a multi-sensory experience. This is as true in your personal practice as it is in many other endeavours. For example, this study found that nursing students had much better learning outcomes when their teachers included multi-sensory elements. As the researchers point out, students were not only better able to understand the material they needed to learn. They could also visualize the outcomes of having mastered the knowledge. To help you get similar results in any field, here are five visualization techniques that show you exactly how. 5 Beginner Visualization Techniques Anyone Can Master 1. The Candle Exercise Try this: Take a moment and close your eyes. Imagine that when you open them a candle has appeared in front of you. Consider: What size is the candle? Is it a tea candle, long-stem candle, three-wick candle? How heavy is it? How much of the candle has burned away? Has it burned down to the base or do you see it still newly lit? How far away is the candle from you? Within arm’s reach? Across the room? I’ve practiced this exercise with eyes both open and closed. One of my most profound experiences with it happened in Brisbane while sitting in front of a window overlooking apartments across the street. It was astonishing being able to practically see a candle in front of me thanks to the level of concentration I’ve developed over the years of practicing a variety of visualization approaches. The Lit Candle Variation You can also try gazing into a real lit candle and looking at it for awhile before closing your eyes. What do you see? If you’re anything like me, you’ll experience an after burn effect. You can no longer “see” the candle, but can still see its effects. Using this after burn as a kind of canvas, mentally trace over the shape in front of you. 2. The Apple Visualization Exercise Gradually you will be able to visualize, in great detail, a candle and flame of your own making. We can take this simple visualization technique one step further and incorporate our other senses once we have mastered the “visual” aspect. Try visualizing an apple. Feel its smooth peel, observe its perfectly ripe sheen, and then imagine yourself taking a bite. How does it taste? Imagine its crispness and taste its sweetness. The Interaction Variation Take this apple visualization technique further: Follow the apple through your body as your entire digestive system interacts with it. Don’t take this visualization technique too seriously or get too granular. Just play with the idea of being able to follow one bite of

Some people swear by rote learning. Others dislike this approach to learning with a vengeance. They even get dramatic, calling rote repetition… “Drill and kill.” What gives? And how specifically is learning by this deadly form of repetition defined? We’ll get into everything on this page so that you can make an informed decision about how to learn based on science, not opinion. I’ve always felt doing so was important, from when I first learned about science and critical thinking as an undergrad to when I taught it as a professor at York, Rutgers and the University of Saarland in Germany. In addition to thinking scientifically and critically about what makes rote learning so problematic, I’ll share with you an alternative approach to learning that never feels boring. Sound good? Let’s get started! What Is Rote Learning? Rote learning takes place when you repeatedly expose yourself to information until it enters your long term memory without adding any other creative or strategic element. Raw repetition like this definitely can work, but it takes a lot of time. And in areas like language learning, studies like this one show that alternatives to rote simply don’t work as well as the memory techniques I feature on this blog. More broadly, this study demonstrates how rote learning can actually harm your ability to learn, and it’s not the only one showing these effects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL8RhcgP1Fw So, if rote’s so bad, why do people use it? Typically, people use rote learning because it’s the main learning technique they’ve been taught. It has applications in music, for example. Rote memorization can also happen on autopilot in a certain way. For example, when you learn to ride a bike, your procedural memory uses the repetition to form deep neural pathways that ensure you’ll remember the skill for life. Examples of rote learning include: Flipping through flashcards Using spaced repetition software Mentally repeating the same information Meditations or spiritual practices in which you repeat prayers I also repeated my TEDx Talk several times for practice giving the speech. This is a great example of when a small amount of rote repetition makes sense. The Real Reason Behind Why Rote Memorization Is So Terrible For thousands of years, many people have sought out memory techniques as an alternative to rote learning for a few reasons: Rote is almost always boring and discouraging It takes more time than people want to spend It’s not nearly as effective as alternatives like active recall, a technique that engages all the senses. If rote memorization is truly this terrible, why do so many people use it instead of mnemonics? According to Carla Hannaford in Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head, part of the success of the drug ritalin is easily explained. It helps students put up with the tedious nature of repeating information without any kind of multi-sensory engagement. In other words, societies have preferred drugging children instead of tackling the real problem of making learning fun. But is repetition itself bad? Absolutely not. Again, let’s take the music example. It’s really important to repeat songs if you want to commit lyrics to memory. Repetition is also a huge part of ear training, and general instrumentation a form of rehearsal musicians sometimes call “dedicated practice.” Rote repetition can be good for ear training. However, even in music, even practice forms of repetition can be quite brutal in how they create boredom, I.C. McManus and Peter Richards call any memory gains they create “incidental learning.” In each case, there are alternatives. For one thing, you can use interleaving to spice things up, which basically involves switching between topics or skills that you’re studying. There are many other disadvantages to rote learning, most of which are easily avoided. First, rote learning usually does not ask you to think about what you’re learning. It’s focused entirely on repetition itself. This focus on repetition-for-the-sake-of-repetition not only makes the learning process boring. You also lose out on the benefits of thinking you could receive by engaging with the information in a deeper way. Rote learning also treats the brain as if it were a “linear library.” As a result, you miss the benefits of what I often call the “rhizomatic effect” you experience when using a Memory Palace Network to produce new knowledge based on information you’ve engaged with deeply. Your mind is not a library. Avoid treating your memory in a linear fashion. You also lose tons of time that could have been spent enjoying using your mind and imagination. Finally, rote repetition prevents you from experiencing the benefits of having memorable conversations with others. What To Do Instead Of Rote Memorization I suggest you start using mnemonics to help you commit information faster. One place to begin your journey with

Some people say there are as many types of thinking as there are people to think them. Actually, no. In fact, such statements demonstrate very poor thinking. Yet, I heard this claim all the time during the years I taught a fourth year university course in Critical Thinking. But let’s give these people the benefit of the doubt for a second. It is true that many forms of thinking interact with each other, for example. This “intermingling” of ideas can make the list seem infinite. However, everything to do with our modes of thought can be broken down into a smaller set of “thinking genres.” And here’s the game-changer you need to know: There’s a difference between types of thinking and methods of thinking. It helps to be clear about which ones you want to identify and improve. Find this clarity is what this post is all about, so let’s dig in. To start off on the right foot, I’ve created a handy infographic for you. It breaks down the main types we’ll be discussing today and summarizes the key points for each. I’ve also recorded a video with some additional nuances and experiences I’ve had using various thinking types across my career: https://youtu.be/XvdPHkjDNz0 The 10 Types of Thinking As you go through this list of thinking types, you might start wishing you were a master of each and every type. This is possible. To help you make it happen, I’ll provide tips for developing your skills with each and everyone as we go. Just remember that mastering mental sharpness is a marathon, not a race. You don’t have to work on developing all of these types at the same time. As you read, keep two central questions in mind: What is thinking and why does each type count? In what ways am I already thinking like this in my daily life? How can I get started adopting the approaches that seem most useful to my goals? One: Critical Thinking Critical thinking is about assessing information objectively so you can make informed decisions. It helps you avoid biases and make logical conclusions. One ways it does this is by enabling you to evaluate ideas. You literally give them a value that helps you weigh their validity and compare and contrast their merits. Critical thinking also helps you divide the content of various ideas from the form they take. Let’s say someone is angry and yells at you about how they want you to change. Critical thinking would allow you to find the value in the suggestion and not miss out on it just because the form of address was unfriendly. Critical thinking helps you differentiate form from content, such as when angry arguments contain legitimately valuable information. In other words, critical thinking allows you to place information in context and reason objectively about it. Being objective lets you keep your calm and continue searching for truth even when things get heated. Here are 11 more benefits of critical thinking to help you improve this type of thinking and continue seeking the best possible answers. Why is critical thinking so important? As mentioned, I taught critical thinking for several years at the university level. These experiences gave me a lot of practice in looking at both the shape that a large variety of arguments take. To give you a more recent example, my YouTube channel has over 170,000 subscribers. As a result of having such a large audience, I regularly field disagreements in the comments. Often, when I respond to claims people make with critical analysis, they come back with a personal attack. As a critical thinker, I spot this instantly as ad hominem in structure. Such people are trying to attack me instead of my ideas. Thanks to my knowledge of critical thinking and rhetoric, I can keep calm and carry on with reasonable and rational responses. Once you start exploring critical thinking, you’ll start to see issues like this in your own conversations and in the media. You’ll navigate many debates much better and save yourself a ton of stress. Two: Analytical Thinking Whereas critical thinking helps you evaluate value through analysis, analytical thinking is about examining the parts of an argument. It looks much more closely at the thought process. To examine information as analytically as possible, this thinking type breaks information into smaller parts. It helps with evaluating the bigger picture when you can zoom in and assess components. That’s why analytical thinking typically involves research. As an analytical thinker, you will not be satisfied by the data at hand. For each part your analysis reveals, you will seek multiple examples and connections so you can compare and contrast the multiple parts with as many other examples and case studies as possible. To improve in this area, developing your reflective thinking skills will be of tremendous value. We’ll talk more about how do this in the section for the eighth type. For now, the key to analytical thinking involves enabling yourself to take multiple positions. Th

