Anthony Metivier's Magnetic Memory Method Podcast

Want to know why the biggest barriers to critical thinking are so insidious? The answer is simple: It’s because they’re lurking inside you. And if you don’t know that these barriers are standing between you and exploding your thinking abilities, you’re powerless to improve your situation. Starting right now, let’s identify and remove the biggest barriers. You’ll experience greater clarity of mind just by knowing what they are and how to get them out of your life. Ready? Let’s dive in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxP2gHhAT2Y The 9 Most Common Barriers to Critical Thinking (And How to Overcome Them) As you go through this list, keep a journal. Write down the barriers that pose the biggest issue for you. Then make time on your calendar to deal with each. Rest assured, without putting in the time, nothing will change. But when you do, your independent thinking abilities will explode. In fact, your critical thinking abilities will improve overall. One: Letting The World Revolve Around You Most of us experience inner talk. And it’s normal to include yourself and your experiences in the topics you think about. But those who have excellent critical thinking skills know how to contextualize their SRIN. What is SRIN? Self-referential Inner Narrative. Others call this the “blah blah blah” monkey-mind. No matter what you call it, if you can’t think about contexts larger than your immediate self, it will be impossible to think critically. Here’s what to do instead: Notice when you say or think things like, “I don’t personally know anyone this has happened to.” Stop and think about the larger context at the level of your neighborhood, your city, your region, your country, your continent, your hemisphere and the world. Where relevant, include the entire universe. Imagine a topic through the eyes of at least one other person. In autobiographical memory studies, this is called shifting from the field perspective to the observer perspective. Ask about what would be true even if you did not exist. For more help, these critical thinking examples will help you think through other perspectives. Two: Lack Of Critical Thinking Skills If you want to remove the obstacles to critical thinking you’re experiencing, some study will be involved. Critical thinking books abound and it is worth spending time with some of the best. Look for books that include examples and exercises. You’ll also want to think about a particular goal for critical thinking that you have. For example, do you want to think better as a student preparing for law school? Or do you need thinking skills for being a better contributor to your family or neighborhood? Setting a goal can help guide which resources you choose and your study and practice plan. Three: Not Knowing Your Cognitive Biases We are all included to make serious errors in our thinking. But we’re not alone in making them. Far from it. In fact, because all of us operate from having a human brain, psychologists have identified patterns. These are called cognitive biases. One that I suffer from quite badly is called “recency bias.” Basically, it’s very tempting for me to judge reality based on the most recent events, rather than looking at the broad scope of history. I use all of the tips on this page to cope and improve. One of the most helpful benefits of critical thinking is the ability to engage in continual discussions with friends about history. It’s something I continue to read for one simple reason. The more you know and discuss the past, the more you are automatically reminded of a bias like this. What cognitive biases are strongest in your life? Four: Being In A Hurry We’re all in a rush once in a while. But it’s one of the biggest critical thinking challenges all the same. If you don’t stop and think, mistakes are so much easier to make. One of my favorite tools for making sure I don’t rush into making decisions without thinking about them is called W.R.A.P. Widen Your Options Reality Test Attain Distance Prepare To Fail As can see, it has tools in it to help you slow down. It’s also a superior alternative to “trusting your gut.” In fact, Chip and Dan Heath who came up with it in their book Decisive did a lot of research on it for the book. They show that relying on gut instinct is often very harmful. (And it’s often a cognitive bias that drives us to rely on it anyway.) How do you remember to use the W.R.A.P. technique? You need to get thinking about it deep into your procedural memory. For that, a Memory Palace will help. Grab this free course so you know how to create and use one: Five: Lack Of Scientific Literacy Unfortunately, a lot of people leave school not knowing how to evaluate research. They often have limited numeracy skills. They also barely understand some of the core principles of science, such as: Sampling and generalizability Probability and coincidence Correlation and causation Differentiating fact from opinion Logical reasoning To remove these barriers from y

If you want to improve your ability to visualize, think clearly and remember more, proper image streaming is important. The best part is that you can learn to do stream images properly even if you do not have a strong “mind’s eye.” What’s the point of image streaming – and doing so in a better way? Well, just imagine being able to experience more of your inner genius on demand. Develop that ability and soon you’ll enjoy reading much more (including complicated books). Plus, your mind won’t feel so overwhelmed when you can instantly use mental imagery to focus on demand. In this post, I’ll actually teach you two different kinds of image streaming: passive and active. I used both while studying for my PhD at York University, and it remains one of my favorite practices in my writing and teaching career. Ready? Let’s get started. What Is Image Streaming? A lot of people attribute the streaming image concept to Win Wenger. Sure, Wenger wrote about it in a book called The Einstein Factor. Wenger defines the practice like this: “Image-Streaming consists of describing aloud, in as much detail as possible, to a live listener or an audience, or to a tape recorder as potential audience — while observing the ongoing stream of sensory imagery of all kinds.” Although there are some great things about Wenger’s book, it’s also packed with pseudoscience. And although it has some merit, I don’t fully agree with this particular definition of image streaming. Perhaps more alarmingly, there’s a stunning lack of awareness about Einstein. For one thing, Einstein is not known to have considered himself a genius. He probably had no time for such imprecise terms. If you’ve read The Unexpected Einstein, you’ll be aware of just how humble Einstein was about his discoveries. As Walter Isaacson shows in Einstein: His Life and Universe, Einstein had every reason to be modest. He’d actually borrowed the imagery he “streamed” from Aaron Bernstein. This was the influential author who “took his readers on an imaginary journey through space.” He also “asked readers to imagine being on a speeding train” as a bullet was shot through the window. Was imagine streaming part of how Einstein formulated the equations involved in general relativity? Absolutely not. “Image streaming” is a term Wenger apparently invented (if you can call putting two preexisting words together an act of invention). If anything, Einstein was mentally replaying images and concepts from Bernstein. This does not diminish Einstein’s accomplishments. Rather, it places them in context and allow us to ask a better question: Did Einstein use an image visualization technique to arrive at his conclusions? Absolutely. And you can too. We just want to be a bit more historically accurate and scientific about the process so we can get started on the best possible footing. One way to instantly “stream” better while reading the claims people make, such as the one above, is to use active reading strategies. Although you might not wish to call them streaming, a lot of them will certainly get you into a similar state of flow. The Deep History Of Image Streaming I don’t want to go back to the beginning of time, but we know that humans have been visualizing for a very long time. And if you are visualizing for more than a few seconds, that experience is… “streaming” from one second to the next. Who has streamed imagery perhaps more than any other group? Ancient Indian yogis. Buddhist monks. Dominican priests and practitioners of hermeticism. Modern teachers of positive visualization. For each of these groups, the ability to sit and focus on mental imagery has been key to allowing ideas to arise and for expanding the mind. For more details on how visualization was used in different periods of history, you can check out texts like: Pratyabhijñā (see The Recognition Sutras, a translation with commentary by Christopher Wallis and specific exercises that involve image streaming from Shaivism) The use of Mandalas and visualization sutras in a number of Buddhist schools and some koans in various schools of Zen Ars combinatoria in Hermeticism And there is so much more. Image Streaming And Pseudoscience Now, you might be thinking… didn’t you just accuse Win Wenger of pseudoscience? Aren’t all of these ancient traditions also linked with woo-woo? Well, yes and no. For one thing, Wenger says image streaming will increase your IQ. This claim is highly dubious, and I doubt that any of the traditions listed above have ever claimed image streaming will help in this regard. That said, when combined with active recall, image streaming will certainly help you remember various kinds of information much better. Second, we have tons of research demonstrating just how powerful practices like deity meditation are for enhancing the efficiency of your visuospatial processing. You’ll also want to check out the summaries of many scientific studies and brain scans in Andrew Newberg and Robert Wald

Why study philosophy? After all, aren’t philosophers just a bunch of people who use big words in unreadable books? I mean, think about it… Half the time it seems like they’re preaching to us about how we should act in the world while they bumble through their personal lives. Although that assumption can prove true more often than I’d like, the importance of philosophy is not owned by philosophers. It’s also not necessarily the “love of wisdom” as people often translate it from the ancient Greek, φιλοσοφία. As Emmanuel Levinas put it, we might do better if we think about philosophy as “the wisdom of love.” I find Levinas’ formulation useful because it reveals how better thinking can help us discover what’s truly important in life. And when we focus on allowing the love in wisdom to guide us, we will almost certainly respond to our fellow citizens from an elevated position. Sure, it might not involve “love” as such in a personal way, but it will certainly involve much higher levels of care. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU2Z9J-MijI Why is Philosophy Important? 7 Life-Changing Reasons In What is Philosophy? Deleuze and Guattari suggest that opinion is chaos. When you look at social media sites like Twitter, you almost feel like they must have had the ability to peer into the future when they wrote this book back in 1991. But if there’s one reason above all that makes philosophy important, it’s the reduction of random, chaotic influence. The more you develop yourself philosophically, the more you can avoid being yanked around by the chaos of opinion. With this point as our governing theme, let’s explore a few more reasons philosophy is so important. One: Systematic Analysis As different views and opinions flood the news and social media, instead of taking them at face value, you can use philosophical tools to pick them apart. How? There are at least 9 critical thinking strategies you can use. The more of these tools you have in your mental toolbox, the more you can overcome barriers that impede your thinking. By practicing this kind of analysis, you’ll also be better at perceiving systems as such. Systems that try and control you are everywhere and being able to spot them can help you avoid so much loss and agony in life. For example, when I was in university, my doctoral supervisor helped me see the ways in which the university bureaucratic system is a kind of game. After I submitted my dissertation, I took my new knowledge of how it worked and withdrew from the program. Why? Because the analysis my supervisor helped me with revealed that it could take an entire year for the committee to set a date for my dissertation defense. Once the date was set, I re-enrolled and wound up paying much less tuition than other students who didn’t know about this loophole. No one was going to tell me that was how the system worked. But when I learned how to analyze it, I saved a lot of money. I also saved a lot of grief later because if I had found out about this option, but not taken it, I would have mourned the lost money. Thinking philsophically helps you perceive and then remove the barriers that hinder your life. Two: Know When You’re Being Influenced Unfortunately, know matter how much we come to know what philosophy is, we all fall prey to gullibility from time to time. But the more we analyze the world around us, the more we can steep ourselves in positive influences while draining out the bad. And it’s important to note that even useful sources can sometimes deliver unhelpful ideas. We need to be able to spot influence as such. That way we can properly evaluate it. For example, I recently had to deal with a lawyer. He used a lot of tricky language to try and influence me. But because I could keep calm and objective as he spoke, I managed to better understand how he was trying to influence me. I ended up with a much better outcome as a result. These critical thinking books will help you develop the ability to seek top quality influences in your life and weed out the poor performers. These philosophy books will also help. Three: Interpret & Respond Optimally Events in the world create all kinds of emotional responses. But when you’re well-versed in philosophy, you’re equipped with a kind of “science of emotions.” You’re better able to perceive when you’re being irrational and use abstract thinking to pull away from your gut response. Now, you might be thinking, “Hang on, people keep telling me that I need to listen to my gut response, not ignore it.” True, there are some cases where you want to listen to your gut. Gavin de Becker’s The Gift of Fear has been personally helpful on that front. For example, when I’ve lived in big cities, I’ve had concerns on certain big holidays and stayed at home based on my instincts. In one case in Berlin, that was a very good thing because something tragic happened in the exact neighborhood I had intended to go. Following your intuition is great – but

It’s a popular perception among many people that listening to binaural beats has a special effect on the brain. They think binaural beats can help you follow a diet or stop smoking. Or they think these sounds can amp you up for a competition or calm you down, or even improve memory recall, focus and concentration. The question is… Doesn’t listening to any type of relaxing music have a similar effect? Possibly. In this post, we’ll find out if listening to specific frequencies can have a better impact on your mental prowess than listening to Mozart for Pink Floyd! What Are Binaural Beats? The word binaural means “having or relating to two ears.” The process works by sending a slightly different sound frequency to each ear. This has to be done simultaneously and through earphones or headphones. When two different pure tones are presented separately but simultaneously to each ear of a listener, the listener hears the illusion of a third tone. This third does “appears” in addition to the two pure-tones presented to each ear. And it is this third tone that is called a binaural beat. Let’s break this down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni1saxS5zVk When you play a 350 Hertz (Hz) tone in the left ear and a 360 Hertz tone in the right, it yields a beat with a frequency of 10 Hertz. This third beat is the binaural beat. The brain then uses a process known as ‘frequency following response’ to follow along at the new frequency (10 Hz). This process produces brainwaves at that rate of Hertz. However, this outcome (apparently) occurs only if the the difference matches the alpha frequency range that lies between 7-11 Hz. Music or white noise embedded with binaural beats is very often used along with different meditation techniques and positive affirmations to gain varying results. In the memory training and memory improvement world, some claim you will experience results ranging from improvement in recall, concentration, focus, creativity and alertness. There is more: Listening to these beats is also said to provide relaxation, stress reduction, pain management, and improved sleep quality. Who Heard Them First? A Brief History of Binaural Beats Binaural beats were first described in 1839 by Prussian scientist H.W. Dove. However, it was Gerald Oster’s article in Scientific American in 1973 that brought this process to modern attention. According to Oster, the tones needed to produce binaural beats had to be relatively low-frequency and the beats themselves were in the range of one to 30 hertz. This is the range the human brainwave frequencies fall in. What to know the real story? Humans have the ability to “hear” binaural beats as a result of evolutionary adaptation. “Many evolved species can detect binaural beats because of their brain structure. The frequencies at which binaural beats can be detected change depending upon the size of the species’ cranium. In the human, binaural beats can be detected when carrier waves are below approximately 1000 Hz.” (Oster, 1973) The Binaural Process In Real Music Of course, binaural beats in terms of therapy is quite different than the binaural process found in music. This process was apparently invented by Manfred Shunke who used models of the human head created with the help of computer design software. As music historian Rob Bowman wrote in the notes for Lou Reed’s Between Thought and Expression: “The detail was as precise as possible down to the size, shape, and bone structure of the ear and ear canal. Microphones were then designed to fit each ear so, theoretically, what they recorded would be exactly what a human sitting in the position the head was placed would actually hear.” Binaural Beats To Manage Pain: Why The Truth Matters For Your Memory Chronic pain impacts between 10-50% of the adult population, while costing U.S. businesses over $61 billion annually. The neuromatrix theory suggests that the brain’s inability to return to a state of equilibrium is at the crux of chronic pain (Melzack, 2001; Melzack, 2005). Binaural beats has been effective in synchronizing brain waves, also known as entrainment, with an external stimulus (Kennel, Taylor Lyon, & Bourguignon, 2010), and has been associated with a number of positive psychological outcomes (David, Katz, & Naftali, 2010; Lane, Kasian, Owens, & Marsh, 1998). Research shows that an external audio protocol of theta-binaural beats is effective at reducing perceived change in pain severity. How does this affect your memory? The answer is simple: Pain free people pay better attention to their surroundings. Freedom from pain means that your levels of focus and concentration are automatically better than when impacted by ongoing or recurrent pain. Being pain free is especially important for learning, something that requires high levels of concentration. Kind of like crossword puzzles require high levels of concentration (not that there is much evidence they will improve your memory). Speaking of

Believe it or not, using mnemonics can make you feel so great, it’s almost like your head is going to explode. On the one hand, it sounds obvious. When you can remember more, boosts in mood completely make sense. But what about feelings that are even more intense. Such as experiencing an “awakening”? Or even reaching a state of enlightenment? Not only do I believe it’s possible. I’ve read many accounts of such experiences in the memory improvement literature. I’ve even had mystical experiences myself. That’s why I jumped at the chance to talk with John Graham about it when he asked me about strange occurrences I’ve written and talked about a lot over the past few years. The only question is… What do we believe about our experiences? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcObjZbneMI That’s what John Graham and I discuss in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. Who Is John Graham? John is an incredibly accomplished mnemonist. In addition to being a memory athlete and memory expert, he’s extremely knowledgeable about focus and concentration – especially for business professionals who struggle with anxiety. John also have some next level memory training concepts that explain why he performs so well when it comes to winning at memory events like the USA Memory Championship. Why Talk About Enlightenment? The simple answer is… I don’t know. Free will – and its absence – is one of the key ideas that come up around topics of awakening and enlightenment. In fact, abandoning the sense of self is a hallmark of how many people talk about these experiences. We’ve seen it in the memory tradition from people like Ramon Llull and Giordano Bruno. Indeed, in On the Shadows of the Ideas, Bruno says he has light bursting out of his eyes thanks to his experiences with using memory techniques. You also find similar themes in St. Augustine’s work on memory. It’s a thread in Yates’ infamous Art of Memory. And in a very subtle way, the concept shows its face in Moonwalking with Einstein when Joshua Foer meets Tony Buzan and learns about becoming a “Warrior of the Mind.” I’m grateful to John for holding the conversation. Thinking critically through experiences like these is important. What do you think about memory training leading to states of enlightenment? Have you had similar experiences?

If you’re wondering why critical thinking is important, you might be tired of the same old explanations. The economy needs smart people… Critical thinkers are more creative… It makes you sound smarter… Well, yes. All of those things are true. But most posts only scratch the surface. On this page, we’re going to go much deeper into the topic. And we’re going to use critical thinking to do it. Ready? Let’s go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS7BZgAXSBc What Is Critical Thinking? Technically speaking, critical thinking boils down to two things: Objective analysis Accurate judgment Once you have those two things in place, you can make better decisions. Predictably. But a number of skills have to be in place before you can rely on this ability. You need: Care and concern for the truth Analytical thinking skills Interpretation Ability to judge the credibility of sources Ability to ask questions that clarify the issue at hand Inference Open-mindedness Self-correction and the desire to improve Ability to defend your decisions Historically, we can look to thinkers like Confucius and Plato. They looked not only at how individuals think, but tried to balance each self against entire societies. A true critical thinker is not trapped in his or her own mind, after all. They’re able to see the big picture and realize that individual minds are not merely influenced by other minds. They are constructed by them. According to Jonathan Haber in Critical Thinking, Aristotle is the first great critical thinker because he categorized and organized his thoughts about the world in the context of what others thought. In this vein, Aristotle worked on biology, politics, drama, logic, rhetoric and other thought processes. These categories still serve as what Haber calls “the building blocks of education.” Why Is Critical Thinking Important? So if you want to know why critical thinking is important, it really boils down to exactly Haber’s point: Because we have learned to think critically, we have those building blocks. We’re able to educate ourselves and others so that societies around the world can experience progress. Another way to look at it is like this: When humans weren’t capable of thinking very well, we suffered a lot more. But as our thinking abilities have grown, our suffering has decreased. Stephen Pinker is one of many thinkers who have demonstrated the validity of this point in books like Enlightenment Now. But we’re still just scratching the surface. Let’s look at some more reasons: One: Understanding Probability & Likelihood A lot of human history has involved guessing. People literally had no way of knowing what the weather would be like tomorrow, let alone making predictions about the stock market that could potentially make them rich. In today’s world, we learn to think probabilistically from a very young age. It’s a common part of mental strength that helps us avoid leading ourselves into traps. I’m talking about traps like golden handcuffs, or its alternative, slave’s luck. These are contemporary terms for the old phrase “selling your soul to the devil.” Because more and more people use critical thinking to see how employers trap them with false incentives and can use research to avoid miserable jobs, the world gets better. The more people think through the probabilities of future happiness, the better everything gets for everyone. And it’s not just about the future. Reflective thinking helps you tap into your past for important context. Context is important for our next point: Two: Comparison and Contrast Would you agree that eating a ripe orange is better than eating a rotten one? If you just said, “yes,” that’s because you know how to compare and contrast two different things. Critical thinking relies on this all the time for much more consequential issues in life. But this simple example demonstrates the importance of distinguishing between things. Three: Defining and Using Definitions In Critical Thinking, Robert Ennis offered the FRISCO model to help define critical thinking: Focus: identify the focus or central concern Reason: identify and judge the acceptability of the reasons Inference: judge the quality of the inference, assuming the reasons to be acceptable Situation: pay close attention to the situation Clarity: check to be sure that the language is clear Overview: step back and look at it everything as a whole There’s a reason that he starts this problem solving model with identifying the central issue. That’s because we need to be able to define things in order to make effective decisions. And once we can define things, we need to be able to compare and contrast various definitions. Four: Putting Solutions Into Action Have you heard of “analysis paralysis”? Too many people fall into it, but it’s not the fault of critical thinking. It’s coming from a lack of having effective critical thinking strategies. This criticism is valid because true critical thinkers must take action once they’ve decided

