Mind mapping does more than just improve memory and creativity. These mind mapping examples will show you just how easy it is to use mind mapping to get more out of the method of loci.
If you'd like to know how to study fast and still get substantial learning done, this practical podcast shares the best tips from my experiences with earning a PhD, two MAs, a BA and several other certifications.
Looking for brain exercises to improve memory? Put these 12 into action and you will experience memory improvement and mental clarity that goes far beyond what "neurobics" can provide.
Having trouble making sure you take action on your study materials? Edan Kertis of MyQuest explains how the AFT Learning Model Can Help (Action Feedback Trigger).
John Graham, 2018 USA Memory Champion, teaches you the habits and strategies that helped him unlock his Superhuman memory abilities. You already have them - you just need to train and he'll show you how!
Christian Fitzharris shares his experiences with mnemonics for becoming a sommelier and helping students avoid the "Oliver Cromwell Effect" when hunting for mnemonic examples.
Memory techniques for studying are a dime a dozen. They're also completely useless if you don't know how to practice them so you develop mnemonic skills that last. In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you'll learn how to practice the Memory Palace and related memory techniques properly.
What if you could download a simple app that would help you learn twice as much in half the time? Edan Kertis from MyQuest tells us exactly how the AFT Learning Model can make that happen.
Evernote and other productivity software programs can help your memory, especially by freeing up your time. That way, you can practice your memory more for language learning and other life-improving memory tasks. Charles Byrd explains exactly how to optimize Evernote and think about similar technology in a better way so you get more substantial results.
Nelson Dellis shares the thinking and strategy behind his highly visual memory techniques. He also has a new book out called Remember It! We go deep into his approach to mnemonics and how you can get more from your memory practice by modeling his approach.
Olly Richards has a new series with Teach Yourself and these really are the best language learning books I've ever seen. Listen in and you'll learn why along with how to make sure you're choosing engaging language learning books that will help you achieve fluency fast.
When it comes to memory training, Phil Chambers is one of the best on the planet. His book How to Train Your Memory gives you real world and memory competition examples that will help you improve your memory quickly.
Tony Buzan shares the 10 laws of Mind Mapping in his excellent book, Mind Map Mastery. I go through each law in detail and share an idea for combining these laws with the Major System for combining your mind maps with the Memory Palace technique.
Many people ask if they can improve memory like Sherlock Holmes using a Mind Palace or Memory Palace. The answer may surprise you, along with 11 other things you should be doing for real memory improvement instead.
Looking for the most powerful memory techniques you can use to memorize numbers? Tune in and learn the Major System, PAO and 00-99 for fast and flexible number memory skills starting today!
What if I told you I can show you how to improve focus and concentration in less than five minutes a day?
Would you believe me?
If you’ve just said…
I’m not sure…
In fact… I’m downright skeptical!
Good answer.
Skepticism is good.
In fact, as you’re about to learn, it’s one of the best tools for creating lasting focus and concentration.
You can use the tool of skepticism (and others I’ll share on this page) to create laser-sharp awareness that not only helps you understand information better…
It also makes you feel fantastic!
The best part?
Everything you do to improve concentration and focus also improves your memory.
And that’s exactly what the Magnetic Memory Method mission is all about:
Showing you how focus, concentration and memory are all sides of the same dice.
Are you ready?
Great! Then let’s get the focus and concentration party started with my favorite ways to improve concentration and focus.
1. Learn How To Improve Focus And Concentration By Resting More
Didn’t think I would start off with a wildcard, did you?
Just not walking alone. It’s actually hard to tell who was smarter: Einstein or Gödel.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to make any bets myself, but we know for a fact that both these men had these things in common:
1. They took lots of rest.
2. They walked a lot.
3. They were geniuses who changed the world.
The Two Secrets Of How Walking Increases Focus And Concentration…
According to Pang and the mountains of cool research he cites, walking isn’t restful because it’s not working.
Rather, walking lets the mind wander.
But wait a second!
Isn’t mind wandering the opposite of focus and concentration?
Not necessarily.
In fact, when you let your mind wander, your brain chemistry changes.
Yes, we’re talking about “drugs,” specifically dopamine.
And from a scientific perspective, it’s important to understand that most people get their best ideas when their dopamine levels are high.
These are, ironically, when we are the most distracted.
For example, you are most distracted and experiencing high levels of dopamine when you are dreaming, running, driving, walking, or, the most classic example of them all, taking a hot shower.
Why do we get more ideas when engaging in activities like these?
It’s not just the dopamine.
It’s also that we’re disengaged. Speaking of which, I’d like you to be engaged, so let me ask you this:
For more information about this topic, please read Rest for more on the science of mind wandering.
Oh, and believe it or not, I didn’t just read this cool book and pass it on to you without trying the suggestions out for myself.
More on my results in a future blog post. For now, it appears that Pang practices what he preaches too. Just check out his blog.
In sum:
Walking works. Especially when you combine it with Digital Fasting, my own personal cure for Digital Amnesia.
2. Remove Distractions And Read From Real Books
I don’t know about you, but I once had a love/hate relationship with Kindle.
It got so bad we ultimately broke up. I haven’t read a full book on Kindle for more than three years now.
The last time I tried, I gave up 1/4 of the way through and ordered the same book in print.
Why?
Maybe it’s because I’m getting older.
But I believe it’s partly because I never had a proper Kindle device.
I always used the Kindle app on an iPhone.
And that meant it was crushingly easy to open up a browser – or use the app itself – to fact check things.
Every disruption led to less U.S.S.R.
No, not the former Soviet Union!
I’m talking about Uninterrupted Silent Sustained Reading.
You see, physical books are like focus and concentration “engines.”
If you can just get comfortable with them and stay the course…
They pull you along page by page, increasing your commitment to paying attention…
Indeed, increasing your attention span itself (which in no way resembles the sharpness and clarity of a twitchy little goldfish).
The trick is in carving out time to read.
How to do that?
It’s easy:
Put the spotlight on all the things you do that are NOT reading.
Then ask yourself…
Do I want to improve my focus and concentration (and memory)?
Or do I prefer to sit on the couch and watch Netflix?
Or have a thousand tabs open or drown myself with music as my friend Joanna Jast talked about when she shared her tips on improving focus.
Increasing Focus And Concentration Requires This Secret Ingredient
In other words, the experts on these matters are talking about prioritizing.
Whether you prioritize with a calendar, a mind map, or even a Memory Palace to memorize your to-do list, this is how to get reading done:
1. Eliminate things that are not reading from your schedule. Things you really need not do.
2. Schedule time for reading. Even if it’s just 5 minutes a day, it’s a start that will do wonders.
(One neat book that takes just 5 minutes a day you can sink your teeth into is Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle. Highly recommended, especially if you want to memorize books.)
3. Bonus: Schedule time for reading books about how to improve your focus and concentration. Or how about a set of books on how to improve focus at work?
Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe books like Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang.
If you’d like other reading suggestions, check out why I make revisiting at least one book I’ve read before part of my Re-Reading Strategy.
3. Gamble Your Time With Focusing and Concentrating On Zilch
There’s a long history of scientific research showing a paradox stranger than what we just learned about mind-wandering…
It’s that meditation improves memory!
That’s right.
Sitting down and staring at the wall can and will improve your memory. Walking meditation will help too.
You don’t have to work hard at it.
You don’t have to do it for hours on end.
You just have to sit down and breathe.
And you really can start with just 5 minutes a day.
Here’s all the best research on meditation and memory I’ve got for you so far.
Now it’s time to take you deeper into my own meditation practice specifically for focus and concentration.
Again, calibrating your attention to laser-sharp levels of focus connect with memory in multiple ways.
Here’s a shocking fact:
These connections are not always simple to explain.
However, they are easy to spot once you start feeling them. And all the more so when you have a flexible memory method.
How You Will Notice This Special Technique Is Improving Your Focus And Concentration
Here are a list of some things you’ll notice when you start meditating:
1. Less mental chatter.
When the boardroom in your head settles down, your focus and concentration must improve.
Why?
Because you won’t get caught up in so much of what Gary Weber calls “blah blah blah.”
Complete silence in your head is not necessarily a desirable outcome.
(Kind of like how photographic memory is not really the blessing people think it is. As Jill Price’s story illustrates in that blog post, that kind of memory is much less a path to focusing help when you need to concentrate and can disrupt your life and sanity.)
2. The world seems more vivid.
Imagine if colors that used to be so boring you didn’t notice them now jump out at you.
Do you think that would sharpen your concentration?
It certainly did for me.
For example, after learning the Wim Hof Method and experiencing a breakthrough in my meditation practice, I remember heading to the gym one morning…
All of a sudden I noticed a traffic sign on a street corner in Berlin that I must have seen hundreds, if not thousands of times before.
Suddenly the sign itself and its faded green color leapt out at me.
I noticed every crack in its paint.
The rusted iron holding it in the air was suddenly so beautiful and precious.
I felt immersed in each and every detail.
And yet for some reason, although it must have been in my field of vision many times before…
Something so extraordinary had been completely invisible.
Of course, the goal when learning how to focus your mind is not to become autistic or continually overwhelmed by every little detail.
And that’s not at all what happened to me.
But this experience transfers directly to paying attention to what I’m reading in books.
I’m aware of both the characteristics of the page and the information at the same time.
And I’m aware of using memory techniques to remember dates and names and facts…
All without skipping a beat because meditation has helped me keep my brain focused on information. All while my awareness of the beauty of the material world feels blissful.
(Okay, I’m human too and sometimes slip from this bliss, but thanks to regular practice, it snaps back in place mighty fast.)
Would you like to know how to train your brain to stay focused?
In a word:
Meditate.
3. Feel Less Bothered By Worldly Events You Cannot Control
You know how it is, right?
You’re humming along. Everything’s great. Your mood couldn’t be better…
Then…
Bam!
Something happens that completely ruins everything.
All of a sudden you feel horrible, hate everything and it seems like the end of the world.
Believe me, I’ve been there.
But it happens less and less.
And the more I focus on how to increase focus and attention span (and memory) through meditation, the more I can let go.
“To clean the mind, an inquirer needs to abandon gratuitous activities, dedicate essential desire-prompted activities to the field of life and take the results as a gift.”
To be fair, Swartz says in this commentary on Shankaracharya’s Atma Bodha that meditation should not be your only strategy.
Far from it!
But when you meditate, you’ll find you can let go of one of the most gratuitous activities of all:
Grumbling at things you cannot change.
And because everything is so much more vibrant, you’ll see the results of actions you take as a gift, no matter what form the results take.
How To Bring Rest, Reading and Meditation Together For A Focus And Concentration Triple-Whammy
Could I take another few moments of your time and share my own daily ritual?
I promise that it will help you, even if only to give you some ideas to play around with for your personal development.
Assuming you’re cool with that, here’s basically how I suggest anyone can improve their focus and concentration while developing their memory skills:
1. Remove all devices from the room where you sleep.
If you struggle at first, learn savasana. That’s a fancy yoga-word for lying still without moving.
I wrote a whole book about it called The Ultimate Sleep Remedy, but seriously, just lay without moving and train yourself to be comfortable with it.
I wander my Memory Palaces as I lay there and focus on breathing and some of the other things I’m going to share with you in this list.
2. Read physical books and use memory techniques (like the Magnetic Memory Method) to remember the information.
I’ve suggested a few books already, and here’s one I’m actively memorizing from at the moment.
When I catch the boardroom in my mind running along, I remember to ask in BOTH Sanskrit and English these skeptical questions.
I’m exercising my memory while correcting course back to focus and concentration!
Because the answer is usually, “No! These thoughts are impeding my concentration!”
And when I realize that, thanks to meditation, I can let them go.
Even better:
Sometimes, thanks to persistent skepticism, I get the opposite the answer to the question. Sometimes I get to say, “Yes! These thoughts are useful!”
In fact, sometimes my thoughts are especially beneficial, such as when I’m thinking about how to teach you memory skills and better mental habits.
And how “unreal” are they?
Well, they are never unreal when people like Robert Martínez emails to say:
Dear Anthony,
Just to let you know that I’m really happy as I used my first Memory Palace to memorise 41 criteria for a teacher assessment scheme I work with and it took me only 1.5 hours to encode.
I then asked one of my colleagues to test me by asking me random criteria e.g. what’s 5d, 4m, etc. and it was exciting!
I was able to decode all the information and my colleague was really impressed. I told her about the MMM too. Anyways, I just wanted to share my excitement with you!
Bye for now,
Robert
Of course, I don’t let it get to my ego (much).
I just teach more.
And learn more, so I have more to teach.
Just like I recommend you do.
Because here’s the thing:
At the end of the day, you are in control of how you improve your focus and concentration.
There are lots of ways to get there, but all of them involve changing your perception of the world.
And resting, reading and meditation are the finest ways I know of making that happen while improving your memory.
The Truth About Perception According To Oliver Sacks
And you don’t have to take my word for it. Just listen to Oliver Sacks laying down the truth:
“Every act of perception is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination.”
When you follow the three suggestions in this post, you’ll find that you use perception to create better habits.
And that leads to better thoughts.
Thoughts that shape better behaviors.
Rest or do whatever healthy things switch your dopamine on to improve your focus and concentration.
Read real books and memorize the materials.
Then meditate. Wander a Memory Palace while you’re at it.
I have more steps you can follow related to the journaling elements and language learning if you want to really go for gold.
Do these things and the improvement of your focus and concentration will happen practically on autopilot.
Are you looking for the perfect memorization technique?
And getting frustrated?
Well, don’t blame yourself. Because it is frustrating, isn’t it?
I mean… everywhere you go people are using different terminology.
Linking…
P.A.O. …
Mind Palace…
Roman Room…
Journey Method…
Mnemonic Peg System…
How Real Are The Promises Of Memorization Techniques For Students And Mature Learners?
I mean, lets face it:
All those terms sometimes make the whole memory improvement world feel a bit like a hoax.
After all, even if science backs up memory improvement techniques 100%…
Why the heck can’t people get their terms straight!?!
Well, let’s get the painful truth about the world of memorization techniques out of the way:
Whether you want to know how to memorize a speech fast or are desperate for memorization techniques for studying…
You’re going to come across a lot of different terms.