The pegword method is a simple memory technique for remembering lists of information. Also commonly know as the peg system, this mnemonic method bridges information you already know with new data you want to master. I’m talking about a wide variety of learning targets: Vocabulary Study keywords Names (people, countries, foods) To-do list items Historical dates Medical or legal terminology Computer programming documentation … and anything that can be organized into a list I used this turbo-charged technique to help me earn my PhD at York University in Toronto. Then I used it help me learn German so I could lecture in the language while teaching at the University of Saarland. I later used pegwords to pass level III in Mandarin, and still use it as part of studying a variety of languages and cultural details. Plus, I was able to make use of it for my TEDx Talk, which has gained millions of views. How does it work? Well, there are a few variations to the pegword method, which essentially involves pairing information you don’t know with information that you already hold in memory. We’ll discuss the four most important approaches to using the technique on this page with some in-depth examples. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HRdNGL3PAQ But first, this point is important: Each pegword system involves three easy stages: 1) Setting up and remembering the system 2) Encoding new information with the system 3) Recalling the information by triggering the system In the first stage, people learn a standard set of peg words. These “pegs” can be number-rhyme pairs or letters of the alphabet. The Many Types of Peg System There are different types of peg systems you can choose from. All of them use the same method: the use of a concrete object to represent each number. What’s different is how you choose the object. We can divide these approaches into the following categories: The rhyming method The meaning method The alphabet method The look-alike method Let’s talk about the rhyming pegs first: 1. The Number Rhyme Peg System Some people call this approach “the One is a Gun” technique. Many people using this approach have a pre-memorized list like this: One is a gun Two is a shoe Three is a bee Four is a door Five is a hive Six is drum sticks Seven is Evan Eight is a gate Nine is wine Ten is a hen Eleven is heaven As you can see, when using rhyming, you create pegs that rhyme with a number to create a pre-memorized list. In the next stage, memorizers visualize the information they want to remember and mentally link it with the rhyming word. A High Precision Tutorial On How To Combine Number Rhyme Pegs with a Memory Palace Ideally, you will avoid assigning your associations in the void of your mind. Instead, I suggest you create them in a well-formed Memory Palace. For example, if you have previously committed “two is a shoe” to memory, you can set a rule that every Magnetic Station in a Memory Palace features that shoe. Then, when you meet a group of people and the second person tells you her name is Rose, you can instantly see a rose growing out of the shoe. Mnemonic Example of using the pegword method to memorize the name Rose Of course, Rose gets special treatment in your Memory Palace after you’ve shot Paul McCartney in the chest on the first station of your Memory Palace. This will help you remember that someone new goes by the name Paul. On station three, you use the its peg to interact with an image for the next name, and so forth. This scenario is just one example, and very powerful when memorizing names at meetings or other events. Powerful, isn‘t it? It gets even better if you’re interested in number systems, but for now, let’s press on. Case Study: Using the Peg System to Memorize Names at a Meeting When I meet new people at meetings, I use pegs in combination with a variation of the Memory Palace technique called the method of loci. Here’s an example of how this works based on a meeting from a few years back. 1 is a gun Memory Palace station: My bed. Target name: Kirsten. Associative-imagery: The gun shoots ridiculous pillows at the curtains where Kirsten is standing. Notice the similarity between “Kirsten” and “curtains” in terms of sound. This is the Principle of Magnetic Compounding. Use it as much as you can and consult my free Magnetic Memory Method Dictionary of Mnemonics for more tactics like this. 2 is a shoe Memory Palace station: My desk. Target name: Amir. Associative-Imagery: Amir plays a drum kit made of mirrors using shoes instead of drum sticks. Notice that the “mirror” contains the “mir’ sound of Amir. It is the most striking part of the name, so the image is centered on capturing that for decoding later. 3 is a bee Memory Palace station: The wall where my guitar rests. Target name: Phil. I use multi-sensory aspects of my imagination to experience another person named Phil I know swatting at a bee. Example of

Spaced repetition learning has a great reputation for one simple reason: It works. I know because I immediately leapt into using it after I learned it from one of my grad school professors at York University where I completed my PhD. It later helped me learn German so I could present in the language while teaching at the University of Saarland. But there’s a big “if” when using any spaced repetition system. You have to use this form of rehearsal correctly. The good news is that it’s not hard to make sure you’re bringing the most effective approach. And the correct way of applying this spaced learning tactic is exactly what you’re going to learn on this page. The best part? There are some unique ways you can apply this scientifically-valid learning approach to many things you might want to learn. Once you get it right, this memory technique will help you remember large volumes of information quickly. It will be your go-to learning tool for the rest of your life. Ready? Let’s dive in! https://youtu.be/2CthE_Napjg What Is Spaced Repetition? Spaced repetition simply means repeatedly exposing yourself to information and using active recall on an optimized schedule. In other words, “space” refers to the arrangement of time. As a memory hack, it’s a powerful alternative to cramming. Scholars aren’t entirely sure, but the ancient poet Horace may have been the first to identify this principle when he reportedly said, “Repetition is the mother of learning.” Here’s the problem: People don’t like to repeat things over and over again. That’s called rote learning and it’s known to stunt critical thinking skills. Our dislike for meaningless repetition is probably why ancient memory techniques evolved. By using mnemonics in combination with spaced learning, we’ve been able to optimize repetition in learning. This means that as a species, we’ve been able to reduce repetition. As old as spaced repetition is (I’ve found evidence of it in Aristotle), it wasn’t until Hermann Ebbinghaus released his study Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology that we had a full scientific examination of just how many times you need to repeat information before it sticks. To figure out how memory works, Ebbinghaus memorized over 2000 nonsense syllables and worked out how much time it took him to forget them. There’s an online program you can use to try and memorize them yourself. As Ebbinghaus put it, retention has a number, and this number can be increased by defeating what is now called the forgetting curve. Ebbinghaus first described this effect in 1885, and you can still read articles from scientists working to optimize how we repeat information. Learning to use spaced repetition to defeat the Forgetting Curve started in earnest with the research of Hermann Ebbinghaus. As Ebbinghaus tracked his rate of forgetting, certain principles emerged that enabled him to remember information for longer periods of time while at the same time reducing the required amount of exposure needed to retain the information. Spaced repetition thus entered its infancy. How Spaced Repetition Learning Turns Your Brain Into a Powerful Memory Device As Ebbinghaus and many other scientists have shown, looking at information you need to learn coupled with retrieval practice works to form neurochemical connections in the brain. Scientists think that the majority of the bonds in your brain form while you are sleeping, a process known as memory consolidation. This is why you sometimes get the advice to study before you go to sleep. Many people have worked out different repetition and retrieval patterns to try and optimize the system. Some people find that randomness works best, while other studies show that regular intervals provide much faster results. Spacing the amount of time between exposure and recall is the core of the Pimsleur Method and learning software like Anki. It’s also the foundation of the Leitner System and the related Zettelkasten technique. The Leitner spaced repetition system helps you manage your exposure by placing accurate and inaccurate flashcards in boxes. Ultimately, scientists and memory experts don’t know exactly why spacing out our learning periods work. We just know that it does. Even better, we know how to improve learning revisions sessions using the approach, which we’ll discuss soon. How to Use Spaced Repetition to Remember What You Read One of the biggest wishes we all have is to read something once and remember it forever. If you read in context and remain focused on a specific cluster of topics, sometimes you can enjoy this outcome. But even then, some amount of review is key in order to ensure true long-term retention. When I was preparing for my PhD and needed a lot of names, facts and concepts for my field exams and dissertation defense, these were the most effective strategi

You want memory techniques so you can retain information forever. But you’re overwhelmed by two things: The topics you’re learning The vast amount of information about memory techniques themselves With so many different terms and unhelpful advice like “use images,” it can be hard to find the best mnemonic techniques for your learning goals. The problem ends right here and right now. That’s because on this page I’m going to share every memory technique that exists, all based on my research as a PhD in Humanities with decades of experience reading and writing about memory techniques. Not only that, I use them myself and have even coached successful memory competitors. And in addition to pouring everything I know into this post, I’ll also show you what kinds of information each of these mnemonic techniques are best suited to help you learn. That way, you never have to be confused again. Before you know it, you’ll be a master of your memory. Ready? Let’s dive in! https://youtu.be/p-7yr67I5LY 20 Simple Memory Techniques That Work Wonders As we go through this list of memory strategies, I have not compiled the individual memory techniques in any particular order of importance. In fact, to get the most of your mind, you can easily plan to learn and use all of them. They’re all important and even if you don’t put all of them into action, it’s useful to know about each and every one. Just understand that you don’t have to learn all of them overnight. Pick one or two, and bookmark this page so you can easily find it when you’re ready to add on a few more to aid your journey as a holistic learner. One: Pay Attention As memory expert Harry Lorayne often pointed out in his books and presentations, the number one reason we forget is simple. We aren’t paying attention to the information as it comes in. Paying attention is useful for all kinds of information, and one simple way to practice getting better at it is when you meet new people. Before going to your next party or event, make a point of telling yourself that you will pay attention to the names of the people you meet. This tutorial will help you memorize their names. You can also practice paying more attention as you read. A simple tip is to do a round of progressive muscle relaxation and breathing before using the memory techniques for studying on this page. I like to sit in a particular way when reading and pretend that I’m “hunting” for details. It helps me pay more attention to the material and pick up the nuances. Two: Use Associations Many memory techniques rely upon connecting one thing with another through association. These associations can be direct or indirect. They can be extremely broad or granular. Either way, the entire strength of this memory technique relies on one simple principle: Connect (or associate) information you want to remember with information you already know. For example, a direct association would be meeting a person named Brad and associating him with the actor Brad Pitt. If you do not know Brad Pitt, obviously he would not be an option. Some other person named Brad that you do know would be the better choice. An indirect association would be memorizing a word in a foreign language or medicine and coming up with something that sounds close enough. For example, Oliver Sacks does not sound exactly like the sacral plexus, but if you have him crawling the sounds of “Sacks” and “crawl” will trigger the word “sacral” indirectly. Or, to stick with needing to remember a name like Brad, an indirect association might be to think about brass knuckles or the obscure Skinny Puppy compilation album Brap. Both the words brass and brap are close enough to at least trigger the target information you want to remember. Why? Because these choices are based on the sound-association of br in the association and br in the name of the target information. Three: Use Multisensory Mnemonics A lot of training material on the use of memory techniques confuses people because they use terms like mnemonic images. This teaching makes it sound like you’re supposed to think in pictures. Some people certainly can do that. However, when making associations, it’s important to add other sensations to the images. This activity is important because of the elaborative encoding principle I’ll share with you in a moment. For now, here’s a handy acronym to help you remember the main types you can make: KAVE COGS. Kinesthetic Auditory Visual Emotional Conceptual Olfactory Gustatory Spatial For example, if you have to memorize a last name like “Hamilton,” it’s okay to imagine ham. But you’re much more likely to remember it if you think about how a big slab of ham feels in your hands (and make it weigh a ton). Then, go further. Imagine how it tastes and smells. Think about how big it is. Imagine having an emotional reaction about it, such as feeling sad that you’ve dropped it on the ground. Hear the sound of it falling. This form of association is not so much an