I’ve been using a Zettelkasten system since 2000 when I learned it in grad school. However, I’ve noticed that many people make the approach way too complicated! That’s a shame because the Zettelkasten method is about maximizing flexibility and increasing comprehension and recall. So on this page, I’ll share with you the interesting history of the Zettelkasten note taking approach. And I’ll share the incredibly simplified version I’ve used ever since it helped me earn my PhD. It’s helped me learn languages, write books and give talks from the top of my head. Better: I’ll also show you how you can combine the Zettelkasten approach with the Memory Palace technique. That way, you’ll enjoy much more high-powered results even faster. Ready? Let’s dive in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrN0kaE6DkY What Is the Zettelkasten Note-Taking Method? Directly described, “Zettel” means note and “kasten” is the plural for box in German. So a Zettelkasten method is a means of gathering small note together in boxes. This is done not only for organizational purposes, but also to optimize a spaced repetition process that helps form memories faster. There are many benefits of using this approach: Flexibility and Interconnectivity: Zettelkasten notes are not isolated entities. Instead, you’re actively interacting and interconnecting the building blocks of knowledge. You are literally building a web-like network of ideas in your mind. As a result, you’re much more likely to experience holistic thinking and enjoy new insights. Enhanced Retrieval: Zettelkasten enables efficient retrieval of information. With interconnected notes and a well-organized structure, you can easily locate specific notes, follow trains of thought, and access related concepts. This promotes effective learning and idea synthesis. Creative Sparks: The Zettelkasten method nurtures creativity by encouraging the emergence of unexpected connections and patterns. As you interlink different ideas, innovative insights can arise, leading to novel perspectives and unique solutions to problems. Knowledge Expansion: By actively engaging with your notes and continually adding to them, the Zettelkasten method promotes deeper understanding and comprehension while reading. It encourages active learning, visualization while reading, reflection, and the expansion of knowledge over time. Resilience against Information Overload: The Zettelkasten method helps combat information overload. It provides a structured framework for capturing and processing information, helping you filter, prioritize, and make sense of vast amounts of knowledge. The History of the Zettelkasten Usually, people trace the Zettelkasten method back to the early 20th century, particularly to the sociologist and information scientist Niklas Luhmann. Luhmann sought a system that could help him manage and connect a vast amount of knowledge and accomodate random ideas. However, it’s a misconception that Luhmann came up with the idea out of nowhere. To take just one source, Luhmann was inspired by the note taking method used by the renowned polymath and philosopher, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Stephen Wolfram has shared some images he took of Leibniz’s notes: A Pre-Zettelkasten Example from the philosopher and mathematician Leibniz. Other historical influences on Luhmann’s adaptation include Vincent Placcius‘s De arte excerpendi (the art of excerpting). Placcius organized the notes he took onto slips for distribution in alphabetized slots in a series of wooden boxes. He was apparently legendary for having a prodigious memory. And no doubt because using this simple note taking approach lends itself to neuroplastic changes to the brain so that it more closely resembles and operates like a dictionary or encyclopedia. Luhmann’s Contribution to the Zettelkasten Method Luhmann’s Zettelkasten consisted of index cards or slips of paper, each representing a distinct idea or concept. He meticulously organized and linked these notes using a unique numbering system and cross-references. This structure allowed Luhmann to explore complex topics, make connections, and more effortlessly navigate his intellectual landscape. Over the years, Luhmann refined and expanded his Zettelkasten, ultimately creating a colossal knowledge repository that housed over 90,000 notes. The Zettelkasten became an integral part of his research, which was considered prolific. Apparently, this approach lead him to make groundbreaking contributions in sociology, systems theory, and communication studies. The Mind-Blowing Efficiency of the Zettelkasten Structure Now, rather describing how others have used this approach, let me share the simplified style I’ve used for two decades. I’ve cut out so much unnecessary meta-note taking and kept only the core idea. This has helped me use the Zettelkasten method faster and

The Art of Memory is one of the most successful memory improvement books of all time. Ironic, given that its author says she never tried to use the memory techniques she discussed in such detail. Frances A. Yates made a mark nonetheless. She was a meticulous researcher and The Art of Memory is not her only book to touch on the world of mnemonics. Are you interested in the art of memory at large, Yates’ contribution to the tradition of using mnemonics through her famous book and some of the best strategies she uncovered? If so, let’s dig in and explore what Yates discovered about the method of loci. As we go, we’ll look at some of the historical figures who used the techniques to learn faster and remember more too. https://youtu.be/TG5Fdilr9YI?si=1b9i8aNaXsVcOB-O The Woman Behind The Art of Memory: Who Was Frances A. Yates? According to Marjorie Jones in Frances Yates and the Hermetic Tradition, Frances Yates was one of the most important intellectuals in postwar England. As Jones points out, Yates is also significant for women’s history. We tend to focus on scholars of memory like Aristotle, Ramon Llull, Giordano Bruno and Robert Fludd. But beyond Lynne Kelly, Mary Carruthers and memory athletes who share their mnemonics like Katie Kermode, there don’t seem to be many women in the conversation. In fact, many people express surprise when I use “she” and “her” to discuss Yates. Many people tend to assume she’s a man – an impression perpetuated by the fact that her picture is not included with any of her books that I’ve seen. Yates led a scholarly life, and Jones gives some indication that Yates may have treated one of her main topics, the memory master Giordano Bruno as a kind of symbolic father. But Yates died in 1981 before completing a biography she’d started and called the “B Book.” It would be lovely to know more about Yates’ life, especially the fact that she didn’t use memory techniques. Jones subtlety casts some doubt on this claim Yates makes in The Art of Memory. By many reports, her memory was actually quite good. That could be a result of context dependent memory, however, not Yates’ understanding of the ancient memory techniques she wrote about in such depth. Authors tend to spend a lot of time preparing and editing drafts, so it would not be surprising for her to have better memory than others for topics relating to memory and intellectual history at large. The Primary Principles of The Art of Memory As Yates discusses in The Art of Memory, her primary goal is to better understand Giordano Bruno. She wrote about him at length in another book, and in a work about Llull. Bruno also comes up in some of her work on Fludd. Contextualising Bruno’s historical moment is fantastic. To do so, Yates takes us all the way back to the ancient world. Many interesting names come up, and the core mnemonic strategies that go with them are: The Method of Loci, which is associated with Simonides of Ceos The use of memory techniques to give speeches as discussed in Rhetorica ad Herennium Memory wheels, thought to be originated by Ramon Llull Guilio Camillo’s “Memory Theatre” Rober Fludd’s “Theatre of the World” Giordano Bruno’s alphabetical method for rapidly developing mnemonic images Yates is particularly interested in how Bruno’s mnemonic strategies connect with his cosmological ideas. Not everyone agrees with Yates’ interpretation. For one thing, there have been new discoveries since Yates stopped writing about memory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNrJlDiGIpk Dilwyn Knox suggests that Yates’ interpretation of Bruno as a hermeticist is forced, and I agree. But as John Michael Greer has suggested, everyone who works on Bruno is bound to invent their own version. All of Yates’ discussion of memory techniques becomes even more complicated when we add in her claim that she never used the memory techniques under discussion. Ultimately, I don’t know, but some of the ways she discussed mnemonics does suggest she didn’t understand them through experience.   7 Memory Techniques (Mnemotechnics) From the Art of Memory In addition the memory techniques listed above, The Art of Memory discusses or at least mentions: The Memory Palace Number systems we now call the Major System or Dominic System Memory wheels Journey method Pegword method Spaced repetition Meditation on topics, or what we might now call reflective thinking Yates didn’t live to see some of the Aboriginal memory techniques we now know about from people like Tyson Yunkaporta and Lynne Kelly’s Memory Craft. But that’s okay. Yates finished writing The Art of Memory in 1965 after all. And we probably wouldn’t have the work of countless others without her inspiration. The Art of Memory: Has It Stood the Test of Time? It’s difficult to say. General

All successful learners set learning goals. Even if the exact path isn’t clear and there might be some wiggly lines involved, this truth matters above all: You can’t expect success from self-directed study programs without at least forming some kind of destination. And the truth is, having a clear destination in mind, isn’t always the best policy. Sometimes you have allow for a little wiggle room. If not a lot. As someone who has been both student and professor, I can help you from both sides of the coin. I’ve passed multiple exams based on many courses. But I’ve also gone on to learn on my own to learn new skills and research and write multiple books. To help you out based on solid scientific research and experienced earned from preparing many outlines for my memory goals, let me give you some examples you can model. And let me do even better than that: In this post, I’ll show you how to create a learning goal that actually gets you the outcome you want. Whether that’s learning a language, mastering a musical instrument or becoming an expert in a difficult topic, this is the blog post for you. How cool is that? Very cool, as you’re about to see. So let’s dive in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPfW-pDyrmc What Are Learning Goals? Learning goals are like destinations on a map. You have never been to the location, but you know that it exists. The reason you know it exists is either because others have been there, or others have tried to reach the destination. And this is an important point: A lot of people think that learning goals must be achievable. Frankly, I think we have every reason to believe this simply is not true. For example, must it be achievable that we do all we can to learn about space travel? We don’t know if it’s actually possible or not, but we’re doing it. To take a more down-to-earth example, I had no idea whether or not I would be able to understand many topics or learn some of the languages I’ve tackled. And right now, as part of my current learning cycle, I’m studying physics. It’s really hard to understand, but I take heart from a quote I found early on from one of the most renowned physicists, Richard Feynman: It is my task to convince you not to turn away [from physics] because you don’t understand it. You see, my students don’t understand it either. That’s because I don’t understand it. Nobody does. Ultimately, this means that the exact definition of learning goals is exactly what I’ve suggested: It’s a destination. And all you need is an inkling that the destination exists just as Richard Feynman and millions of other people make learning goals based on their intuition that physics and math exist. Examples Of Written Learning Goals Of course, it’s easy to theorize. Here are some examples of my own written learning goals so you can see the principles in action. Language Learning Goal Every time I sit down to study a language, I start off by writing down my intention. I started doing this years ago with German, and here’s what I wrote: By the end of one month, I will be able to hold conversations on everyday topics like travel, work and my hobbies. To accomplish this, I will memorize vocabulary and phrases in my language learning Memory Palaces daily and speak with a language exchange partner two times a week. I will listen to German radio and watch German movies for twenty minutes per day. Reading Challenge I rarely dread reading challenging books. But Gödel Escher Bach is legendary for its complexity and wards off many readers. But because reading it is essential for understanding memory and consciousness, I helped myself get through it by writing the following goal: Over the next 6 weeks, I will complete Gödel Escher Bach by reading at least 15 pages per day. I will write summaries as I go to better understand key themes in the book. I will also seek out at least three interviews with the author and take thorough notes from them. Mastering Philosophical Concepts A few ago, I decided I needed to understand Zen and related schools like Advaita Vedanta. For whatever reason, their core ideas had always evaded me. To get that task done, here’s what I wrote: In the next 6 months, I will thoroughly understand what these philosophical traditions mean by “no mind.” I will dedicate an hour each day to reading and an additional hour to practicing the recommended meditation techniques. I will supplement my understanding by watching lectures related to Zen and Advaita Vedanta. Did I succeed? Judging by the millions of views my TEDx Talk reporting on the mission has received, I’d say so. Why Is It Important To Set Learning Goals For Improvement? We need learning goals precisely because without a direction to follow, we wind up getting either nowhere, or someone other than we want to be. Having goals for our learning also helps us ide

Using memory techniques in combination with software programs like Obsidian is enticing, isn’t it? The promise is not only that you’ll remember more… faster… but you’ll also be able to make more mental connections. Although I personally don’t use software much at all in my learning journey, I have helped promote others who have great ideas and a proven track record of success. For example, years ago we took a deep dive into Evernote when it was still all the rage… Not that I ever hear anyone talking about that software anymore, however. These days, all I hear about is Obsidian. Or AI, especially in the positive ways Andrew Mayne has discussed artificial intelligence for better memory. That’s why when I learned about Aidan Helfant’s results using the software, my ears perked up. And I just knew I had to get him on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. Click play and listen in as we take a deep dive into the use of Obsidian as part of your learning strategy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbGBktY3cmY Who Is Aidan Helfant? Aidan is an incredible learner who is creating incredible tutorials that help students enjoy going to college much more. His excellent blog covers a number of very important learning strategies, from mastering the Memory Palace technique to overcoming distractions. Aidan’s teaching is well worth paying attention to because he focuses on the fundamentals: Learning habits Staying away from foods that are bad for your memory Aligning your true interests with your choice of degree The truth about multitasking for lasting success What it takes to really succeed at a university like Cornell In all things, I suggest you get into his work and apply the ideas he shares to what you want to learn a.s.a.p. Here’s where to find Aidan on YouTube and his excellent Twitter/X account. In all things, if you want to beat procrastination, create dense mental connections without having to explore mind map mastery, and fill your life with meaningful activities, Aidan’s a great new voice on the scene. Avoid the soul-sucking tedium of rote learning and actually enjoy studying for a change!

If you want to know how to rewire your brain, rest assured: You absolutely can do this. But you’ve got to avoid the charlatans. Far too many people are shilling “tricks” and “tips” for rewiring your neural pathways that just don’t work. That’s because they don’t follow a simple rule I’ll share with you today. Of course, simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. And that’s the catch the sharks in the water don’t want you to know. But I will share with you the pros, the cons and some of the ways that make it possible for you to stretch your brain cells, even if it feels challenging. Because that’s one of the other secrets that’s usually hidden from you: Neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells and neuroplasticity, the changing of the brain? Both require challenge. You literally do have to stretch yourself. Repeatedly, making sure that the challenges you take on align with positive habits like mindfulness, games and visualization. And when you take certain challenges on willingly, there’s no ceiling to how much you can improve the quality of your mind and mental abilities. Ready for what really works? Let’s get started! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRMHV9ao7wM Rewiring Neural Pathways: Can You Change Your Brain? It sounds like science fiction. But countless neuroscientists and other professionals have shown that you literally can change the physical characteristics of your brain simply by thinking in particular ways. This is the core premise of John Arden’s Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way To A Better Life. The title of this book refers to psychologist Donald Hebb’s famous finding that “Neurons that fire together wire together.” This statement has been validated by scientists countless times and is now known as Hebb’s Law or Hebbian theory. Sharon Begley has done great work in showing how the ancient sages were right and why meditation literally changes the brain. Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain is a great study that includes research about how to increase neuroplasticity through meditation. I’ve personally experienced the benefits described by Begley and other researchers like the authors of How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain. I wrote up my experiences in The Victorious Mind and shared them at a TEDx event. Long story short: Yes, you can change your brain. Why It’s Possible to Increase Neuroplasticity After Trauma According to Dr. Tim Dalgleish, it really comes down to intervention. For example, he and his research teams have studied using memory-based interventions for depression and PTSD. I didn’t know about these studies until after my own depression improved after using the same method of loci and Memory Palace interventions they used in their studies. And my student Nic Castle also reported relief from his PTSD. I was so inspired by the survivor story he shared on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, I wrote an entire “Memory Detective” novel that is influenced by it. (Nic was a police officer.) However, it’s important not to confuse the positive activities you’ll discover below with the idea that the brain somehow reorganizes itself following various physical and psychological traumas. These researchers have presented compelling that this is not the case. So please always remember that in order for the positive change you seek to take place, you need to willingly take action. That way, you’ll not only improve how your brain operates, but also keep it sharp as you age. Example Of An Intervention That Created Positive Neuroplasticity After reading Tim Dalgleish’s research, I followed his suggestion and created a simple Memory Palace with 10 positive memories. These work to “defang” negative memories because when you experience them, you intervene by using the Memory Palace to think of happy memories instead. I found this technique so useful, I went one step further by choosing a home from my youth that was packed with bad memories. But instead of filling it with bad memories, I filled by memorizing positive poetry written in Sanskrit. Since going through this exercise, it’s now possible for me to think about those experiences without re-traumatizing myself. My brain has been “rewired.” But it did take an intervention. And that’s the catch if you want to enjoy a rewired brain. You need some kind of behavioral interruption. Good news: I’ve got a bunch of activities that will give you exactly these kinds of positive interruptions, plus another essential ingredient. Just keep reading. 6 Methods to Rewire Your Brain for Memory Improvement As we go through this list of ways that you can enjoy the benefits of neuroplastic changes to your brain, keep challenge in mind. Also, repetition and focus. As all of the books and studies I’ve cited above demonstrate, taking on some kind of mental c

The world’s a challenging (and sometimes crazy) place, and that’s why everyone needs mental training. If you’re like me, someone dealing with multiple physical and mental health issues, training your mind regularly is even more important. That’s because it takes a particular kind of mind to show up to life, even when things are going good. See, you either want your brain to: Start doing something Stop doing something Resume doing something you started but dropped Or you have a learning situation where you just can’t get your memory to make something stick. What will help you make the change? Mental training. And here’s the very good news: Many scientists have studied what it takes to keep your mind and memory strong. And I’ve personally run a number of experiments I’ll share with you on this page. So if you’re a person who wants to enjoy a high-performance mind, you’ll love the tips and strategies you’ll find on this page. Let’s get started! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3gtp4B56-I Mental Training: The Superpower That Helps You Master Any Topic Or Skill Mental training is defined quite simply as anything you do to keep your mind sharp, focused and helping you move towards your goals. The main trouble with the idea of taking on various exercises is that in order to grow your mental strength, you need to choose specific exercises with a goal in mind. To help you think of the goal you might want to pursue, here are some of the main experts in the area of mental performance. Dr. Carol Dweck Dr. Dweck measures mental strength in terms of mindset. She distinguishes between having a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. She suggests that hard work, dedication, and training will train your mind on their own. However, this suggestion may not suit you. Many things involve several learning stages, and you may need to put some thought into where exactly you start. Diving straight into learning new skills without knowing where to begin can sometimes wind up unnecessarily frustrating you. Still, her book Mindset does contain some powerful suggestions, such as giving yourself a kind of cognitive behavioral therapy. If you get frustrated, she advises you not to call yourself stupid. Rather, she advocates replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. I can agree because I used to ridicule myself a lot until I learned to ask the self inquiry questions I shared in this TEDx Talk. Since learning how to stop filling my brain with so much mental noise, my concentration is so much better. You also can boost your concentration quickly if you wish. Dr. Anders Ericsson Some people attribute Dr. Ericsson with developing the concept of deliberate practice. Although he may have coined that term, musicians have been using this form of practice for centuries. Nonetheless, he scientifically demonstrated how focus on specific goals combined with targeted feedback can lead you to mastery in any given field. And he’s definitely right that you need continuous practice and some form of journaling to provide feedback if you want to achieve peak performance. As memory champion Johannes Mallow has shared, journaling has been a key part of how he trained his mind to improve as a memory athlete over the years. Dr. Richard Davidson Dr. Davidson has conducted impressive research on the brain to teach us about how it is affected by meditation and mindfulness practices. Similar to Dr. Dweck, he has found that simply starting the practice is a good unto itself. Meditation often makes more meditation easy to perform because of how it increases well-being and resilience. After a short while, you don’t have to force yourself to do it. You simply find yourself attracted to doing it. I’ve reported similar experiences in The Victorious Mind and shared more substantial concentration meditations you can try. Dr. Martin Seligman Dr. Seligman has studied both the bright and dark sides of mental training. For example, he studied learned helplessness. Before I used mental training to heal my problem with high places, I literally went out of my way to train my friends to help me steer clear of bridges. It wasn’t until I learned of his work that I was able to use mental training in a better direction. I’ve used concepts he’s talked about like learned optimism to cultivate a more positive attitude and enjoy more resilience in the face of challenges. Dr. Angela Duckworth Dr. Duckworth talks about the concept of grit. It’s definitely something we can all use, especially those of us who need perseverance and passion in order to achieve our long-term goals. Dr. Duckworth has suggested that grit is a better predictor of success than IQ, inborn talent or any level of natural skill or ability. Like Dr. Dweck, a theme of developing grit through hard work, resilience, and a growth mindset run throughout her work. 7 Mental Training Exercises to Unlock Your Min

David Kolb’s learning cycle is based on a simple idea: We cannot learn effectively or efficiently if we tackle a subject from just one angle. According to the science of learning? Kolb is right. The question is: why do people pick up a book and fantasize that they’re going to master the topic just by reading it? According to Kolb himself, there are a few reasons. One of which is that the cycle of learning is not just a process that you clunk through mechanically. Learning any topic or skill using study cycles is also an art and a craft. And if you haven’t been taught to think of learning that way by your teachers, then it’s good that you’re here. Because we’re diving deep into exactly what Kolb suggests. I think he’s right, and I’ll give you some examples and steps you can follow to make learning much easier. Ready? Let’s dive in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VRTDkZlJEA What Is Kolb’s Learning Cycle? David Kolb taught at Stanford University and wrote extensively on the topic of experiential learning. However, his research quickly found that merely having experiences was not enough. Reflective thinking about those experiences was required in order for proper learning to take place. He proposed four stages of learning: Concrete experience Observation and reflection Engaging in abstract thinking as you reflect Testing your ideas and conclusions He called this approach a “learning cycle” because once you reach the final stage, you’re supposed to return to the top of the list. You can do that either with the same topic or another subject you want to learn. However, in a chapter he co-wrote in Student Learning Abroad, he said that “the learning cycle is actually a learning spiral.” He changed the term because: “When a concrete experience is enriched by reflection, given meaning by thinking and transformed by action, the new experience created becomes richer, broader and deeper.” Long story short: If you want to use Kolb’s learning style, just follow the steps. Start by finding opportunities for concrete experiences, observe what’s happening, then reflect on the experience. Finally, abstract some principles using a variety of thinking types and use these to create new experiments that lead to more concrete experiments. Do You Have To Use Kolb’s 4 Learning Styles (Or Can You Use Your Own)? You do not have to use Kobl’s approach to learning. In fact, it has been heavily criticized and for good reason. For one thing, what isn’t an experience? If I think abstractly about something, how is that not also an experience of concrete thinking at the same time? That question might puzzle you, but if you consider how I define and use abstract thinking myself, it’s totally possible to start with abstractions. Or you can start with a hypothesis based on either a deduction or induction. Or you can start with an observation. Remember: Kolb was a theorist of how we learn. He was addressing teachers much more than students He wanted to help teachers create better learning environments for students so they could engage in what he called “holistic learning.” He thought of the student as both the receiver and actor based on the environment and processes provided by their teachers. The Kolb Learning Cycle adapted for teachers in Student Learning Abroad. You can adapt a lot from this simple diagram. But you don’t have to follow it exactly. And as I’ve just suggested, there probably aren’t many circumstances where it makes sense to do so. Everything is an experience, including sitting still to perform a concentration meditation where your goal is to try and experience nothing. How To Craft The Perfect Learning Cycle For Your Goals Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t adapt from Kolb’s learning styles and turn them into either a cycle or a spiral. I’m only saying that personally, I’ve got a PhD, two MAs and many other certificates. I’ve also written many books and created nearly 1000 videos for this website. But I’ve never used exactly what Kolb is talking about. Instead, I’ve always studied using the following steps. But please understand this: Although I offer them to you openly, they’re not meant to be a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all model. I don’t always follow these steps in the same order, either. Generally, they reflect my process and I think you’ll do well to adapt from them with knowledge and inspiration from Kolb. Step One: Write A Vision Statement Recently, I decided I was going to learn as much as possible about physics. It’s a tough topic and in many ways, I don’t have the prerequisite math for it. Still, I’m interested, so I wrote using my journaling process to try and figure out why. This is kind of like starting with the final step of Kolb’s cycle first: testin