That’s just the way the world of memory improvement. It has been since humans started developing memorization techniques to help them survive.
And it’s getting more complex!
But in reality, a lot of those techniques are essentially the same.
Each and every one has a location-based element in one way or another.
That means that all memorization techniques are spatial.
And as Thales, the first person in the West to be considered a philosopher and scientist in the same body, said:
Megiston topos hapanta gar chorei
(Space is ultimate for it contains all things)
That’s the very cool thing about the discoveries here at the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast.
Once you understand this and practice with memorization techniques from this basis, your results will accelerate.
And the complexity eases down, even if there will still be ins and outs to consider.
And if you’re interested in more about the history of where mnemonics come from to help humans deal with complexity and how they used space to do it, please check out Lynne Kelly’s The Memory Code.
Just as we do here on this blog nearly every week, Lynne’s book will show you exactly how learning these techniques will help you deal with extreme complexity in modern life.
My course which you can subscribe to at the bottom of this post will take you through everything too. It’s free.
For now, let’s persist and do our best to get past all the confusing terminology.
Let’s talk instead about the…
5 Little-Known Benefits Of Using The Best Memorization Technique Of Them All
Ultimately, what will help most people is the Magnetic Memory Palace.
At the end of this post, you’ll get an opportunity to learn how to create one of these for free, along with the best terminology we’ve got.
No more “method of loci” or other confusing terms. Again, the truth is that the linking method and the peg method and the Roman Room, the Major System and all the rest…
You can use them all at the same time in a Magnetic Memory Palace.
And if you know the benefits of learning to do so…
Any overwhelm you face will be easy to handle.
Plus, you can experience these 5 benefits, starting with…
1. Use Fast Memorization Techniques To Make Learning Fun!
I get email every day from people who find learning a real challenge.
Some of them are struggling to learn and remember very boring topics.
That’s a real problem too because when you’re bored…
Your progress slows to a crawl.
Yet, when you have the right memorization technique for the job, things not only get faster…
The memorization techniques for studying you use make everything more interesting.
And more fun.
The Best Memorization Techniques Rapidly Increase Focus And Concentration
For that reason, it totally makes sense to have the best memorization technique on the planet ready to go.
3. Using Effective Memorization Techniques Create Long-Term Brain Health
Use it or lose it.
We hear the phrase all the time.
But how many of us actively complete brain exercises? (No, not the Cogmed variety, but real brain exercises.)
And more than just real brain fitness. Do you do it…
Consistently?
Whether you’re getting a brain workout from visual memorization techniques or memorization techniques for actors (because remembering cool lines from movies helps), regularity matters.
Or as one of the supporters of the Magnetic Memory Method once said (Howdy, Alex!):
Use the right memorization technique for the job or go H.O.M.E.
The acronym stands for:
Huge
Outcomes
Means
Exercising
And let me tell you, if you want to know how to remember things you read or learn a new language, you’ll want to get started right away.
After all, the more you learn, the more you can learn.
And if you, like me, want to be sharper as a whistle in your old age, the time to start using the best memorization techniques on the planet is not now…
It’s right now.
4. The Right Memorization Technique Can Help You Scratch That Language Off Your Bucket List
Sure, memory exercises are fun. They can perhaps even stave off Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Not only is language learning an ongoing source of mental fitness, but you get the benefits of more socialization.
You can literally meet more people and get to know them more deeply.
This exposure to people enriches the brain with chemicals.
The other cool thing about the Memory Palace technique I suggest you learn and use involves the organized approach you can take.
I realize this is going to sound counterintuitive, but here’s the thing:
Language learning experts and polyglots like my friend Olly Richards are right.
They advise that you always learn words in phrases. Or at least think intelligently about the question, single words or full sentences?
Why Memorizing Words Is A Skill Instead Of Phrases Matters
But from the perspective of mnemonics – and especially the Magnetic Memory Method – this is right only after you know how to memorize individual words.
If you can’t do that, then memorizing entire phrases will be too complicated (at first).
You’ll be trying to build the house of your fluency from the roof down. You need to build up your memory skills from the foundations instead.
Second: Here’s a live stream replay where you can watch me memorizing Chinese song lyrics in real time in front of an audience:
Anyone can do this and I would love if I could inspire you in this way, so give it a view. And please subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re there if you’d like to join me on a future live stream.
I really put my butt on the line to demonstrate for you exactly how these techniques work. And as you’ll see – I felt VERY good when I pulled off the challenge.
Wouldn’t you like to feel good like that too?
5. The Right Memorization Technique For The Job Eliminates Fear
Let’s face it:
Students suffer from examination phobia.
Language learners quake in their boots when they get the chance to speak with a native.
Doctors make mistakes with patient names that kill.
And so on.
The reality is that no one has to suffer from the fears of making mistakes.
Yes, sometimes they happen. That’s just part of reality.
But the benefits of good memory with the right memorization technique can reduce mistakes dramatically.
Especially when people use their knowledge to remember to sleep, eat well and keep hydrated.
Memory techniques really are about more than just learning faster.
They’re about improving every aspect of your life and creating balance.
Integration.
Wholeness.
And ultimately, competence and control over your destiny.
How To Deal With The Global Abundance Of Memorization Techniques
Yes, there are a lot of terms out there as more and more people teach their favorite memorization technique.
But try not to get lost in the terminology.
Just find memory training and memory improvement courses you resonate with and trust.
Give those memory experts your attention.
Follow the instructions and recommendations.
Experiment.
You’ll be amazed by the memory improvement you experience.
Better:
You’ll be thrilled by the additional benefits using memory techniques brings.
Are you ready to be thrilled? Let me know in the discussion area below and then grab the Magnetic Memory Method Improvement Kit to get started today!
Have you ever wondered about apps like Cogmed for brain exercise and memory improvement really work?
So have I and it is really difficult coming up with a clear answer when you read the research about general brain fitness and memory in the scientific literature.
Here’s the great news:
On this episode of Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you’ll hear from Dr. Christina Till.
Dr. Till is an Associate Professor in the Clinical Developmental Area in the Faculty of Health at York University.
As she shared her scientific research on memory, multiple sclerosis (MS), Huntington’s disease and other areas of mental cognition, this point leapt out at me:
“My dream study [would] combine the benefits of physical activity with cognitive training. To maximize brain growth, we should be doing both.”
If you’d like to peer behind the scenes of how memory research is conducted with softwares like Cogmed in the mix and what the conclusions really mean when it comes to improving memory , download this podcast episode now.
And get ready to dive deep because there’s a ton of substantial information you will learn from Dr. Till’s research and work and how scientists develop their studies and draw their conclusions.
Press play now and you’ll discover:
How Christine came to be interested in memory.
What “environmental enrichment” means and how it can help you improve your memory.
What Huntington’s disease is and how it degenerates the brain over time.
The early manifestations of the Huntington’s disease.
The conditions or immune triggers that have been implicated in increasing the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The metaphor goal suggestion with “machinery” when it comes to the brain and memory.
How the cognitive network of the brain gets injured. (This may or may not relate to memory issues from other forms of brain trauma.)
Why some people’s cognitive performance can remain stable at early stages of disease.
What the term “memory reserve” means and how it can be measured.
How cognitive training can help your memory.
How the software called “Cogmed” helps people with cognition training.
The reasons for choosing “Cogmed” out of the number of programs for Christine’s study.
The conclusion of Christine’s research study and what it really means for memory.
The power of meditation and linking physical activity with cognitive training.
What’s coming up next for Christine and where can people learn more about her research and work.
And a special interview here in video with Christine:
Bonus Alternative To Cogmed For Brain Exercise
On this episode, I mentioned to Christine that I was learning to juggle and recite the alphabet backwards. Here’s a demonstration of this simple brain exercise and how you can learn it without any frustration by following a few simple principles:
Part Two:
Christian decides to share his juggling chops while reciting a poem in a video response:
And then another follow-up with coins!
Enjoy (and send us your video too if you’ve got one so we can feature your authentic brain exercise techniques)!
Further Resources on the Web, This Podcast and the MMM Blog:
Or maybe they promise the keys to the memory improvement kingdom with a mnemonic peg system or some other list of mnemonic devices.
The BIG Problem With The Memory Systems Of The Memory Improvement Gurus
There’s nothing wrong about checking out mnemonic examples from memory experts you admire. Except this:
Anytime anyone tells you that their “memory system” will work for you…
Run away screaming!
Why?
Because memory systems don’t work!
Instead, you work the systems. And you’ll do that a lot better if you create the systems yourself (with a little authentic help from your Magnetic Memory Method friends).
It’s kind of like singing and playing the guitar. Bringing the two together is a lot easier when you wrote the song.
And the results are much more powerful.
Why A “Magnetic” Memory Method Always Outperforms The Other Guy’s Memory System
So here’s what’s up:
On this page, I’m going to explain exactly why what you really need is a memory method (not some other dude’s system).
And not just any old method with memory exercises and memorization techniques.
What you need is a “Magnetic” Memory Method that lets you combine all of the memory techniques available into a streamlined approach.
You don’t need all kinds of confusing terms and mnemonic examples. You need to execute your moves in one swift blow each and every time you encounter information.
When you have this approach, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much your memory skills can grow.
Which means that the pain and frustration of forgetting information within seconds disappears.
If you’re ready, let’s dive into the 8 reasons having a memory method is the only approach that makes sense.
Reason #1: Each Person’s Memory Is Unique And Needs A Unique Memory Method
Flexibility is what makes the teaching on this memory improvement blog unique.
Anyone can use the memory techniques I teach because you learn about yourself as you discover the methods so that everything fits into place quickly.
Why is figuring out how you stand so important?
A few reasons.
First, memory techniques rely upon association.
You’re taking information you don’t know and Magnetically weaving it together with things you already know.
For example, when learning some Chinese poetry, I wove the corner of a building together with some weird imagery that made it easy to recall the sound and the meaning of the phrase.
The images involved Lee jeans, a kite, E.T. (The Extraterrestrial), a burning cup of yen, Emil Zola, Che Guevara and sheep.
I Know That Sounds Like A Mouthful Of Mnemonic Examples!
But here’s the thing:
All of these images came to me freely and quickly because I have a memory method. It’s trained to be flexible, and that’s why it works so fast.
What exactly have I trained?
Speedy access to the same kinds of information each person has available to them now:
A Proper Memory Method Digs Deep Into Your Personal history
By using a flexible memory method, you can easily access a host of friends, family members, teachers, preachers and other members of your community.
A Proper Memory Method Exploits Your Personal Culture
You also have your culture.
I often draw upon Canadian politicians. These are names that an international audience might not recognize, but that are deeply impressed upon in my memory. But I’m Canadian and so memorizing the Canadian Prime Ministers makes a lot of sense (maybe, lol).
Even if you’re not into politics, I’ll bet you have at least a couple local and regional figures you can bring to mind and use to make simple associations. Having them ready will help you improve your memory for studying a great deal.
Why Everything You Already Know Is Dying To Become A Memory Tool
Then there are musicians, actors and artists. These are all part of your culture. Only a flexible memory method will help you unpack them all.
He’s known for a lot of things. Hotel Dominic, the Dominic System, and winning multiple World Memory Championships and other competitions.
He may not agree with this assessment, but as I interpret what I’ve learned from him, he had a goal.
He learned the techniques.
He sat down and created all the figures he needed to remember numbers and cards with a highly personalized P.A.O.
How The Internet Creates Damaging Learned Helplessness
He shared some examples to get people started and serious students of memory improvement worked out the rest on their own.
Enter the Internet.
Next thing you know you’ve got thousands of people begging for his list, Ben Pridmore’s list, my lists, etc.
They want the fish, instead of learning how to fish for themselves.
Maybe I’m just jaded, but here’s the problem with giving too many mnemonic examples:
You can never create enough to solve the fundamental question of understanding the why and how we use these images based on our unique qualities and experiences.
Understanding how to tap into that rich pool of references in each person’s life (see point one above) is the ONLY thing that’s ever going to authentically help.
Use A Memory Method To Create Your Own Memory System Or Go H.O.M.E.
Otherwise, as longtime supporter Alex of this site (J.A. on YouTube) says, “Go H.O.M.E.”
It’s funny pun and paradox that mixes the acronym technique with an important message:
Huge Outcomes Means Exercising.
And to get the outcomes memory training can create for you, please exercise your mind with a proper memory method.
Speaking of having a bunch of images for the digits 00-99, here’s all you have to do:
Learn the Major Method to create your own system.
Create a Magnetic Bridging Figure for each two digit number from 00-99.
Start small at first. Work from 01-10. Then 11-20 and so on. You don’t have to create them all in a single day.
Use pen and paper. As Sharon did:
Notice that Sharon didn’t try to get it perfect the first time. Sharon just took action after taking my card memorization course in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass. (Like you should too if you want to experience incredible memory improvement fast).
Taking action is essential because:
Reason #3: A Proper Memory Method Goes Beyond Method of Loci Training By Creating Connection, Comprehension & Understanding
And then I connect the Magnetic Memory Method to more and then more and then more.
Why did I do this?
Because there’s so much untapped knowledge about creating the best memory method on earth to be found in writings about memory from the past.
In fact, the more I read the tradition, the more my memory improves. And that’s important because it translates directly into the help I can give students of the Magnetic Memory Method.
And it’s not just Aristotle. Here are some other figures from history whom you may not have known used memory methods:
Simonides of Ceos
The unknown author of Ad Herrenium
St. Augustine
Matteo Ricci
Giordano Bruno
And that’s to mention some interesting contemporary figures. I’ve already mentioned Dominic O’Brien and Tony Buzan, but there’s also:
Doctor Yip
Florian Delle
Nelson Dellis
Jonathan Levi
Alex Mullen
… plus, all the exciting things going on with technology with people like Gabriel Wyner for memory and language learning through the Fluent Forever app.
The list goes on and on, and the direct benefit is that this tradition provides an endless wealth of inspiration and new ideas.
Reason #5: Memorization Techniques Based On Methods Create Learning Flexibility
“Be water, my friend.”
Wise words from Bruce Lee.
This principle matters for your memory improvement journey with memory techniques because information is like the wind.
And your brain is often like a brick wall.