Are you confused by the amount of advice related to deliberate practice? I don’t blame you. After all, there are lots of different kinds of skills that require different kinds of practice. For example, I’ve had to follow the deliberate practice steps you’ll discover below during my PhD, especially for language learning. I’ve also been a touring musician and needed to practice in specific ways to be at my best on the stage. Dedicated practice is the key. But keep in mind as we discuss the topic today that people sometimes use a different term than dedicated practice. You might also see it called intentional practice or dedicated practice. No matter what you call it, there is an easy way to understand how to practice just about any skill to proficiency. To that end, I’ll give you examples to make everything that goes into proper practice crystal clear. And if you’re wondering if you need a coach or not in order for deliberate practice to work, we’ll discuss that too. At the end of the day, deliberate practice will work for you. It’s just a matter of getting the facts straight and learning how to plan. Since informing yourself correctly is key to practicing well, I’m glad you’re here. Let’s dive in! What is Deliberate Practice? The term is used often in sports science and is often defined as practicing according to specific steps or instructions. Dedicated practice is planned, based on small component parts and improvement is meticulously tracked by capturing data. This data is then used for the individual person engaged in the practice to help them further improve by dialing down even deeper on key areas that require improvement. For example, I study music and take courses online from Scott’s bass lessons. In one of his programs, Scott identifies 9 key areas of deliberate learning for musicians: Technique Fingerboard knowledge Accompaniment skills Theory and harmony Repertoire and performance Rhythmic development Chordal skills Soloing and improv Sight reading Obviously, these areas don’t apply to all levels of skill, but the point is to break practice down into granular areas. When it comes to how to memorize a song, for instance, you might dig even deeper into the theory component and study the modes. You just have to self-identify where you need improvement the most and then make a plan to fill in the gaps. If you’re not able to spot these areas on your own, this is where a coach can be very impactful. How to Use Deliberate Practice to Master Anything Now let’s get into the good stuff: Exactly how to apply deliberate learning to the skills you want to learn. Although there’s no perfect way to order the exact steps involved, I’ve been practicing presenting information in logical order. But this is where learners sometimes get hung up: You don’t necessarily have to execute anything in the exact order it’s presented. Once you have the bird’s eye overview, recreate the steps in the manner that makes the most sense for you. And if things don’t work out, come back to the training and start again. As you’re about to discover, reviewing your steps through critical observation is a huge component of your success. Step One: Know the Key Components of the Skill Although a skill like archery might look like one swift moment when practiced by a pro, it’s actually the combination of multiple small moves. In order to practice effectively, you need to identify those small moves and work out ways to practice them as independently as possible. In painting, it might be devising color mixing from outlining shapes. In music, it might be differentiating rhythm studies from learning the exact notes in a scale. The more you can map the territory into its component parts, the easier it will be to navigate the whole. To give you another example, in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, I help people focus on the Memory Palace technique first. Then we move into visualization skills related to association before linking them back to the initial technique. In this way, we establish one foundation at a time and then go back and strengthen that initial foundation through a process of review. Step Two: Plan Based On the Components Once you’ve identified all the different parts that are involved in a skill, create a plan of attack. As we saw with the critical thinking example, Saltzman spreads her practice across the entire week. You can also refer back to the method of splitting things up that I shared in the music and language learning examples. Instead of tackling a whole piece, you can look at just parts of things on specific days. For example, I often teach my serious memory students to prepare what they want to memorize early in the week, practice encoding it during the middle of the week, and then practice decoding the information during the end of the week. Obviously, this particular suggestion can be modified in different ways. If you don’t want to split the sessions across an entire week, you can split them i

You’d like a bunch of mnemonic strategies that help you learn faster, right? Whereas nearly every article on the Internet is going to give you a bunch of weak techniques like “keywords,” here’s the thing you need to understand: Using the keyword method as a mnemonic device is not a strategy. It’s a tool that you use strategically. And one of those strategies involves how you design your life so that you can use memory techniques – like I did while getting my PhD at York University in Toronto. And later when I lectured at the University of Saarland in Germany. So if you want proper mnemonic training, buckle up because I’ve going to give you some mnemonic device examples, and in a way that doesn’t muddy the waters. Everything is based on real-life uses that have led to substantial outcomes. Here’s what this post will cover: What Is A Mnemonic Device And How To Use One Strategically? The Most Highly Effective Mnemonic Strategies & Techniques Ready to get started? What Is A Mnemonic Device And How To Use One Strategically? As we got through the list of strategies and devices, keep in mind that there’s no particular hierarchy of importance. I suggest you add each and every one to your mental toolbox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doUSEyj50mY Strategy One: Amplify Your Flashcards A mnemonic device is anything you use to help you remember something. That includes everything from rote learning with flashcards to using a Memory Palace. If you want to use flashcards strategically, then you need to add a mnemonic element. For example, instead of showing yourself the same card repeatedly and hoping the information will stick, to use flashcards strategically, you will combine a mnemonic technique like elaborative encoding with active recall based on a spaced repetition pattern. For example, I’ve used elaborative encoding to make the German word Bereich (area) more memorable: Mnemonic Example for the German Word Bereich This approach uses Bender from Futurama as a mnemonic image and is strategic because: 1) I used my hands, colors and a non-digital tool I could easily revisit both physically and mentally. 2) I did not cheat by including the target information anywhere in the mnemonic device. This forces me to at least try to use active recall. 3) This drawing is linked to a Memory Palace that enables mental spaced repetition based on a few principles (Primacy Effect, Recency Effect, and Serial Positioning Effect). Although I am not a great artist (and you don’t have to be), this approach is so much faster and effective than spaced repetition software. I was inspired to start drawing my mnemonic examples in this way by language learning expert Gabriel Wyner. His book Fluent Forever is incredible. Why use Bender? Here, the alphabetical strategy is in use because “be” is in both Bender and the German word Bereich. Strategy Two: Use Memory Palace Locations Strategically Let’s extend this example to teach you another principle. Bereich means “area” in German. To help remember both the sound and the meaning, I used a Memory Palace, but imagined that Bender was in Berlin’s Tegel airport (within my Memory Palace). A memory strategy can involve importing one location into a Memory Palace based on another space. There are other ways to think about this approach. For example, when I passed my test for permanent residence in Germany, I need to prove that I knew a lot about the country. So I used the map of Germany itself as a kind of Memory Palace. For more details on maps as Memory Palaces, check out this tutorial. I’ve also used locations that are appropriate to memorizing poetry to create a meaningful association. For example, I used the Keats-Shelley House in Rome to memorize some Keats. I’ve also memorized scripture using a church, etc. The basic idea here is that you’re using the mnemonic device strategically by linking the content with the location based on themes. You can take this further by memorizing only words related to cooking in a foreign language using your kitchen as the Memory Palace, etc. I would not overdo this because you should ultimately be able to use just about any location for any learning task. But it certainly can create an advantage for some learning goals and is well worth exploring. Strategy Three: Use Multisensory Mnemonics The next next device I’m using is association through imagery. But it’s not “imagery” in the way we normally mean use that term. I actually don’t “see”a picture of any of this in my mind. Instead, I’m operating more on the level of observation, sound and kinesthetic experience. As mentioned, “Bender” starts with ‘be” and so does “Bereich.” And if you look at my drawing again, you’ll see there’s a drummer in the image. That’s Steve Reich, a very important drummer in the history of percussion. Be + Reich = Bereich. And to make the association even more multisensory, I just took a second to imagine what it feels l