Are you paracosmic? I know I sure am. And it was easy and fun to get there by developing my own paracosm, even if it took a bit of time. I’m talking about having hundreds of fantasy characters constantly rolling around in my mind. Real people too. Sadly, some people think this state of having a large mental population is some kind of disease… Frankly, even if it is a disease, I absolutely love my paracosm symptoms. I wish I could get more. And to explain exactly why, on this page, we’ll look into why it’s so beneficial to build and use a paracosm of your own. What Is A Paracosm? A paracosm is an invented world, typically populated by many imaginary characters. They could number in the dozens, hundreds or even the thousands. “Cosm” simply means world or universe. The Latin prefix “para” can mean many things: Alongside Beside Near Above Resembling Beyond And it can even mean “abnormal.” Huh? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZQGBJquR_g   In the Handbook of Dissociation, Barry Cohen talks paracosm in adulthood as something belonging to either abused individuals or artists, if not both. He defines it in terms of repressed images that go through “revisualization.” Now, I’m not saying that some people don’t suffer so badly that they create what Cohen calls a posttraumatic paracosm. But he is walking a thin line and practically reifies having a rich imaginary life as a disease. You’ll find a more balanced approach in Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them. In this book, Marjorie Taylor shows how it can be quite healthy. For example, she discusses the ways that Ancient Greek poets used to use the gods as their muses. The very idea that those gods exist and influence human affairs is an example of a very productive paracosm. Then we have more contemporary authors. For example, take the paracosm created by C.S. Lewis for his Narnia series of books. When I read them as a kid, I actively imagined all of those characters, and even added new ones by writing stories that took place in that world. Nothing could be healthier when you’re a kid than actively using your imagination. In this sense, having an invented world that lives alongside reality is rarely abnormal. And as we’ll see, people who use memory techniques have such a world living alongside them all the time. If Having A Paracosm Is Abnormal, What Are The Symptoms? In Anti-Oedipus, Deleuze and Guattarri famously argue out that capitalism creates mental illness. What they mean is that capitalism requires you to justify your existence by participating in an economic system premised upon the notion of production and growth. People who can’t follow along with this are often deemed mentally ill. You can see this in the Cohen article where you claims that a key symptom of having a paracosm is a lack of “growth.” Sadly, entire industries have developed in order to sell medicines and other forms of therapy to help people “fit in” and “grow” according to an economic agenda. So if you find that you or a loved one is lost in a paracosm to the extent that participating in the capitalistic system is impossible, then you might have “symptoms.” These might include struggles to: Learn new skills Communicate Remember things like important details, names, appointments, etc. But what if the symptom of having a paracosm could be having a better memory? This is where developing your own paracosm circle comes in. 3 Steps To Build Your Own Paracosm Circle I mentioned at the outset that I went out of my way to create my own paracosm and link it to both the standard Memory Palace technique I use and the virtual Memory Palace approach. Why? Because I needed to remember a lot of information fast. At that time, a major depression practically destroyed my ability to focus or concentrate on my PhD studies and dissertation preparation. And a ton of negative memories kept coming up. Then I discovered memory techniques. One principle of these techniques is association, often based on fantasy characters. Memory athletes and memory experts often create what is called a PAO System to organize their characters. A variation technique is the pegword method. Then, you arrange these in a Memory Palace. The Memory Palace helps you associate your familiar characters with information you don’t know. And it lets you revisit both your fantasy characters and the information at the same time. To help you understand this better, I’ve created a free course called Memory Palace Mastery. Register here: This kind of paracosm imaginary world is extremely powerful. I wish I’d created one like it much, much earlier! Here’s how to build one step-by-step. Step One: Create An Alphabetical Paracosm Circle Learn the Memory Wheel technique of Ramon Llull. Basically, you create a circle in your mind built from the alphabet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opmb-mU-KPI Step Two: Link Each Letter in the Paracosm Circle To A Figure This step is fun. When you think of the letter A, link it to either an ex

Paul Pimsleur wanted language learning to be fun, interesting and engaging. He spent much of his career finding ways to make language learning keep the attention of students without them needing to refer to a dictionary. To do this, he focused extensively on the specific words and phrases his various programs involved. He also included a variety of spaced repetition elements within short learning sessions. We talk about shrinking attention spans now, but even back in 1972, one of his books suggests that students of that era could not focus on a paragraph with more than 200-300 words in it. Since very little has changed for better or worse, many people still seek out and try the Pimsleur approach. But what is it exactly? And how can you know in advance if a Pimsleur language program will work for you? Good news: In this Pimsleur review, I’m going to share my experiences with it as a learning and memory expert. I’ll tell you why parts of his approach work and how to enhance those parts. That way, if you’re going in cold, you can hit the ground running. And if you already have a bunch of Pimsleur books or audio recordings kicking around, you’ll now be able to get much more out of them. Ready? Let’d dive in. https://youtu.be/ROCC8iJKxYw What Is The Pimsleur Method? The Pimsleur Method accomplishes a few things at the same time: Introduction to new vocabulary and phrases Listening and comprehension practice Voluntary speaking practice Exposure to passive, irregular spaced repetition A relatively weak invitation to voluntarily use active recall Having read a few of Dr. Paul Pimsleur’s textbooks, I feel that he was a credible educational innovator. There’s some real genius in what he put together, even if it has several weaknesses. The main weaknesses have to do with a combination of user error and “faults” common to all self-study programs: The individual has to bring their own personal volition and mental strength to get through the lessons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulEmB1lDjoA So whether you’re using one of the now dated Pimsleur textbooks (like the ones he made for Spanish and French) or an audio program, here’s the first thing to consider: Are you mentally stimulated by reading books on your own or listening to audio programs in a quiet study place where you won’t be disturbed? These are important considerations because that’s what the Pimsleur approach is: A technique that involves you studying from a book or an audio program on your own. You listen by yourself and repeat words and phrases based on a kind of mix of spaced repetition and context dependent memory exercise. This means that you could become quite good at “playing the game” while listening to the recordings and responding. But you won’t necessarily be able to read or speak the language in a real life situation. And if you’re a learner who needs interaction with others, Pimsleur risks being incredibly boring. But for what it is, the approach is definitely legitimate. It’s just not something that’s going to help you develop fluency for reasons we’ll discuss in a minute. How Does the Pimsleur Method Help You Learn a Language? The answer is that the Pimsleur Method doesn’t help you learn a language at all. And it can’t. It’s especially weak in some cases because it’s almost purely auditory. Even if you go through the guidebook, it won’t help you learn the hiragana or katakana, for example. It’s also weak because if you aren’t aware of how to supercharge it with mnemonics, you’ll quickly fall into rote learning. But don’t give up hope because it can help you develop some basic vocabulary and pattern recognition quickly. Let me share an episode from when I first started learning Chinese to show how specifically it helped me. Instead of expecting the Pimsleur program in Mandarin to help make me fluent, I used it for some basic vocabulary and phrases. That realistic mindset is key: I approached it as a tool, not a magic bullet. While listening, I actively engaged with the audio material by writing down a version of what I was hearing. Then, without resorting to Anki or flashcards, I memorized the material using a Memory Palace. I next wrote out what I memorized from memory and took the material into lessons with language tutors I found using some of the best language learning software. And yes, the Pimsleur Method helped me quite a bit as a source for some basic familiarity with Chinese. I previously used it this way for German too. The Pimsleur Method vs Other Auditory Memory Techniques This question is easy to answer: Most Pimsleur programs are dated. They often give you phrases in situations that are much less relevant in the 21st century than when they were recorded. This isn’t a total deal breaker. But Olly Richards has been doing amazing work by creating audio prog

If you’re learning a new foreign language, the Memory Palace technique is one of the most powerful tools you can use. I know this from experience, not theory. I’ve used Memory Palaces to learn and retain vocabulary and phrases in multiple languages, from German and Mandarin to Hebrew, Latin and Sanskrit. But here’s the truth: A lot of people try the Memory Palace method for language learning and quickly fizzle out. Why? Because they unknowingly waste energy on the wrong approaches to using the technique. That’s completely avoidable. So on this page, I’ll walk you through exactly how to use Memory Palaces the right way for language learning, drawing upon my decades of experience teaching and using these methods personally. That way, you can use this incredibly powerful learning technique to supplement your language learning adventure. By the end, you’ll know how to avoid every common pitfall and walk away with a flexible, fun and fast system for remembering thousands of words and phrases. Let’s get started. https://youtu.be/3taeoaGe1es First, Avoid These Memory Palace Mistakes If you’ve tried using a Memory Palace to develop your fluency in another language and struggled, this first mistake is important to avoid. Stop blaming yourself. A lot of memory training on the Internet lacks nuance. Worse, a lot of it is designed to peak your interest with big promises, but not teach you anything. That’s not happening here. In reality, the technique works wonderfully for speeding up retention with any information. Beyond not having good sources of information, people struggle because: One Memory Palace is not enough The Memory Palaces they do have are poorly designed They do not use visualization and elaboration optimally They do not use their Memory Palaces with a proper spaced repetition strategy They do not situate the technique in the larger context of what it takes to learn a language They are not realistic about how many languages you can realistically learn at the same time Not exploring the technique in combination with tools like Anki, The Freedom Journal or flashcards They give up too soon Again, forgive yourself if you’ve encountered any of these situations before. We’re about to solve everything together. Can a Memory Palace Really Teach You a New Language? The Buddha reportedly said that “Expectation is the quickest path to suffering.” And a lot of people mistakenly think that the Memory Palace technique is going to magically “teach” them the language or make them fluent. But remembering vocabulary and phrases is not just a solitary activity. It’s a communal one. This is a key point made by Tim Doner in a TEDx Teen Talk where he also shows how he used the Memory Palace technique. To see such a young person so wisely embedding this ancient memory technique in the larger principles of what it takes to learn a language is inspiring. Because that’s what it takes: Use the Memory Palace as a tool from a toolbox containing other tools, not a magic bullet. What are some of those other tools? Language learning books Stories in foreign languages Speaking partners and community which some language learning software programs provide How to Use a Memory Palace for Language Learning The key to getting your first Memory Palace optimized for language learning involves the following steps. A lot of them come down to proper design, planning and exactly how you place foreign language vocabulary and phrases in your Memory Palaces. Your top priorities are: Making sure you’re using a true Memory Palace Making sure you can navigate it naturally Making sure you don’t trap or confuse yourself Making sure it works for Recall Rehearsal (spaced repetition) Making sure you have multiple Memory Palaces Making sure you populate the Memory Palaces with truly Magnetic Imagery Making sure you learn to scale from individual words to entire sentences Let’s go through each of these steps in order. One: Use A True Memory Palace By “true” Memory Palace, I mean basing your Memory Palace on a location you already remember. Some people don’t mind spending the time to memorize a location in order to use it. Or they are happy to base a Memory Palace on a video game, movie or even a story. All of these are what I call Virtual Memory Palaces. By all means, experiment with these forms. But if you find yourself spinning your wheels, come back to the principle of basing each Memory Palace for foreign language learning purposes on actual locations. Chances are you’ll be much more successful. This better outcome happens because you’re reducing the cognitive load by simply laying out associations on a journey you already remember. This principle reduces errors and saves time. Segmenting space you already remember is what distinguishes a Memory Palace from a Memorized Palace. Two: Navigate Your Palaces Natural

If you want to know how to visualize clearly and effectively, you probably already have a vision statement written. You have written out a vision statement by hand, haven’t you? If the answer is “no,” then I’m here to tell you that your visualization is neither clear nor complete. And that means you’re still struggling to achieve your goals. If you’re still not living the life you want, study this page carefully. You’re about to learn how to visualize images in your mind that will make it impossible not to become the architect of your dreams and fantasies. Better? You’ll also learn how to be the builder of your success. Here’s what this post will cover: How to Visualize Clearly: 7 Tips For Success 1. Don’t Stop At The “Visual” 2. Have a Written Vision Statement 3. Mind Map Your Vision 4. Create a Treasure Map 5. Do a Visualization Meditation 6. Journal Daily 7. Plan Your Action Steps Visualize Images Based On Existing Competence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4WEO-8Wem8 Let’s dive in! How to Visualize Clearly: 7 Tips For Success Ready to learn how to visualize better? Here are 7 pointers. 1. Don’t Stop At The “Visual” Far too many people think that “visualization” is about seeing clear pictures in their minds. Not only is this single-sensory form of dreaming your way to success extremely limited — it also fails to really help you access all levels of your experiential brain. Instead, you want to tap into every possible sensation you can muster. That’s why I want you to memorize this simple acronym: KAVE COGS These are the eight most powerful senses of multi-sensory visualization I know: Kinesthetic Auditory Visual Emotion Conceptual Olfactory Gustatory Spatial Every time you visualize images, make sure you’re also feeling, smelling, tasting, hearing, and emotionally experiencing your goal. 2. Have a Written Vision Statement A written vision statement is a simple, 2-5 page declaration of what you want to achieve in your own words. Words are just as “visual” to your brain as images, with each word acting like an interpretable picture at the conceptual level. Plus, by writing out your vision you symbolically and literally signal to your brain that you value your goals. You “see” yourself taking action and it becomes a lived experience. Plan to write multiple vision statements. It is a repeatable activity and each time you it will serve you well. So too will these additional 5 visualization exercises. 3. Mind Map Your Vision A mind map, on the other hand, is more visual in the traditional sense. Here, you will use a combination of words and drawings to let yourself conjure up your goals at a glance. I was very fortunate to learn mind mapping directly from Tony Buzan. In fact, I mind mapped the Magnetic Memory Method mission under his personal tutelage back in 2016 and still follow the vision you see represented above. I find this approach very useful because mind maps are big, colorful and you can place them in your work area. This keeps you focused on the goal — and helps ensure you never forget what you’re working to achieve. 4. Create a Treasure Map To use this technique, which is similar to mind mapping, open a Word document and search for images that represent your goals. In the above example, I made it my vision to publish multiple books, travel the world, and play in a band. So I added images that represented these outcomes. Within a few short months, using a combination of all the techniques you’re reading now, I was out on the road — and I’ve never looked back since. The trick is to print out a couple of copies and keep them where you can see them. 5. Do a Visualization Meditation To experience a visualization meditation, sit on the floor, on the side of your bed, or on a chair. Close your eyes and bring your goal to mind using KAVE COGS. I like to go through each experiential mental image in that exact order because it’s easy to remember the stack. For example, if you want to master playing a musical instrument and have learned how to memorize a song, start with kinesthetic sensations. That means you might imagine the feeling of holding your instrument or the stage beneath your feet as you step in front of an audience. Then hear the music flowing out of you. See the stage next, including the lights, the audience, and your fellow musicians. Let the emotions roll through you and carry on with the rest. Powerful stuff, isn’t it? Add a walking meditation to the mix and the other varieties I teach in The Victorious Mind: How to Master Memory, Meditation and Mental Well-Being and watch the results unfold. 6. Journal Daily When I was learning how to visualize effectively, journaling was key. In fact, I still journal a “Perfect Present” vision statement every day. It goes like this: I wake up healthy and strong. The worth of my being is great. I live in joy and abundance. I meditate, exercise and eat well. My passive income exceeds my lifestyle by 10x. I write and play music every day in joy and abundance.

Have you ever wanted to memorize Psalms from the Bible? Or that matter, any verbatim text? If so, delve into the extraordinary story and memory tips gifted to us today by Matt Barclay. I mean, get this: Matt experienced challenging memory issues following a cardiac arrest. Yet, using the Magnetic Memory Method, he recited almost an entire Psalm from memory! In public. Without breaking a sweat. Matt’s triumph is a true testament to the power of resilience, memory techniques, faith and using the Memory Palace technique to accomplish meaningful goals Especially inspiring is how Matt rose up from the cognitive challenges created by a cardiac arrest to become a fearless master of Bible memory. This episode of the Magnetic Memory Method combines heartfelt conversation and strategic analysis of Matt approaches memorizing scripture. Listen in as Matt shares his profound insights, guiding us through the intricate process of harnessing the mind’s potential to recall and recite scripture with unwavering confidence. Prepare to be moved and inspired. Matt’s incredible journey exemplifies the unyielding power of the human spirit and the triumph of action over adversity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiY58Z1ApCc How Matt Barclay Memorized So Much Of The Bible, So Quickly Here’s the good news: Memorizing scripture is not rocket science. Far from it. Whether you want to memorize a short prayer or even long passages to include as part of a memorized presentation, you have options. As Matt explains in this discussion, he started off using one of many linking-type methods, in this case the one described by Harry Lorayne. Although linking can be perfectly suitable for short lists, it’s not a particularly strong memory technique for any kind of verbatim text. That’s when Matt found the Magnetic Memory Method and the Memory Palace solution. It provides you with a much more flexible mnemonic strategy. You can use it to memorize the books of the Bible, and scripture in any language. How do I know? Because I’ve memorized a lot of scripture in Sanskrit and a smaller amount in Latin. Here’s a longer Sanskrit demonstration and a detailed case study of memorizing some of the Book of John in Latin. Even Mike McKinley who felt like he wasn’t using spatial memory still had a component of it in his 66 Psalms memory project. Ultimately, it helps to have solid reasons why you’re memorizing Scripture. If you need motivation, here are six reasons why memorizing scripture is worthwhile – even if you’re not a believer. How You Too Can Use The Memory Palace Technique To Memorize & Retain Biblical Scripture As Matt discovered, the principles I share in my memory courses really matters. The key principles boil down to: Create your Memory Palaces in advance Make sure you don’t lead yourself into dead ends Don’t burn mental energy on crossing your own path Use proper mnemonic images Gear everything toward an effective spaced repetition strategy For scripture, I also suggest you give yourself a lot of space. One of my longest pieces uses the entire neighborhood you see in the illustration above. It’s not possible to always predict exactly how much space you might need when you start. So it’s a best practice to design your journey so you can always add more Magnetic Stations if you need them. There’s a lot more to say in terms of the tactics you can easily learn. So if you want to learn more, check out How to Remember the Bible for additional details. You can also sign up for my free course: It will help you master the fundamentals of the Memory Palace quickly. I hope you enjoyed this impressive and incredibly practical demonstration of memorizing scripture and reciting it from memory. I’m grateful to Matt for sharing this part of his journey and would love to hear from you if you’re also memorizing the Bible or other verbatim texts.