Ever seen how the wind can pick up a tree and toss it against a building?
Suddenly that big and tough brick wall doesn’t look so tough anymore, does it?
But if it had been water, it could move out of the way and possibly even used both the tree and the wind as a tool for its own purposes.
So when you’re looking for the right memory method to help you learn and remember the information that will pass the exam or scratch that language off your bucket list, make sure it’s flexible.
No difficult information ever has to break your mind again.
Reason #6: Brain Health Starts As An Idea You Need To Remember
A lot of people are worried about Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
For good reason:
Memory loss is a severe and life-destroying pain in the butt.
It doesn’t have to be a serious disease or brain trauma that drags you life down either.
Lack of focus and concentration sucks too.
And when you’re worried about these problems and the memory loss from stress they cause at work, your sleep suffers.
How To Avoid The Punishing Hell Of Poor Memory
You probably don’t focus nearly as much attention to your diet, and physical fitness as you should. As a result, things spiral further down into the hell of poor memory.
Luckily, having the right memory method can help. Not only will you perform better in your studies and at work.
You’ll also remember your to-do lists. You’ll remember which foods that improve memory you should be eating. You’ll remember the exercises you should be doing at the gym.
When you can keep your focus on all of these matters and consistently follow through, your memory will naturally experience a boost.
Reason #7: The Right Memory Method Creates Belonging
Did you know there are entire communities of people who use memory techniques?
They have a special lingo. You’ve read some of the terms on this page already.
And as I learned about how meditation helps improve memory, I added this tool to my daily practice of mental improvement.
You Can Easily Memorize The Truthful Information That Genuinely Improves Your Life
Later, I applied my ability to learn and remember my goals of optimizing my health (big thanks to Jonathan Levi for mentoring me on the specifics. Also on bitcoin and generally what I need to learn and remember about finances.)
And eventually, I started to use the memory techniques I’ve been honing for my personal practice and teaching to memorize Sanksrit.
There still exist ancient tomes of philosophy that contain special formulas for scrubbing the mind clean of fear, worry, doubt, and stress.
Sure, I still fall prey to these things once in awhile.
But thanks to memorizing lines from the Ribhu Gita provided by Gary Weber in Evolving Beyond Thought, I feel more aligned with reality than ever before.
The tradition is sometimes called Vedanta, or Advaita Vedanta. It’s deeply related to memory because to use the mind-cleansing tools well, you’ve got to memorize them.
I won’t go into what this philosophy helps one achieve just now.
But maybe you can relate to wanting to hold sacred knowledge in memory.
If You Can Remember More Things That Are True, You Can Live A Better Life
The best part of having a reliable memory method boils down to holding the truth in mind.
Holding it close.
And using the truth to live a better life.
The truth will also help you scrub out the false illusions that bind you down and keep you in ignorance.
So what do you say?
Do you think you could use a better memory method to help you reach your goals in life?
If the answer is a resounding yes, let me know in the discussion below and post your questions about making these extraordinary memory techniques work for you.
The importance of taking consistent action along your memory improvement journey
And that’s just the beginning!
The Profound Reasons Why You Have A Super Autobiographical Memory
In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, I introduced a Memory Palace training exercise with Olivia.
Olivia had a blank spot in her mind when I met her.
So I took the opportunity to teach her a quick Memory Palace training exercise that anyone can do.
It will let you experience recovered memory at a profound level that helps you learn languages.
And when you unlock all of those Memory Palaces lying dormant in your autobiographical memory…
Recovered Memory Can Become The Most Powerful Memory Training Asset In Your World
Autobiographical and episodic memory involve personal memories from the past. However, they are not exactly the same.
If you’re interested in improving your episodic memory, check out the links in the resources section below.
You can also watch this video version of the session with Olivia:
The Truth About Your Magnetic Repressed Memory Symptoms
Okay, okay, I’m being a bit dramatic.
But having worked with thousands of people over the years, I’ve noticed something.
People are afraid to use Memory Palaces.
I call this fear “Memory Palace Scarcity.”
When so many people around the world just want to remember what they learn…
Only to get hung up on not having enough Memory Palaces…
Well, then, yes! I do think this problem counts as “repressed memory.”
You see, many people are chasing after a solid flashbulb memory definition.
The True Path To So-Called FlashBulb Memory
That search will never end unless you create multiple Memory Palaces and Dive in to the exercise I gave Olivia on this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast.
It’s powerful because it completely eliminates Memory Palace Scarcity.
Give the quick autobiographical Memory Palace training exercises you’ll learn on this episode a try.
This process will improve your practice in creating and finding more Memory Palaces.
But you’ve got to use them for the future as well as the path.
Sure, the exercises you’ll learn will help you recover some of your past.
But the most important element is how you use your Magnetic Memory Palace Network to easily learn and remember information for the future.
How Accurate Are Your Memories?
I hope that Olivia’s openness to learning about brain exercises and the Memory Palace exercise I gave her inspires you to dive deeper into your autobiographical memory.
I’m confident too that you’ll be amazed by how learning more about your episodic memory helps you on your journey to remembering numbers, facts and vocabulary.
They are truly all intertwined.
And from there, you just need to give yourself simple memory tests.
This is perhaps the best Magnetic Memory Method Review online so far:
“The more you try it, the better you do. Every attempt is incrementally better than the last time.”
-Jesse Villalobos
Since constant improvement is what the memory method taught on this website is all about, I was delighted to hear these words from one of our course participants.
Even better: In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you can hear them directly from Jesse Villalobos too.
Scroll up and click play. Listen in we talk about:
How Jesse based his PAO system on the Major Method for remembering numbers…
Jesse’s Magnetic Journey using the PAO system (Person Action Object)…
How Jesse used this approach to get a raise and a promotion at his job!
Of the many tips you’ll discover, here’s one of the most important points:
Jesse keeps listening to the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast for motivation week after week. Yes, even though he completed the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass.
This point is important. Jesse’s approach combines a solid study ethic and continually feeding himself with ideas and inspiration.
And when Jesse started, he was serious about getting results. He wanted to get really good at memorizing numbers.
His success secret?
Taking action!
It’s not just about learning about memory techniques. It’s about applying them in meaningful ways one S.I.P. at a time:
S.I.P.
Study memory techniques
Implement memory techniques
Practice memory techniques with information that improves your life
It’s this approach that helped Jesse get the mastery over the Person Action Object and Major Method that he wanted.
Aside from remembering numbers, Jesse also learned how to remember names and faces. This skill provided other unexpected benefits from memory training that Jesse hadn’t even anticipated!
If you’ve been looking for an extra bit of insight about how the Magnetic Memory Method can help you, try Jessie’s advice:
Just dive into learning and using memory techniques.
Download this episode and learn from Jesse’s experiences and insights. You’ll learn exactly how improving his memory has helped his personal confidence and well-being.
Press play now and you’ll discover:
How memory techniques help Jesse in his work. It involves remembering a lot of numbers.
Why using memory techniques is an “out of body experience.”
Jesse’s feeling about how he gains more energy than he burns using memory strategies.
Examples of a well-functioning Person-Action-Object system to memorize numbers based on the Major Method.
The process of how Jesse created his Magnetic Memory Palace Network and how it all works in detail.
The importance of drawing your Memory Palaces for total success.
How Jesse discovered the Magnetic Memory Method and what it has brought to him both personally and professionally.
How Jesse got a raise and promotion. By demonstrating competence, his co-workers started perceiving him as an expert thanks to Magnetic Memory Palaces and memory techniques.
A family-related memory issue that encourages Jessie to keep his mind active.
The positive influence of listening to Magnetic Memory Method Podcast over time.
Jesse’s perspective on avoiding perfectionism.
Other memory improvement books and courses that really impacted Jesse.
Do you have questions about how the Magnetic Memory Method can help you perform better at your work?
If so, please dive into the episode and learn more about how you can get on a call with me. If you want me to help you transform into a walking, talking mnemonics dictionary, I’d like to help.
Do you want to know how to improve your memory for studying?
Who doesn’t?
After all, it’s the 21st century and there’sso much to learn!
Seriously:
There’s too much to study in too little time – especially before anexam.
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 thatyourbrainjust can’t memorize no matter how many times you repeat them.
Why?
Because you don’t have a strategy for managing yourlearningand memory.
But don’t worry!
In this article, I will show you seven powerful techniques to help you rememberanything you have to 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 nextexam.
Let’s dive in.
1. The Memory Palace (The Top Recommendation)
Wantjust onesimple method that helps improve memory for studying?
Look no further than the Memory Palace.
Memory champions and experts all agree that it’s the most effective method to remember anythingat all. In fact, one expert used the technique to memorize the value of Pi till nearly112,000 digits.
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’.
Although there are many variations, here’s the core of how it all works.
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.
Why “Method of Loci” Memory Technique Is Too Vague…
In the Magnetic Memory Method, we don’t use the term “loci.” It’s too vague.
Instead, we work with Magnetic Stations. On these stations we place our Magnetic Imagery.
For instance, if you wanted to remember a number of important dates about the Second World War, you could ‘file them’ in your medicine cabinet.
Or, better said, “Magnetize” them in place. Associating each bit of information with a physical object within a familiar space helps thebrainstore the information.
More than just store it, your brain stores the study material systematically and retrieves it easily when needed.
Just make sure to draw your Memory Palace first for the best results. Like this:
Seriously go ahead and draw your Memory Palaces. Once you know the strategy behind why Magnetic Memory Palaces serve better than the rest, each one should take 2-5 minutes (or less).
The best part?
You can use thismemory retentiontechnique to remember complex terminology, numbers, formulae – anything at all.
If you are not a ‘visual’ person, you can still use the technique.
You can also associate pieces of information with sounds, smells, touch – various sensory elements within the location. You do this by using the full range of the Magnetic Modes taught right here in this special infographic:
Probably the biggest strength of the Memory Palace technique is that you can combine it with other mnemonic methods to improve your long-term memory. I will show you a few examples of how to do this in the following sections.
To learn about the Memory Palace and what the Magnetic Memory Method brings to the game in more detail,check out this article.
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 things better.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, acronyms are constructed with the first letter of each constituent word and they actuallysoundlike 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
And as you saw in the infographic above, COG KAV helps us remember all the Magnetic Modes:
Conceptual
Olfactory
Gustatory
Kinesthetic
Auditory
Visual
And let’s not forget the Magnetic Mode of space. That’s the Memory Palace itself.
But moving from these examples of acronyms, let’s get back to the technique of using them.
You might be wondering…
What do you do if the first letters don’t form a ‘word,’ because of a lack of vowels in the middle or any other reason?
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 (AbsentWithoutLeave.)
If you like acronyms, try combining them with the Memory Palace technique. Since each acronym is a word, it’s easy to associate them with a specific object or location in your house. That will make it even easier to remember.
3. Spaced Repetition for Memory Improvement
Here’s a well-known fact about memory – the more you reinforce something, the easier it becomes for yourbraintorecallit.
However, to improve memory for studying,whenyou reinforce something is far more important thanhow oftenyou reinforce it. Sisti, Glass and Shorscalled this phenomenon the ‘spacing effect.’
In the spaced repetition method, you practice remembering at theright time. The simplest way to apply this memory method is to use flashcards when youstudy.
While going through your flashcards, divide them into three bundles. If you remember something clearly, those cards go into the ‘Easy’ pile. You don’t have tostudythose flashcards again for a week or two.
If you moderately remember something, keep it in the ‘Medium’ pile and revisit it after a few hours or a day. And if you cannot remember something at all, place it in ‘Hard’ andstudy it again within the next 10 minutes.
Simple, and yet effective! At least… lot more effective than spaced-repetition software.
And if you’re in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, you’ll know how to combine the cards with the Memory Palace.
In brief: Anytime you have words that are ‘Medium’ or ‘Hard’, include them in a Memory Palace.
Then, use all of the Magnetic Modes to create Magnetic Imagery that helps you remember the target information. That will make the information on your cards far easier to recall.
4. The Major Method for Memory Improvement
Want an effortless way to remember numbers for studying – in history, maths, physics, etc.?
Use the Major Method, also called the Major System or Harry Lorayne’s Number Mnemonics. Geeks also call it the phonetic mnemonic system and digit-consonant system.
Quite a mouthful! So, let’s just stick with the ‘ Major Method’!
Here’s how it works.
In the Major Method, you associate each number with a sound, typically, a consonant. Here’s the system most people follow:
0 = soft c, s or z
1 = d, t
2 = n
3 = m
4 = r
5 = l
6 = ch, j or sh
7 = k
8 = f or v
9 = b or p
The first step is to memorize these associations between numbers and letters. Then use these associations to form words from numbers.
For instance, 22 could be “nun” (n+n)
54 could be “liar” (l+r). Personally, I think of Jim Carrey in the movie “Liar Liar” with a lyre to help make it even more memorable.
To remember longer sequences of numbers, you need to combine the sounds you have made. If you want to remember the number 2254, you could visualize a nun punching Jim Carrey for lying!
Make the image as animated and ridiculous as possible, and it will stick in your mind!
If you can, create a fixed image for every number from 0 to 99. That will make it easier to combine them to remember longer sequences of numbers used in mathematics, physics, chemistry or engineering.
If that sounds like a lot to you, just associate a fixed object for each number from 0-9.
Texts, app notifications, YouTube, Netflix or just a noisy room – students face dozens of distractions and interruptions every single hour.
These factors make it close to impossible for you to reach a high level of concentration – which is terrible news if you are trying to improve memory for studying.
Researchers from MIThave found that it’s easier to form a long-term memory when your mind pays close attention to atask. You will have to minimize distractions from devices or people around you if you wish to remember things better.
Here are a few ways:
Mute all notifications when youstudy. If you have an iPhone, just activating the ‘Do not disturb’ mode will do the trick.
Try to isolate yourself from people you know while studying. Go to a library or a café where you won’t be disturbed.
Practice meditation for just a few minutes a day. Research (Maclean et al. 2010) has indicated that just basic meditation helps us focus far better. You can learn to meditate in only a few minutes from this article.
Use app blockers like Freedom.to to block YouTube and other distracting sites while studying.
Work on one topic at a time and avoid multitasking and switching tasks.