Do you have a system for remembering cards? Whether it’s for bridge, poker, memory competition or just your own personal memory training, it’s fun and rewarding to commit all 52 cards to memory. I know, because when I competed against Guinness World Record Holder Dave Farrow in Toronto, my mnemonic system for memorizing cards was barely strong enough to hold my own. That said, I did half as well as he did and made zero mistakes. I’m quite proud of that, but especially proud that Farrow shared with me some of the techniques he used to memorize more cards than I do. Twice as much, in fact. And now I can remember a newly shuffled deck in two minutes and thirty seconds. And I hold a particular deck in memory for magic tricks (I’ll show you the stack and how I practice recalling it in a video below). What’s involved in learning card memorization techniques for yourself? Well, let’s start by looking first at how to memorize playing cards from a bird’s eye view. Memory techniques work by dressing up information in costumes. In other words, when you look at the Ace of Spades, you’re also looking at a mnemonic image that you’ve added to it. Sound weird or confusing? It certainly can be in the beginning. That’s why on this page, you’ll learn everything you need to know to dress up each card in a mnemonic costume. That way, you’ll be able to rapidly place playing cards into both short-term and long-term memory quickly. Ready to get started? Let’s dive in! How to Memorize a Deck of Cards in 8 Steps As you go through this training, it will be useful to have a pen and paper and a deck of cards in front of you. That way, you can start taking action immediately. Step One: Choose An Encoding Method For Your Mnemonic Costumes In order to memorize cards, each card needs to have a mnemonic image. There are a few systems for doing this to choose from. The main ones people use are the Major Method or the Dominic System. I personally use a PAO System these days, but was using the Major when I competed with Farrow. Other systems include the Ben System and the Shadow, which I talked about in detail on my podcast with memory athlete Braden Adams. You can also listen to one of the most impressive card memorizers on my podcast: Alex Mullen. From what I understand, his approach is grounded upon the Major Method. No matter what mnemonic system for cards you choose, it’s important to understand the rules of association and why such systems help. As a magician, I’ve always been dismayed by how many teachers talk about rote learning instead of using mnemonics, and that is why you ultimately have to not only pick your system. You also need to pick your teacher. If you happen to be a magician yourself and want to memorize cards for memdeck work, consider checking out my post on the Tamariz stack. Step Two: Learn Your Encoding Method Let’s assume that you’re going to use the Major Method (sometimes called the Major System). You’ll first want to learn the following system: Here’s a video that walks you through the Major so you can learn the pattern you see on the illustration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KdSva1fH0 Basically, you want to wind up with words for each pair of numbers, ideally words that are related to an image. For example, I use “toad” for 11, specifically the Warner Brothers toad. He is in turn associated with the Ace of Spades. I’ll show you why next, but for now, please make sure that you understand why we use the Major. It’s so that each number is associated with an image that is easy to animate in the mind. That way, when you are placing your images for the cards in a Memory Palace, you can interact the two images in evocative ways that are easy to recall. We’ll discuss this point in greater detail below. Step Three: Assign The Encoding System To The Suites Once you have a consonant for each digit 0-9, you’ll then assign a number to each suite. This arrangement goes back to the early days of mentalism, which often uses memorized deck of cards: Spades = 10 Diamonds = 30 Clubs = 50 Hearts = 80 Now, a lot of people are going to ask, why these numbers? There’s no strict answer, but one reason has to do with the wider availability of words. You also need to run into the next set of ten using this method, so that is only possible if you leave space. But at the end of the day, you’re trying to reduce the arbitrariness of the choices to the smallest degree.There is always some arbitrary level, but I find that the Major reduces it to the minimum. For the sake of this tutorial, do your best to place “why” questions aside and just memorize this association. No matter what system you choose, there will be things that don’t immediately make sense – and they don’t have to make sense. They just need to work. Step Four: Start Remember The Card/Nu

If you want to know how to read faster, you’ve probably tried to stop “subvocalizing” and reduce “backskipping.” What if I told you such “speed reading” techniques are probably a waste of time? Especially if you’re a serious learner who wants to retain what you read. And comprehend it so you can achieve the big goals you have for your life? If you’re the kind of learner who wants to read, remember and understand, you’ll love the tutorial on this page, because… There are at least three reasons why speed reading won’t help a lot of people. These reasons that they have: A limited vocabulary A limited understanding of the field A lack of multiple reading strategies How do I know? I’ve taught reading and writing at three universities. And I’ve taken multiple speed reading courses. Frankly, even if the classic speed reading techniques like controlling your eyes better and silencing your inner voice really did help you read faster… so what? If you can’t recognize what even a small percentage of words mean and lack familiarity with the topic area, you’re not going to understand any faster. This is the vocabulary part of the issue. People who know more words read faster. If you’re in that situation, you’d actually do better reading slowly, looking up words and terms, and interrupting your flow to aid understanding by reading outside of the main text. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juei8P-lWnY&list=PLkZ2FGJhR5R8axrLdWo9ZqV0PNRdLoN8l So with all of these points in mind, let’s reframe the question: If you’re learning to read faster, what are the fundamental speed reading techniques that will help you zip through multiple books in a single day? All while maximizing retention and comprehension.? These are the exact techniques we’re going to cover on this page. Who am I to address these topics? I’m a PhD, Mercator Scholar, member of the Australian Psychological Society and someone who blazes through multiple books week in and week out. I practice a set of the active reading strategies I’ve learned over the years, and continue to read the most up to date research on retention and comprehension. And here’s the best part: By weeding out the reading tactics that don’t make sense, I can help you read quickly without giving yourself the headaches most speed reading courses induce. So if that sounds good to you, let’s get started. How to Read Faster (While Retaining Vast Amounts) People email me all the time saying that they want to remember “everything they read.” That’s fantastic, but please define “everything.” Overall, you can retain a lot of information, but as a goal, “everything” doesn’t quite make sense. Especially when you consider that most of what we read consists of operational words like “the,” “and,” “if,” “but,” and so forth. In reality, unless you’re memorizing an entire book, almost no one actually needs or wants to remember everything. As the case of Jill Price’s so-called photographic memory demonstrates, trying to do so can in fact make you ill. So, rather than be vague and mysterious about what “everything” means, you will do much better by developing a number of “decision metrics” to guide you as you read. You can do this in the form of setting proper learning goals and using a well-formed learning cycle. In other words, set specific goals about how much you want to read and be clear about exactly what you want to retain from the reading. This can take some practice, and I have a full tutorial on how to find the main points in any book you can learn from. With these holistic learning structures in place, frustrations around your reading speed will soon disappear. You will safely leave behind all the instructions about recording your baseline reading speed and suppressing your inner voice, only to be told by speed reading experts that you’re supposed to make mental images and ask questions as you read. (Seriously? How are you supposed to reduce your inner voice and increase it at the same time? Speed reading courses that teach this idea should offend anyone with a modicum of common sense in their system.) So we start by thinking about goals for reading faster and remembering more. And to do that, let’s just expose the white elephant in the room: There is no perfect way to get started. But if there is something like perfection, just getting started is the key. That’s why I’m sharing the tips you’ll find below, all geared not only to reading faster, but retaining and understanding the material. Keep in mind however that the tips below are not necessarily “steps” to follow in order. Adding all of them to your reading practice will be useful and my hope is that you’ll rethink what reading is, and what reading can be. How to Read Faster While Retaining & Comprehending More Tip #1: Set goals w

People often ask me about how to use the Memory Palace for programming languages, especially since there’s so much abstract syntax to learn. Would-be and even established coders worry that ancient memory techniques won’t help, often because they think of mnemonics themselves as inherently abstract. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, you’ll see in a minute that some scholars credit one of history’s greatest mnemonists with creating a mnemonic device that led to programmatic thinking in the first place. The key is to understand how to use the Memory Palace for coding in the most optimal way. Just like programming itself, the Memory Palace tradition is worthy of study. But not hard and complicated study. It’ll take 2-5 hours tops to develop your mnemonic systems for making massive leaps in your programming knowledge. I can make that promise because I’ve been teaching memory techniques for over a decade and it has helped many students of programming before. Ready for the Memory Palace technique to help you too? Let’s dive in! Why The Memory Palace Technique Is Perfect For Programming Chances are that you’re reading this page because you already know what the method of loci is and have heard people talk about the Memory Palace for programming. Briefly, a Memory Palace is a mental version of a familiar location. If you wanted to commit a list of computing and IT abbreviations to memory, all you would do is place an association in your mental recreation of a room that helps you bring back the information. Let’s start very simply with 1GL as a mnemonic example related to the world of software. As an abbreviation, 1GL is used to describe a first-generation programming language. This simple, introductory mnemonic example of using a Memory Palace for programming shows the placement of familiar figures in a room to help remember an important computing abbreviation To remember this abbreviation, you would first bring a corner of a room to mind, or a piece of furniture. Then you might a candle. It looks like a 1 and putting it in the hand of Gillian Anderson from X-Files will remind you of GL. If you imagine her programming with a first generation language on an old computer, you’ll easily recall the information. The reason this technique relates inherently to programming is that you’re literally “entering” or “programming” a code into your memory. It’s like the binary code that helps produce a display, which in this case is the information you want to get back. The authors of Ramon Lull: From the Ars Magna to Artificial Intelligence credit Llull for designing the memory wheel technique as an early form of mental computation. His wheels help you compress larger ideas down into small spaces. You then later unpack the compressed associations to retrieve the complete data set of terms. The Memory Palace technique refines how this form of placing and retrieving mnemonic images works. Everyone from Robert Fludd, Giordano Bruno and contemporary computer scientists like the memory athlete Nelson Dellis have “programmed” lots of information into their minds. The Benefits Of Memory Palaces For Programming Before we get into some examples of using the Memory Palace technique for learning tasks like protocols and tmux shortcuts, it’s useful to think about the many benefits mastering this memory technique will provide. When you start to use Memory Palaces, you will: Enhance your coding skills by increasing efficiency Reduce the cognitive load involved in understanding concepts Improve your problem solving skills Retain more knowledge on the fly Reduce errors in your coding Learn various keyboard commands That’s just for starters. As your programming knowledge grows, you can expect to get better jobs. These include consulting gigs or advising on large projects. When you really know your stuff, you’ll be a hot commodity. Especially as the world of machine learning keeps ramping up. The Five Mnemonic Systems Coders Need In order to memorize using the Memory Palace technique, including “on the fly” memorization at meetings or while reading about programming in transit, you need just five mnemomic systems: A Memory Palace Network A Number System (like the Major, Dominic of 00-99 PAO System) An Alphabet System (like the Pegword System) A Symbol System Recall Rehearsal (a special approach to spaced repetition) As mentioned, most of my students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass develop all of these within 2-5 hours. From there, it’s mostly a matter of organizing what you need to memorize and working with your Memory Palaces to develop your retention of concepts and specific programming information. Things Programmers Don’t Have To Memorize Many people have asked me over the years about memorizing things like javascript libraries. I think their intuition is interesting, b