Is it a sign of genius if you sound like a walking encyclopedia during a conversation? Or are you just annoying? How about being able to rattle off the names of every political leader in the history of your country? And their key contributions? Although such abilities might be signs of extreme intelligence, they could indicate something else. In my view, we need to be careful when throwing around terms like “high intelligence” and “genius.” Many people tend to have tunnel vision and think of genius as a very narrow repertoire of abilities. But as you’re about to discover, true signs of a high IQ operate quite differently. So let’s dive into the most common signs of true genius and pick up some tips on how to improve your intelligence along the way. What Does It Mean to be a “Genius?” Ever heard of a “genie in a bottle”? Although the word “genius” is probably not directly related to the Arabic Jinn where this mythical idea comes from, there are similarities between the words. Our word genius in English descends from the Latin for “guardian deity or spirit which watches over each person from birth.” It also can mean wit and talent, or even generative power. And that’s what we usually mean today: a genius has some kind of powerful intelligence or enhanced ability to create something or perform with skill. The individual might display linguistic intelligence, musical mastery or even draw upon synesthesia or hyperphantasia if they have such conditions. https://youtu.be/p84AmBUl7qo The Science Behind Finding Signs of Genius Right or wrong, there’s a lot of folk wisdom around what genius means. The term is thrown around fast and loose and a lot of people get duped into thinking they are less intelligent as a result. But scientists have spent quite a lot of time and energy trying to nail down where exactly the brain produces intelligence. Einstein’s brain was preserved for study, and reportedly even stolen at one point. Scientists noted a certain thickness to parts of Einstein’s brain, but this probably had more to do with his deliberate practice of music than physics. In the 80s, Norman Geschwind and Albert Galaburda created a watershed of ways to think about how intelligence develops when they dug into the topic in Cerebral Lateralization. These neurologists demonstrated the different ways the left and right hemispheres of the brain develop and theorize why some people have larger right hemispheres than others. Frankly, this data is very important to consider in addition to studying people with the highest IQ scores. “Reverse Psychology” Often, scientists need to look at brains that have undergone traumatic brain injury to help them draw conclusions about how different areas of the brain related to intelligence. That, or they study the brain scans of neurodiverse people experiencing autism, savantism or even a condition called hyperthymestic syndrome that creates the illusion of photographic memory. It’s important to study these alternative cases because we see a lot of new trends emerging recently. There’s also not really such a thing as a “normal” brain. The most recent studies of chess players, for example, have shown no special transference of their playing skills to intelligence in other realms. But you’d think there would be, especially when using memory techniques for chess. Aren’t grandmasters trained to make critical decisions? Yes, but that doesn’t mean they transfer to any other aspect of life. Now that we have more data and better ways of parsing it, earlier conclusions about chess players and enhanced critical thinking abilities are no longer considered true. In other words, if you want to increase your IQ, it’s helpful to look at many examples and focus your attention on activities that do transfer. And since the ego is involved when trying to improve your intelligence, you’ll need to overcome many critical thinking barriers. To help you with that, let’s look closer at the different ways our society thinks of genius and “reverse engineer” how we can improve our own minds. 7 Signs of High Intelligence That Could Indicate Genius As we go through this list, there’s no order of importance to consider. However, each of the genius traits I’ll cover have something to tell us about how we can make ourselves smarter. Let’s dive in! One: Intense Interest In a 1992 essay, “Why Children Follow in their Parents’ Career Footsteps,” Laband and Lentz pin everything on how kids observe their parents. Social forces like economic potential by going into other fields plays a much smaller role. Laband and Lentz even argue that genetics isn’t nearly as powerful in determining a child’s future career. This conclusion is different from Francis Galton’s notion of Hereditary Genius. Galton thoug

You’re standing in the kitchen with the refrigerator door open. You know you’re not hungry, but for some reason you’re staring inside. You think to yourself, “What was the reason again I’m here?” But nothing comes. Your mind is blank. You can’t remember why you went into the kitchen at. “Curse this short term memory of mine!” you say. “If only I had a better memory…” Do You Make This Epic Mistake About Your Memory? Many people give up on trying to learn a foreign language because they have this notion that they don’t have the memory for all of the vocabulary words involved. We’re here to dispel that myth. Many believe a strong memory is something you are either born with, or are lacking and are doomed for all of eternity. People watch the World Memory Championships and think “Man … I could never be like that”. The truth is, improving your memory is a coachable skill that like any coachable skill, can be improved upon by proper training. We’re not talking about training through rote memory, which is simply the process of memorizing through repetition. We’re talking about the use of Mnemonics. How To Understand Why You Remember Some Spanish Words And Forget Others Before defining mnemonics, let’s try and understand why we remember certain things, and forget others. Thanks to your inborn cognitive abilities, your mind takes in information through any of our five senses during the day. It has the chance to accept or reject thousands of stimuli at any given point. Right now, while you are sitting and reading this article, pay attention to all of the external stimuli to which your mind can pay attention. Where are you? What are you staring at? How do you feel? Are your shoes too tight? Do you smell anything? Are your taste buds still active from the last meal you had? In order retain that which is important, the mind needs to filter out that which is not. This point brings us back to our earlier question: Why do we pay attention to some items while discarding others? The answer lies in the significance that we place on the external stimuli. The Blazingly Obvious Truth About Organizing New Spanish Words In Your Mind What did the 13th person you saw today look like? Can’t remember? What if you saw a clown walk by you today holding 6 puppies while crossing the street. Would you remember that? I bet you’d remember that not only today, but for many years to come. Why? Because it was a unique experience to which you attached significance. Training your mind to remember anything at any given time is a simple task once you are prepared to attached significance to the item you are trying to remember. Here’s a quick question: What is easier to navigate? A large filing cabinet with forty index cards containing one word on each of them, randomly dispersed in the cabinet. Or a small filing cabinet with 1,000 index cards containing one word on each of them, each set up alphabetically? The key to training your mind to memorize any content is to attach significance to each item and organize the information in your brain effectively. While there are many ways to train your mind to do so, we are going to focus on association. Big yellow balloon. What are the first thoughts that come to your head? Birthday party? Children? Celebration? The mind is constantly associating new information with information we are already familiar with. The key to organizing information in your brain effectively is to use association to link items together. Rubber band, keychain, eraser, river, drum, jelly, magic wand, mud, dart, ice cube. How To Take Charge Of Information Using Linking And Stories How can we apply what we just learned to remember the items listed above? Let’s start with associating and linking the first two items to each other. Now, we could just imagine a rubber band on a keychain, but remember, in order to remember something we need to make it unique. Add some significance to it. A rubber band on a keychain is too ordinary for us to find any uniqueness and attach significance to it. What if we imagine shooting a rubber band and it landing in someone’s pocket, attaching to their keychain. That would be a unique event that you would probably remember, would you not? Now what if we took that keychain, and imagined getting rid of it entirely by erasing it with an eraser? and what if the friction from rubbing the eraser was so strong that your hand caught fire, and you had to put it out in a river? But while you were in the river, someone threw you what was supposed to be a lifeboat but was instead a drum? So you took some jelly, but rather than sliding the drum off of you with it( that would be too plain), you broke off a piece of the drum and made a drum and jelly sandwich? And as you did that, you got some jelly stuck in your teeth and had to use a magic wand to pick the jelly out. Now, instead of picking the jelly out, you just turned it from jelly to mud. So you asked a friend to throw a dart at the speck of mud in between your

How I Memorized German Phrases Every Day For A Year Guest post by Richard Gilzean Note: What follows is a deconstruction of the steps I took (and continue to take) to improve my German. But rest assured, these same steps will work for memorizing phrases in any language. Sound good? Regardless of whether you’ve been learning a second or third language for a while, or just starting out, this approach to memorizing foreign languages will help you. In the beginning was the Word SENTENCE.   You might be wondering: Why learn German phrases and not just individual words? Good question. The answer is that we all read, write, listen and speak in sentences, or fragments thereof. The sentence is at the core of any language and learning to master the sentence should be considered. Even the most basic language guide book for travelers teach simple German phrases that follow syntax. Don’t get me wrong. Words are beautiful in their own right. We all should invest in the time to learn what a word means and how to best use it. And this is achieved by working those words into sentences as you work on your bilingualism.   How I Built My “Internal GPS” (And You Can Too)   Before launching into memorizing my first German phrase, I designed the Memory Palace system that would store them. I’ve been interested in the art and craft of memory training and self-improvement for a couple of years. But I only really started to use Memory Palaces for language learning specifically after coming across Anthony’s book How to Learn and Memorize German Vocabulary which, in turn, led me to the Magnetic Memory Method website. Recommended resource: The Magnetic Memory Method Masterplan. Anthony’s approach to teaching anyone how to learn, memorize and recall vocabulary, names, mathematical formulas and pretty much anything that can be memorized is both well-structured and comprehensive. So I’ll just highlight the essential components as they relate to learning languages and all of you who have been following Anthony’s site will be familiar. Have a store of real locations to house your sentences. Imagine real concrete / tangible objects or people that are creative, vivid, colorful and zany. Therefore, not just an elephant, but a pink pygmy elephant with Dumbo-like ears and with a runny trunk. Schedule time for practice so the sentence can work its way into your long-term memory. You’ll need to draw from your own personal memory bank a real location in which to store your sentences. It can be a place you know well, like the house you live in, or the place where you grew up that holds its own strong memories. It can be a route you follow regularly, such as a park or your daily commute from home to work. With a little practice you can come up with more than enough Memory Palaces. While there are some general guidelines about how to make your Memory Palace effective, there is a lot of divergent opinion on how to make best use of your own Memory Palaces because no two thought processes are alike. Because I knew I would need a large location to hold my expanding sentences, I chose a route that ran from the front door of my house, along the street, through a local park and over to my son’s local primary school – some 400 meters in total.   From AA to ZZ: Where I Keep My Memorized German Phrases   But before you set off on your journey, you’ll need to figure out your memory anchors. Think of the process like mental orienteering where you go for a jog in your mind along a set trail and arrive at control points along the way. To help, I created an excel spreadsheet with an index of initials for names of famous people, friends and cartoon characters, running all the way from AA to ZZ. This process took a little time to work through and I made some compromises along the way. In particular, I left out the letters Q – X – Y (just too hard to come up with names). I ended up with a list of 600 names running from Andre Agassi to the bearded rockers from the band ZZ Top. Six hundred names means, in theory, I am able to memorize at least 600 foreign language sentences. Running alongside my list of names I also have a separate list of 100 what I refer to as my memory tag words. These words use the well-established mnemonic Major Method which is a technique used to aid in memorizing numbers and has been used in memorize shopping lists, the sequence of a shuffled pack of card and memory competitions. The Major Method works by converting numbers into consonant sounds, then into words by adding vowels.   How To Choose Which Phrases To Memorize   Armed with my list of 600 names and 100 Major System tag words, I now have the memory anchors in place to hold my German sentences. I also have the memory route from my house to my son’s primary school. There is a smorgasbord of foreign language sites out there to choose from, but the question is, which phrases s

Mental imagery describes your brain’s ability to do something amazing: You can literally recreate sensory experiences without experiencing external stimuli. In other words, you can “see,” “hear,” “feel” and even experience concepts purely by imagining them. Or can you? There’s tons of data about what mental imagery is. Oodles of opinions. Lots of debates. And unfortunately, very little consensus. That’s fine. That’s what science is all about. But when it comes to memory, both in terms of psychology and using the Magnetic Memory Method to achieve your learning goals, you need a better definition of mental imagery. And on this page, you’re going to get it. Not only will you discover everything you need to know about mental imagery’s role in psychological perception. You’ll also be able to use your newfound understanding to transform abstract data into memorable experiences, making your learning more effective, efficient and fun. Ready? Let’s dive in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88N_0mQQXo8 What Is Mental Imagery? In cognitive psychology, the definition of mental imagery is straightforward. It’s usually defined as “the ability to create and manipulate images in one’s mind without direct sensory input.” But “images” aren’t just pictures or visual representations. We’re also talking about how the mind produces and manipulates auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory experiences. Other people think of mental imagery in terms of visualization techniques for success, either in business or sports performance. That’s perfectly valid too. I often pre-visualize myself giving a speech and used to rehearse entire concerts in my mind before going out on tour with my band, The Outside. How the Philosophy of Mental Imagery Differs From the Science Then there are the philosophical debates. In many them, many scholars of mental imagery challenge to the point of dismissal some of the most interesting findings in books like The Case for Mental Imagery. In that interesting work, Stephen Kosslyn party treats mental imagery as spatial and suggests there’s a 1:1 correspondence between the location of images in the world and where the brain stores them in memory. Although the philosophical debates are not without reflective thinking, those dismissing Kosslyn seem to be pleading for their own special definition. I’m all for the pursuit of truth, but sometimes it gets to be a bit much. Mental Imagery in Other Fields (Like Memory Training) There’s also the role of mental imagery and mindfulness, not to mention the neuroscience of mental imagery. But for our purposes in the world of memory training, let’s expand how we approach these mental experiences. That way we can improve our use of mnemonics. To begin, here’s a core principle I’ve found useful with my memory coaching clients for many years: Mental imagery is an experience in the mind that resembles how you could potentially interact with real people, places and objects. This definition assumes that everything imaginary is based on an extension of the real world. And personally, I take the real world to include concepts, something I’ve taught for years as the “conceptual mode,” part of KAVE COGS. The Conceptual Aspect of Images in the Mind This might sound a bit far out there, but as William Marx highlights in his 2025 book, Libraries of the Mind, mental imagery has always existed far beyond the merely visual. In fact, mental imagery is spatial and perhaps even something that operates much like life itself. As he points out, libraries house interconnected networks of knowledge and experiences that influence the future and reshape the “image” of how we perceive the past. We also are able to experience books that don’t yet exist, drawing future works from mental shelves that can help us understand what we are reading in the present. Nonetheless, the notion of what counts as a mental image remains controversial. To help find firmer footing, let’s take a look at some of the angles that help substantiate our basic working definition. Iconic Memory Iconic memory typically involves brief experiences of mental imagery. These images reside in short term memory and are typically disregarded. Daydreaming, for example, is often completely forgotten seconds after the fantastic images enter the mind. Or, your iconic memories may be striking enough to enter long term memory. They could even be as strong as flashbulb memories. Some studies show that this kind of mental imagery helps with human movement through space as well. There’s also potentially a relationship between these rapid mental images and verbal memory. For example, the experience of mental images may not have any words involved. But experiencing a quick mental image prompts you to speak. It doesn’t prov

The Craft of Memory Podcast and Substack are two of the best sources of information about memory techniques to appear on the Internet for a long time. Ronald Johnson is behind both of them. Join us on this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast as Ronald and I delve into his best tips on using the Memory Palace technique. We embed his specific experiences and tactics in a larger discussion of history, technology, society and even how streets and roads influence our learning lives. As you’ll soon hear, Ronald Johnson is an incredibly knowledgeable mnemonist. He’s also a passionate writer seeking to preserve the joy, beauty, and wonder of natural memory and mnemonics. Join us now as we embark on a journey through time, technology, and advanced memory palace tactics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N53NPR1q0tg Time: Unveiling the Ultimate Secret of Memory Mastery In our captivating discussion, Ronald and I dive deep into the realm of memory, unraveling the mysteries and exploring cutting-edge techniques that will revolutionize the way you remember information. We start by addressing the crucial topic of time and its impact on memory. Time, in its essence, is a double-edged sword. While technology enables us to access vast amounts of information instantly, it also poses the risk of outsourcing our memory to devices. This can lead to digital amnesia. To help you avoid that problem, or even worse issues (like Alzheimer’s), Ronald emphasize the importance of reclaiming the power of our own minds and uncovering the joy of natural memory. Focusing too much on time can also make you miss the beauty of reflective thinking. Although I’m not sure I agree with Ronald on one point he makes, he does provide a compelling way to think about rote learning I haven’t considered before. Given his take on the relationship between memory and time, he might just be on to something. The True Art of the Memory Palace One of the most intriguing aspects we delve into are some of Ronald’s advanced Memory Palace tactics. As you probably already know, Memory Palaces have been utilized for centuries as one of the most potent mnemonic techniques. It allows you to store and retrieve vast amounts of information through the creation of vivid mental landscapes. Ronald shares his expertise, guiding us through the intricate process of using mnemonic devices effectively. Prepare to be astounded as we unlock the secrets of this ancient art and discover firsthand how Memory Palaces can transform your learning experience. The Craft of Memory: A Unique Call to Embrace Memory Mastery Ronald is truly unique in his approach to teaching memory techniques. His writing awakens in me the joy, beauty, and wonder of memory, providing a refreshing and liberating take on freeing ourselves from the constraints of a forgetful age. I’m confident that by listening to Ronald’s podcast, and especially reading his Craft of Memory Substack, you’ll find yourself adopting the techniques and insights in new ways. Ready to revolutionize your memory? Don’t miss out on Ronald’s transformative insights and the many practical tips provided through his media. Here’s where to find him online: The Craft of Memory on Substack The Craft of Memory on Apple Podcasts The Craft of Memory on Spotify

Rose Szwed was doing great with some aspects of learning nursing fundamentals, and using mnemonics to help learn some of the more complex material faster. But some realms of the nursing knowledge she needed to master were much harder to learn. Especially phlebotomy. Rather than give up after struggling with one nursing exam in particular, Rose looked for more thorough memory techniques online. When she found the Magnetic Memory Method, she dove in and did exactly as I suggested: She modified the high-powered memory techniques I teach to her specific needs. As a result, Rose took the exam she had previously failed again and scored 98.22%! The best part? On this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, Rose shares her journey and her incredible success with you. Even if you’re not studying to be a nurse yourself, I’m sure you’ll find her successes and experience-based insights into how to apply memory techniques to complex study topics useful. Proper Mnemonics Make Mastering Tough Nursing Knowledge Much Easier Phlebotomy is also known as venipuncture. Although it appears simple enough, it involves a combination of semantic knowledge and procedural memory. First, you have to know all the names of the veins. Then there are the steps involved. That’s not to mention the equipment names, like the cannula for drawing blood. Of course, there’s still more to learn after all of that because phlebotomy is not just about drawing blood or knowing the order of the draw inside and out. You also have to know about intravenous therapy. For that, Rose also needed pharmacology knowledge. Nurses like Rose also have to navigate situations involving electrolyte imbalances and that’s just scratching the surface of the medical terminology involved. That’s why nursing mnemonics are so precious for medical professionals who want to succeed. And just one more reason I knew I needed to record this episode for you. What’s Wrong With Most Mass-Market Memory Improvement Books? Like many people who need to pass complicated exams, Rose went through other Memory Palace books before deciding to use the Magnetic Memory Method. Why did none of the books she went through prove useful? As I’ve discussed many times, most of them lack depth. Often they are written by memory competitors who have zero idea about what’s really involved in learning a complex topic. They’re especially ignorant when it comes to figuring out how to deal with advanced nursing topics. My work, on the other hand, is much more informed. My first edition of my book on How to Learn and Memorize Medical Terminology as co-written with a doctor, for example. My full program also includes a guest video lesson with an actual doctor to help explain how he’s used the Memory Palace technique to memorize causes that underly symptoms. That’s part of why Rose was able to succeed. There’s actual experience with applying mnemonics to learning medicine in my work. And where I haven’t got it myself, I bring in people who do from within my group of students. The community aspect of my teaching is so important because sometimes students come up with ways to apply memory techniques that others can reproduce. I’ll talk briefly about one angle Rose found in the next section. Rose’s Body Memory Palace Solution As you’ll learn in this episode of the MMM Podcast, Rose combined mnemonic imagery with one of the most direct and powerful of all ancient memory techniques. Giordano Bruno talked about using Statues in Thirty Statues. It was his solution to dealing with the “chaos” of information overwhelm. I’ve even turned my own body into a Memory Palace to memorize the classical solar system of the Renaissance period in Italy. But unlike the way Bruno used bodies with references to mythological figures, Rose went with highly memorable bodies from stage and screen. She used dynamic figures like Columbo, the detective played by Peter Falk. And Clark Cable in one of his most iconic movie roles. Although this simple solution helped Rose score 98.22% on her test, what happened next is where the truth path of memory mastery begins. That’s because Rose immediately started teaching others, one of the most important parts of a learning cycle you can complete. Episode Highlights Amongst many things that impress me about Rose’s uptake of memory techniques for developing her nursing knowledge, she has also led such an interesting life! Listen in as we discuss: The benefits of reading with momentum Rose’s past and previous goals with language learning The value of using libraries for better memory The incredible opportunities awaiting people who master their memory No matter what topic you’re studying, memory techniques can help you study faster and retain more for the long-term. If you’re completely new to the world of mnemonics. I suggest you start with the

Learning is a fascinating journey, but sometimes we find ourselves stuck in a rut. When this happens, you’re lingering in what we sometimes call a learning plateau. It’s not fun because you feel like your progress has stagnated. And the enthusiasm that once fueled your learning endeavors seems to fade away. Don’t you worry. With the right mindset and strategies, it’s possible to break through these plateaus and continue your educational growth. In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, Tansel Ali and I delve into the psychology of learning plateaus. We explore effective techniques to overcome them and share our personal stories of learning everything from complex ideas in philosophy to getting our hands to perform difficult music. Along the way, we empower you to reignite your passion for learning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ3g9xEw-t0 Understanding the Psychology of Learning Plateaus Learning is not merely about acquiring information. To truly learn involves complex cognitive processes and cognitive training that impact your ability to progress. When it comes to understanding how memory works as you learn, everything comes down to optimizing how mnemonics and other memory techniques allow us to retain and retrieve information more efficiently than something like rote learning. What’s the one of the biggest obstacles you face? It’s not dealing with boring topics. Usually, it’s cognitive fatigue that makes it harder to absorb new knowledge effectively. It typically haunts you when you fail to: Eat food that improves memory Avoid food that is bad for your brain Consistently read books that make you smarter Get sleep and exercise Use spaced repetition effectively Fulfill your cognitive needs Optimizing just that small list will help improve your ability to overcome learning plateaus. However, if you have a fixed mindset, you will impede your own progress. This kind of thinking is characterized by the belief that intelligence and abilities are fixed traits. The good news is that intelligence is not fixed, so you can change. All you need is a growth mindset that embraces challenges, views failures as learning opportunities, and believes in the potential for personal development. Reflective thinking helps too, especially with the next step. Identifying Signs of a Learning Plateau One common indication is a lack of progress or improvement despite consistent effort. You may find yourself struggling to grasp new concepts or unable to apply knowledge effectively. Additionally, a diminished interest or enthusiasm for learning can indicate the presence of a plateau. When your passion wanes, it’s crucial to address the underlying causes and reignite your curiosity. You could also be suffering depression, which suggests you need to see a doctor. Always seek help if you think you might have this kind of issue. Analyzing the Causes of Learning Plateaus Usually learning plateaus come from simple issues, however. Often, you just haven’t challenged yourself enough. Or, you’ve taken on a challenge too big and led yourself into frustration. In The Victorious Mind, I talk about balancing the Challenge-Frustration curve. Working on balancing it ensures that your learning journey will never become too routine and predictable. Your mind will never disengage and you will never be hindered while learning new skills. What else? Unfortunately, there are many charlatans out there teaching ineffective learning strategies. They think you’re naive, so they teach you pseudoscientific strategies that can impede your progress. I’m talking about subvocalization, incorrect approaches to skimming and scanning techniques and rubbish like photographic memory. Those ideas can be interesting to look at if you want to read faster. But usually they just lead you into the plateaus you want to escape. You also want to take into account factors like chaotic learning environments instead of optimized study locations. Insisting on studying in suboptimal areas can also contribute to plateaus. Overcoming Learning Plateaus: Strategies and Techniques There are a number of powerful accelerated learning techniques to choose from. Let’s examine some of my favorite. Deliberate Practice Deliberate practice involves setting specific goals, breaking tasks into manageable chunks, seeking feedback, and making adjustments based on that feedback. By focusing on deliberate practice, you will optimize the learning process and ensure steady progress. Joshua Waitzkin discusses how he mastered by chess and martial arts using this form of learning. His book, The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance will help you set clear objectives, stay motivated and maintain a sense of direction. Vary Your Learning Approaches Monotony contributes to learning plateaus, so it’s essential to diversify what you learn and how you learn it. Exploring different modalities, suc