6. Lifestyle Changes to Improve Memory for Studying
Your lifestyle – your food, sleep and activity levels have a significant impact on your memory.
Sleep
Most students try to gain more time tostudyby skipping out on adequate sleep. It just makes things worse because lack of sleep affects memory as well as several other cognitive abilities.
Several studies by Diekelmann and Born have shown that sleep helps in procedural memory formation, learning and creativity. In fact, sleep deprivation can even make you remember things incorrectly.
Eight hours is ideal, but at least make sure you get seven hours of sleep every night.
And don’t fall for the idea that binaural beats will help you improve your memory while sleeping. Chances are that will just make you tired and forgetful.
Video course and Ebook in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass
Food
Foods abundant in saturated fats and trans fats such as red meat, butter, etc. are quite damaging tolearningand memory. Students also tend to eat a lot of junk food (especially duringexamtime) which are worse for yourbrain.
Numerous studies have shown that these foods can even lead toAlzheimer’s diseasein the long-term and other conditions that damagebrain healthand causememory loss.
Instead, to improve your memorypowerforlearning, try to have more of fish, olive oil, whole grains, walnuts, blueberries. There are also other foods that fall in the ‘Mediterranean diet’ that are excellent for yourbrain.
Exercise
Exercise is well known to improvecognitive performancein several ways such as improved mood, better concentration, more alertness, etc.
So, it’s naturally very effective for improving memory. Exercise also causes the release of a protein calledcathepsin Bin the brain. This stimulates the growth of neurons (brain cells) and forms additional connections in the hippocampus – an area of the brain vital tolearningandlong-term memory.
7. Recall Before Writing
Teachers encourage us to write things down to remember things better. Adding a couple of steps to this process can make a vast difference to yourabilityto learn and memorize things quickly – especially before anexam.
First, recall and mentally repeat what you have to write down rather than just copy it mechanically. You can even use movies and TV series as I discuss in how to improve memory using these tools
This process isn’t difficult to do because the information will stay in your short-term memory for around 10-20 seconds if you have paid attention. And mentally recalling it right then it an excellent way of transferring it from yourworking memory(short-term memory) to yourlong-term memory.
Next, take a few seconds to store that piece of information in your Memory Palace. That will consolidate that memory even further.
Are You Inspired To Try These Memory Techniques?
Out of all these techniques, the Memory Palace happens to be the most effective and versatile method. You can easily combine it with other techniques to build an excellent memory. To learn the Magnetic Memory Method at no charge, get started by enrolling for my Memory Palace Mastery in 8 Steps Course:
And let me know in the comments below:
Which of these ways to improve memory for studying are you going to try today?
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 toanytype 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: 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 aprocess known as ‘frequency following response’ tofollow 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 toOster, 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’sBetween 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 anexternal 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 which:
Do Gamma Brain Waves Improve Memory & Concentration?
The highest frequency brain waves are apparently called gamma waves. These waves can have a frequency of anywhere between 25 and 100 Hz.
People whose brains produce more gamma waves are said to have greater ability to concentrate, focus and experience higher levels of cognition.
A recent study by Jirakittayakorn and Wongsawat tried to find whether “modulation of the brain activity can lead to manipulation of cognitive functions. The stimulus used in this study was 40-Hz binaural beat because binaural beat induces frequency following response.”
According to thestudy, listening to 40-Hz binaural beat for 20 minutes enhanced working memory function evaluated by word list recall task.
Does that mean we can change our brainwave patterns by listening to specific sounds?
Maybe…
But also maybe not!
A research project by Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist, found that the brainwaves of trained monks who regularly engaged in meditation produced powerful Gamma waves. Whereas the control group – with non-meditating volunteers – had little to no gamma brain waves.
Within a week of consistent meditation, you can start to experience improved concentration. So long as you’re not letting binaural beats combined with smartphone addiction get in the way.
Meditation can be used to remember something because better concentration has a direct link to improved memory.
But before we go any further, the actual claims are important to look at. So let’s take a step back and try understand how binaural beats work.
The proponents of binaural beats claim that it induces brainwave “entrainment.”
This entrainment supposedly influences and drives brainwave activity to a more desired mental state.
More specifically, entrainment is a “synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles” and the process of brainwave entrainment relies on the natural phenomena of synchronization.
Think of it like this:
When you strike a tuning fork and then place another one next to it, the second tuning fork automatically starts to vibrate at the same frequency.
This is a natural synchronization. Pendulum clocks, metronomes, fireflies are few other examples of natural synchronization.
However, Siever states that entrainment occurs only when a constant and repetitive sound of sufficient strength to “excite” the thalamus is present.
Siever also noted that binaural beats are not very noticeable because the modulation depth (the difference between loud and quiet) is very small at just 3db, a 2 to 1 ratio.
Here’s a longer quote:
“This means that binaural beats are unlikely to produce any significant entrainment because they don’t activate the thalamus. But they do have some hypnotic and relaxing effect by way of dissociation (as does white noise and music).
This outcome may be, in part, due to the Ganzfeld effect. The Ganzfeld effect is the process where the mind quietens as a result of having a monotonous sensory input.
A natural example of the Ganzfeld effect may be experienced while sitting in a large field in the country while staring into the wide, blue sky. While sitting there, imagine listening to the white noise from the fluttering of leaves on the trees – away from the noise and other stimulation of urban life.
In other words, thanks to the Ganzfeld effect, binaural beats, through passive means, may help a person relax.
If, in theory binaural beats do not produce entrainment, do they produce entrainment and drive brainwaves in reality? The simple answer is NO!”
It’s not just Siever!
In another study, Gerald Oster used an EEG oscilloscope to conclude that binaural beats produce very small evoked potentials within the auditory cortex of the brain.
What does this?
It means that binaural beats are of little benefit in producing AE or auditory entrainment. (Oster, G. (1973). Auditory beats in the brain.Scientific American)
“The analysis of variance of the data revealed that there were no significant differences in alpha production either within sessions across conditions or across sessions.
Although alpha production was observed to increase in the binaural-beats condition early in some sessions, a tendency was observed for the subjects to move through alpha into desynchronized theta, indicating light sleep.
Subjective reports of “dozing off” corroborated these observations. These periods of light sleep — almost devoid of alpha — affected the average alpha ratios.”
A More Effective Way To Gain Mental Prowess
The beauty of the human brains is that it needs a goal to improve.
Your memory improvement training should always be linked to memorizing information that will immediately improve your life. 4x Australian memory champion Tansel Ali agrees.
Moreover, the memory improvement activities should always be measurable since tracking your outcomes leads to rapid improvement.
This is where the secret method of building Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way comes into play.
Using this Method, you not only get to remember the information faster, but also get predictable and reliable permanence that grows in strength each time.
Even better:
All other memory techniques including listening to binaural beats can be used inside of Memory Palaces.
But this never takes place the other way around (For example, you can’t use Memory Palaces inside of the Major Method the way you can use theMajor Methodinside of Memory Palaces.)
If you are looking for a complete brain workout try this brain fitness method…
The Ultimate Memory Improvement Beats? Listen to Music That Inspires!
Use sound beats or music as a means of relaxation, rejuvenation or inspiration.
When you feel relaxed and inspired you can create effective Magnetic Imagery that will enable you to build better Memory Palaces to improve recall, retention and memory.
This guest post on effective brain training exercises for mental illness sufferers comes from Alex Moore.
Take it away, Alex!
Would you like some brain training exercises to keep you sharp and on top of your game all the time?
I hope the answer is a resounding, “Yes!”
Here’s why:
Conditions such as mental illness and aging contribute to mental decay.
All the more so if you’re already suffering from mental illness, not to mention the medicinal side effects of psychiatric medicine. These medicines, even when useful, can cause your memory a lot of harm.
Here’s the good news:
Losing control over your cognitive functions can be hard, but it doesn’t need to happen. There is a way to avoid cognitive decline, and all it involves is training your mind.
In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about brain training exercises to help keep your memory healthy.
Like the brain exercise training favored by the Edwardians, Pelmanism is a product of Great Britain, and became very popular during the first half of the 20th century.
Get this:
More than 500,000 people reportedly used it, and one of them was the Prime Minister of the country himself!
Why was it so popular?
First, the system revolutionized brain training because it targeted the same mental functions we focus on optimizing to this day:
Attention
Concentration
Creativity
The Pelman Scientific Mind Training Program focused on each of these to help people exercise their minds. Participants were mailed monthly booklets with games and exercises designed specifically to stimulate one or more of these functions.
All of which goes to show that brain training isn’t new. And of course, Anthony is always coming up with different brain exercises you can explore. Check these out:
Even better:
We have even more scientific evidence than ever to guide us these days. Modern neuroscience has managed to prove beyond any shred of doubt that our brains are in fact malleable like plastic.
In fact, we all have to ability to modify the structure and functions of our brains.
Of course, a lot depends on the internal and external factors of our lives, such as other bodily processes or environmental changes. But overall, every single person can intervene and create a better mental life.
Nevertheless, slowing down the aging of our brain through training is a prospect that fills us with hope. And research shows that it’s completely achievable.
However, if having a sharper memory is something you aim for, you need to know right now that it takes work.
In order to remain in a constant state of connectedness regardless of whether you’re 30, 50 or 80 years old, you need to push your mind to learn something new each day. There is nothing more stimulating for your synapses than being put at work.
In turn, this leads to tangible improvement in more than one aspect.
For example, according to Dr. Jee Hyun Kim of the Florey Institute, focus diminishes with age.
Due to this deterioration of focus, stimulating your attention regularly can be crucial. By activating the frontal cortex and the hippocampus, you are not working only on this function, but on your memory and thought as well.
How Brain Training Can Increase Focus And Attention
There are many ways to achieve better focus and attention. One possibility lies in a simple, yet intellectually stimulating mobile app.
Similarly, reading new books, especially with a re-reading strategy, or solving math and logic problems puts all the areas of your brain to work and boosts cognition in the process.
And recent studies that will be discussed shortly suggest that it might even help treat mental illness.
Treating Mental Illness With Brain Training Exercises
Let me give you some context:
I have spent the last couple of years researching alternative treatments for mental conditions that affect memory and cognition.
Why did I choose this path?
Well, three years ago, someone I care about deeply was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I have spent all my days since trying to educate myself on the topic as much as possible.
In my journey, I have found that many specialists believe that brain training can help prevent degenerative neural diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.
And that’s not all. In fact, such practices can help with instances of mental illness as well. This comes as great news for the vast community of patients struggling with such afflictions.
Recent medical science-related endeavors back up this seemingly bold claim. A study conducted at McLean hospital in 2017 has uncovered the potentially beneficial results of brain training in the treatment of mental illness, namely bipolar disorder in particular.
According toLewandowski, BPD affects the memory, processing speed and executive function of most of the patients who suffer from it. This impacts their daily existence and overall quality of life quite negatively.
Therefore, working on improving cognitive dysfunctions is crucial for symptom relief in this case. And what better way to achieve that than through brain training? Lewandowski’s research found that the participants who used techniques pertaining to this area exhibited visible betterment that was maintained for at least six months afterward, if not more.
She got the idea after noticing how effective this approach was in keeping the symptoms of even more serious conditions such as schizophrenia under wraps.
People going through the four stages of schizophrenia have exhibited visible improvement in their symptoms after cognitive therapy.
In fact, previous trials conducted under the supervision of professor Barbara Sahakian of the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge have shown that something as simple as playing brain-stimulating mobile games improves cognition among schizophrenia patients. And it helps in areas where drugs have previously failed, which is even more important to keep in mind.
Just imagine how beneficial the effects could be if this would be tried in the long run. Lewandowski and her colleagues support the importance of acknowledging brain training as a viable treatment for mental illness. Modern psychiatry should recognize its merits and integrate it into the roster of available therapies.
But until that happens, you can also try doing at home. To tap into the healing properties of this approach, you don’t need to download a mobile app or buy fancy books and puzzles to keep your mind sharp. There are plenty of mental techniques that you can try at home and see how they work out for you. Here are the best three.
The Best Brain Exercise Techniques
1. Memory Palace
If you’re looking to train your memory specifically, Anthony Metivier’s approach to the ‘Memory Palace’ technique is one of the best to get the job done.
Famous historical and fictional figures alike, such as Hannibal Lecter from the renowned Silence of the Lambs book and film series are perfect examples of how this works.
Association is the key to creating your own memory palace to walk around in whenever you need to retrieve certain pieces of information.
When these have been assimilated long ago, you need to correlate each of them with a specific part of a location. A good starting point is your own house because it is familiar territory. For best results, draw out the floorplan of your first Memory Palace by hand. Like this:
But before you start drawing, walk around your house first.
Then, once your’e done, assign various memories to various rooms.
To take it one step further, do the same thing but using objects within the same space. Fill your memory palace with everything you think is worth remembering, but make sure that you build a strong mental route in the process.
When the time to remember he information comes, simply retrace your steps along that path. It will take some getting used to, and you will surely fumble at first. Nobody is born an expert, and when you’re dealing with cognition-impairing mental illness, it might be even harder. But practice makes perfect, and it keeps your mind sharp too.
Of course, things might not be as simple or straightforward. Sometimes, direct associations simply aren’t possible. This is where your imagination and the ability to create allegories comes in.
For example, let’s imagine you want to remember something that has to do with a dandelion, a hose, and a Calico cat.
You are standing in your living room and there is a dandelion on the table. You go up the stairs, towards your bedroom. A hose is hanging on the door.
You enter, and the most adorable Calico cat is sleeping on your bed, purring. You have now memorized this sequence by simply making associations between its elements and actual, palpable places in your house.
2. Mind Mapping
The concept of mind mapping is a slightly similar one, but it is far more schematic and two-dimensional. In fact, it consists of a visual outline that starts with one core concept and then branches out into information that relates to it.
Some people prefer to do this on paper because they find it stimulates their assimilation of the notions even better.
Such a diagram can represent anything, from words and concepts to more specialized information such as tasks that need accomplishing.
And if you’re not a fan of writing it all out, you’ll be happy to find out that it can be used in combination with the Memory Palace technique. The two have a very strong meeting point between them.