Picture this: Exams loom on the horizon and you’re staring at a stack of unread textbooks so large it would make any sane student shake in their boots. Maybe you got behind in your reading over the course of the semester because your professor assigned additional reading at the last moment… Or maybe you just want to have an encyclopaedic memory that holds all the precious information you need in place. Whatever the case, you have a ton of information to memorize before your exams roll around, and you’re feeling the pressure. Well, guess what? You are not alone! In fact, I struggled during my PhD at York University. It was only when I got fed up with feeling like this as the end of the semesters were approaches that I finally worked out a fantastic approach to textbook memorization. And now I’m going to give that approach to you. The good news is: memorizing a textbook is not as difficult as it may seem. At the end of the day, it’s not just about memorizing — that would be an utter waste of time! Instead, the real goal is to understand the books you read. And more than just understanding the content, you want to use the textbooks you place in memory to create new knowledge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIQRiqQFKQY In this post, you’ll learn how to: Correctly set your expectations of what the textbook will contain Understand why you need to read the book (or if you actually need to!) Quickly determine how much of the book you really need to read Make a dedicated Memory Palace system to memorize the parts you really need Learn how to take notes from a textbook onto index cards or flashcards, and Determine how much time you’ll need to practice the information you’ve memorized If you want to jump to a particular section, you can do that here: How to Memorize a Textbook vs a Book Do You Really Need to Memorize a Book Verbatim? Set Yourself Up For Success How to Memorize a Textbook (Realistically) Examine the book Make an equation Get index cards Find the big points and jot them down Make use of your Memory Palace Create crazy imagery to help you recall the info Stick each crazy image onto a Memory Palace station for recall Test yourself before the teacher does Let the info grow into knowledge Bonus! Save your knowledge for later Example: How to Memorize Verbatim Bonus Example: How to Memorize a Formula How to Study a Textbook for Maximum Retention Want this post in infographic form? You can download this infographic, just like Aldolfo: Aldolfo Artigas printed AND laminated this “How to Memorize a Textbook” infographic and now his sons are using the technique too! So are you ready to learn how to memorize a textbook, the right way? Let’s get started. The Question That Inspired This Post So you may be wondering: Hey Anthony, if people have been asking you about this topic for so long, what finally made you decide to write about it? Well, the truth is, I’ve written about textbook (and book) memorization before, just never in the context of memorizing an entire textbook. You can check out my post about how to memorize a chapter out of a textbook. And you might also be interested in another post I wrote, about how students with dyslexia can still ace their exams. In the end, the reason is simple: I decided to write this post and record a podcast to help out one of my audience members. Here’s what this struggling student wrote: “Hi Anthony. I want to memorize some physics, chemistry, and math formulas, and also some texts that I have to memorize verbatim, but it needs a lot of Memory Palaces and too much time. Plus, I don’t know how to memorize formulas. For instance, memorizing sin(A+B)=AcosB+cos. Do I need just one Loci, and how do I memorize this? Of course, this is a very simple formula, but exams are coming! I need your help.” Now that we know why this student needs help, let’s quickly talk about the differences between a textbook and other kinds of books. How to Memorize a Textbook vs a Book For the purposes of this post, we’ll use the words “book” and “textbook” interchangeably. When it comes right down to it, the only real difference is that someone has called a textbook a textbook. Other than that, they’re remarkably similar — pages stuck between two covers with a spine. Very little else differentiates them, except for some signature that has been applied to them by the author or publisher. Mind you, textbooks often come out in multiple editions, and a quick win is to be aware of how recently the edition you’re reading appeared on the market. You can sometimes find a nearly identical (and much cheaper) version from the year before. But overall, a book is a book, by any other name. And whether it’s a book or a textbook (even boring books), the first question you should always ask is: do I actually have to memorize this entire textbook verbatim? Do You Really Need to Memorize a Book Verbatim? One of the things I always ask people when they come to me with this questio

Want to know why you keep forgetting things? You’re in the right place. I’ve been studying memory and teaching people how to improve it for over a decade. And the answers couldn’t be clearer. You do face the mystery of why it’s so hard to change, however. That’s why in addition to explaining why forgetfulness in your 30s and 40s starts happening with such soul-sucking brutality, I’ll give suggestions for fixing the problem. Spoiler alert: A small amount of personal effort will be required to turn things around. Frankly, it’s the lack of effort a lot of us have been seduced into by the modern world that needs to be addressed, along with a few other lifestyle issues. Ready to fix your memory problems practically? And enjoy improvement while setting the path for lifelong maintenance and personal growth? Let’s get started! Why You Forget Things: 6 Reasons We All Face The problems begin when we’re too general about the topic of exactly what we’re forgetting. We often ask, how can I remember things, for example. In reality, we need to be much more specific. There are several main types of memory, and each needs to be addressed specifically. By the same token, most of us benefit from holistic learning. So as we go through this list of factors that cause forgetting, keep in mind two things: All of these issues are well worth addressing To truly retain information better, make a person list of what you keep forgetting By combining these two approaches, you’ll see improvements faster. By progressively changing your lifestyle and applying the right memory techniques to the information you need to remember, lasting memory improvement will result. You don’t have to take my word for it. I’ve been building the longest wall of testimonials on the Internet and many students are enthusiastic about the results they’ve enjoyed. I’m confident you will be too. To get you there, let’s explore your lifestyle factors first. One: Digital Amnesia Like all of us, you live in an era where ads interrupt just about everything we read online. Digital amnesia is my slightly more optimistic term for what scientists call digital dementia. In this study, researchers argue that the data is clear. If you spent too much time online, you’re highly likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The solution? Read physical books without a smart phone in sight to interrupt you. I personally work to get in at least 2-3 hours on uninterrupted reading every day. Language learning has been shown to help preserve cognitive skills in later life. Here’s one study of many discussing the benefits. Because researchers have found that memory loss can begin even in your 20s, I suggest you invest in time offline and start learning a new language as soon as possible. I’m currently working on Mandarin, Latin and Sanskrit myself, as I maintain my German. Two: Unaddressed Stress & Anxiety We all deal with stress. But if we fail to address it, anxiety will promote memory loss. You have many options in this department. Spending time away from computers is a start, especially when you get into nature and read. You can also explore concentration meditations and go through guided visualizations. Or, you might need to tackle our next cause of forgetting. Three: Poor Nutrition Not long ago, I noticed I was struggling with more stress in my life. That led to me fumbling for words and forgetting more often than I like. Turns out that I just needed to get some B1 supplements. For you, the issues will be personal and I suggest you always consult a doctor. For general information, it might interest you to know that most foods that improve memory are also healthy. But you should still run any dietary changes you make across a medical professional. Four: Lack Of Exercise Everyone knows that fitness and health go together. Certainly, some people have reasons for why they cannot get regular exercise. But if you can, we have great research showing that regular exercise boosts cognition and memory. Five: Allowing Distractions & Overwhelm One of my best success strategies, both when I was in university, and in my research and writing work now is challenging to set up. But once you work out how to reduce distractions, it’s so much easier to focus. And where focus goes, memory flows. In addition to finding places where you can study without interruption, use chunking to break big topics down. Sometimes people see polymathic learners and build illusions in their minds about how they learn so much. Sure, there are some polymathic personality traits that might help them naturally. But overall, the true talent they have involves breaking complex tasks down into smaller pieces. Then, whenever required, they use deliberate practice, which is a specific learning approach anyone can use. Six: Substance Consumption Whether it’s drinking too much or feeling the effects of pr

Do you reserve your Saturday afternoons for the brain fitness promised by crossword puzzles? If not, congratulations. That could be a wise decision. But for over 50 million people, crossword puzzles are a part of their daily lives. And they think it’s helping them. Unfortunately, that’s not necessary true. In fact, there’s a pernicious myth out there about the benefits of crossword puzzles. One that is generally assumed by far too many people who hope, wish and pray that doing word puzzles regularly can help keep your brain young and active. Many people also believe that the health benefits of crossword puzzles can even keep Alzheimer’s or dementia at bay. The question is… Why Do People Believe That Crossword Puzzles Are Good For Your Brain? Here’s one reason: Many consider crossword puzzles to be the pastime of the intelligent and knowledgeable people – a connection that we are only too happy to have. More importantly? Playing word games may legitimately improve your vocabulary. So, ultimately… The idea that crossword puzzles will develop your memory is true enough. For some people, at least. Here’s Who Really Benefits From The Memory And Brain Fitness Benefits Of Crossword Puzzles Can you guess who gets the most bang for their buck in the crossword universe? If you’ve been wondering about how crossword puzzles help your brain, the answer is simple: The people who design crossword puzzles – the cruciverbalists – experience the ultimate benefits. The also get the most mental stimulation. As dedicated logophiles, crossword puzzle designers love using obscure words whenever and wherever they can. And because they’re the architects of these games, they’re the ones most likely to remember the words they’ve enjoyed building into them. To give a parallel example, it’s kind of like how songwriters find it easier than anyone else to remember the lyrics they’ve penned. When Did We First Get Hooked on Crosswords?: A Fascinating History The crossword – a standard feature in newspapers across the globe – celebrated its hundredth birthday on December 21, 2013. And it’s still going strong! However, when journalist Arthur Wynne invented and printed the first ever “word-cross” puzzle in the New York World newspaper on December 21, 1913, it was hardly met with much fanfare. An editorial in The New York Times published on November 17, 1924 called crossword puzzles “a primitive sort of mental exercise” and a “sinful waste” of time. The craze of word puzzles spread after publishing firm of Simon & Schuster launched its career in 1924 with a book of puzzles. This was the same year when the World published its first daily crossword puzzle. Years later, the puzzle’s success surprised Wynne: “… all I did was take an old idea as old as language and modernize it by the introduction of black squares,” he said in 1925. “I’m glad to have had a hand in it, and no one is more surprised at its amazing popularity” (Lynn J. Feigenbaum, Crosswords at a Crossroad, The Puzzle Turns 100. What is the clue to its Survival?).” Wynne was inspired by ancient word squares – where words read the same across and down. Wynne also took inspiration from another puzzle, the acrostic – in which sets of letters (such as the initial or final letters of the lines) taken in order form a word or phrase or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet. Ultimately, the current format with its compact square diagram of white spaces and black bars, with connected across and down words, and numbered clues became popular. The Addiction Theory Of Why We Love Crossword Puzzles Word puzzles are not only fun, but immensely satisfying as every crossword problem has that one perfect solution – the feeling of perfection we miss in our everyday lives and seek through art, literature and now the Internet. There’s also an almost addictive pleasure to finally finishing a puzzle. Why is that? Recall that ‘aha’ moment when you finally get that elusive word or phrase solution. Moments like those confirm, even if it’s only to yourself, how knowledgeable, smart and well-informed you are. There’s also something called the Ovsiankina Effect, an explanation for why we feel compelled to finish what we started. However, as you’re about to learn, it’s not promised that you’ll finish crossword puzzles with enough of a completion rate to receive any benefits. Think about it this way: Isn’t it really the case that solving crosswords is the opposite of quest for knowledge? When you think about it, crossword puzzles are kind of like a quest for confirmation. A journey to confirm that you are knowledgeable in a way that gives your brain that addictive high of accomplishment. There’s more: Some people have even called the crossword a sort of geometric Rorschach test, a kind of psychological experience that reflects the human need to solve a mystery. W