Looking for the best Memory Palace book to truly sharpen your mind? You’re in the right spot. After decades of studying and teaching the Memory Palace technique, I’ve narrowed the field down to books that actually work. They’ve worked for me personally because I’ve tested their specific instructions based on years of research into what memory is and how it works. I know good mnemonic strategies when I see them, and am sharing all the details so you can make an informed choice when looking for a robust Memory Palace guide. In each description, I’ll explain exactly how each title helped me specifically. Many have helped my students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass too. This means that many of my insights are informed by what has helped them succeed in their journeys too. Stick around to the end, and I’ll show you how to apply what you learn from these books to truly boost your memory, starting today. Here’s what I’ll cover: The Best Books to Learn Memory Techniques and Improve Your Memory 3 Better Ways to Improve Your Memory Ready? Let’s get started. My Top Recommended Memory Palace Books As we get into my recommendations, this point is important: Plenty of books talk about the concept of using Memory Palaces. But this list is different. In addition to discovering books that will show you how to improve your memory, I’ve selected books that also show you how to put the technique into practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqZ8xTtEP04 To make it easier for you to find the right starting point, I’ve organized my recommendations into three levels: Beginner books with accessible, clear introductions that inspire you about what the technique is and what it can do for you. Intermediate books that include deeper dives into advanced applications, creative variations and historical examples you might not have encountered before. Specialized memory works that will challenge you and expand your understanding of the memory arts. Beginner Memory Palace Books When you’re just getting started, consider reading these books first. One: The Memory Palace by Lewis Smile It was a hit on Kindle when it first came out. Everyone was talking about it, and I was especially impressed when Alicia Crosby came on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. As she discussed on the show with her father, this quick read helped her quickly memorize all of Shakespeare’s plays in historical order. Not everyone will share the goals that Smile uses as an example in this book. But if you want a quick, easy and fast introduction, this is a great place to start. Two: Remember, Remember by Ed Cooke Remember, Remember is another simple introduction. Like Smile’s book, it walks you through developing a simple Memory Palace to learn a list of historically important names. And Ed Cooke is a great person to learn from. As a Grandmaster of Memory, Cooke’s also the founder of Memrise. Plus, Cooke has been immortalized in one of the most famous memory training guides of all time. That’s because he took the author of our next Memory Palace form novice to champion. Three: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. First published in 2011, Joshua Foer’s bestseller debuted at No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list. Incredibly, it stayed on the list for eight weeks. I’ll never forget how inspired I felt when I read it after it first appeared in bookstores. To this day people email me about how fun and engaging they find it. Thanks to a combination of lived experience and expert writing style, Foer takes you on a fascinating journey through how the mind of a memory champion works. From that perspective, the book goes in-depth about the mnemonic techniques they use to store memories. A freelance science journalist, Foer learned the technique of memory training while researching the US Memory Championship. At the contest, Foer observed how people would memorize an entire deck of cards in just a couple of minutes. Foer’s Call to Adventure This skill fascinated Foer and got him interested in learning how to memorize a deck of cards himself. Foer discovered that individuals who aced memory contests used special strategies handed down from the ancient Greeks. These strategies included mnemonic visualization that taps into spatial memory. The combination of spatial memory and visualization leads to the Memory Palace technique. By visualizing a structure (such as your home), you can use these Memory Palaces to rapidly encode large amounts of information. After learning about this ancient technique, Foer decided to learn the strategy and test his own memory power. He sought out some of the most iconic figures in the field and trained based on their recommendations. A year later, Foer won the US Memory Championship against much more experienced ‘mental athletes’ who could memorize the exact order of ten shuffled decks of cards in less than an ho

Does reading make you smarter? Obviously “yes,” right? In reality, the answer is more nuanced and quite surprising: Reading always has an effect on your intelligence. But not always a positive one. Today, we’re going to focus on the positive ways that reading boosts your intelligence, but one point will help us frame the discussion correctly. And it’s an important one because history shows that dictators with dark agendas have used reading to make people duller. For example, George Orwell wrote 1984 to highlight how propaganda worked in Stalinist Russia. Winston Smith works at the “Ministry of Truth” where his job is to remove the truth from newspapers. As a result, citizens are subjected to rote learning en masse and their intelligence is harmed. We need to keep Orwell’s allegory in mind when we think about how to improve our intelligence through reading. With so many people glued to their devices and battling digital amnesia, it can be hard to know whether your reading choices are going to make you smarter or not. That’s why today we’re going to look at exactly how reading can make you smarter. I’ll share some of the books that are most likely to do it. Ready? Let’s dive in! Does Reading Make You Smarter? Generally, consistent reading has been shown to improve cognitive ability. And as Keith Stanovich famously showed with his Matthew Effects, children who we start off with strong reading skills develop stronger vocabulary and comprehension skills over time. Those who don’t, may have a hard time catching up. It’s like the old saying, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” but applied to reading. It’s worth reading his original paper on the matter. But is Stanovich right? Not necessarily, and that’s because reading isn’t just about young people. And reading to increase your intelligence is never just about reading. Reading is just one part of a larger project. And it’s one you can start to help become smarter at any age. In fact, one long-term study found that older adults enjoyed better cognition, critical thinking and verbal intelligence by reading consistently. How to Read Consistently – At Any Age When I was a kid, we used to have U.S.S.R. (An ironic acronym, I know, given what I warned us about regarding Orwell’s allegory about Stalin in the intro.) The teachers at my school used this term for: Uninterrupted Silent Sustained Reading No matter how distracting the modern world gets, U.S.S.R. remains one of my key ways to keep focused while reading. Key point: taking the time to schedule time for uninterrupted reading is itself intelligent. All you need after that is to make sure you have a solid note taking strategy and books that actually have the ability to boost your intelligence. In a book called Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, Maryanne Wolf makes the point that you also need to “think beyond” reading itself. And I agree. 7 Ways Reading Books Makes You Smarter What does it mean to go beyond reading? Simple: good books that improve your smarts always get you to take action. Even if that action is nothing more than thinking about what you’re reading. Here’s a list of things that books do to make your smarter and why additional action is always involved. One: Exercise Your Imagination I first read Orwell’s 1984 in grade 11. I don’t think my imagination had ever been stretched quite so far. Imagining the scenarios described in a novel like that can’t help but make you smarter because they involve counterfactual thinking. Many non-fiction books stretch the imagination too. Gödel Escher Bach, although quite old, still has many relevant things to say about math, self-reference and Artificial Intelligence. It uses images and short stories to help you imagine very difficult concepts and was so successful that it won a Pulitzer Prize. Two: Increase Your Vocabulary In my writing on how to read faster, I’ve shown the most likely way to pick up speed and still understand what you’re reading: More vocabulary. The good news is that it’s fast and easy to memorize vocabulary. That said, memorizing vocabulary comes with some conditions (each of which will make you smarter). As Stanislas Dehaene makes clear in Reading in the brain: The Science and Evolution of a Human Invention, kids and language learners also need to learn syntax and morphology. Three: Connects You to Others Even if you never talk to another person about what you’re reading, you’re still connected to the author. But for maximizing the benefits, you’ll have conversations about what you’re reading. This will give your verbal memory a great workout while deepening your relationships. Not only that, but people will be able to share their reading experiences with you. Often the best book recommendations come from c

If you can’t focus on reading, here’s why you should feel hopeful that you can increase your attention quickly. See, I nearly dropped out of grad school in 2003 because I could barely focus on a sentence. My looming exams made the stress even worse, leading to a vicious cycle that degraded my concentration further. But I knew that I just had to solve the problem! Failure simply wasn’t an option. Although I didn’t discover all that I’m about to share with you overnight, one concentration tip in particular made all the difference in the world. I was able to stay in school. Get my PhD. Get a major research grant and travel the world. All because of the information you’ll read on this page. But be warned: A lot of what I have to share puts a different spin on some of the reading comprehension and focus techniques you’ve encountered before. So if you’re ready to discover how to stay focused while reading from someone who reads a ton and turns the information into knowledge for others each and every day, let’s get started! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAsBOLcSV4I How to Focus on Reading: The 15 Things You Need to Do As you go through this list of focus strategies, it’s important to understand that there’s no special order here. Each and every reading tip is equally useful. But you don’t have to put them all into use overnight. And some of them are useful for only certain kinds of books. Frankly, there is no one-size-fits-all or cookie-cutter method for reading with greater focus. So if you can’t focus on reading, you’re going to love how easy it is to improve. One: Read More, More Often The simplest way to improve your focus is to simply read more and read more often. Read as many different types of information as you can from many different types of authors. This tactic is incredibly important. For one thing, it’s likely that your struggle to focus while reading comes down to weak reading muscles combined with a lack of familiarity with a wide variety of writing styles. As Michael Shermer from Skeptic often points out when discussing both well-written and poorly-written science books on , many people just aren’t practiced enough at interpreting either kind of writing. And let’s face it: Humans were not born to read. Evolution has yet to imprint the alphabet directly into our DNA. (Though Christian Bök’s Xenotext project is starting to challenge this fact in some interesting ways.) For now, reading is a skill we have to learn and practice continually. And once we have the basics down, we have to keep the mental muscles involved in reading as strong as possible through consistently taking on both easy and challenging books. Think of your overall reading life in terms of wiring and rewiring the brain. As we know from studies in neuroplasticity, your brain changes depending on how you train it. This means that you can rewire your mind and memory to read with tighter focus. But if you go for long stretches without reading, you can literally deskill any focus for reading better you may have developed. How to Read More Consistently for Focus-Building (A Mini-Tutorial) The first step is to create a learning goal. By identifying something you want to learn better, you can then select the best possible books to tackle. Clustering related books together is a powerful strategy because you give yourself a set of texts to plow through. It creates an objective to concentrate on, rather than the vague goal of reading more with higher concentration. By getting clear about what you want to read and when, your focus will already improve. From there, use time-blocking to schedule in when you’re going to get the reading done. I’ve heard from several students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass that they’re embarrassed that they had to use apps to help prevent them from going online. Don’t be. Anything that gives you more time to read and helps make sure you show up is a strategy worth exploring. Two: Be Patient With Authors People who can’t focus often blame themselves. Sometimes this is valid, such as when your reading goals haven’t been identified and strategized. However, sometimes it’s the author’s fault. Many books are simply not as well written as they could be. For example, one of the students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass came to me recently for help with his reading comprehension. When I asked for an example of what my student was struggling with, he said he couldn’t concentrate on or remember anything from One Nation Under God by James Moore. This book, which is about the history of prayer in America, is well-written in terms of clean prose. I found no typos, for example. But the prose is not particularly clear. Worse, much of the writing is logically inconsistent. No wonder my student couldn’t remember anything he was reading. To take one example, just examine the opening paragraph I’ve shared in the image above. It will help you unders

Imagine memorizing seven decks of playing cards. Now imagine knowing the location of each card in each deck by number. In other words, if someone names the 2 of clubs, you know how far down in the deck it is, such as the 27th card from the top. Now, you might be thinking… How the heck is that going to help me pass an exam, get a raise or learn a language? Magnetic Friends, I believe that memorizing cards will help you in multiple ways that directly relates to each of these goals. In fact, it’s one path towards what Richard Rubin calls the Massively Distributed Memory Palace. And that’s exactly what we talk about in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, amongst other topics of interest: Harry Lorayne Bruno Furst The implications of AI for mnemonists Memory Palace books and linguistics books Ancient memory techniques and more modern approaches Mnemonic imagery in the context of phonics, reading and the implications for comprehending mnemonics Memdeck considerations, including the Tamariz stack And of course, Richard’s take on the Memory Palace technique. Who is Richard Rubin? Richard is a memory athlete with impressive stats. He also creates incredible and fun memory demonstrations, often based around magic and mentalism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8onVcbXusE I think his ideas are fantastic and his insights into memory improvement profound, so I suggest following him on YouTube. And check back here for a link to his forthcoming website when it’s ready. The Massively Distributed Memory Palace I’m going to let Richard explain this himself, so please enjoy the conversation. And the cool thing are the connections to other mnemonic strategies I’ve seen before. For example in Giordano Bruno’s writing and especially the mnemonic writings of Robert Fludd. What I love so much about this conversation, is that Bruno himself once said that those who think enough about mnemonics will reach similar, if not the same conclusions. It’s a lot like how magicians independently arrive at various moves and wind up calling essentially the same thing a different name. This point is important because the more teachers we have, the more people will discover the fundamental logic that supports all learning assisted by elaborative rehearsal, properly optimized spaced repetition and tactics like chunking. My belief is that the Mnemonics Renaissance given full steam by Tony Buzan with the memory competitions and massively supported by books like Moonwalking with Einstein is only going to continue growing. So my hat is off to Richard and I hope you’ll support him along with all the other great memory athletes and teachers who are out there doing great things to inspire and encourage others.

If you’re wondering how to read a book and remember everything, this is one of the most helpful tips I can give: Sit down, open a book and read. So many people dismiss this simple principle. They’re looking for hacks, when research shows that most good readers always cover the fundamentals. Of course, I have more reading strategies to share than just that. Six incredible steps in total. But isn’t common sense powerful? It is. And common sense is getting even more powerful as modern life get’s more distracting. Your competition on the professional market will always read more thoroughly, after all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze7qsdw7u-M The Basics Of Reading & Remembering In just a moment, we’ll talk about different types of reading, like elementary, inspectional, analytical, and syntopical reading. These are terms introduced by Mortimer J. Adler in his famous guide, How to Read a Book. But these terms are useless if you don’t: Schedule time to read Read according to demands of the genre Read based on clearly established goals Show up prepared with the appropriate tools for interpretation and analysis Be willing to read books slowly and completely as much as possible In sum, here’s what matters if you want to know the best way to read: You need to explore multiple ways of reading. That’s because there are multiple kinds of books. And when you have a toolbox of strategies at your fingertips, you’ll be able to read faster, remember more and even better: You’ll understand what you’re reading and become a person of knowledge and wisdom. You’ll make connections on the fly and experience multiple a-ha moments of revelation. Sound good? Let’s get started! The 4 Main Types of Reading (And Which Is the Best Way to Read a Book) Before we get started, ask yourself a simple question: What’s the point of reading? A lot of people try to imitate how others read. But they wind copying strategies that do not align with their goals. So reading more thoroughly and choosing a strategy always begins with thinking through your goals. Some reading goals include: Acing school assignments and exams Filling in gaps left by traditional education Developing personal wisdom Solving problems Expanding mental awareness Substantial reflection Identifying or creating opportunities for yourself Research as a profession Spiritual goals Leisure Each of these categories can involve multiple reading types. Let’s start with the oft-cited types identified by Adler in How to Read a Book. I’ll cover Adler’s main points, and after that, we’ll talk about how to read a book like a scholar so you can remember as much as you want. Why should you care what I have to say about reading? Well, I have a PhD, two MAs and am an author of many books. Most of those books involve tons of research. I’ve also taught reading and writing at three universities around the world, including for Rutgers where the legendary Kurt Spellmeyer was my boss. Oh, and I read every single day, completing 2-5 books a week on average. All kinds of books from fiction to philosophy, science and Zen. You name the category, and I’ll probably have read something that belongs to it. And if I haven’t, even if the category is crushingly complex, I’ll figure out a way to increase my IQ in that field to the best of my ability. All right, enough about my street cred. Let’s get started with Adler’s four main types of reading. One: Elementary Reading Adler says that this reading type hardly goes past basic understanding. You know what the words on a page say, and you can follow a basic plot. However, I think we need to add a very important point. Elementary reading is often directed reading. You’re told to do it by a parent or teacher. It’s the opposite of self-directed reading. And that’s a big problem. As the authors of Balancing Principles for Teaching Elementary Reading argue, one core value matters above all. Teachers and parents should strive to help kids want reading as part of their lives. Why is a passion for reading so important? Simple: true literacy demands are only going up as technology and automation increase. Not only that, but critical thinking is so important to the success of all people. In fact, there are 9 critical thinking strategies all people need, but if you only have elementary reading skills, you cannot develop them. And no, you can’t expect so-called microlearning to help fill in the gaps if you’re an elementary reader. Will inspectional reading get you there? Let’s see. Two: Inspectional Reading For Adler, inspectional reading is what most people now call skim reading. Adler seems to confuse it with scanning, which is substantially different. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with inspectional reading. As the authors of Reading as a Perceptual Process have shown, words can be skipped while scanning a book without the reader necessarily losing comprehension. However, the most interesting finding in the book is that how much

Do you want to know how to improve your memory for studying? Who doesn’t? After all, it’s the 21st century and there’s so much to learn! Seriously: There’s too much to study in too little time – especially before an exam. But it’s not just a time issue. It’s not just an issue of volume when it comes to so many books and videos to consume. The core of the problem isn’t any of those things. The core of the problem is memory… The things that your brain just can’t memorize no matter how many times you repeat them. Why? Because you don’t have a strategy for managing your learning and memory. But don’t worry! In this article, I will show you 9 powerful techniques to help you remember what you study. You’ll learn everything far more easily – facts, dates, formulae, equations, whatever. These techniques will make it far easier for you to ace your next exam. How do I know? I used them all while completing my PhD at York University in Toronto. Then I used them again while preparing for the lectures I gave at several universities over the years. So if you’re ready for my best tips, let’s dive in. How to Improve Study Skills and Memory: 9 Powerful Tips As we go through these suggestions, there’s no particular order of importance. They all matter. But don’t overwhelm yourself. Pick one or two study tactics at first. Then add more as you go. 1. The Memory Palace (My Top Recommendation) Want just one simple method that helps you study and memorize? Look no further than the Memory Palace technique. What is it? This memory technique was developed in Ancient Greece. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘Method of Loci’ or ‘Cicero Method.’ You might also hear it called the ‘Roman Room’ or the ‘Journey Method’. Memory champions and experts all agree that it’s the most effective method to remember anything at all. In fact, one expert used the technique to memorize the value of Pi till nearly 112,000 digits. My own student, Marno Hermann memorized Pi to 1200 digits using a Memory Palace. He recites them all for you in just over 10 minutes and in two different languages (!) on the MMM Podcast. Although there are many variations, here’s the core of how it works: Choose a familiar location Place your information along a mental journey through the location Exaggerate the information by associating it with weird and wonderful mental imagery Take a mental walk to review each piece of information along the journey With the Memory Palace technique, you associate each piece of information you want to memorize with parts of a location that you are very familiar with – such as your house or your school campus. 2. Acronyms to Improve Memory for Studying Acronyms are the most commonly used memory technique and are great for remembering short lists or sequences. You have probably learned ‘PEMDAS’ in school – a sequence for solving equations. It stands for Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction. Another common acronym to help you remember a geographical list of names is HOMES, which is used to remember the Great Lakes – Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. Here’s a simple tip to create your own acronyms for remembering what you study. According to the Cambridge dictionary, acronyms are constructed with the first letter of each constituent word and they actually sound like words. That’s what makes them easy to remember. We also use acronyms in the Magnetic Memory Method training, such us: D.O.C. Doing is the Origin of Consistency Doing is the Origin of Creativity Doing is the Origin of Courage Doing is the Origin of Clarity Doing is the Origin of Control To get into the “doing” of memory techniques that ultimately leads to control over your memory, all you have to do is S.I.P.: Study memory techniques Implement memory techniques Practice memory techniques with information that improves your life Then we have KAVE COGS to help us remember all the Magnetic Modes: Kinesthetic Auditory Visual Emotional Conceptual Olfactory Gustatory Spatial Now, you might be wondering… What do you do with these memorization techniques if the first letters don’t form a ‘word,’ because of a lack of vowels in the middle or any other reason? Forget the definition and get creative. Try changing the word sequence or using the second or the last letter instead of the first. If there is no vowel, pick up a second letter from a word. A common example is AWOL (Absent Without Leave.) If you like acronyms, try combining them with the Memory Palace technique – and consider these different navigation techniques too. Since each acronym is a word, it’s easy to associate them with a specific object or location in your house. You can also use the pegword method. In combination with Memory Palaces, it will make any information you put into an acronym easier to remember. 3. Spaced Repetition for Memory Improvement Here’s a well-known fact about memory – the more you reinforce something, th