Chambers, a world mind mapping expert, mind maps serve even more complex purposes. A mind map follows all the principles of memory, but it also helps you think. But memory palaces are better for actually remembering information, while mind maps are more suitable for processing and understanding it.
The two are sometimes useless when not together. For this reason, finding a middle ground that includes mind maps into your memory palace can be a great way to stay sharp and on top of your game. Furthermore, together they stimulate more essential areas of the brain, thus preventing premature decay.
3. Dominic System
The Dominic mnemonic system is one of the most famous brain training techniques in the world. It was designed by famous British mnemonist Dominic O’Brien, who also happens to be an eight-time World Memory champion. Most brain athletes use it nowadays to memorize long strings of digits for competitions. So, why is it so effective?
Just like the Major system associates numbers with sounds, the Dominic system notoriously does a similar thing by assigning them the initials of a person’s name. It’s a highly effective person-action system that can be combined with the memory palace technique, thus creating the Hotel Dominic, as many experts lovingly call it.
But O’Brien’s contribution to the world of brain training doesn’t stop here. He also famously established that the strategical recalling of information following a five-step pattern is the best way to cement said information in your brain. This should happen in the following order:
• The first review takes place immediately; • The second review follows it 24 hours later; • The third review then happens one week later; • One month later comes the fourth review; • And finally, the fifth review occurs a total of three months later.
Thus, in the span of roughly four to five months, you will be able to remember anything.
By sticking to this routine, you will be able to fight the cognitive decay that many mental illnesses bring, too. When your schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are playing tricks on your mind, relying on a strict pattern to memorize relevant information can be a true lifesaver.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, it must be noted that medical science is just now starting to look more into the beneficial effects of brain training. Cognitive dysfunction can be caused by many things. These range from something as naturally occurring as old age to more complex issues such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Fortunately, practicing one or more of the three techniques discussed above can be beneficial. It is something that can help you refocus and even excel when it comes to memory and thought patterns. As a short recap, these are:
• The Memory Palace.
This famous approach is based on making associations between physical locations and various pieces of information. The best way to build the memory palace is by correlating them with specific spots around your home. The familiarity of the territory is prolific for this purpose.
• Mind mapping. It consists of a series of diagrams that represent two-dimensional connections between concepts. Creating mental maps works best when used in combination with the memory palace. This activates more areas of the brain than the two would alone, thus preventing decay and enhancing performance.
• The Dominic system. Focused on numbers, the Dominic system heavily relies on the connection between these and letters. These usually are the initials of someone’s name. When used together with the memory palace technique, it is known as the Hotel Dominic.
As it has been established, the three techniques are equally efficient standalone as they are when combined. In order to choose what suits your needs, you will need to try them. Presentations and explanations can only do so much.
Nevertheless, having this knowledge is essential for the future. If you or someone you love, as it happened in my case, are slipping down the slope of mental illness, take action now. Explore the possibilities given by brain training and build a better tomorrow.
About Alex Moore
Alex is a Psychology undergraduate who strives to discover the intricacies of the minds of the mentally ill, with the ultimate goal of helping them and those around them. When he’s not writing about the efficiency of memory improvement techniques, you’ll find him contributing to www.schizlife.com.
No, I don’t mean a ghost that walks around the attic making loud noises and moving objects. That’s a poltergeist!
A polyglot, on the other hand, is a more tame individual who is fluent in several languages.
Then there are the hyperpolyglots – those who actively learn and master six or more languages, like Emil Krebs, a 19th-century German diplomat who had mastered around 65 languages by the time of his death.
Konnikova says the bilingual advantage seems to have more of a protective effect on the aging brain than it does anything to enhance executive-control functions of healthy individuals.
While the Konnikova’s arguments are persuasive, I am sure of one thing:
When you learn a new language and use new words and grammar rules, multiple areas of your brain work together. This is a great long-term workout for your brain.
And since your brain is a muscle, it needs regular workouts to remain strong, supple and stable!
The Inside Story: Why Bilingualism Is Not Just About Speaking Two (Or More) Languages
Contrary to general perception, bilingualism is not just about the ability to speak two languages fluently.
There are a lot of little nitty-gritty aspects involved.
For instance:
You could be a “simultaneous bilingual” who learns two languages from birth.
Or, you could be an “early sequential bilingual.”
What the heck do those terms mean?
“Early sequential bilingual” is a fancy term for those kids who speak one language at home but learn to speak the community language at school. There is also the “late sequential bilingual” – someone who grew up with one language and then moved to a country that speaks another.
Why are these terms important?
The differences in how and when you learned your second language often leads to different levels of proficiency and fluency. This, in turn, affects your level of being bilingual.
For instance, if you were fluent in French (along with English) in high school but have been using only English ever since, your bilingualism and its related advantages may have deteriorated.
A recent study by Yeh-Zu Tzou shows how working memory is important but language proficiency in the native language (L1) and second language (L2) assumes a more critical role in a person’s ability to process and store information simultaneously.
Another study shows bilingualism is not a categorical variable (that is you are either bilingual or not) but rather the “bilingual experience is composed of multiple related dimensions that will need to be considered in assessments of the consequences of bilingualism.”
The Trouble With Knowing Two Languages: Each Fight For Supreme Control
As a bilingual, when you use one language, the other is also active at the same time.
This creates a persistent linguistic competition which can result in language difficulties.
For instance, bilinguals are known to be prone to the tip-of-the-tongue syndrome where you can remember specific details about a word but cannot conjure the word fully.
Some mnemonists and memory champions also term it as “ghosting.” I refer to it as “Magnetic fossilization.”
Either way, if you have ever been in a position where someone’s name is right on the tip of your tongue but you can’t get your brain to say it out loud, remember that the word is competition with some other information or similar sounding words in your brain.
But there is good news:
The bilingual brain relies on control mechanisms such as attention and inhibition, every time she or he speaks or listens to maintain the balance between the competing languages. Due to this constant practice, these control mechanisms are strengthened with changes occurring in the associated brain regions.
Could there be other benefits to this constant brain workout?
Bilingualism And Its Connection With a Better Brain
As I said earlier, being bilingual is a constant brain exercise.
Regularly juggling two languages gives the brain better abilities to filter out unnecessary information which helps in improved focus and attention.
Since bilinguals are used to switching between two languages, they are also excellent at switching between tasks, even if these tasks have nothing to do with language.
In the study, participants were asked to perform language comprehension tasks where they had to hear a word and then recognize its corresponding photo.
For example, volunteers would hear the word “candy” and then they would see four pictures, including a picture of candy and a picture of a similar-sounding word, such as “candle.” The experiment aimed to see how well the participants were able to recognize the correct word and ignore the similar-sounding competing word.
The results showed that bilinguals performed better than their monolingual counterparts at ignoring the competing words. This is because people who speak more than one language are already used to controlling two languages and suppressing irrelevant words they don’t need.
The ability to tune out irrelevant information is a strong indicator of mental abilities and can help bilingual individuals concentrate better by blocking outside noise in a busy classroom or office space.
Another advantage of speaking two languages – you have more efficient monitoring systems.
Add consistent memory training to that healthy mix and you’re golden.
But if you leave aside the health benefits, the simple act of learning a new language in itself is a fun proposition.
It enables you to interact with interesting people and exposes you to new cultures and practices.
Any new challenge and novelty help to keep the brain active and vibrant. Like doing crosswords, for instance, stimulates the brain and makes for a fun workout…
So long as you don’t let them frustrate you!
And of course, being multilingual can be extremely useful when trying to impress a date.
But the coolest, most fun way to quickly master a new language while maintaining a superior brain is to build Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way.
One important reason why Memory Palace is effective and attractive to many users is that it reduces cognitive overwhelm or overload.
There’s more…
Creating Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way unlocks the power of your multiple intelligences plus autobiographical memory, episodic memory, semantic memory, procedural memory and other kinds of memory.
This incredible combination of intelligence and memory strengthening is very powerful because, combined with Recall Rehearsal, the holistic process lets you move information from short-term memory into long-term memory faster.
If you are keen on this memory training technique…
Click on the image below to get started:
When Words Don’t (And Won’t) Boost Your Brain…
Knowing many languages has the power to help you express yourself fluently. And language learning is tremendously useful when you are trying to improve memory, clarity, and focus.
With the Magnetic Memory Method, you gain the ability to not only remember information faster but also get predictable and reliable permanence. This grows in strength each time you create Memory Palaces using this method.
Ready to add this memory improvement method to the lexicon of your life? Let me know in the comments below or feel free to post your questions.
Ben was walking through an L.A. neighborhood when he was robbed at gunpoint.
Next day, when the detective asked him to identify the perpetrator, Ben was able to do it very easily.
Over time, however, the author who experienced this violent incident, reported that he “remembered fewer images and more facts: the colors of the thief’s hoodie and pants, the words he’d said, even the exact time displayed on my iPod (12:36) at the moment I’d handed it over to him”.
Why would Ben remember more facts than images?
It’s because some memories formed under highly stressful situations get so strongly encoded in our brains that we never forget them.
But does that mean you should put yourself under stress to memorize your sales presentation?
The Answer Is A Big NO!
Because, in general, stress impairs memory, makes you forget things or even remember things differently.
Ben, for instance, could recall the thief’s face vividly for a day or two but after a few weeks, he couldn’t picture the guy’s face at all.
And keep in mind that Ben’s no dummy.
He’s not only an author, but also someone who happens to be an independent researcher who studies consciousness and the brain.
High IQ or not…
When we’re stressed, some memories stick like super glue while others get warped or lost.
For that reason, please understand this:
It’s never a good idea to induce stress when trying to memorize a book, your lessons or your campaign presentation.
You never know what essential information your brain will skip remembering!
Instead, increase focus and concentration from the ground up using a WRAP technique:
When Are You Under Stress? A Scientific Definition
This quote is worth reading twice:
“When an organism faces emotional distress or is physically challenged the autonomic nervous system, a subdivision of the sympathetic nervous system, is automatically activated. Once activated, a cascade of physiological changes occurs that better enables an organism to confront (i.e. fight, freeze) or escape (i.e. flee) danger. The term “stress” applies to the condition under which the autonomic nervous system is activated and stress hormones are released.” (Impairing and Enhancing Effects of Psychosocial Stress on Episodic Memory and Eyewitness Report, Siobhan Marie Hoscheidt, 2011)
And guess what?
When you’re frozen, or busy running away, learning gets really tough.
Worse, there’s a part of the brain that controls stress that can really wreak havoc on your focus and concentration.
When you undergo a stressful event, the amygdala – a part of the brain that enables emotional processing – sends a distress call to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is like a command center that communicates with the rest of your body through the nervous system so that you have the energy to fight or flee.
Stress Can Make You Forget Things… Even If You’re a Memory Champion
Want in on a little secret?
Stress doesn’t discriminate between the regular Joe, a presidential candidate or a memory champ.
It does and will mess with your brain.
Like it did for world memory champion Jonas Von Essen.
If that doesn’t put the spotlights on just how bad stress can be for even the best memory athlete, I don’t know what does.
Even as a memory expert, Jonas felt on the spot and stress was part of his embarrassing flub on TV.
But is it really a fail?
The answer is a bit more complex, so let’s have a look.
How Does Stress Affect Your Memory: The Inside Story
When under stress, brain freeze like what Jonas encountered happens mostly because your thinking is preoccupied with the stress-inducing stimuli – am I looking cool on TV – blocking out other thoughts.
A study by Marloes J. A. G. Henckens and team demonstrated how “acute stress is accompanied by a shift into a hypervigilant mode of sensory processing in combination with increased allocation of neural resources to noise reduction. This reduction of task-irrelevant ambient noise, in combination with a stress-hormone-induced optimal state for neural plasticity, may explain why stressful events attain a privileged position in memory”.
What Does This Stress Memory Loss Chemical Connection Mean?
In simple words, when you are anxious, your brain will put you on red alert and increase your focus and concentration on that stressful event by eliminating any other distracting information. This can aid in encoding some information into your long-term memory better.
However, there’s more to this story.
Chronic stress, like constant worry about losing your job, can have devastating effects on memory.
Here’s another one of those quotes worth reading twice:
“The effects of stress on memory are not always facilitatory. Several studies have demonstrated that while memory for emotional information is enhanced when encoded under stress, memory for neutral information can be impaired (Payne et al., 2006; 2007).” (Impairing and Enhancing Effects of Psychosocial Stress on Episodic Memory and Eyewitness Report, Siobhan Marie Hoscheidt, 2011)
Here’s another:
“Schilling et al. examined the effect of varying levels cortisol (a common measure of stress) on recall performance. The results provide evidence that stress and memory performance have an inverted U-shaped relationship, where too much stress has a deleterious effect on memory performance.” (Psychosocial Stress Increases Activity-but not Event-Based Prospective Memory, Mollie McGuire, 2016)
What does all this mean?
Simple:
When under stress, your body activates a part of the adrenal gland that dumps cortisol – also known as the stress hormone – into the bloodstream.
The Truth About Memory, Stress And Cortisol
In the short term, cortisol may be beneficial (basically because it mobilizes white blood cells and enhances the immune system).
However, cortisol binds to cells in that area of the brain that converts new experiences into memory. This binding disrupts the memory-forming process, ultimately making memory impairment permanent.
Researchers at the University of Iowa also found a connection between cortisol and short-term memory loss in older rats.
Another study by Cheryl D.Conrad found that chronic stress reduces spatial memory: the memory that helps you recall locations and relate objects. “Chronic stress clearly impacts nearly every brain region.”
Precisely the reason you sometimes forget where you kept your car keys when you are about to rush to the office for an important (read stressful) meeting.
High stress also activates the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream. Adrenaline increases your attentiveness which is important to support your defense mechanism of “fight or flight” when put in a stressful situation.
However, adrenaline and memory do not mix well.
While the increased attentiveness may have a fleeting beneficial effect on memory; the anxiety and distress – that causes adrenaline production – is likely to lead to brain fog and forgetfulness.
A Non-Stressful, No Brainer Memory Booster
It’s actually counterproductive if you worry about not remembering important details.
The more you worry about losing your mind, the more your brain gets stressed and the more you forget!
In reality, your ability to remember is related to the level of concentration and focus you used when trying to memorize facts than anything else.