Usually I would wait until after someone completes a memorization mission they’ve announced to record an episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. But when Luke Ranieri said he’s memorizing the first 100 lines of The Iliad in Ancient Greek… I just knew I had to talk to him. As soon as possible. Why? Because Luke proved long ago that he has what it takes to commit multiple words and phrases to memory. Better than that, he speaks multiple languages, demonstrating a whole other level of memory skill that we call “fluency.” And that’s not to mention his skills as a pilot, author, vlogger and the “ineffable” aspects that go into making a person a great teacher and all around wonderful person. In this episode, Luke and I talk about the lines from the Iliad that he’s already memorized using the “Kephalos Method.” And we talk about how he’s going to complete the task, with a power-session on the Memory Palace technique for verbatim. So if you’re curious about how a word class language learning expert goes about committing 100 lines of ancient Greek poetry to memory, you’re going to love this interview. Let’s get started! https://youtu.be/GD2IoQpXi6M Who Is Luke Ranieri? As linguistic maestro known for his YouTube channels Polymathy and ScorpioMartianus Luke started tackling the ambitious task of memorizing the first 100 lines of the Iliad for a few reasons. He already has a background in Classical languages, including Greek He has an interest in experiencing first hand what the ancient tradition of memorizing Homer is like These are the simply the kinds of polymathic projects people with certain character traits tend to gravitate towards Luke also practices singing a lot as part of his teaching of Latin. Making audiobooks for learners of Latin and Greek is a passion of his as well, and you can browse his offerings on his amazing website. Although I didn’t ask him about his military background, Luke brought it up naturally in our conversation. Without spoiling the surprise too much, he considers good memory as a matter of life and death. That might sound dramatic, or only linked to piloting helicopters. But Lynne Kelly has shown in The Memory Code just how many times ancient memory techniques have helped humans survive challenging conditions. So although there might seem to be a disconnect between learning lines quickly from an ancient text and human survival, they’re deeply connected. That’s why we also spend time on creating an unshakeable practice routine using the Memory Palace technique near the end of the interview. Can You Really Remember So Much Text? People are right to be skeptical when they heard about people memorizing large amounts of content verbatim. These days, digital amnesia runs so rampant, a lot of people struggle just to memorize a few song lyrics. But memorizing poetry or scripture is not as difficult as it might seem and people in our time still do it successfully. For examples, check out these discussions and demonstrations: Ashley Strand on memorizing and performing the Book of Mark from memory Matt Barclay demonstrating his recall of a Psalm (while recovering from cardiac arrest) My long form Sanskrit demonstration Mike McKinley‘s Psalm memorization project Long story short, you can definitely commit large amounts of text to memory if you wish. If you need help seeing how, I suggest learning to write effective learning goals and considering the wide range of what Lynne Kelly calls “memory spaces” available to you. I hope you find Luke’s experiences and initiative as inspiring and educational as I do! Further Resources In this video, Luke discusses the Kaphalos Method in Latin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oyRbVAV_mE Get the Iliad 100 study materials to join the challenge. I’ve got even more memory strategies if you need them. There’s no shortage of memory techniques from which to choose. Pick the one that makes the most sense to you and make it happen!

C’mon, admit it. You think that learning how to increase memory skill and ability is going to be a drag. I thought that myself the first time I read a memory improvement book. It had only two pages of instruction on how to memorize vocabulary. I nearly tossed it across the room because the description was so vague and illogical. As someone with a PhD and two MAs, perhaps I hold a higher standard to memory training books than most. But seriously… it can’t be as easy as Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas were trying to make it seem in The Memory Book. Perhaps like me you’ve also seen all those pictures of memory champions with their sound cancelling headphones and dark sunglasses on while memorizing playing cards. I wouldn’t blame you if you instantly thought that nothing could seem more boring. After all… You’ve got learning to do! You want to pass exams, learn languages and never forget the names of the people you meet again. Here’s the truth: You really can improve memory ability without going to the lengths of the memory athletes. On this page, we’ll discuss how. There are several approaches I think you’ll find surprising. Not to mention unexpectedly pleasing. How to Improve Memory: 10 Science-Backed Strategies As we go through this list, keep in mind that you don’t have to do them in order. In some cases, you might have the steps covered already. The key is to work on all of these factors, especially if you have holistic learning as a goal. And rest assured, these truly are research-based techniques. I’ve studied memory science for many years. Although I have disagreed with memory experts like Harry Lorayne on how he taught vocabulary memorization, Tony Buzan acknowledged my work by awarding me the Warrior of the Mind Emblem for Outstanding Contributions to Global Mental Literacy. I’m not saying I know everything. But you’re in a good place if you care about memory improvement, and especially memory techniques. I do all I can to continually expand my knowledge and keep this site updated. Here’s why if you don’t know my story. Now let’s get started! One: Nutrition for Memory There’s no doubt about the direct tie between your memory and what you eat. There’s a lot of information about memory friendly foods out there, including foods that harm your mind and memory. Ultimately, you need to consult with a doctor and work on your diet throughout your life. For example, I was able to eat mostly keto for a few years and it helped me tremendously. Eventually, I needed to get some dairy back into my diet for gut health reasons. It has definitely created a bit of brain fog, but I eat it in order to reduce attention-zapping pain. But because we’re all different and our lives keep changing over time, please consider the dietary factor a lifelong project. As this study shows, food is about a lot more than just providing you with energy and repairing injuries. Certain nutrients directly affect cognition. Since diet is one of the ongoing learning and memory trends, I suggest giving how you eat maximum focus. You’ll struggle to meet the competition if you don’t as more people wake to the importance of diet and a clear mind. Two: Exercise Physical fitness doesn’t have to be strenuous to boost your memory and thinking ability. These days, I perform a lot of yoga moves that have been shown to boost memory and concentration. We’ll talk about mnemonics later, but one great thing about physical fitness is that you can perform mental activities while at the gym. I’m doing that in this pic while performing deadlifts at my favorite gym in Berlin: Deadlifting helps improve my focused attention and memory. Do you go to the gym? Three: Brain Training Activities Although you might think there’s a disconnect between the first two tips and actually getting into brain exercises and brain games, the truth is that the physical quality of your brain needs to be there first. Some of my favorite brain training activities include neurobics and memorizing playing cards. The important thing to understand when you choose your activity is that it has some kind of transfer effect. In other words, the game should involve using your brain in a way that applies to improving how your brain needs to operate better while engaged in real-life activities. This study shows that a video game does that better than a marketing brain training app. Dr. Christine Till shared similar findings when she was on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast to discuss her research with brain training apps. Four: Increase Memory By Using The Power Of Intention Yes, setting an intention will help you improve your memory power. But intend to do what, exactly? I suggest your start by intending to pay more attention as you go about your life. This is where memory expert Harry Lorayne and I completely agree. He makes the point again an

I didn’t learn the most productive study habits overnight. But I learned just how terribly ineffective cramming can be when I failed an exam during my undergrad. I swore I would never never fail like that again and committed myself to mastering the skills involved in studying like a pro. Sure, I normally practiced good study habits. But I made it my mission to discover and use the best study habits possible. After earning my BA, two MAs and a PhD, I have built one of the biggest memory improvement websites online. In order to provide the best possible information week after week, I still need to use the same learning techniques. Today, I’m going to share them with you. So if you’re a serious student who wants to use everything from traditional methods to AI as you ace all your exams, get ready for detailed tour of how the top achievers learn. All I ask is that you leave cramming at the door. It’s too risky and doesn’t lead to long term retention even if you can get away with it once in awhile. You deserve better. https://youtu.be/si0aTKs_cmQ 9 Productive Study Habits To Excel In Academics As we go through the most effective study habits I’ve learned over my career as graduate student, university professor and researcher, keep the term “long-term” in mind. I really do stress that long-term habits are what we need to spend our time on. And that means, everything from managing study stress to mastering digital study tools must involve deliberate practice over time. Why am I mentioning this? Because the tragedy is that a lot of people try a study technique once or twice and then decide it doesn’t work. Frankly, sometimes they are right. Not all techniques are for everyone. But trying something for a day or two isn’t fair or honest. I suggest you commit to the study habits you choose for at least 90-days. There are some studies that say 66 days is enough. Other studies have shown a slightly shorter commitment. I suggest you keep these in mind and go a bit longer than any study suggests just to be sure. Myself, I love to use The Freedom Journal because it helps guide you through 100 days. It has helped me accomplish many goals and literally rewired my brain to be more productive. Now, with that success tip in mind, let’s get started with the habits I suggest you explore. One: Time Blocking Not having enough time is one of the biggest problems learners face. Fortunately, it’s easy to solve by building consistent study routines. One of the best ways to start doing that is by examining how top achievers did that in the past. For example, Benjamin Franklin used time blocking. He literally visualized his day as vertical row of hours. When I was in university, I blocked time in a similar way. I had various jobs and wrote all of my work hours out. Then I assigned exactly when I was going to study. I even wrote out what I was going study while commuting and stuck to the schedule. Although it sounds simple, knowing what needs to be done and when to do it is a very effective way of overcoming procrastination when it comes to getting serious study done. Later, when I taught as a professor at Rutgers, I used the same scheduling system habitually. I was still finishing my PhD and wrote out that I would grade papers on the train in and read specific books on the way home. As a result, I was able to get my dissertation written ahead of schedule and did well on all of my exams. Two: Study Habitually In Specific Places Studying while commuting is not ideal. That’s why I also make sure I have specific places I study. Back when I was doing my degrees in Toronto, I had a network of libraries at both York University and Toronto mapped out. I knew exactly which were the best study places for me, and avoided having to read during times of high noise and human traffic. As a professional, I still have a list of productive study places. My favorite floors in the best libraries are all worked out and I can selectively show up to study during what I’ve found to be the quietest hours. It takes a bit of discipline, but is well worth it. Plus, if something’s going on and you can’t get the quiet you need, by having a list of alternative places ready to go, you’ll be able to relocate and stick to your basic schedule. Now, when it comes to quiet and the places you choose to study, there’s one exception to the rule about noise. That is when you meet with a study group. Study group dynamics are a big topic, but during all of my years of university, I found that discussing in cafes works great. Your mileage may differ, so when meeting with your study group, pay close attention to how the location influences your ability to focus on your discussions. Three: Have A Variety Of Note-Taking Methods Although it would be nice to have a single note-taking strategy for all kinds of different information, that simply isn’t realistic. I’ve us

