Simon Luisi On Expanding The Major System In Your Memory Castle

Simon Luisi is a memory enthusiast who has helped organize memory competitions in Canada.

There are the type of events where memory athletes work at completing seemingly impossible feats like memorizing 130 random words in a minute.

Or how about 1170 binary digits memorized in five minutes?

It seems impossible.

Yet, most memory competitors will tell you that they have completely normal minds.

Often, they’ll also admit that they have terrible memory skills.

Except when they’re using memory techniques.

I have been reporting on the world of memory competitions for over fourteen years now.

I’m also a student of memory science and a practitioner of memory techniques myself.

That’s why it was a delight to sit down with Simon for this detailed discussion of memory techniques and how memory competitions encourage more and more people around the world to explore the world of mnemonics.

 

Who Is Simon Luisi?

Simon does a lot more than jsut serve as the chairperson of the Canadian Memory Championships. He is aalso a keynote speaker on memory and inventor of the directional memory method for card memorization.

As if that weren’t enough, he is also a Gold Award winner for Toastmasters and a chess enthusiast.

Pictured above, you’ll see James Gerwing who won the 2019 competition. Simon is behind him to the right. (James took the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass and you can hear us discussing his win on this episode.)

Simon and I discuss the skills necessary for memory competition, how they can improve your day-to-day as a lifelong learner, and why a personal memory training routine is necessary for any kind of personal development in memory arts.

If you know that a one-size-fits-all practice isn’t for you…if you’ve tried other techniques and failed because they were too rigid…or you just didn’t know where to begin…

If you want to break into the world of memory competitions, but believed those athletes to be “way out of your league”…

Or you just want to understand the hype and what the Major Method’s all about…

This podcast is for you.

All you have to do is press play down below to listen in on:

• Why Simon prefers the term Memory Castle to Memory Palace, what’s the difference, and which one you should use
• What’s required (or not) to participate in memory competitions (it’s easier than you may have been led to believe!)
• Which memory disciplines to devote daily practice to to become a champion of memory…even if you don’t ever compete
• The reason a distraction-free study zone isn’t ideal for optimal memory training, especially if you study tough subjects
• How memory competitions can be revamped in order to give a real challenge
• Simon’s tweak to the Major System that revolutionized his practice (and it can do the same for you and might be interesting, even if you’re using the Dominic System!)
• Why customization and self-leadership in memory systems is important
• The reason to be a self-learner if you truly want to improve your memory
• How photography and film exposure relates to memory training and time (well-spent) in practice

Further Resources on the Web, this podcast, and the MMM Blog:

7 Memory Champs Reveal Their Language Learning Secrets

Simon’s official home on the web

The Canadian Memory Championships

Simon Luisi’s Twitter

Memory Athlete Braden Adams On The Benefits Of Memory Competition

Katie Kermode On Memory Competition and Casual, Everyday Mnemonics