One way to improve your concentration and focus is through meditation.
This mental exercise which involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present is also beneficial in calming the mind and reducing effects of stress and anxiety.
Another thing to remember is that a ton of stress comes from poor diet. Specific types of food can have beneficial – or detrimental – effects on memory. Moreover, it is possible to change your diet to maintain, and achieve better levels of memory.
But if you want just one thing that is not only the ultimate stress reducer, but also an effective memory enhancer, build Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way.
This powerful memorization method was even adored by the ancient Greeks. I’ve added lots of additional tools, including relaxation techniques that enable you to get more from your memory – without the hassle of stress.
Why Use A Memory Palace?
Good question.
It boils down to this:
The Memory Palace is the best memory technique because as a foundational learning technique, it allows you to develop and use spatial memory in a way that unlocks the power of autobiographical memory, episodic memory, semantic memory and more.
This enables you to move information into long-term memory faster and with reliable permanence.
Building a Memory Palace is a simple technique. You start by associating information with specific areas of a familiar location.
Then you walk through that location (in your mind) and place pieces of information that you wish to memorize in specific areas. When you want to recall that information, you go through that mental path and access that information easily.
If you are interested in this memory method, click on the image below:
You can use more than just visual imagery to remember information through association!
Truly magnetic imagery involves a combination of these six Magnetic Modes:
Conceptual (Ideas)
Olfactory (Smell)
Gustatory (Taste)
Kinaesthetic (Touch)
Auditory (Sound)
Visual (Sight)
A quick memory tip:
If you are struggling to remember these Magnetic Modes, rearrange them to make the acronym COG KAV. Next, create the image of a giant machine in a cave. Simple? Now, you will never forget your Magnetic Modes. Here’s an infographic to help make this strategy clearer:
Lead A Balanced Life
Dealing with constant stress and worry is not a great way to lead your life. Neither is it a reliable memory enhancement strategy.
The good news is that leading a balanced life is simple.
It involves a good night’s sleep, nourishing diet, meditation, and an effective, dedicated memory strategy (like the Magnetic Memory Method).
Combined, these simple activities will enable you to create strong memories that you can enjoy without worry.
Stoic philosophy has helped thousands of people live better lives.
But can it help you use memory techniques to learn a language better?
Turns out…
The answer is a resounding Yes!
And to show you exactly how, Christopher Huff joins us on this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast.
Click play and you’ll learn:
* The secrets of rhythm you can use to help you remember words.
* How Christopher used the American presidents to better remember Chinese tones. (This approach is kind of like a hyper-focused PAO without a Major System supporting it.)
* How to memorize the prepositions in English in alphabetical order using a simple song.
* The powerful lesson Christopher learned from his first interaction with mnemonics.
Sounds like a magic word a magician would say before conjuring a rabbit from his hat, doesn’t it?
But let me ask you this as you click play and listen to the audio version of this page:
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Can you visualize the magician pulling out the rabbit by his ears?
For most of us, it will be easy to recall images inside our head, using our mind’s eye.
However, if you could NOT see any image in your mind’s eye – no colors, no sounds, no smells, no textures, no flavors, nothing at all – you may have a condition called aphantasia or a blind mental eye.
Don’t freak out, though. Many people have aphantasia, even magicians.
Familiar with Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame)?
He is a famous magician and entertainer, and he is an aphantasic(!).
By his own admission, Penn says he cannot conjure a mental image of a person or a place to save his life.
What Exactly is Aphantasia? A Detailed Definition
The term ‘aphantasia’ comes from the Greek words a, meaning “without”, and phantasia, meaning “a capacity to form mental images”.
The phenomenon was first described by the controversial psychologist Francis Galton – one of the pioneers of eugenics – in 1880.
The interest in the phenomenon was renewed after the publication of a study conducted by a team led by Dr. Adam Zeman, a professor of cognitive and behavioral neurology, at the University of Exeter.
Zeman’s team published a paper in 2015 on what they termed “congenital aphantasia”, now known simply as aphantasia.
For Firefox co-creator Blake Ross it was a surprise revelation that other people could visualize things in the mind’s eye while he couldn’t. “I can’t ‘see’ my father’s face or a bouncing blue ball, my childhood bedroom or the run I went on ten minutes ago,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
According to Craig Venter, the biologist who created the first synthetic organism: “It’s like having a computer store the information, but you don’t have a screen attached to the computer.”
Is Aphantasia a Common Phenomena?
While research on the subject is still in its nascent stages, neurologists believe approximately one in 50 people or 2-5% of the population are non-visual-imagers.
Sounds like a big number?
Don’t be surprised. Being an aphantasic is nearly as common as having a food allergy.
Neuroimaging has shown that mental imagery, although strongly associated with the left temporal lobe, requires the use of large networks of brain pathways. This means that aphantasia could potentially occur in different ways in different individuals.
The Two Likely Causes Of Aphantasia
However, the exact cause of aphantasia is still unknown. According to Dr. Zeman heredity and environment both are likely to be relevant causes.
Interestingly, an aphantasic may have a visual memory which means they may be able to describe in detail about how things looked – the cat had blue eyes, the umbrella was pink and matched the skirt – even though they cannot see these very images in their mind’s eye.
Moreover, many people who cannot visualize in mental images can think in sounds, while others can remember physical sensations.
Penn says, when he dreams, he’s not sure if he sees images but has the sensation of knowing that “ideas wash over me”.
Want to Take The Aphantasia Test?
It is not possible to “see” what someone else is picturing inside their head unless they describe it to you.
So how do we check what your mind’s eye is seeing?
You can answer the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, which is what psychologists use to rate different mental images of an individual, to test the strength of his mind’s eye.
Although you don’t get any results, you’re helping a good cause by completing the survey and the questions themselves will tell you a lot about your imaginary visual style.
Even if you can’t see a “mental” image of your house and locate each window in that image, you would have an awareness of being there and recall from factual information the number of windows in your house.
While aphantasics can remember things from their past, they experience these memories in a different way than someone with strong imagery. They often describe memories as a conceptual list of things that occurred rather than a video playing in their mind.
As Ross says, he can ruminate on the “concept” of a beach, but cannot flash to beaches he has visited.
“I know there’s sand. I know there’s water. I know there’s a sun, maybe a lifeguard. I know facts about beaches. I know a beach when I see it, and I can do verbal gymnastics with the word itself…But I have no visual, audio, emotional or otherwise sensory experience.”
The brain has many unique ways of storing visual information than just as a picture.
Multiple Ways To Create Visual Imagery In Your Mind
Neuroscientists believe that the brain constructs visual imagery in more than one way. There are separate circuits for things like shape, size, color and spatial relationships, and when these are accessed together, we form an image of a memory.
They think that aphantasics piggyback on neurons involved in controlling physical movements rather than using the visual brain circuitry to “visualize” or recall information.
For instance, you can trace the letter B of the alphabet in your brain to know it has curves or you can use your mind’s eye to see its image.
Are There Any Aphantasia Benefits?
While the research is still out on this one, Penn says that because he thinks verbally and not visually, when he gets an idea, he can describe it instantly.
While aphantasics’ use of spatial memory is stronger in the absence of visual memory.
When you use a memory technique like the Memory Palace use all the Magnetic Modes, you can memorize a very large amount of information relatively quickly without necessarily seeing the Memory Palace in your mind.
Here’s an infographic that tells you all about the different ways that your brain perceives information:
Personally, I don’t have aphantasia.
However, I am low on the visual threshold.
Most of what I do involves thinking about strange combinations of images in words and sounds, not high-definition imagery. I would call this being audio-conceptual.
So, if you are worried that the inability to see images in your mind will stop you from using the Memory Palace technique.
Don’t be.
Over the years, I’ve invested in myself so that I can “see” something like visuals in my mind. But even to this day, the best results I get from memory techniques don’t require constant streaming of high-definition images in my head.
Image streaming is a simple process that enables you to open up your mind’s eye to visuals.
Here’s how it works:
Close your eyes and describe what you see.
If you don’t see anything (which would exactly be the case if you have aphantasia) help your brain start seeing images.
Start by gently rubbing your closed eyes like a sleepy child. Then describe the bright sparkly light that you see behind your closed retina.
Or look at a bright light like a candle for a half minute, or a window which has strong light/dark contrast. Then when you close your eyes, you should be able to see after-images, like a blob of light or color, at back of the eye. Describe that blob of light.
You can also describe a memory that you cannot “see” but remember from the past.
The important thing is to describe using all your sensory details – meaning use all your five senses of sight (vision), hearing (audition), taste (gustation), smell (olfaction), and touch (somatosensation) to describe your bob of light or memory.
While you are examining and describing your after-images or memory events, keep a look out for experiencing some other kinds of image. It could be a momentary face, landscape, or whatever. Notice when this happens, and switch to describing that new image.
Remember to describe all images to an external focus – quickly and loudly. The external focus can be a friend or a dictaphone (voice recorder), anything or anyone you can talk to.
Practice image streaming for only 10-20 minutes a day to enable your mind’s eye to see pictures.
How to Use A Memory Palace With A Blind Mind’s Eye?
Associating pieces of information with a location you are familiar with, like your house, is the basic idea behind the Memory Palace Technique.
And it does not need you to visualize your house. You can “know” factually which room is where in your home or where is the window or door or the attic located.
Keeping the full range of your Magnetic Modes in mind, you can use any home or location with which you are familiar.
The effectiveness of the Memory Palace technique is based on the scientific fact that your brain and spatial memory perceive space as a kind of image.
Check out this lecture for more information about how that works:
If you’re interested in this “Magnetic” technique, click on the image below:
Memory Is More Than A Mental Picture Book
Memory is many things. It includes facts, figures and figments of information stored in various regions of your brain.
But more than that, memory is the ability to communicate these kinds of information to others and recognize them when they are being communicated to you.
When it comes to how you get information to play with in the first place, there are many ways. Some are faster than others.
Using an effective, dedicated memory strategy system like Magnetic Memory Method you can easily retrieve those memories faster and with predictable and reliable permanence.
Add to it a balanced diet, meditation, and sleep and you will be able to enhance your memory, concentration and focus in a way that improves your entire life.
Not literally, but that twitchy connection to your phone?
It definitely affects your abilities to concentrate and think deeply.
And that means device addiction harms your ability to remember.
Worse:
Smartphone addiction not only turns you into a social pariah…
It Can Also Be Fatal!
In 2015, distracted driving (due to texting or talking on the cellphone) killed 3,477 people and injured another 391,000.
And there’s more bad news…
According to the National Safety Council, using cell phones while driving can make you more accident prone than even drunk driving…
No wonder people are concerned over how cell phones are affecting their lives!
In January this year, two of Apple’s biggest shareholders wrote an open letter to the company requesting it to provide “more choices and tools” so that parents could restrict their children’s smartphone usage time.
“U.S. teenagers who spend 3 hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely, and those who spend 5 hours or more are 71 percent more likely, to have a risk factor for suicide than those who spend less than 1 hour.”
Smartphone addiction is a serious issue and may need some creative problem solving using the C.R.E.A.T.E. formula:
But here’s the real question:
What about YOU?
Are you displaying cell phone addiction symptoms?
Let’s find out:
Are You A Nomophobic?
I know you will never admit it, but when you are unable to find your phone for even 30 seconds, it causes a minor anxiety attack.
How do I know this?
Because it happens to people every single second of the day.
Look at this poor fellow:
So, is he a nomophobic?
Absolutely!
Nomophobia or ‘NO MObile PHOne phoBIA’ is the fear of not being able to use your cell phone or have access to your device.
Want to know if you’re truly addicted? Take this online quiz to find out.
Nomophobia is real, but the medical community is not ready to declare overuse of cell phones as a clinical addiction.
Ignoring The Data?
They neglect to do so in the face of some shocking data.
As the Joker suggests (I misquote), “whatever doesn’t kill us, only makes us stranger”…
Nearly one in ten people admitted to using their smartphones during sex, in the shower, on a movie date, in church or other place of worship, as per the 2013 Mobile Consumer Habits.
What’s more, nearly three-quarters of the respondents said that they were always within five feet of their smartphones.
Although doctors do agree that if you can’t stop using your phone, even when it’s harming your life, you may be “addicted.”
“Only a small percentage of people qualify as addicted. But many people overuse their smartphones.”
This quote comes from Dr. David Greenfield, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut and founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction.
Smartphone addiction is not listed as an official mental disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, psychologists are debating about whether that should change.
Some researchers also say that the development of smartphone addiction is similar to that of a gambling disorder (or gambling addiction), which is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
How does addiction work?
With gambling, the reward of winning once in a while is what hooks people to the habit.
Smartphone addiction works on a similar principle. Most of the time, a phone notification will be insignificant.
However, every once in a while…
Something Meaningful Happens!
Like a phone call from an old friend, or a Facebook notification that someone has tagged you in a photo. Researchers say this type of messages are irresistible and can lead to overuse or addiction to your device.
There’s more…
Device addiction can extend far beyond just the smartphone.
Recently, the World Health Organization announced that video game addiction will now be classified as an official mental health condition in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.
According to the WHO, gaming disorder is “characterized by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior manifested by: 1) impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context); 2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and 3) continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”
“The behavior pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning,” WHO adds.
Whether it is to play video games or check your Facebook notifications, here’s the truth:
Spending too much time with your smartphone will slowly but surely harm your mind.
Ultimately, smartphone addiction can impair your ability to interact in the real world to the detriment of your personal and professional relationships.
It’s Not Just Brain Damage
Smartphone addiction does more than alter your brain chemicals. Your posture also gets affected when you use your phone all the time.
And according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, posture affects mood, behavior and memory.
Therefore, frequent slouching to look at your device screen can make you depressed.
What’s more, Researchers at the University of Michigan state that the tucking your chin (or chins) and hanging your head to look at the smartphone is also causing empathy levels to fall and narcissism to rise among individuals.
A Reliable, Easy & Fun Way To Learn Things (Without Googling It On Your Smartphone)
We have all done it:
Reached for our smartphones the instant we want to verify a fact, learn a new bit of information, watch a video or read an ebook.
But there are other approaches.
One simple way to undo the damage done by mobile phone overuse is to switch off the phone and go back to a real book for information or entertainment.