Whenever I think of the stages of learning I am reminded of how Shakespeare talked about how human life is a lot like theatre. For example, in As You Like It, the second stage involves going to school, whether the child likes it or not. I studied Shakespeare at university quite a bit and gave some presentations on the lessons he gave about staged learning as a professor. But what are the four levels of learning we use today? I’m talking about stages like: Concrete experience Reflective thinking Abstract thinking Personal experimentation That’s one model given by Kolb in Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Is this really the best way to describe the stages of the learning process? Or should we look to other models that describe the various levels of learning we go through? Ones that include the notion of “unconscious competence”? On this page, we’re taking a deep dive into the topic. Ready? Let’s go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7EpyRpWTvs What Are The Four Stages Of Learning? As mentioned above, Kolb presents a version of the four levels that involve processing at concrete, abstract and reflective levels of thinking. Usually, however, people are looking for the four levels of competence. These originally come from Martin M. Broadwell who intended them for teachers in need of a model for their students. As a learner, you can also use these levels of learning to help navigate your way through complex topics. Following this model can also help ensure you meet your cognitive needs in a structured manner as you go about your learning. Let’s have a look at each level in detail. Unconscious Incompetence Have you ever started learning something you’re basically familiar with only to realize how little you know about the topic? I’ve had this with music. Although I’ve played in bands for decades and toured the world, when I hang out with much better musicians, I realize how little I know. My skills lead to all kinds of incorrect intuitions as I play simply because I don’t know the key signatures as well as some of the trained jazz musicians I know. Memory expert Anthony Metivier performing at a concert in Germany. Still, I sometimes find myself trying to play in ways I don’t understand, only to hit notes that don’t sound great. It doesn’t happen to me anymore, but when it did, it was like I was suffering the musical version of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. This point is important to understand. You don’t have to be completely unfamiliar with a topic to experience unconscious incompetence. Captain Edward J. Smith provides one of the most famous examples. As the captain of the Titanic, he certainly knew a thing or two about sailing boats. But that didn’t stop Captain Smith from following the wrong intuitions. Although he received multiple warnings about the dangers ahead, he still failed to take action and the Titanic wound up sinking. Conscious Incompetence I’ve become much more modest over the years in music, and am now much more conscious of my incompetence with certain genres of music. To become more competent, I study the specific areas where I’m weak and patch in deliberate practice to turn incompetence into skill. A more famous example of conscious incompetence is someone like Elon Musk using first principles to figure out what he doesn’t know. Then, by adding knowledge and competence, he was able to purchase various companies and improve them. Of course, the court is still out on whether or not his conscious incompetence about Twitter will improve. Conscious Competence At this level of knowledge, you’re in the sweet spot. You can clearly visualize the skills you’re familiar with even when not doing them. To give you a concrete example of someone who has passed this stage of learning, think about Stevie Wonder. Many people think he’s a musical genius – including me. Although blind from birth, he learned not only how to play piano and sing, he also learned how to compose and perform. You might think of these as one task, but they’re actually different things. For example, I’m consciously competent when it comes to playing concerts with bands in my preferred genre. I can also compose relatively well and even sing to a certain degree. But I’ve never developed conscious competence as a studio musician. This is not uncommon. Many of your favorite bands aren’t actually playing on the albums you buy. Their record companies have hired consciously competent musicians, leaving them to do what they do best: perform. Then there are musicians who don’t even write their own songs, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Many creative industries rely on detailed knowledge of conscious competence. That way, each person can focus on just their part and shine. Unconscious Competence At this level of competence, the individual barel

Did you know that nearly every discussion of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is missing an essential piece of the pyramid? It’s true, and today we’re going to restore that piece. On top of that, we’re going to dive deep into how you can fulfill each tier in your life. Even better, I’m going to help you remember each of the needs. That way, as you work on improving your life and the lives of others, you’ll be able to rapidly access a mental database packed with examples of psychological needs. And you’ll be able to fulfill your full potential. Perhaps you’ll even be able to go beyond that because there’s one need in particular that Maslow wasn’t able to publish before he died. I’ll share what it is, show you how to experience it and give you tips on maintaining this missing piece of the pyramids of needs once you’ve got it in place. Ready? Let’s dive in! https://youtu.be/H9Wi_hvKeRc What Are Cognitive Needs? The Forgotten Tier In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs As the term “cognitive needs” suggests, we have cognitive awareness of things we want and need from life. We’re not the only species that has such awareness, but our cognitive abilities are so developed that we seem to be especially sensitive to things we don’t have. Abraham Maslow got very interested in humanity’s special sensitivity to a set of human requirements that led to him developing the hierarchy of needs. Often, you see Maslow’s needs placed within a pyramid. The wider needs are basic and as you move up the pyramid, you get psychological and fulfilment needs. All together, the needs in the basic pyramid of needs are: Physiological needs (food, water, warmth, rest) Safety needs (security, safety, predictability) Belongingness and love (intimate relationships and friends) Esteem needs (prestige, sense of accomplishment) Self-actualization (creativity, fulfilling your potential) Maslow first presented these needs in a paper titled, “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Solving the “First Glance” Problem With The Pyramid of Needs One mistake that people sometimes make is thinking that you can move up the pyramid and leave earlier needs behind. But this isn’t the case. You always need to balance the needs, which is why an alternative, dynamic visualization can help understand Maslow’s hierarchy as something that plays out over time: Others have interpreted the hierarchy of needs in terms of a circle. For example, my friend Arthur Worsley used the “Wheel of Life” format in his “Faster to Master” Tracktion Planner: In this case, the “needs” are modernized to include cognitive needs examples like: Health and vitality Thoughts and emotions Family and friends Love and partnerships Productivity and performance Growth and learning Business and career As you can probably see, “productivity and performance” are basically the same as Maslow’s original esteem needs. In truth, there’s no perfect way to visualize the hierarchy. The best thing is to find a model that works for you so you can bring balance to all of the needs in your life. The Missing Cognitive Need As great as Maslow’s original hierarchy can be, he ultimately wasn’t happy with it. Towards the end of his career, he wrote The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. In this book, he described a very special cognitive need he called self-transcendence. Basically, it’s like the “karma yoga” concept we talked about in my post on mental strength. The idea is that you ultimately put your own needs aside as much as possible, if not entirely. Many people who have sought to master their memory share this concept. For example, Giordano Bruno described a kind of nondual experience where you would experience a kind of oneness with the entire universe. Sound weird and raise your skeptical hackles that a psychologist like Maslow would suggest such things? Well, here’s Maslow in his own words from The Farther Reaches of Human Nature: Transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating, as ends rather than means, to oneself, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos. I myself have suggested something similar in my book The Victorious Mind. Fulfilling the cognitive need to give to others without expectation of return is hard, make no mistake. But this “karma yoga” is indeed far more fulfilling than I ever imagined possible. In fact, fitting it into your life is highly recommended. Why It’s Important to Fulfill Your Cognitive Needs We’re all on this planet together. That’s the ultimate reason why you really should spend time every week working on your personal hierarchy or “wheel of life.” The more people who self-transcend, the b

Yes, you can learn faster. All it takes is applying a small variety of techniques I’ve compiled for you below in the form of a specific toolkit traditional schooling often overlooks. These strategies blend memory techniques rooted in the ancient traditions that built the Renaissance with modern approaches. I didn’t learn them the easy way, but you can by reading this post and avoiding my mistakes. But before I share a personal note to explain just how powerful what you’re about to learn will be, here’s a table of contents of all the learning techniques for you: Table of Contents Toggle10 Proven Ways to Learn Faster (Backed by Memory Science and Ancient Techniques)One: Start Every Learning Session With These Three Brain-Activating QuestionsTwo: Consistently Deploy the SQR3 MethodThree: Relax Your Mind and Body Before Studying (Using My 3-Step “Magnetic” Method)Four: Focus on Less to Remember MoreFive: Use Summary Writing to Reveal (and Fill) Your Knowledge GapsSix: Use Active Reading to Lock Information Into Long-Term MemorySeven: Using Mind Mapping to Speed Up ComprehensionEight: Optimize Your Schedule for Maximum Learning RetentionNine: Learn and Apply Memory Techniques that Actually WorkTen: Turn This Key So Your Brain Learns What It Expects To LearnMy Favorite FAQs About Learning at Top SpeedsReady to Learn Faster for the Rest of Your Life? Why These Techniques Matter (A Personal Note From This Professor) Now, in case you’re wondering why I’m so passionate about all of these accelerated learning techniques and sharing them for free, the answer is simple. These techniques saved my life. See, during the first year of my PhD, I could barely read a paragraph. Taking antidepressants to try healing my depression unfortunately dulled my mind. Collapsed my focus. And made me almost believe I wasn’t cut out for serious learning anymore. But everything changed when I accidentally stumbled across the techniques I’m going to share with you today. They didn’t help me just retain more. They pulled me out of my cognitive fog, rewired my focus and gave me the confidence to keep going. Since then, I’m taught at major universities. I’ve studied languages like Biblical Hebrew, German and Chinese. And for my personal progress and one of my most popular books, I also memorized over 100 verses of Sanskrit to learn an ancient philosophy. But the most powerful learning technique I discovered? I’ll share it near the end. It will help you remove obstacles so you can learn faster than ever before. Ready? Let’s dive in. 10 Proven Ways to Learn Faster (Backed by Memory Science and Ancient Techniques) As we get into these learning processes, it might surprise you to know that in many cases, picking up new topics and skills faster isn’t about more effort. It’s often about alignment. And the techniques you’re about to discover reduce unnecessary effort because they’re grounded in how your memory actually functions, as I’ve shared in my full guide to how memory works. Some of what you’re about to learn comes from ancient traditions. Other techniques have been identified by modern memory science and research into education at large. To get the most out of this list, here’s what I suggest: Try at least one of the techniques immediately Reflect on how it feels using pen and paper Stack on more techniques over the weeks and months to come There’s no need to tackle all of them at once. But when you and and apply each one consistently over time, you’ll experience faster recall, deeper understanding and more joy in learning than ever before. One: Start Every Learning Session With These Three Brain-Activating Questions Instead of diving into a book and scanning or skimming for facts, pause first next time. And ask these three questions used regularly by the fastest learners I know: Why exactly am I learning this? How specifically will I use this knowledge in the next 24 hours? When will I practice recalling it to ensure long-term retention takes place? Although this might seem too simple to create an effect, it’s a highly strategic learning accelerator. That’s because when you start the learning process with a clear understanding of purpose, your brain knows how to filter for the main points. Two: Consistently Deploy the SQR3 Method Top-tier learners don’t just read. They constantly extract information using the in-depth tactics covered in my guide to effective note-taking combined with a powerful process called SQR3. In case you’re new to SQR3, it means: Survey Question Read Recite Review To apply it during your next study session, glance through the book’s index and table of contents. This quick activity gives you a broad overview of the book. Start formulating 2-3 questions you want the material to answer. If you don’t know what kinds of questions to ask, look for

Every morning I have one cup of a special kind of tea I’ll tell you about below. And almost every afternoon, I drink one cup of matcha tea for its well-proven memory benefits. In fact, some studies show that this concentrated form of green tea is the gold standard when it comes to an easy to make tea. It’s also highly enjoyable and directly beneficial. Apart from green tea, black and oolong teas have been shown to work, but on this page, I’ll share with you a few other options. The question is, will drinking any of the most highly recommended teas also improve your memory? Maybe. But you have to be careful. That’s because a lot of people throw out scientific studies. You read them and think: “That’s the tea for me.” But those studies don’t show you all the nuances you need to drink tea safely. See, various teas for concentration, memory or focus interact with other supplements you might be taking. As a result, you can wind up making things worse. Various teas can also interact with your diet overall creating unwanted effects. So in this post, we’re going to look at the truth about tea for better memory and brain health. It’s easy to understand and the information I’ve researched and tested personally will help you make better choices overall. The Best Tea for Memory, Studying, Focus, and More Let’s start by approaching the topic counterintuitively: What’s better? A tea you add to your daily routine that stimulates focus? Or a tea that helps remove distractions so that you can focus? The answer to this question is ultimately something only you can determine. And you arrive at the best possible answer through experimentation. As I have explained in my book, The Victorious Mind, the easiest way to arrive at an answer is by rotating through various substances while journaling. By noting down the effects you feel, you can start to track patterns. Why Do Some Teas Help Memory, Focus and Concentration? When it comes to the kind of memory benefits you can get from reducing distraction, the answer is simple. Many teas have L-theanine, which studies have shown makes you feel more peaceful. In other words, L-theanine reduces the feeling of unrest. This clears the way for more focus and concentration, and the leads to better memory because you’re able to pay attention. In fact, Murray Carpenter reported in his book Caffeinated that Starbucks added L-theanine to its coffee to prevent people from getting too buzzed, which in some contexts means too focused and concentrated. It’s also possible that the caffeine in some teas can improve your memory because they reverse the effects of sleep deprivation. At least in male mice and in the context of social memory, as this study shows. Anecdotally, this makes sense to me as I do tend to feel that my memory is much sharper after drinking either tea of coffee. But how various teas makes you feel is not necessarily the same as being able to focus or concentrate in a way that helps you learn faster and remember more. Only taking specific actions do that. And that’s again why I suggest you learn about tea for memory through experimentation and thinking about what you add vs. what you take away. Because the truth is that you can often increase your focus by not drinking any teas at all. Just making sure you’re hydrated by regularly drinking water in combination with proper diet and lots of exercise is also a powerful strategy for better memory. You can also work on developing concentration as its own practice. For example, here’s a tutorial on activities that improve concentration. And here’s one on some of my favorite memory training activities. That said, I love my two daily cups of tea and I’ll explain why they have personally been the most effective for me. Let’s get started. One: Personalized Chinese Herbal Tea As I mentioned in my study of herbs for memory and focus, everything comes down to removing pain and discomfort. Since I have chronic pain that leads to brain fog when left untreated, I go to a Chinese Medicine practitioner almost every week. The specific tea I’m given is personalized based on where my health stands on a week-to-week basis. And my practitioner and I always check that the tea I’m drinking works in conjunction with my diet overall. That way, there are no problematic interactions. I’ve had interaction issues in the past, such as when two supplements created confusion, so I’m glad I now get help in order to reduce chronic pain issues. You need to take these things in consideration for yourself as well. And it’s key to check based on every tea you try. Every tea will potentially interact with everything else you eat and drink throughout your day. Two: Why Matcha Could Be the Best Green Tea for Memory Overall Many people have cited straight up green tea as a memory booster. However, I’ve found better r

You’ve got advanced Memory Palace problems and Don Michael Vickers has got solutions. In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, we’re diving deep into his impressive memory competition experience. And together, we discuss the differences between using memory techniques for short-term memory and long-term memory outcomes. But you might be wondering… What Kind Of Advanced Memory Palace Problems? There are a few you might encounter as you use the Memory Palace technique. These include: Too much or too little space between your loci Dropping off parts of words when memorizing vocabulary Mishearing or misreading the target information Not keeping a journal for this form of self improvement or memory athlete specific journaling Not having a community with people who share your interest in memory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O7M2TZT8rA Suggestions From Don Michael Vickers One thing I love about how Don shares his approach to using memory techniques is that he documents the journey. You can check out a lot of what he’s doing on his YouTube channel and other media. But that’s just one level or layer of journaling. He also journals privately so he can see what’s working and what isn’t. This is a solid tactic for one big reason: It’s only through what scientists sometimes call “metacognitive learning recognition” that we can learn as fast as possible. It’s been demonstrated to help us see variables and define new strategies. Journaling also helps us because it enables deeper levels of reflection than if we were to merely think about our memory improvement activities without writing them down. How Specifically Does This Help You Solve Advanced Memory Palace Problems? The answer is easy: As your perspective widens, you’re able to run new “experiments.” In other words, every time you use a Memory Palace to memorize anything, you’re experimenting. If you take the time to observe your results, you can always ask: What went right? And how can it go better? What went wrong? And what needs to improve? What other Memory Palace variations can I try, such as the Massively Distributed Memory Palace described by Richard Rubin These are the kind of questions that only you can solve and you need to be the scientist in the laboratory of your own mind to do it. But there’s one more ingredient that I think really shines in this conversation. Let’s talk about that next: The Power of Community You can also see in how Don talks about his interactions with fellow memory competitors like Katie Kermode that hanging out with others who love mnemonic strategies is key. Communication is yet another level of reflection. But there’s also the competition aspect. As Don puts it, memory competitors are a lot friendlier than hockey players. Yet, you still get the chance to really throw down the gloves and test your skills. I hope you enjoy this discussion with Don and please do follow him on his YouTube channel and social media for more exciting demonstrations and news from his activities in the world of memory competition. Don Michael Vickers’ YouTube Channel Don Michael Vickers’ LinkedIn Don Michael Vickers’ Twitter Don Michael Vickers’ Tiktok Important Show Note Regarding The Shadow Memory Technique There’s a technique known as the Shadow. I heard about it quite some time ago, and Braden Adams has discussed it with us on this previous episode of the MMM Podcast, and on this one. During this episode, Don and I figured that I probably hadn’t understood the Shadow correctly. But Ron Johnson from the excellent Craft of Memory Podcast posted this on YouTube below the video version of the interview: This is an excellent example of the power of community, so if you aren’t yet part of ours, here’s what I suggest. I have a free course you can download and get notifications about new podcasts like these. If you’d like to register, please click the image below: That way, you won’t miss a thing when new interviews like this come out. And you’ll get some world class memory training too. It’s a win-win!

If you want to know how to study for finals, here’s what I did while completing my BA, my MA and later my PhD. I still do this as a researcher and language learner as well. The same strategy that helped me at university has helped me in many walks of life, and it is this: Start studying for finals is as early as possible – and always with accelerated learning strategies. And yes, the common advice that you need to take care of your sleep, diet and fitness in order to study well still stands. It also helps to keep organized and make the most out of your classes and review sessions. But if you have a nagging feeling that there must be better study tips for finals, then you’ll want to pay attention to the strategies I just mentioned. This is the knowledge that you can only get from a PhD like me. And because you’re the kind of person who wants more than just a passing grade, you’re going to love the tips on this page. Because you’re the kind of learner who wants to enjoy an epic career, you’re going to need them. Once you have them, you’ll be the student with all the advantages. You’ll be the student who aces the finals. And you’ll be the student who enjoys an epic career in any field you want because you’re the one who finally learned how to really learn. Ready? Let’s dive in! https://youtu.be/r0NXI5o9CMo How To Study For Finals: 11 Tips That Actually Work As we go through this list, I’ll be sharing with you more than tips. You’ll discover detailed examples of why and how these study principles and strategies work so well. I’ll also give you scientific references and other research resources so you know that everything I’m suggesting is valid. But here’s something really important to understand: Apart from the rule I always applied starting as an undergrad (start studying as soon as possible), there is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all study method. You need to get involved in the process and tailor some of these strategies for yourself. And I’ll start with a powerful way you can do this in my first tip, one of many of the best study tips for finals you’ll find on this page. One: Learn How To Create A Study Schedule For Finals Yes, you absolutely want to get a head start when studying for finals. But even more importantly than starting early, it’s important to understand as much as possible before the semester begins. When I was an undergrad, I used to contact the professors the day I registered in their courses. I asked them for the course syllabi so I could do three things in advance: Enter all the assignment due dates into my calendar Enter all the exam dates into my calendar Start gathering and studying the reading list immediately This process was critical for me because I worked sometimes up to three jobs when I was an undergrad. But getting this overview of the semester on a course-by-course basis will help even those who have student loans or grants and don’t have to work. Indeed, later when I had grants of my own and didn’t need to hold so many jobs, I still used this approach. As a result, I was always able to get my assignments done with time enough to revise them at least once. And I was also able to read beyond the assigned book list. It takes 10-15 minutes to reach out to all of your teachers and arrange to get the syllabi in advance. If you can’t get in touch with them, contacting the department secretary also works. You can often swing by the departmental office to get an advance copy as well. Two: Clear Your Mind Before Studying Using This Simple Process It’s normal to be nervous when studying for exams. The mind kicks up all kinds of fears and we resist common sense thanks to all kinds of biases. That’s why it’s important to always start the process of preparing for exams on the basis of mental strength, not weakness. So to begin, start with this simple exercise: Start a study journal “Mind dump” all of your anxieties about the exam onto paper (kind of like brainstorming) Analyze your fears and question why you have them Once this is done, you can use the same journal to complete some of the steps discussed below. If you prefer mindmapping, you can do that as an alternative to keeping a journal. I give a detailed example of how this exercise works on a mind map in this video. This step works because when we have a bunch of worries on our mind, they keep arising until we deal with them. The Zeigarnik Effect describes why and how our minds become cluttered with unattended worries. And research shows that addressing those worries in a journal helps us eliminate them. This ability is especially important when you’re dealing with boring topics, which every student does at some point in their learning career. Three: Communicate Loudly And Clearly With Your Community Do you know that most interruptions are a choice? You choose them

John Graham surprised me twice on the same day! And if you know me, you know I’m not easily surprised. So, what exactly made my jaw hit the floor? First, I found out that John had won the USA Memory Championship… again. I mean… who has the time for all that memory practice? Especially during times like these? Then John tells me that focus is so much more useful than memory… and more lucrative too. And to make matters even more confusing… John keeps telling people not to meditate in the morning? Huh? As a practitioner of meditation for decades, I really had to get to the bottom of all these incredible (and sometimes shocking) things John was saying. And so I did in this EPIC discussion of how John really succeeds. Not only to win memory competitions, but to experience an abundance of time freedom supported by a fantastic business. And you’ll be surprised to discover that memory improvement training doesn’t even get second fiddle. Not when it comes to the tactics you really need. After hearing what he has to say and giving it some consideration, I think it all makes sense. And I think it will help you too. So dive in for an epic discussion packed with takeaways, and… Don’t worry! I ask John to share some feedback on a little memory issue with mnemonic images I was having. So there are some next level memory secrets in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxTpqc6OoDU Who Is John Graham? John Graham is an entrepreneur, memory expert, memory athlete and winner of both the 2018 and 2022 USA Memory Championship. In case you’re not familiar with what an accomplishment that is, let me explain: You have to accurately recall a lot of information from multiple categories of information. These categories change from competition to competition, but often include: Memorizing playing cards Memorizing long strings of digits using something like the Major System, Dominic System or PAO System Memorizing names Poetry Abstract images The Memory-Focus Connection But as John points out in today’s episode, memory isn’t so much the core of his success. It’s the ability to focus his mind that matters. And the tactics and strategies that explain his ability to win also support his entrepreneurial success. 2x USA Memory Champion John Graham with competition founder Tony Dottino If you’re an entrepreneur and would like to speak with John about your own focus, check out his Optimize My Mind page where you can book a time. Obviously, John is very serious about helping entrepreneurs, and I know you’ll respect his wish to focus on your concentration, not your memory. Because John’s right: There’s an enormous amount of information about memory techniques out there. So if you still haven’t nailed memory techniques so you can use them in your business, it’s focus and concentration that are at stake. Get that nailed, and so many other things will fall in place. I second his argument completely because the same thing has been true for me. And it always will be: Focus first!