So, you want to develop and use a virtual Memory Palace. It’s possible. The earliest example I’m aware of comes from Hugh of St. Victor, who lived and taught memory techniques during the medieval period. These days, we have even more options than he did because we live in a world packed with many kinds of imaginary potential memory spaces. Although I’m going to share with you several examples and a detailed tutorial, for most of us, using Memory Palaces will be stronger. The reason why exploring virtual Memory Palaces is to make our skills stronger still. That’s because the whole point of the Memory Palace technique is to reduce cognitive load rather than increasing it. This is an especially important issue if you want to memorize long form content, or study a lot of material for complex exams. However, if you’re going to develop artificial Memory Palaces or use VR, there are ways to minimize the increased demands on your working memory that they inevitably create. I’ll share them with you on this page, along with dedicated research on the matter. Ready to explore whether or not this mnemonic strategy is the right approach for you? Let’s dive in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myN7wCWDWCI What Is A Virtual Memory Palace? As I mentioned, there is a long history to the idea of a virtual Memory Palace – or a mnemonic device based on a location you have not seen with your own eyes. Or, if you’re not able to see (because people without vision also use Memory Palaces), we’re talking about using an area that you haven’t touched with your hands. Why use the word “virtual”? Well, as the Etymonline definition reminds us, at some point in the 15th century, the word took on these two meanings: Being something in essence or effect, though not actually or in fact” is from mid-15c., probably via sense of “capable of producing a certain effect” (early 15c.). The five main kinds of virtual Memory Palace that do not actually exist but create the effect of helping you remember things include: Mnemonic journeys based on fantasy locations found in books, movies, video games, VR programs and paintings Memory Palaces based on homes and apartments currently for rent or sale and sourced on real estate websites Online museum tours Locations found using Google Maps or Google Earth Memory Palaces provided by authors of memory training books Memory Palaces provided by scientists like Tyson Yunkaporta and David Reser for research purposes Memory Palaces you create from scratch using your own imagination Again, the key is that you’ve never visited the space before. If you’re using Google Maps to refresh your memory of a place you’re been, that’s not really a virtual Memory Palace, for example. Historical & Other Examples Of Virtual Memory Palaces Hugh of St. Victor used Noah’s Ark as a Memory Palace. In fact, he used four versions of it, which you can read in a book called The Mystic Ark. To give the technique a try, I conducted a case study and created this video walkthrough for you based on my experiment and what I discovered by trying to reproduce the basic concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv3WSP1f4y0 Other examples of using imaginary spaces, or places that the Memory Palace user did not visit include: Timothy Moser’s work on virtual Memory Palaces for Spanish Virtual Memory Palaces provided in books like Memorize the Stoics by Kevin Vost Giordano Bruno‘s “infinite” Memory Palace technique Possibly Robert Fludd‘s “theatre of the world” technique For Fludd, I say that’s it’s only “possible” that he meant for his Memory Palace illustrations to be used by his readers. Fludd says some things in his writing that suggest he meant for you to use a theatre that you were familiar with to place the target information you want to remember. It’s not at all clear to me that he was teaching anything other than the traditional Memory Palace technique. But he also includes the geometric forms you see in the illustration above. These could be used as portals or wormholes to other places. There’s also the suggestion that pairing certain kinds of words to geometrical forms might help with the memorization of grammar. It’s difficult to tell, but no matter what Fludd intended, you can use the illustration as a virtual Memory Palace. You can also imagine locations behind the open doors and connect one virtual Memory Palace to another if you wish. Three Contemporary Virtual Memory Palace Examples In any case, I think what Fludd is providing is different than the virtual Memory Palace examples you see in Kevin Vost’s books. As you can in the example above, Vost has not only provided a simple drawing for you to use as a virtual Memory Palace. He’s also included numbers for the individual stations, each linked with an imaginary object:

As a student, you want to unlock your potential. Whether it’s for an upcoming exam or professional certification, you know that you have to be at your best. Especially when you have so little time to devote to learning. Enter William Wadsworth, the visionary founder of Exam Study Expert. If you’ve been following the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast for any length of time, you know I’m not easily impressed. But William’s commitment to empowering students to achieve academic excellence based on science-backed practices was not only refreshing. It’s based on similar principles that I’ve studied for years myself. The memory science is very clear, so when listening to William, you can be sure that you’re getting the real deal when it comes to absorbing maximum information in minimum time. Mastering Your Memory As A Student In this episode, William emphasizes the importance of understanding how the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information. By leveraging how memory works, anyone can substantially boost their retention of even the most complicated information. The way William focuses on equipping students with the most robust study skills is needed more than ever before. As we all know, we simply must go beyond rote memorization. That’s why I love the practical strategies William advocates to help students to approach their studies in science-backed ways. As he makes clear, every technique and strategy he teaches is supported by both research and practical experience. Make no mistake. You don’t have to be taking exams or certification tests to benefit. The same study techniques are useful for lifelong learning goals too. For all the details on what William knows to work best for studying successfully, tune in to our full conversation by clicking play above or by running the episode through the YouTube upload below. https://youtu.be/vDOhTr3yfzw Who Is William Wadsworth? Long before founding Exam Study Expert, William had secured a highly coveted seat at Cambridge University. However, his initial celebrations were short-lived because he soon found himself struggling at the bottom of his class. The basic study techniques that had served him so well in high school were suddenly no longer effective. Not at all. Feeling overwhelmed and desperate, William found his salvation by studying psychology. After equipping himself with a deep understanding of how the brain works, William overhauled his entire approach to learning. Listeners of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast will be familiar with the path William followed: He adopted advanced memorization techniques. He implemented efficient time management strategies. He developed effective methods for tackling exams. He improved his essay writing skills. All in all, these simple activities led William to graduate in the top 10% of his class with a First Class degree. The Founding of Exam Study Expert After enjoying the fruits of his success, William drew upon his personal experiences, academic insights and understanding of memory to found Exam Study Expert. Along with his team, his company is dedicated to helping students achieve academic success. Among other offerings, their basic services include: Consulting on Curriculum: William advises educational institutions on creating effective curriculums that cater to different learning styles and maximize student engagement. Parental Guidance: He helps parents understand their children’s academic needs and provides them with strategies to support their learning at home. University Interview Preparation: William assists students in preparing for competitive university interviews, such as those for Oxbridge, ensuring they present their best selves and stand out in the selection process. Through Exam Study Expert, William Wadsworth is committed to empowering students with the tools and techniques they need to excel academically and achieve their full potential. Frankly, I wish I’d had William’s help when I was going through university! Enjoy this episode and all the wisdom William shares.