Need more incentive?
Re-read of a book from the past. This way you’ll not only defeat Digital Amnesia, you’ll also enhance your attention as you give your brain the opportunity to revisit information from the past offline.
You can also Mind Map, and I’ve recently shared one of my own to demonstrate just how powerful this approach can be for memory, focus and concentration:
Digital Fasting… The Cure For Smartphone Slavery?
But the ultimate technique is called “Digital Fasting.”
It’s easy:
Just leave your smartphone at home or sit in a cafe with no WiFi so that you are not distracted by your device and can dedicate mental space to the book at hand.
But no memory improvement training will work to the highest possible degree if its not linked to memorizing information that will immediately improve your life.
And to do that, you learning projects need to involve Memory Palaces (ideally by creating them the Magnetic Memory Method way).
Why On Earth Is That?
Because when you create Memory Palaces using the Magnetic Memory Method it lets you measure your memory improvement activities.
And tracking your outcomes leads to rapid improvement in the way information gets stored in your long term memory.
Even better:
All other memory techniques including playing crossword puzzles can be used inside of Memory Palaces.
But this never takes place the other way around (For example, you can’t use Memory Palaces inside of the Major Method the way you can use the Major Method inside of Memory Palaces.)
Building Memory Palaces is also great for dealing with a diminishing attention span.
If you are looking for a complete brain rehab try this method…
Click on the link below to get started:
Get More Out Of Your Existence
You want to live a full, vibrant, exciting life?
You don’t want a zombie-like existence where a handheld device controls your emotions, moods, experiences and even what information your brain can or should store?
If “hell yeah” is your response then we are on the right track!
But don’t worry if you don’t have it all mapped out when trying to get rid of the smartphone addiction habit. You don’t have to.
Tansel Ali is possibly the most positive memory champion on the planet.
Turns out there’s a solid reason why.
A few reasons, actually.
And in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, I speak with 4x Australian Memory Champion Tansel Ali talks about memory improvement and positive thinking.
This may well be the most valuable hour you spend listening to a podcast about memory improvement.
Why?
For starters…
In addition to discussing the role of gratitude in coming up with effective visualizations when using mnemonics, Tansel discusses the importance of reading, memorizing cards with music on and focusing on the right things to maximize performance in your memory and life.
Plus, when you scroll up and click play above, you’ll soon discover…
* Why Tansel was originally skeptical about memory improvement and thought all TV memory trainers were fake.
* The factors responsible for making people suspicious of memory techniques because they seem like magic “tricks.”
* How Tansel wound up at his first memory competition and took second place.
* The other rewards memory improvement brings you, including mindset, job performance and fun.
* Tansel’s transition from memory competition to enhancing his own life and the lives of others through teaching memory.
* Why you need to continue challenging your memory almost like the physical training of the body to keep the mind in top shape.
* Exactly how participating in memory competitions help you develop preparation and developing positive self-talk.
* Why Tansel sometimes FORCES himself NOT to use memory techniques in order to challenge his brain.
* Tansel’s definition of consistency and the development of successful habits that you can use to challenge yourself.
* Why you should go without fear of making mistakes for the health of your brain and the development of effective discipline.
Tansel Ali book signing of The Yellow Elephant on Kindle for me in person.
* Tansel’s personal training regime and how he makes it count.
* How Tansel thinks about visualization as a kind of muscle and how he trains it for competition.
* A quick comparison of Alex Mullen’s training regime and Tansel’s focus on efficiency to improve the right skills and maximize performance.
* A discussion of aphantasia and why you don’t actually have to see pictures in your mind to use memory techniques.
* How Tansel uses feelings and thinking in words to create mnemonic imagery – and why feeling creates more impact.
* How to give the mnemonic imagery you create greater value through personalization.
* Practical reasons you should memorize cards. For one thing, they set you up to make creative decisions that goes beyond just remembering information. And here are 13 more reasons you should have a system for remembering cards.
* Tansel’s thoughts on music and memory and how he memorizes cards with music playing.
* The benefits of training your memory and where to start (also discussed in this video):
* The importance of making memory training fun and interesting, rather than a chore.
* Tansel’s history with apps for memory training and meditation and how to reduce stress.
* How Tansel changed from wallowing in negativity to living in positivity.
* Why you don’t have to use bizarre or violent imagery to remember information and positive options you can explore for creating and using mnemonics.
* Why we both approach shows like Breaking Bad with caution in order to maintain a positive mindset. Not that Breaking Bad can’t be useful for memory improvement, as you can see here:
* The role of gratitude in increasing the value of your imagination by focusing on specifics.
* Why “the law of attraction” is useless without taking action – and how you can use mindset to create the excitement needed to make sure you achieve your goals.
* Why Tansel wishes he had read more as a young person.
* Some of Tansel’s favorite memory books and why they changed his life, including books by Tony Buzan and Dominic O’Brien.
* Tansel’s take on Digital Amnesia and why he chooses to see the positive side of the debate about the so-called Google Effect.
* How Turkish is helping Tansel learn Japanese even without using Kevin Richardson’s Learn Japanese App (a.k.a. Memory Palace).
I want to thank Tansel for being on the show and thank you for listening. Please be sure to grab his books, visit his site and get connected on his various online platforms using the links below.
Some people translate it as happiness, but it actually refers to “flourishing.”
Already, that sounds better.
Concrete.
Something you can feel, see, embrace.
But even then, you cannot give flourishing to another human being.
The best you can do is reach out and try to connect.
Share with them some of what you know and the story of how you came to understand it.
Yes, there is “hard teaching.”
There is the do-this, do-that of the Memory Palace. Anyone can repeat the process, even if they’re a skeptic at first. (Especially if they’re skeptical.)
But sooner or later, both will be off again on their individual journeys into the unknown.
And that’s a beautiful thing.
But when you try to tether ships together…
All too often, the ship bows start to knock.
And no two sails interpret the wind quite the same.
How could they?
Same wind.
Different sails.
If something you’ve taught them about sailing helps them correct course to wherever it is they’re trying to navigate, that’s great.
But they ultimately accomplished the task of navigation. From the deck of their own ship.
And there are lots of possible destinations.
We can’t all wind up on the same islands together.
Nor should we.
Anyhow, I’ve wasted a lot of time and energy trying to redirect some of the wind filling my sails to help others.
It never works.
Here’s What Guides You To Success Better
What does work is this:
Sharing the miracle of what one has learned about harnessing the wind’s power.
And respecting what the wind can do.
It sometimes makes sense to help a friend patch up one of their moth-bitten sails.
But you’ve got to make sure you don’t get stranded on their ship. Especially during a storm.
Keep yourself tied to your own mast.
That way you’ll always have a way back to your own ship.
And you reduce the danger that you may be the reason why the ship of your friend has started to go down.
Because the cruel reality is that help can be a hindrance.
Keep your awareness high of that potential problem and you’ll be better off and help save yourself and others from drowning under the weight of wisdom they may neither want nor need.
Is all that too abstract?
Perhaps.
But rest assured that the stories lurking behind these images are memories I could do without.
And I think that even without concrete examples, they could help you avoid many disasters too.
2. You Always Have All The Resources You Need (Even If You Sometimes Fall For The Scarcity Illusion)
Actually, I don’t have any unusual nightmares lurking behind this life principle.
But I’ve seen many people not take action because they believed in scarcity, rather than abundance.
They didn’t have enough money.
They didn’t have enough energy.
They didn’t have enough time.
In every case, I could easily spot why these claims weren’t valid.
And when I opened my mouth about why I thought so… well… see point one above.
It’s very hard to make abundance visible to people convinced that they don’t have enough.
In fact, it may be impossible.
It seems like a universal rule that they have to figure it out for themselves.
I hate cliches – especially when they’re right – but I too have been the horse you could not force to drink.
Not often, but I get it.
I’ve just been blessed not to be duped by the lie of scarcity all that often in my short life.
But I’m aware of its potential for evil.
And the scarcity-mindset truly is evil.
The “Else” Exercise That Erases Scarcity From Your Brain
If you suffer from it, here’s a simple tip Jonathan and I talk about in Branding You Academy:
“Else.”
When you’re asking any of the famous “W” questions (What, Where, When, Who, Why) always add an “else.”
Like this:
What else?
Where else?
When else?
Who else?
Why else?
And of course:
How else?
Get out a big fat sheet of paper and let it all out.
Brain dump.
Mindmap.
C.R.E.A.T.E. the way I talk about in this YouTube Live:
Do whatever it takes to squeeze out every possible option.
Whatever it is you want to accomplish, you can find a way.
At the very least, you can find a way to get started.
And there will be magic in the movement.
Action is a special energy.
Without the woo-woo of “the Secret” or “the Law of Attraction,” I can explain why you will start to attract all the resources you will need if you just start moving – and keep moving:
The consequence appears to be a growing elite of action-takers.
This elite wins more and more as an ever-increasing majority of people fall into the munching gears of the machines and algorithms that have turned human attention into a commodity.
People struggle to pay attention on digital devices.
And they’re not processing information the same way.
For this reason, information now costs far more than ever before.
Learning costs you more time and mental energy.
Why?
Because it takes longer to consume content when you’re endlessly flipping between 100 tabs and interrupted by dozens of notifications per minute.
And then you have to go over it again because the information is far too quickly – and easily – forgotten.
We’re still learning the lessons we need to learn, but the solution won’t change:
Invest in offline education at least as much as online education.
How To Complete The Quest For Balance Between Online And Offline Knowledge
Find a balance between the two.
Get and read at least as many print books as digital books.
Attend at least as many live training events as the video courses you complete (assuming you can finish them in a world of digital distractions).
Invest in others by being with others.
That will help you invest in the future.
Sure, it’s grassroots.
Not always as International as the Internet seduces us into wanting.
But we know from basic brain chemistry that we need the chemicals that only being around others create.
And so much of the confidence and self-esteem issues, not to mention the vapid tribalism that seems to be getting worse and worse, is quite obviously tied to how much time we’re spending in online tribes instead of local ones.
That said…
4. There Is No Such Thing As Failure
The truth about failure is a hard and contradictory lesson to learn.
Especially when living at the top of your game technically requires you to fail a fair amount.
Or at least…
That’s the way it’s usually framed.
Here’s the truth, however:
No one likes failure and they’re right to try and avoid it.
Failure is painful!
And the typical way people advise us to “hack” failure is, to be frank, totally obnoxious:
“Fail fast. Fail often.”
Uhmmmmmm… No. And A Thousand Times No
I say this with certainty because the best antidote to failure is simple:
It’s success!
Now, I realize that I waxed messianic at the beginning of this post about the serious role mistakes play in our success. I have not forgotten that little speech.
But mistakes aren’t failures.
They’re sign posts that something needs to be changed. Like you sometimes need to change the ways you approach learning faster and remembering more.
Dive in because taking action leaves clues regarding what to change and often reveal precisely how to change things.lan
Especially if you use the “else” exercise I shared above.
But there’s also something else that leaves clues and shows us how to correct things that have gone wrong.
Again, it’s success.
So instead of failing and failing often, how about succeeding and succeeding often for a change.
And to do that, maybe you do have to put yourself in situations where you will “fail” from time to time.
But often enough, with just a bit of research and self-understanding, you can put yourself in contexts bound to give you more “quick victories” more often.
For example, if you know about your sensory preferences and the personal learning hierarchy I teach you how to discover in The Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, you can “engineer” learning situations in which you’d actually have to try hard to fail.
In brief, we all have at least 6+1 Magnetic Modes. The main 6 look like this:
The 7th is space itself.
The 7th is the Magnetic Mode we use to create and use Memory Palaces.
Do You Know Your Learning Hierarchy?
You Learning Hierarchy is based on knowing whether you are more visual, auditory or kinesthetic concerning a particular topic.
Oh yes, your Learning Hierarchy can change! (It’s sneaky that way!)
But self-understanding is the way you stack the chips in your favor.
Sadly, most people are stacking those chips against themselves.
I’ve done it to myself far too many times.
But here’s the cool thing about getting older and having been fortunate enough to stumble into the art and craft of self-observation:
I feel I’ve managed to get out of the major life ruts we humans tend to fall into…
… just in time to set the stage for a much more enjoyable passage into the next stage of life.
Speaking of self-observation, here’s what I really wish I’d discovered sooner:
4.1 Not Learning To Meditate Sooner Created Years Of Unnecessary Suffering
Frankly, every minute spent in meditation is the best investment of time and energy in the world.
And I wish I’d taken it more seriously sooner.
I first learned about it in Grade 12 English.
Our teacher took us through a guided meditation out of the blue.
I’m not sure why he didn’t do it at the beginning of every class.
But it made sense to me then and although it would be many years yet before I got into it seriously, the practice made a mark.
However, I’m a skeptic at heart. And I need science that makes sense before I take action on certain things.
And I just didn’t know that a lot of science supports a number of the meditative practices I had dismissed. Like these reports on how to improve concentration and memory Buddha-style.
To be fair, a significant amount of the science I needed to discover wasn’t out there yet.
And the Internet, as dangerous as it can be for taking action, wasn’t around to make it discoverable.
Plus, I was in that deadly hunter-gatherer mode that leads us to “save data for later” in the form of books marks and other dangerous tools of forgetting.
Why There Truly Is Happiness Beyond Thought
And it wasn’t until a friend told me about Happiness Beyond Thought by Gary Weber that I ordered a print copy of the book and gobbled it down in a way that never happens online.
I guess you could say I had what some people call a “Dark Night Of The Soul.”
It lasted for almost a year.
Across this period of time, I mainly experienced the oneness that the non-dualist Advaita Vedanta-types talk about.
And frankly… I didn’t like it.
For awhile, I couldn’t even understand the point of being alive at all given the conclusions this experience raised in me.
But then…
With consistent, persistent practice…
The warm soft glow Gary Weber talks about started to emerge.
It wasn’t like other stories where it just suddenly happens.
It was a soft glowing ember.
I have to keep blowing on it.
But it gets warmer and warmer.
And the more I explore the techniques and add kindling to the ember, the warmer this glow grows.
I almost can’t believe how amazing it all is…
I never want it to end.
And I want the whole world to have this feeling.