Ever found yourself turning down an unfamiliar street, only to struggle to retrace your steps? Why does that happen? How about back before GPS, when you would pull over to the side of the road and struggle with a map? If you’ve experienced situations like these, there’s hope. That’s because there’s one author in particular who has no sense of direction to speak of. And that feature of his mind makes him the perfect science writer to explore what direction is and how we might optimize our experience of it. Even better, in Dark and Magical Places, Christopher Kemp explores how the brain produces your sense of direction. You’ll also learn why some of us might struggle to keep on track or lose our way in space. We delve into some of the common mistakes people make and get into some of the “metaphysics” behind space itself. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or someone struggling to get around your hometown, you’ll find this discussion useful. I highly recommend reading Dark and Magical places and hope you enjoy this interview with Christopher Kemp. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcGWE5gQlUk Dark And Magical Places Is An Excellent Read There are many things I love about this book. It’s well written and researched, for one thing. But it also takes you into highly consequential situations, some of which you’ll have experienced yourself. And if you ever find yourself lost in a dark place where the stakes are life and death, you’ll find key strategies that will help you keep yourself alive. But above all, I love how the author makes learning about the science of navigation and the brain incredibly fun. More Resources On Memory, Directions & Locations A few years ago, I shared this quick video on applying memory techniques to memorizing any address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2shzBN1tNo The approach relies on a combination of: The Memory Palace technique The Pegword Method Either the Major System or a 00-99 PAO If you’d like to improve your navigation skills and enjoy stronger cognitive mapping of the world, I can’t make any big promises. But it’s well-worth experimenting with techniques like these. Ancient people used them all the time, including a really cool “magical place” skill called the Songline. And of course, these techniques will work even better when you’ve read Dark and Magical Places. Check it out!

Few things could be simpler to understand than the difference between short term and long term memory. Check out this simple explanation: Short term memory holds a small amount of information, often for as little as twenty seconds. That information either enters long term memory or it doesn’t. Long term memory holds larger blocks of information indefinitely. And unlike short term memory, long term memory seems to have an unlimited capacity. That’s the brief answer, and let me frame it for you a slightly different way with some quick examples: Short term memory involves a very small amount of information remembered for a short period of time. Like when you remember a passcode only for as long as you need it. Long term memory involves much larger sets of information for longer periods of time. Knowing the names of dozens of states in your country even if you haven’t thought about them for decades is a simple example. Of course, there’s more to long term vs short term memory, so let’s dig in and discover more. Short Term vs Long Term Memory: An Overview Both short term and long term memory are about relationships in your mind. These relationships involve the intersection between: The major memory types Perception Problem solving Everything from pattern recognition to critical thinking emerge from those three characteristics of the mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRdQsg4qyWA Major scientists involved in short term memory research include George Miller who identified chunking and Alan Baddeley. Endel Tulving discovered the main characteristics of long term memory, specifically episodic memory and semantic memory. Larry Squire is also an important figure in long term memory research. Overall, many scientists have contributed to our understanding of these two memory types. But because science is always changing, it’s best to combine a solid understanding of the history of memory science with the latest research articles. Studies in Long Term Memory and New Research on Short-Term Memory are decent introductions on the fundamentals of these two types of memory. For the latest studies, setting up Google alerts for “memory science” has helped me keep abreast of the latest findings, along with continually talking to memory scientists on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. The Differences Between Long Term and Short Term Memory Major short term vs long term memory differences boil down to: Time spent with the information The amount of information Duration in memory The mental and physical condition of the individual Let’s look at each of these in depth. Time Spent With Information In short term memory formation, you will typically have only a few seconds to perceive the information. Any time someone gives you their phone number or a passcode, your short term memory is engaged. A simple way to improve your working memory is to play games that require you to hold onto to small amounts of information for short periods of time. There are many memory games that help with this goal. For long term memory, language learning is a key example of spending a lot of time with information. Bilingualism is known to provide many benefits because of how it exercises long term memory. The Amount Of Information Short term memory involves small amounts of information, typically about as long as a password or phone number. However, memory athletes have pushed the limits. For example, three time world memory champion Alex Mullen has broken records by memorizing an entire deck of cards in under twenty seconds. Memory athlete Alex Mullen Long term memory involves much more information. If you’ve ever seen someone recite an entire story from memory, you’ve seen it at work. Likewise, people who memorize speeches are displaying how long term memory relates to large amounts of information. Duration In Memory Sometimes the clarity of your recall is astonishingly long. But even more surprising is when you remember selectively. In other words, you leave out certain parts only to have them suddenly flash into your mind after the fact. For example, sometimes you tell someone a story and miss a few details. A few seconds later, you say, “Oh, I forgot to tell you this important part.” The reason you suddenly remember those missing details has to do with context dependent memory. No one knows exactly why an entire memory doesn’t come back properly the first time, but context does trigger more of our memories once we start recalling them. It’s a way of experiencing memory durability from a different angle. Mental And Physical Condition So much of what we know about memory comes not from studying healthy people. Often we learn about memory by studying the memory of people with a variety of issues. Baddeley’s theories of amnesia, for example, reveal many interesting things about normal human memory. As reported in Studies in Long Term Memory, he found that a

Verbal memory is simple to understand when you keep one thing in mind. And when you understand this one thing, endless ways to improve your verbal working memory emerge. Ways that are easy and fun. So here’s the biggest and most important thing to understand before I take you into some examples of verbal memory. Then I’ll share some proven exercises to help you improve it. Verbal memory is about learning, specifically learning tasks that involve language. I’m talking about: Letters of the alphabet Numbers Words Sequences of words Sequences of numbers Passwords The names of symbols Directions Instructions Learning a language We need to be able to track, understand and act on verbal information from each of these categories. And often we have to use our verbal memory for multiple things at the same time. For example, having someone spell a word out loud so you can pronounce it properly involves chunking a few auditory elements at the same time. So with this big picture in mind, let me introduce you to the granular details and show some ways to improve this very important part of your memory. What Is Verbal Memory? Verbal memory is a term scientists use to analyse and discuss how the brain receives auditory stimulus and responds to it. Psychologists interested in this level of memory usually take echoic memory into account, another sensory type of memory. According to Donald Kausler in the Psychology of Verbal Learning and Memory, it’s possible that the brain tags certain auditory information for “rightness” and “wrongness.” If true, this process suggests that verbal memory has to be constantly on guard because there are many homophones like “prey” and “pray” that don’t sound different at all. Yet something about our brain understands the difference, and if we are reading and find a typo with words like these, it is likely because the auditory part of our memory has fired off a “wrongness” tag. Interesting, isn’t it? Testing Verbal Memory The first serious tests of verbal memory probably started with Hermann Ebbinghaus. He made up a list of over 2000 invented words he called “sinnlosen Silben” (senseless syllables). Ebbinghaus memorized these words and tracked how many repetitions he needed to remember them. He also tracked their rate of decay, which lead to the discovery of the now famous forgetting curve. Unfortunately, many software developers have misunderstood his findings and created a plethora of “spaced repetition apps” that promise to help you learn faster. Some people swear by Anki, but as Postman and Greenbloom remind us is Verbal Learning and memory, Ebbinghaus was not testing repeated exposure to information and memory. He was testing deliberate practice of memorized information using what we now call active recall. You can literally test the difference yourself by using a variety of memory techniques, especially the ancient memory techniques that pre-date Ebbinghaus. Beyond that, verbal memory is often tested by scientists who use Bayesian prediction models. Such testing helps scientists know more about how young people learn and comprehend compared to older people, for example. Examples of Verbal Memory There are many examples of verbal memory. Each example breaks down to: Volume (the amount of verbal information you can retain) Duration (how long you can listen and recall verbally related information) Encoding (how fast your working memory needs to place verbal information into long term memory) Decoding (how quickly you can recall verbally related information) Here are some examples of where verbal memory plays a strong role. One: Conference Interpreting Conference interpreters listen long and hard to what people are saying. They not only understand and remember what people say in real time. They also translate the information. Conference interpreting draws on other levels of memory as well, such as explicit memory and implicit memory. Although there are differences between these two kinds of memory, in other ways they strongly relate. Two: Translating Symbols Remember when I told you that verbal memory involves receiving auditory stimulus and responding to it? This isn’t always the case. Sometimes your visual memory and your iconic memory get involved too. Have a look at this picture: Why does your brain know how to respond by saying, “I love you too”? Because as soon as your visual memory and iconic memory interpret the symbol, the words come to your mind. Often they are out of your mouth before you even have a chance to think about it. Three: Obeying Commands You do this while operating vehicles and machinery as well. Procedural memory comes into play very quickly when you find yourself squeezing the brake on your bike as soon as you hear someone yell, “Stop!” Four: Playing Games Recently, the Magnetic Memory Method community played Memory Det

If you want to know how to not fall asleep while reading, here’s what you don’t need: You don’t need another post telling you not to read in bed. The fact of the matter is that I read in bed often. I love it and have some strategies to share that will allow you to do the same. Without feeling guilty about it. That said, reading in bed is not always an ideal strategy. In reality, any time you rely on just one strategy, reading and understanding will always evade you. To stop feeling sleepy while reading, you need to combine a small number of reading techniques. These techniques are easy to learn and match with the specific type of reading you’re doing. I learned to combine strategies over eleven years as a university student and ten years as a professor. As an independent researcher I continue to read massive amounts of material to this day. And sleepiness simply isn’t an issue. So if you’re ready for my best reading and comprehension tactics that literally push sleepiness away on autopilot, let’s dive in. “Why Does Reading Make Me Sleepy?” – The Surprising Answer A lot of people think there’s something wrong with them when they fall asleep while reading. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let me spell this out loud and clear: Reading is not natural. It is a learned skill based on artificial technologies of alphabets and books created by humans. This simple fact means… No one is born with a brain adapted to reading books. Not only that, but what we call a “book” is not a fixed thing. It’s always changing and you can see that change in this brief history of books. Moreover, the human eye is optimized for scanning environments and faces, not words on paper or screens. This is why we can hang out at the beach all day without eye strain, but quickly get tired while reading on the beach. Other Reasons You Get Sleepy While Reading Of course, there are other reasons you might get sleepy while reading. You could be: Hungover Lacking focused goals Suffering the effects of poor diet and low fitness Struggling with an illness, stress or pain Overworking while reading due to poor vocabulary (which is easy to increase) Or it could be a mixture of these factors. I remember when I was in university I suffered depression, poor diet, chronic pain and poor fitness at the same time. Not only would I fall into hibernations that lasted entire days during this time, but I could barely bring the pages I was looking at into visual focus. It was only until I started applying the tactics you’re about to discover that I started to see improvement. One of the first things I needed to do, however, was to categorize the different types of reading I was doing. Types of Reading And Their Demands We read for many reasons: To pass exams Personal learning project Professional research Liesure All of them can be pleasurable, and sometimes we read strictly for pleasure. But as Beatrice Mikulecky points out in her books Reading Power and More Reading Power, your eyes can still get tired when reading for fun. Her answer? Practice reading more. The more you read, the stronger your eyes will get. And the stronger they are, the less easily they’ll grow tired. Likewise, you can train your skills by practicing: Skimming and scanning Non-pseudoscientific subvocalization tactics Legitimate techniques for reading faster In sum, reading is a set of trained activities and we need to do it in different ways depending on the kind of book and the exact goal of our reading. So if you keep asking, “Why do I fall asleep while reading?” you can put the mystery to rest. Reading tires your eyes out no matter how much practice you get. All the more so if you have some of the issues we just discussed. But even if you have some of those issues (I still have chronic pain, for example), there are strategies that can keep you awake. So let me start sharing them with you now. How to NOT Fall Asleep While Reading (And Also Actually Remember What You Read) As we go through these strategies, there’s no particular order of importance. Each and every one is useful, and it’s up to you to explore them. Also, always consider context. Sometimes it’s cool to use reading to help you fall asleep, for example. But generally, we want to keep Mikulecky’s larger point in mind: Reading, even reading for pleasure, is a trained skill. The sooner you start training yourself, the sooner you’ll find ways to keep yourself awake while reading in a way that creates excitement and energy. These tips have helped me for a very long time and I hope they help you too. One: Don’t Read. Hunt. As I mentioned, we are born with brains evolved to track the environment and scan faces. So why don’t we apply those natural and inherent abilities to our reading? Have a look at this image: All of those books belong to a specific category. I “hunted” for them a

Suffering from memory bias is very common. As is suffering from cognitive biases overall. Many critical thinkers, psychologists and philosophers have pointed out that the key to living a happier life is to reduce every negative cognitive bias that you possibly can. Is doing so a difficult mission? Potentially. But when you understand the variety of memory biases out there, nothing could be easier. And on this page, I’m sharing descriptions, examples and resources that will help you reduce their impact in your life. Can I share something weird with you before we get started, though? Here it is: Not all cognitive biases are bad. Our brains simply must take shortcuts in order to survive. Yet, we can develop an awareness of what these shortcuts are and why the brain is taking them. With that level of “meta consciousness” established, we can lead better lives. So if you’re ready to understand what these biases are and benefit from the useful ones while reducing the impact of the damaging memory biases, let’s dive in. What Is A Memory Bias? Put simply, a memory bias is a mental operation that usually takes place unconsciously. It’s like a shortcut, often called a “heuristic” by psychologists like Daniel Khaneman in landmark books like Thinking, Fast and Slow. There are many kinds of biases, and it’s important to note that psychologists give them names by way of bringing clarity to what the human mind is and how it works. It’s like implicit and explicit memory, two terms that help us see the difference between memories we draw upon consciously and those we draw upon unconsciously. Many memory biases are unconscious, which may be part of why we sometimes use the phrase “asleep at the wheel” to describe how people take mental shortcuts that lead to less than ideal outcomes. And that’s important to understand. Most of our memory biases are unconscious. They’re difficult to detect as a result. Yet, they can powerfully force you to associative negativity to neutral aspects of life. For example, you may have heard someone say they’re a “burnt child.” I just said this myself. Earlier today I met a marketing agent representative and she asked me if I had any hesitations about working with her agency. “Yes,” I explained. “I have a history of working with companies and individuals that made huge promises but failed to deliver.” My leaning toward the negative experiences shines poorly on this new company who wants my business. That’s because my memory is delivering up a bias towards being let down. Counterintuitively, this company could be the best possible agency to help me, and I might never know if my memory bias wins and I decide to decline their offer. On the positive side, you can think of companies you’ve used for years and would never change. That is the positive side of a memory bias, and it can keep you in good stead. Unless this positivity bias prevents you from leaving a company because you’re stuck with previous memories of good service. Your mind could be “tricking” you into holding on longer than you should because it tells you things will get better. So the question is: How do we spot these biases and reduce or eliminate the bad ones from our lives? The first step is to get more familiar with what they are and how they work. 5 Types of Memory Bias You Need To Master As we go through this list, I’ll share with you references and examples. If you want to learn them all and remember the details, I suggest learning how to use a Memory Palace. It’s a fun and cool way to learn faster and retain more. Also, note that these memory biases are in no particular order of importance. In reality, they’re all important and they all influence each and every person in different ways. Do all biases relate to memory? I believe so. That’s because they’re all taking place in the brain which involves many types of memory, ranging from procedural memory, episodic memory, autobiographical memory, explicit memory, implicit memory, prospective memory and more. With that in mind, let’s look at the most key biases related to memory directly. And let’s discuss how to use them well or reduce their impact. One: Memories Are Not Recordings A lot of my students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass tell me that they want eidetic memory. This is the scientific term for what people often call photographic memory. Therein lies the rub. Memory is more like a process than a photograph, yet we are biased to think of our memories as picture perfect. Memory is like neither a movie or a photograph. It’s a process that is always changing. Dr. Gary Small likens our memory to a neighborhood filled with traffic and people moving around from house to house. Our memories literally travel around the brain over time, just as humans move around the world.

So you’re looking for a public place to study. Tricky challenge, isn’t it? I went to university for eleven years before I finally got my PhD. That means I’ve faced every issue you can imagine when it comes to discovering the best and quietest study locations. I’ve overcome every obstacle and barrier under the sun. And later, when I was a professor myself, my skills at focusing in a variety of places paid off big time. I still use these skills as an author to this day. I’ll share a bit about my current study habits with you too. Because, quite frankly, I wish I’d known what I found out as a professional much earlier. But more on those points later. Let’s talk about finding learning locations that you can rely on. I’ll pile on some of my best learning tips as we go. The 11 Best Places to Study (and How to Actually Study There) As we go through this list, there’s no particular order of importance. But I’ll stress one point: Any place you can study is the best place. Variety is the key at the end of the day, as is training yourself to focus your mind at will. One: The Biggest Library You Can Find Libraries aren’t necessarily quiet places to study. That’s why the bigger they are the better. You will have multiple options to choose from if the part you’re in starts getting noisy. Multi-floor libraries are especially good, as is moving regularly. Not only can you get the scientifically proven benefits of moving around. You’ll also have a chance to practice interleaving.This process can be as simple as flipping through a few other books so that your brain absorbs the main topic with greater depth and speed. Finally, large libraries tend to have better trained staff. Make no mistake: A good librarian can help you solve many problems. I’ve not only drawn upon the help of librarians around the world. I’ve worked in three libraries myself, once as an assistant for the head research librarian at York University. Librarians are smart people and they can point out resources you’d never find on your own, which makes your research easier and much more fun. Two: Clubs & Associations While at York University, I became the president of the English Undergraduate Student Association for one simple reason: It came with an office. I also had access to multiple parts of the campus that regular students did not. When you’re part of a university club or association, you may be able to do the same. Please don’t laugh this suggestion off. If you suffer from low concentration like I did during university, having access to an office will be a boon. The trick is to tie the club or group activities into the topic you’re studying as much as possible. For example, every guest I invited during my presidency was related to an area of study or assignment I was working on. That way, I was always technically studying while working on my duties for the association. And make no mistake: When you can shift the activities of the organization you choose to participate in, you’re getting more than good places to study. You’re getting fantastic experiences for your resume and reference letters for the future. Three: Parks With Statues & Buildings Whenever it’s warm outside, I like to study in parks. Back in Toronto, I loved studying in the Allan Gardens because I could use one of its buildings and a statue as a Memory Palace. It works simple: You chart out a journey on the statue or use an ancient memory technique taught by Giordano Bruno. I did this with the Robbie Burns statue by creating 30 stations: By selecting only the parts of the body that come in pairs, you get 30 stations in total. You can also use the pedestal if you like, but in this case I did not. Once you have the statue mocked out with stations, you just need to apply some mnemonic imagery to each of the stations. That way, the information has a place it can stick. The only downsides to studying in parks is that the weather can change in a flash. Traffic noise can pick up during certain times a day and you never know when a demonstration might arise. Other than that, they are by far my favorite places to study. I still study out doors, often for weeks at a time without missing a day. Four: Buses & Trains Sure, they can be noisy. But I used to play in bands and always had ear plugs with me. They’re cheap and you can find them at just about any drugstore or pharmacy. The main downside is that you have to keep an eye on the destination, but I often set a timer so I could feel my phone buzz in my pocket in good time to gather my stuff in time to depart. Or I would tell the driver that I would be wearing ear plugs and ask for a reminder. Many drivers are perfectly happy to help you out and you can sit close to them. That makes it easier for them to alert you. Later, when I taught at Rutgers, I found myself living in Manhattan. I had to commute all the way from Washington Heights to New Brunswick in