So … you want to know how to remember things. Excellent. You’re in the right place. The memory techniques I’m about to show you are the most effective strategies you can possibly use. How do I know? I used them personally to help me pass my Ph.D. in Humanities at York University, part of which involved dealing with Classical languages and hundreds of details about history and philosophy. Then, after starting to teach memory techniques, I used these skills to help me learn how to run this blog, my Youtube channel and podcast. I’ve come to master a very complicated set of tasks that I would not be able to handle without proper mnemonics. I’ve also studied hundreds of memory science research articles and was even invited to deliver a memorized TEDx Talk to share some of my many findings over the years. As a result of both my scholarly and online accomplishments, I’ve helped thousands of my students memorize information to pass certification tests. I’ve also helped people accomplish all kinds of goals related to language learning and personal projects like memorizing scripture or better understanding philosophical concepts. Further, I read every book on the topic of memory I can find. Personally, I am always looking to improve my own memory skills and learn more about the science of memory. Quick Answer: How to Remember Things (Top 3 Steps) In my experience, to remember anything, there are three main things you need to do: “Encode” the thing you want to remember with meaning using the processes you’ll learn today Use active recall to test your memory and its accuracy Time your reviews using spaced repetition There are dozens more techniques and memory tricks I’ve picked up from all of of my reading and teaching in the memory improvement space. Let’s take a look at each of the best techniques you can apply to different things you want to commit to memory. You can either read the article below, enjoy the video version by clicking “play,” or simple browse this table of contents: Table of Contents ToggleQuick Answer: How to Remember Things (Top 3 Steps)The Top 19 Ways To Boost Your Recall1. Apply Mnemonics2. Memory Palaces3. Spaced Repetition4. Use Chunking to Remember5. “Expression Mnemonics” or Acronyms to Remember Things6. Use Tactile Mnemonics from Ancestral Memory Approaches7. Learn How to Remember Numbers with The Major SystemHow To Remember Things Through Lifestyle Changes8. Getting Adequate Sleep will Help you Remember Things9. Taking Naps will Improve Your Memory10. Eat Foods that Boost Your Memory11. Exercising Leads to Memory Improvement11. Socialize for Stronger Memories12. New Stimulating Hobbies Will Improve Your Memory13. Learning a New Language Boosts Memory14. Do More Challenging Work15. Positivity Promotes Memory Improvement16. Meditation for Memory16. Story & Linking17. Rote Rehearsal18. Make Information Relevant by Keeping a Memory Journal19. Explore and Incorporate Other Accelerated Learning TacticsHow Memory WorksRemembering Things Isn’t Hard!Further Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpXL7VOQ1qQ Now, to set the stage properly, let’s start with a very basic fact when it comes to improving your memory: People with excellent memories and memory championship winners are not too different from you. They just use a combination of techniques to enable their minds to memorize things. Now, you might find it hard to remember names, facts, equations, lists, tasks you need to take care of, a new language, and so on. But if you follow the right techniques, you can remember almost anything you want. The techniques you’ll discover on this page will work for you, no matter how bad you think your memory is. The Top 19 Ways To Boost Your Recall As we go through this list, rather than try to master each and every strategy overnight, I suggest you explore each approach over time. Start by picking the one that resonate with you the most. Then come back and add another. 1. Apply Mnemonics Mnemonics is a big topic. In brief, the word “mnemonic” refers to any memory technique that helps you form a strong, long-term memory. Usually when people use the term, we specifically mean the use of mnemonic images and multi-sensory associations. For example, if you meet a new person named James, mentally associating him with James T. Kirk from Star Trek, or James Hetfield from Metallica will form a mnemonic link in your mind. By hearing the voice of a James you already know, you add a multi-sensory element that makes the mnemonic even stronger. As this Beyond memorizing names, many people use mnemonics to improve their retention while studying. Throughout this page, you’ll find the most common mnemonic devices. You can also consult my complete Dictionary of Mnemonics for other tools. This mnemonics dictionary is also freely available on this website. Why Use Mnemonics to Remember A Variety of Things? Mnemonics are i

Nothing could be easier than using a Memory Palace for studying. Once you know how it works, that is. Unfortunately, many learners think they do, but have really only scratched the surface. What is that surface understanding? You may have heard that a Memory Palace (also called the method of loci) is a mental map of a familiar location, like your home or your school. You then assign the information you need to remember to specific locations along a route through your chosen location. These locations then help cue your mind so that the facts you want to remember come flooding back. The problem is that this is only part of how the technique works. And even that explanation leads many people to use the technique incorrectly first. Today we’re going to fix this problem by focusing on how the Memory Palace technique actually works, specifically for studying large amounts of complex information. If you’re willing to learn the foundational skills first, you’ll be able to apply the technique to memorizing anything. And I do mean anything. I have yet to see a topic or information category for which the Memory Palace technique cannot provide tremendous learning advantages. How do I know? Well, I’ve memorized one of the most widely seen TEDx Talks about memory, used multiple Memory Palaces to complete my PhD, pass language exams, earn certifications and give epic demonstrations at meetings where I memorized the names of dozens of people within minutes. I did that most recently during a real estate licensing certification course. Not only did I pass thanks to my combination of Memory Palaces with other study techniques. But after seeing me recite the names of every student in the room, the teacher asked me to teach these techniques to the entire class. Which I did. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly how to do the same with a special focus on building a Memory Palace Network to study faster, remember longer and walk into any exam with confidence. Ready to learn from my experiences? Let’s dive in! https://youtu.be/c4J5ZUzCxZY Using a Memory Palace for Studying: 7 Tips to Memorize Anything Fast As we go through these tips, please understand that the tips you’re about to encounter build upon one another. And the first is non-negotiable because the Memory Palace technique is not a trick. It’s a formal practice that was perfected in the ancient world. Here’s the Magnetic Memory Method approach to Memory Palaces in a nutshell before we get into the granular details: Select a familiar location and map out a clear route with distinct stations by drawing out your journey by hand. Organize the material you want to memorize before doing any encoding so that you’re sure about what you want to memorize. Assign fully “Magnetic” associations using a multi-sensory approach like the Magnetic Modes (a.k.a. KAVE COGS). Use Bridging Figures to maximize the alphabetical principle of the Magnetic Memory Method. Review with Recall Rehearsal, a structured form of active recall and spaced repetition. Refine your use of the technique through practice. Whether you just want to remember simple things better or pass a major exam, the steps outlined above are the key to memorizing everything from simple facts to entire course syllabi. Now let’s dig into the granular details. One: Use Memory Palaces Correctly I see so many students either struggling with or failing with mnemonics. Largely, this happens because they treat the Memory Palace technique as if it’s a combination safe or treasure house for “storing” information. But as you can see in the video tutorial above, that’s not the way the technique works at all. It’s not a “set and forget it” approach to learning at all. Since knowledge is power, it’s helpful to understand why people get this impression in the first place. Although you might think the idea of storing information in rooms might stem from the Sherlock Holmes approach to memory techniques, the idea of storing information in rooms is much older. For one thing, that’s basically how St. Augustine described the technique. As he wrote in his Confessions: And I come to the fields and spacious palaces of my memory, where are the treasures of innumerable images, brought into it from things of all sorts perceived by the senses. The problem with Augustine’s description is simple: He makes it seem as if you just file information away as if Memory Palaces are the medieval equivalent of a hard drive. No, no and a thousand times no. In order to make the technique work, you want at the very least to add the elements of active recall. Briefly, you need to do these three things within your Memory Palaces: Make sure all of your mnemonic imagery is personalized and include as much variety as possible. Don’t cheat when reviewing. Push your mind a little to call back the information. Use the Recall Rehearsal patterns that are central to the Ma

Usually I talk about using mnemonics for highly specific outcomes like learning languages or passing exams. But there are so many other ways you can use mnemonics in your daily life. Ranging from recalling your to-do lists to remembering the yoga moves that help reduce stress, there’s no end I’m aware of to the ways mnemonics can be useful. The trick is to make sure you have the best possible mnemonic strategies on your side. To help ensure that you do, on this page, I’ll share links to resources and tutorials I’ve created for you over the years. I’ve put a lot of love into teaching the ancient art of memory. And thanks to the many people who have visited this site, we have a treasure trove of material. People have asked many many great questions and shared their feedback after completing the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass. And I’m always reading the latest memory science for new insights. Ready to discover all of the many options available to you for remembering more information as you go about your daily life? Let’s dive in! https://youtu.be/vb-a2-oCo74 Introduction to Everyday Mnemonics It’s important to understand what we mean by “mnemonics” above all. Technically, any technique you use to help you remember something is a mnemonic. Yes, that even includes rote learning. But even when it comes to repeating information in your mind, there are better and worse ways to do establish long-term. So when we talk about using mnemonic strategies in everyday life, it’s important to make sure we’re using the best possible memory techniques. That way, the best possible results will flow. So that you have them all in one place, here are the core techniques mnemonists love to use: The Memory Palace Pegword Method Major System (or Dominic System) PAO System Number rhymes Spaced Repetition It’s important to know that the Memory Palace receives so much focus because every other technique can be used inside of this special mnemonic device. Because so many people have used this particular ancient memory technique over thousands of years, it has evolved different names and slightly different uses. You’ll encounter variations as diverse as the: Memory Wheel Roman Room Journey Method Method of Loci Some people even like to use the term “Memory Castle.” Although there’s a lot of overlap between these terms, the key point is that the more you know about how all mnemonics work. the more holistic learning you can do. But today’s post is not so much about learning at the polymathic level. Today we’re talking about everyday uses. Here are a bunch for you. Mnemonics In Everyday Life: 8 Wonderful Strategies You’ll Love Using On The Go As we go through this list, think through your own daily life and imagine how much time you’ll save if you use memory techniques in the ways I’m about to describe. There is nothing fickle about some of the simpler, everyday uses. Far from it. In fact, when using memory techniques for simple things, you’re getting both neurobic benefits and great brain exercise. One: Remember Where You Parked Wandering around parking lots looking for where you parked wastes so much time. But when you have a simple pegword system and a number system, you can instantly place a mnemonic image on your parking space that will help you remember its name. As soon as you park, apply simple mnemonics to help you remember the name of your spot and the level. It only takes a second and saves time while reducing stress from your life. Let’s say that you park in B7 on level 2. When you have an image for each letter of the alphabet and for each number, you can mentally place those images on the parking space. By doing this, you’re turning the space into an impromptu Memory Palace. I often use Batman for B and a boomerang for 7. I would place these specific images on the parking spot itself and then near the elevator or staircase place a second image for 2 (a swan). That way it’s easy to remember everything when it’s time to leave the shopping center. To help and inspire people to learn this special, everyday use of mnemonics, I had Detective Williams use this technique after parking at the Vancouver Public Library where he was investigating a crime. This was in Flyboy, my first “Memory Detective” novel. Beyond that, I started this list with parking because it’s been a huge problem since people first started driving. Remembering where you’ve put personal items is such a big problem for so many people that Eran Katz named one of his memory improvement books, Where Did Noah Park the Ark? Now that you know this technique, however, you never have to lose track of your vehicle again. Two: Remember Your Shopping List When my wife sends me to the grocery store, I only sometimes write out a list. Usually, I take the opportunity to practice mnemonics. It&#82