Frustrated when you read an article about ancient memory techniques that only covers the Greek mnemonic tradition? Me too. See, when I first encountered memory techniques through Harry Lorayne and others, they mentioned the Greek tradition in passing. Lorayne in particular mentioned “old techniques in dusty old books.” But he never got deep into what those techniques were. So, using my skills as a trained grad student at the time, I went as deep as I could. Over the years since then, I’ve been talking about how memory techniques are way older than Simonides of Ceos and his “Memory Palace.” Don’t get me wrong. The Memory Palace is a profound tool for learning faster and remembering more. It’s just that it’s not the only approach. And the ancient world has so much to offer our learning lives right now. Not to mention in the future. So if you’re ready to discover a much wider range of mnemonic devices and add them to your arsenal, let’s dive in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuk2POY_3yM Ancient Memory Techniques That Still Work As we go through this list together, two things: There’s no particular order of importance. I’m just laying out all the great techniques I’ve learned from around the world and throughout time. You’ll notice some crossover between these techniques, if not repetition. That’s because all memory techniques appear to be spatial in one form or another. Further, as Giordano Bruno has said in many of his memory books, if anyone thinks long and hard enough about these techniques, they’ll reach the same conclusions. These techniques might seem like they belong to or originate with a particular group. Certainly, everyone should take pride in their history. But because there is so much crossover between these techniques, we should see the common humanity in them and not arrive at some kind of tribalism. This final point is made by Tyson Yunkaporta in his excellent book Sand Talk and during our discussion on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. So if you notice universal patterns in my list, I suggest being open to exploring the repetition. I used to dismiss things that seemed repetitive. But over the years I’ve learned that not examining the patterns that repeat is almost always a mistake. If anything, repetition is difference. And in that difference lies so much to explore and benefit from. Finally, it’s useful to note that “ancient” can mean many different things. We often use the word to mean “very old.” But more specifically it sometimes used to mean “before the fall of the Roman Empire.” That would rule out, for example, Medieval and Renaissance memory techniques. For the purposes of this article, I’m not going to exclude either of those periods. Both the Medieval and Renaissance periods definitely count as “very old” in my mind, though I’m certainly interested in your thoughts on this and hope you’ll leave a comment if you think differently. One: Aboriginal Memory Techniques & Songlines Rooted in Landscape There are many Aboriginal and Indigenous memory techniques. Some have caught the interest of scientists and been validated through contemporary testing methods. These techniques include: Story Songlines Lukasa Memory spaces Hand mnemonics Songlines are among the most interesting of these ancient memory techniques. As Lynne Kelly describes them in her book, The Memory Code: Songlines, or Dreaming Tracks are pathways through the landscape connecting a large number of significant locations in a fixed order. As she later clarifies in her book, Memory Craft: Songlines were used to help memorize everything Aboriginal people needed to know about animals, plants, navigation, genealogies, the legal system, ethical expectations… the list goes on and on. The culture was entirely stored in memory. How to Use a Songline Songlines are all about being connected to the land. So you might want to start by looking at an actual Songline. Keep in mind that you can use both the land and the sky to help you construct a Songline. Here’s an example of mine based on the Glass House Mountains: I assigned this Songline based on a mountain range and used the Songline itself to help me remember the mountains and the ancestral stories about them. For this particular Songline, I memorized the names and the stories related to the main mountains themselves, Tibrogargan, Beerwah and Coonowrin. The operation is quite simple: You place associations at predetermined points along the Songline. Then you use the Songline in combination with rules of active recall to usher the information into long term memory. Two: The Ancient Mnemonics Hidden In Coins & Scrolls as Abbreviations According to Eran Katz in Where Did Noah Park the Ark?, abbreviations entered use as mnemonic devices at least as early as circa 132 A.D. As Katz explains, coins found during this period contain some of the oldest abbreviations in the form of reminders. Used by the Bar Kochba rebellion against the Romans, the abbreviations reminded the Hebrews of

Moonwalking with Einstein is an incredible book for many reasons. But will reading it improve your memory? Even more importantly, will reading Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer improve your life? Sorry to give you a cliche answer, but rest assured you’ll get more nuance as we go. The answer is: It depends. In this review, you’ll learn who this book is for, who it’s most likely to help and whether or not you’re the kind of person who will benefit from reading it. And in case you’re wondering why I would know, that’s a very good question. I have a few insights because I’ve interviewed and spent time with many people in the book. One of them gave me the Warrior of the Mind emblem for Outstanding Contributions to Global Mental Literacy. You’ll read about that pendant in the early parts of Moonwalking with Einstein. But above all, I’ve benefited from reading this book myself, albeit in a quirky way. All will be revealed, so if you’re ready to take a deep dive into this fascinating book, let’s get started! Who Is Joshua Foer? Joshua Foer was a science journalist when he wrote Moonwalking with Einstein and published it in 2011. These days, he owns a company called Atlas Obscura that serves as a guide to the world’s hidden treasures. According to the book itself, he won the 2006 USA Memory Championship and later ranked 13th at the World Memory Championship event. Foer told Nelson Dellis in a 2022 interview that although he still uses memory techniques once in a while, it is usually for numbers. But he no longer pushes himself to the level of being a viable memory athlete. Of the greatest interest for language learners, Foer successfully learned Lingala to a decent degree. He attributes memory techniques to his success based on an older version of Memrise, which included a lot of mnemonic examples at the time. If you’re wondering if Joshua Foer is legit, the answer is definitely yes. He’s gone beyond using memory techniques for competition and applied them to developing knowledge. That’s exactly what we want in a memory expert. Moonwalking with Einstein Review: What You Need to Know The first thing you need to know about Moonwalking with Einstein is that it’s not a memory training book. There’s little in it that could be described as a “lesson.” That said, the title itself is a lesson in mnemonic imagery. And the best kind because it’s a highly specific mnemonic example. And if you follow along as you read, you’ll come to know how memory techniques work and gain insight in how to use them. The main problem is that, except for the chapter on how to memorize a poem, you’ll primarily discover how to use mnemonics for competitive outcomes. More importantly, Moonwalking with Einstein is a book based around some classic themes that are very inspiring. These themes are: The Value of Experimentation Throughout the book, you discover how many different people learned about memory techniques and made them their own. This theme is so critical because a lot of people expect someone to hand them a memory system. Although there are some memory systems that many memory athletes share (like the PAO System, Dominic System and Major System), each person needs to do a number of things: Learn the systems Understand how and why they work Modify them so they’re personalized (part of active recall in memory science) Absorb them through practice Observe and track how they perform Make improvements over time The Value of Community Memory competition requires community by its very nature. You cannot compare your memory skills against others on your own. A huge theme of the book revolves around the friendships Foer made and the mentors who guided his progress with the memory techniques. I share one of those mentors with Foer in our dearly departed Tony Buzan. In one of the book’s early sections, a section that proves Foer’s skills as a writer, Foer notices “a neuron shaped pin adorned [Buzan’s] lapel.” That pin is the Warrior of the Mind Emblem, something Buzan gave me at an event, making me part of a community of memory teachers. For someone who talks for a living, I was speechless! As Foer describes the scene, Buzan acts like Merlin by making a great call to adventure. Just as Buzan once took me aside, he took Foer aside and had him imagine becoming the USA Memory Champion. This call to adventure is what leads Foer to travel and meet many memory athletes, memory experts and ultimately enjoy membership in KL7, a secret society of memorizers headed by the Grandmaster of Memory, Ed Cooke. The Value of Practice & Having Goals Although the stories of meeting various people are wildly entertaining, the book’s most important theme revolves around practice. In this regard, the book could be about many competitive sports, though perhaps chess is the closest comparison. As Foer learns, commitment is rare. And if the book ends on a bittersweet note, it is that Foer learns how easy it is to slip back into easy mode and stop using

What if there was a book that helped you learn at a rapid pace by chanting the names of angels while looking at interesting images? There’s more to the Ars Notoria than that, of course. But the interesting thing is that this book may actually have provided a beneficial effect. For one thing, the text likely created a meditative state. And it’s been well-demonstrated that meditation improves memory. It also improves focus, attention and your overall awareness. To help us learn more about the Ars Notoria and the people who used it, we’re joined in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast by Dr. Justin Sledge from Esoterica. https://youtu.be/SIEWtw8B-j4 What Is The Ars Notoria? The Ars Notoria is hard to describe. But generally, it probably belongs to a genre called grimoire. This word probably relates to “grammar” and refers to texts proclaiming to teach the art of invoking angels and/or demons. In the case of the Ars Notoria, the idea seems to be that you “inspect” certain “notes,” ostensibly while chanting the names of angels you’ve memorized. Why? Because the book promises that you’ll rapidly acquire the trivium and quadrivium at an epic speed, provided you still attend lecture and do all the assigned reading. The “notes” you’re supposed to stare at, one assumes, the images included in the book. But it’s possible that you also created your own when using the pecia system to copy books you could not afford to own. If you want to check out the text for yourself, this is the version of the Ars Notoria I read. It appears that a new version is coming out soon as well. To understand the medieval practice of this form of magic, I recommend Claire Fanger’s Invoking Angels. And of course, there is Dr. Sledge’s excellent video analysis of the text: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv0plm9SVIo How Would You Use The Ars Notoria? Based on my reading so far, here’s what I would probably do: Memorize the recommended names and words using a Memory Palace Recite the content while considering the images Repeat daily while studying the material using other memory techniques Although not quite so elaborate, I have done something similar already with Sanskrit. I memorized a substantial part of the Ribhu Gita, for example. Here’s the demonstration video and here’s my TEDx Talk about the experience. Do The Promises of the Ars Notoria Deliver? As Dr. Sledge and I speculate, it’s highly likely that using the Ars Notoria provided students and other individuals some benefit. If it didn’t, why else would manuscripts of the text have flourished? I think the relationship here with other kinds of concentration meditation and visualization meditation is clear. Some people will certainly learn faster and remember more based on the benefits of concentration meditation alone. But my thinking aligns with Claire Fanger’s suggestion that working with the names of angels probably helped people improve their use of mnemonics. This intuition makes total sense to me because the more strange names and words you know, the more connections you can make while using mnemonics. In other words, this could have served as a kind of practice akin to what we do now with things like the pegword method, the Major System and the PAO System. Ultimately, the only way to know whether or not this approach will work for you is to give it a try. Stay tuned to this page for updates as more resources and materials emerge. When the new version comes out, and if it fills in the gaps in the current versions we have, I might just give this technique a try. And if I do, I’ll document everything for you. Watch this space and if you’d like to improve your memory between now and then, grab my FREE Memory Improvement Kit: This course provides you with contemporary and scientifically proven boosts to your memory. And you don’t have to pray to anyone or anything in order for it to work!

If you want to learn really fast, these are the memory hacks you want to use. They are by far the most exciting, next level memory tips you’ve ever discovered. And I promise you that if you read this article all the way through, you will be able to absolutely crush any exam, learn any language faster and never forget a name again. These tactics helped me during a time when I was so frustrated by what so many “memory experts” were offering. See, a lot of them are memory competitors. They use memory techniques to win competitions. Then they instantly forget the numbers, vocabulary and names they memorized. Not useful for lifelong learning! Then there are the scientists (or journalists pretending to write scientifically). Let’s face it: Memory tips like “take a nap” and “use repetition” aren’t actually “hacks.” Sure, those things do work. A little. But if you’re struggling with small memory problems… Or even big ones… The standard advice simply won’t do. The memory hacks you need will be science-based and help you delve into the vast miracle that is the human mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXinnhU-zTY But they’re not going to be helpful if they’re written by people who don’t use memory techniques for long term retention. I do. So are you ready for a memory hack “manifesto” loaded with techniques that will actually get you results? Great! Let’s dive in! 7 Memory Hacks That Actually Work As you go through this list, please understand that there is no special order here. Each and every one of the memory improvement tactics you’re about to discover is useful. And you can use some of them in combination for maximum results. One: Don’t Cram (Not Ever) When you have to learn something in a rush, the worst thing you can do is sit there and try and force it into your head. Although some rote repetition can be a good thing, this is better: Take lots of breaks, even if you’re in a rush. This is called the spacing effect and it is powerful. To give you a simple example, I didn’t have much time when I memorized the speech I gave at a TEDx event. But in the limited time I had, I focused on 2-3 sentences at a time using a technique called the Memory Palace that you’ll learn about in a minute. After about 5 minutes of focusing on those sentences, I pulled back and did something else. Memory expert Dave Farrow established two Guinness Records and he used a similar approach to accomplish his feats. Two: Use Memory Techniques Did you know that there are over 20 memory techniques to choose from? You don’t have to use them all, but spending just a little time picking up a few will revolutionize your memory quickly. If you want to go for the ultimate technique immediately, learn how to use a Memory Palace. This specific technique hacks your memory of locations like buildings, schools, churches, libraries, stores, parks and highways. You literally think about locations you’re familiar with and pair them with information you need to remember using visualization tactics. Three: Mind Map Tony Buzan says in Mind Map Mastery that he gave up on the mind map as a memory hack decades ago. I think this was premature. For one thing, mind maps can readily be used as a type of Memory Palace. But merely by creating them, ideally with multiple colors, you give yourself a shot at experiencing the benefits of active recall. Using multiple colors on your mind maps will increase your focus and make their content more memorable. This means that you’ll remember what you’ve mind mapped better because you personalized the information. And you’ve engaged with it in a way that involves novelty and variety. Both of those things are so powerful, they deserve a discussion on their own. Four: Inject Novelty and Variety One of my most used memory hacks during university was studying in multiple locations. I literally went out of my way to study in as many of Toronto’s libraries as I could. Just as often, I would visit new cafes or even study in parks I’d never seen before. I would ride my bike from place to place, which also had the benefit of giving me breaks. (It’s really hard to cram when you’re on the road, but very easy to reflect on what you’ve studied. Thinking about the material forms memories quicker.) Why does including a variety of new locations for learning help with memory formation? Scientists believe it has to do with how it causes the brain to increase levels of dopamine and noradrenaline. These are all important chemicals when it comes to forming new memories. The best part? Moving around is fun and easy too. It also makes you a more interesting person. Five: Optimize How You Use Flashcards Sometimes people think I’m all about the Memory Palace technique and totally against things like Anki and flashcards. Such statements couldn’t be further from the truth. Although I don’t use spaced repetition software often, when I do, I enhance it by using the principles we’ve already discussed: Personalizati

One of the biggest problems when it comes to mnemonics for Mandarin Chinese has recently been solved. To explain more about the issue and the solution, Phil Crimmins from Mandarin Blueprint joins me on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. Now, Phil’s credentials and experiences with Chinese are exceptional. He’s an accomplished entrepreneur, sure. He’s also very chill thanks to meditation, mindfulness and a great understanding of how to manage his mind. And he’s a great lifelong learner who has focused on learning Chinese with incredible speed and accuracy. But it wasn’t always simple. And some mistakes were made along the way. You can learn from those mistakes. And take inspiration from how Phil went on to complete a degree at Sichuan University. Even better, he was awarded an “Outstanding Thesis Award” for his dissertation. What was this dissertation all about? “Chinese Acquisition Methods from the Perspective of a Mandarin Learner.” This means that Phil is not only great at speaking Mandarin, but writing it too! https://youtu.be/xJOuWDnhpRc Want To Make Reading And Writing Mandarin Easier? In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method podcast, you’ll learn how Mandarin Blueprint has been helping thousands of people around the world rapidly acquire Chinese language skills. Let me tell you: Phil and his partner Luke Neale really know their stuff. Sure, their Chinese is great. But I’m also incredibly impressed by their knowledge of memory techniques, including the Memory Palace and other memory hacks. What Is Mandarin Blueprint? Mandarin Blueprint is an online course, but it’s also something more. It’s an experience. See, Phil and Luke understand the brain’s need for a combination of variety, simple challenges and careful progression into more challenging aspects of the language. Scientifically, they’re keenly aware of active recall and how to help you maximize its benefits. It’s not just videos on a screen, either. You get quizzes, powerful downloads and activities to complete. There’s also a unique flashcard system that is built for people who use memory techniques to learn Chinese. What about Chinese characters and pronunciation? It’s in both of these areas that Mandarin Blueprint really shines. As good as Phil and Luke’s pronunciation is, you also get a native speaker. It not only proves how well they speak, but gives you that all-important variety of voices that stimulates faster learning. Memory Techniques For Chinese So what exactly are these special mnemonics in the Mandarin Blueprint program? That’s exactly what Phil and I discuss today, but as a bit of a preview… Mnemonics for Chinese go back at least as far as Matteo Ricci in the 16th century. He traveled to China from Italy and even wrote a book about how he learned the language using the art of memory. Then it’s mostly radio silence until the James Heisig books appeared with titles like, Remembering the Hanzi. Mandarin Blueprint has taken the best ideas from the memory tradition and improved them, including some ideas from the Marilyn Method. They give interesting ways to connect your associations to both their unique flashcard system and Memory Palaces. And these ways work, all the more so because they take pronunciation into consideration. In my experience, the Mandarin Blueprint approach is totally unique. You should definitely try it. What if you’re not learning Chinese? Two things: Why not? You can still learn a ton about memory techniques by listening to Phil’s experiences using them. After all, Mandarin is neither easy or difficult. Those matters are just a state of mind. But there’s definitely a level of involvement with Mandarin that requires more robustness in the memory techniques you use. And that’s what makes this conversation so valuable. Those robust approaches will transfer over to anything you want to learn!  

Many people ask me about using a video game as a Memory Palace. Here’s how such questions are often worded: Hey, could locations in video games work for my Memory Palace? I’m talking about games such as Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft or the games favored by Pewdiepie? What about the Metaverse? Before we get to the answer, a quick thought experiment in the form of a question: Do you know the location of the Memory Palace Police Headquarters? I’ll give you the address later, but think about it as we dive into the topic of using a video game as a Memory Palace. I have only a passing familiarity with the games indicated by the question, but the quick and dirty answer is: Yes. Of course. Why not? A Memory Palace is a reference to space. This space is used either as a surface we paint mnemonic imagery onto, a surface we place it upon. Or we might hover the associations above the loci. We can even stash them under or inside of locations inside of Memory Palaces, such as by using cupboards or even the pockets of our Magnetic Bridging Figures. So long as you understand what the Memory Palace technique is and practice it, you can use video games. Or even movies. Heck, you can even make Memory Palaces from the individual pages of books to help you use elaborative encoding as you use both simple and advanced memory techniques. The Truth About Using Memory Palaces Based On Video Games In truth, it doesn’t matter what I think. The real answer is up to you. And here’s a potentially MASSIVE time saving tip: When it comes to memory training, any “can I” or “could I” question almost always has the same answer: Dive in and give it a try! If it doesn’t work… Come back to the Magnetic Memory Method for foundational training. But always understand two things: Using memory techniques like the Memory Palace is always experimental in nature Memory Palaces are always already virtual Why Memory Palaces Are Always Experimental What do I mean? Every time I personally set out to use a Memory Palace, it’s an experiment. The Memory Palace is like a mental laboratory. If I’m memorizing anything using it, it’s a test of my skills. And I always learn something new. Why Memory Palaces Are Always Virtual This point gets into the philosophy of memory, and it may or may not be useful to you. In brief, the world is represented to your mind by your brain. That means that it is a recreation of what is “out there,” not an accurate depiction of reality. Therefore, when you use a memory of your childhood home, you are tapping into your brain chemistry. The same brain chemistry that you’re tapping into when you think about a video game you want to use as a Memory Palace. How is accessing one of these potential Memory Palace sources more “real” than the other? The answer, in my not-so-humble, but always Magnetic opinion is that they are both equally virtual. But what matters at the end of the day isn’t the intellectual debate. It’s how well one option works compared to the other. There are also issues of recursion to consider, as I did in this video about using a paracosm vs. the Metaverse. Familiarity = Speed I choose Memory Palaces that are based on “real” locations I’ve visited because I noticed one simple thing early on in my practice: It’s faster and easier to set them up when they are based on real buildings. The amount of decisions that has to be made is drastically reduced. But that might not be a concern for you. If you are so familiar with that location in the video game that you can create a journey through it and don’t have to spend a millisecond thinking of what comes next, then I think that is great. I’m being a bit dramatic with the “millisecond” thing, so don’t take that as law. The point is that speed is very important when learning, as is the principle called speed of implementation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=386LzJmXWHE The idea here is that the faster you can get something into action, the faster you’ll be able to use it. And that means the faster you’ll get results. For this reason, I would suggest applying the same guidelines for preparation and predetermination I teach you to apply to “real” spaces to imagined spaces as well. All the details about this are covered in my free course: The Real Reason People Want Video Game Memory Palaces I think it’s worth thinking about the intention behind this memory improvement question. In many cases, people want to create a video game Memory Palace Network simply because they never get out enough. Is that a healthy reason? I ask because so many issues with brain fog and depression that harm our memory come from social isolation and lack of exercise. Even if you do have to stay inside, it’s still possible to find more Memory Palaces. By the same token, my fellow memory expert Idr