So to conclude this long 41st birthday blog post, here’s basically what I’ve been doing to grow this ember.
I have a feeling it will work for you too, even if it takes a while.
How You Can Meditate For Focus, Concentration, Memory & An Incredible Sense Of Well-Being In Just 15 Minutes A Day
1. I start the day with some simple stretching and movement.
I learned a lot of these moves years ago from Scott Sonnen and later in Systema.
2. I do some journaling.
Often I use The Freedom Journal. But I also use a number of different journals at the same time. It helps keep thoughts organized.
The point is to reserve some of your journaling for gratitude and another part for describing what I call the “Perfect Present.”
Basically, you just write out the way you want things to be.
And test your description for honesty by doing it multiple times.
3. I do three kinds of stretches I discovered in Happiness Beyond Thought.
The first just involves touching your toes.
The second is a kind of cow-tow thingy.
The third is like a sun dog yoga stretch
4. Breathing routines
I usually start by breathing in for a count of five, holding for a count of five and then exhaling for a count of five.
I do this until I feel centered.
Then I do this:
Next, I do breath withholding.
This involves breathing in for a count of 5, holding for a count of 16 (or four rounds of Sa Ta Na Ma), then breathing out for a count of eight.
I usually do this twice.
Finally, I will do the same count as before, but this time hold for sixteen with the lungs empty.
Weird, I know, but it helps to step all kinds of problems, including self punishment.
5. Number-Skipping with breathing
Next, I practice number-skipping.
I will inhale to the count of one, then breath in but suppress the thought of two, followed by counting the third breath.
This practice amounts in some ways to the “don’t think of a red cat” game. The very question practically forces you to think of a red cat.
And yet… strangely enough, it is possible to “skip” counting numbers by replacing them with the awareness that you are deliberately not counting the number.
So the number is there and it isn’t there.
This exercise is excellent for developing focus, concentrate and presence.
That’s not the reason I do it, but I believe that spending at least a little bit of time every on language learning using memory techniques is part of the sense of well-being I experience.
It’s effortless to do. I talk a lot about it in this live discussion of using The Freedom Journal in combination with the Magnetic Memory Method:
7. Juggling
I don’t practice juggling every day, but I find the benefits incredible for developing focus and a feeling of well-being.
And check back here soon. I’m collecting footage for a little documentary about learning to juggle and recite the alphabet backwards. It’s kind of like juggling balls and thoughts at the same time.
And anyone can do it.
Anyone Can Experience Bliss
Well, that’s basically what I’ve done each and every day of my fortieth year.
It’s basically what I plan to do each and every day of my forty-first year too.
I wish I’d been doing it all along.
And I’m not going to fall prey to all of that “no regrets” nonsense.
No, I don’t really regret it…
But by the same token, I really do.
The past really could have been a lot better had I known to do these things sooner.
And if any of these suggestions make sense to you, I suggest taking action on them.
The sooner the better so that you can see what works and dismiss what doesn’t.
Failure to take action and try things is not to know.
Well, what if I told you that I’ve discovered profound memory benefits from journaling for language learning, including boosts in physical and emotional wellbeing?
Benefits that definitely deserve the word “freedom.”
That’s what I am going to tell you about.
And it’s all happening right now in this step-by-step guide. This page will show you how to use The Freedom Journal to experience multiple levels of mental freedom while using it to learn a language with consistency and confidence.
The best part?
You don’t have to journal blindly.
You don’t have to start from scratch or wonder exactly how you’re going to chart your path towards improved fluency.
You just have to:
Click play on the podcast above. John Lee Dumas himself is on this episode of the MMM Podcast to help explain how this amazing tool came into existence.
Grab yourself your very own Freedom Journal (ideally in print for the fullest brain benefits).
Then, have the language you want to learn…
A couple of Memory Palaces…
5-10 minutes in the morning, another 5-10 in the evening…
And you’re ready to experience brain benefits and fluency like never before.
Ready?
Let’s go!
A (Very) Brief History Of Journaling
You know what journaling is, right?
Your words. About you. On paper.
Or written inside a digital document. Take your pick.
More carefully defined:
A journal (or diary) is a place you store entries on a daily or near-daily basis.
It is voluntary, helps you put problems to rest and keep yourself moving forward.
You can journal to maintain flow, learn more about yourself and use the Magnetic Memory Method better as you go.
Or, like the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote in Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν (To Myself), you can journal purely to capture your thoughts.
These days, “To Myself’ is known as Meditations. Aurelius wrote it in the second half of the 2nd century AD and, even though this book started as his journal, it is still a bestseller today.
Here’s the important point:
Journaling is powerful and the practice has stood the test of time.
Therapeutic Journaling And How It Can Help You Learn A Language
Did you know that in the 1980s, James Pennabaker’s expressive writing paradigm opened scientists onto a whole new world of understanding what makes journaling so good for your health?
He started by looking at journaling as a tool for helping people deal with trauma.
But soon after that, dozens and soon hundreds of studies started to appear showing similar effects.
Wiseman is one of the best science writers of our era and if you want the hard data on why journaling, ideally by hand on paper, works so much magic, you’ll want to read 59 Seconds.
Here’s why all this matters:
Journaling Makes You Feel Better And Remember More
Feeling better literally helps you remember more because the absence of pain is an incredible way to increase your focus and concentration.
And that is a huge help when you’re learning a language.
That said, if you don’t feel frustrated or discouraged, then maybe you don’t need journaling.
But before you decide, check out these…
3 Warning Signs That Scream You Need Journaling To Succeed With Language Learning
I booked every single session with my tutor in advance, another little trick I learned from Olly to “brute force” your way into showing up consistently.
Using the Magnetic Memory Method Vocabulary Builder in combination with The Freedom Journal, we charted out a course for the next 100 days with 2-3 speaking sessions per week.
Using the Freedom Journal, I broke the 100 day mission into 10-day sprints.
For language learning, that process looks like this:
1. The Rule of Ten Magnetic Memory Palaces
Create 10 Memory Palaces with no less than 10 Magnetic Stations (ideally a bit more than 10 to give yourself some breathing room and fend off Memory Palace Scarcity).
Then keep creating Memory Palaces for the spatial memory benefits.
2. The Rule of Ten Words Per Memory Palace
In each of these Memory Palaces, memorize 10 words per day.
If you’re more advanced, you can immediately add phrases to each word.
If you’re not yet skilled enough with memory techniques, do this instead:
Focus on individual words for the first 2-3 sprints. By the time you hit your stride in 2-3 weeks, you’ll easily be able to memorize both core vocabulary and entire phrases.
3. The Rule of Journaling Every Day
The Freedom Journal is so valuable because on a time budget of just two pages a day, you get all the emotional benefits and psychological benefits discussed in the scientific research that supports the benefits of journaling.
You also get the art sketchbook effect where you can see your progress over time and comfortably predict the future.
And by the end of the 100 days, you’ll have 100 words and anywhere from 50-80 phrases in long term memory.
A Detailed Anatomy Of The Freedom Journal For Language Learning
Part One: Conquer the Morning, Conquer the Day
Step-by-step, here’s how a typical morning using The Freedom Journal works:
1. A Powerful and Inspiring Quote
First, you get what I’ve come to think of as a “Mindset Adjuster.”
It’s a great way of thinking positively and remembering the things that really matter. Many of them are worth committing to memory too.
2. Quick Reflection
Next, you reflect on what makes you grateful.
Now, you might be wondering…
Does gratitude actually work?
The answer is “absolutely.”
Again, 59 Seconds is great reading for the proof, but you can also check out Dr. Erin Olivo.
The way she describes journaling really resonates with me:
Journaling has been demonstrated beyond doubt to create greater levels of happiness. Thus, happiness is a choice.
Bonus tip: Over deliver on gratitude by pushing for as much as you can. When you realize how lucky you are to have things like food and water, it’s gets pretty difficult to focus on the wee bit of effort learning a language takes.
After all, you could be wandering through the desert under the weight of two barely functioning buckets instead of reading this post on a mobile phone on the bus or in a Starbucks, right?
3. Break The Steps Down
Yes, The Freedom Journal asks you to do this every day.
For really long projects like the one I completed, I’ll be honest with you…
It got a little tedious.
But I practice what I preach, so I’m going to put my Nikes on before I climb the soap box:
Just. Do. It.
The cumulative effects of reminding yourself of what needs to be done are powerful.
4. Action Plan
On the day you see pictured here, I’d already done most of my language learning activities. You likely won’t fill it out at the exact same time every day either.
But that’s the beauty of it all:
By checking in with The Freedom Journal daily, you develop the habit of translating your journaling into action. So keep journaling and filling these parts out even after they become second nature to reinforce them.
Come already prepared with the vocabulary and/or phrases you want to memorize ready to go with your Memory Palace for the day already drawn in The Freedom Journal. See Part Two for more.
5. Morning Mind Relief
We know from many creativity studies that a quick switch to something else helps keep you sharp.
And so part of the genius of The Freedom Journal is that it gives you something else to think about for your creative projects by suggesting a resource each and every day.
Even if you already use the tool under recommendation, it triggers ideas. And that’s good for your brain.
Part Two: Conquer the Evening, Conquer the Morning
6. Record Your Wins & Your Memory Palaces
At the end of the day, I love listing two quick wins as structured by The Freedom Journal.
And by luck, fate or some other level of synchronicity, there’s just enough room in the corner to sketch out most Memory Palaces.
But any time I needed more space, no problem. I would just use one of my Memory Journals or Mind Mapping journals, like the kind you see in this video:
7. Acknowledge Any Struggles
We all have blind spots.
And that means we keep bumping into obstacles.
Or maybe it’s physical pain, like I was struggling with at the time.
But reflecting on what we might not be seeing can be huge for opening up even the most bruised and blackened eyes.
And as they sometimes say, in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
Or in the case of chronic pain, acknowledging it and owning it is the best way to get over it and move forward.
So if you want to finally rule over your obstacles and issues, this part of The Freedom Journal will help.
8. Prime The Future For Success
If it’s true that conquering the morning will help you conquer the day, then this is also true:
Conquer the morning before you hit the sheets.
The Mastery Journal, which is the “sequel” to The Freedom Journal has additional tools for making every tomorrow successful.
But if you’ve been thinking Freedom Journal vs Mastery Journal, my suggestion is to start with The Freedom Journal and graduate upwards from there.
Seriously, even just this little “tomorrow priming” section can make a huge difference. You can use it to pump yourself up or even make a quick action plan for the following day.
9. More Musing
Please don’t dismiss this step:
There’s tons of science that demonstrates just how good mind wandering really is for the human brain.
You can literally allow yourself to just write anything.
And if you need extra discipline, then The Freedom Journal in combination with the process you’ve just learned is a way to get it.
Seriously.
Just dive in. The map is definitely not the territory here. But The Freedom Journal is excellent for helping you create the map as you navigate the territory. One day a time.
Plus…
The Freedom Journal Gives You A Pat On The Back From The People Who Matter Most
Can you guess who the first person is?
That’s right:
It’s you.
You’re the one gets to enjoy a massive boost in fluency.
You’re the one who gets to relax into better conversations and reading experiences.
Not to mention going to the movies and listening to music in the language you’re studying.
And you can do it all while completing more than one project.
The other people are your family.
Your friends.
Your tribe.
The ones who notice and appreciate your success.
Because the pat on the back I needed?
Well, I’ve always like that phrase, “too cool for school.”
And even though it still breaks my heart a little that I don’t have a traditional university to call home…
Using The Freedom Journal, I not only reached my goal with Chinese and set the foundation for speaking the language with my new family…
The Most Portable Language Learning Tool In The World
I also got that dang video course off my back. (Without breaking my back either.)
And with that massive project finally done, I now have the means to grow a completely new tribe with whom I get to talk about things other than memory.
And in 100 days, I completely edited each and every lecture, which included getting the book version manuscript nearly print-ready. (It’s called Genre Frameworks: How To Understand The Structure, Story And Symbolism In Any Movie)
In that same 100 days, April helped me shoot each and every video for the online course version.
And we still managed to take a trip around Europe too, The Freedom Journal forever close at hand:
In sum:
The Magnetic Memory Method snaps together very nicely with The Freedom Journal.
You can get The Freedom Journal and then click the graphic below to get my free Memory Improvement Kit to learn how to create and use Memory Palaces:
So what do you say?
Do you think that The Freedom Journal could help you learn a language?
I’m confident it will and can’t wait to hear your success story.
And you still have doubts, here’s a replay of a live version of this post to show you how I use The Freedom Journal in practice and answer any questions you may have:
And now you know how to use The Freedom Journal, let me ask you this:
If you’re struggling to learn a language, wouldn’t even one word a day feel incredible?
Does your episodic memory help you remember your first prom?
You wore a lovely turquoise gown, your mom couldn’t stop smiling, and your dad was delighted to meet your date. It was a fantastic evening, right?
Well…
Let’s just say, that’s how you remember it.
If you ask your mom, on the other hand, she would say:
“It was a frantic evening. You couldn’t decide what to wear and were almost in tears when the hair-rollers wouldn’t set in. More annoyingly, your dad was upset about your date and was being difficult”.
Each person remembers a specific event in his or her unique way – this is called your episodic memory.
By definition, episodic memory involves the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences.
Episodic Memory Examples Are Easy To Find
Examples of episodic memory would include your memory of your first day of school or your first kiss. Apart from your overall recall of the event itself, episodic memories also involve your memory of the location and time that the event occurred.
For another powerful episodic memory example, please watch this video. It includes some powerful exercises that will help you improve your episodic memory too:
Someone else’s recollection of that same event or experience would be different (maybe not as dramatically different as your prom night, but different nevertheless).
If you want to remember past events in its full technicolor details, you must strengthen your episodic memory.
Keen on storing everyday information in an easily retrievable place? Here’s a quick demo of how to use Memory Palace to store information that matters to you:
Are Episodic Memories And Autobiographical Memories The Same?
Not exactly!
Autobiographical and episodic memories are personal memories from the past.
However, autobiographical memory is more general, for example, when you recall the street name of a house growing up.
On the other hand, episodic memory is more specific to time.
It’s like remembering your 13th birthday party that took place on a particular street. (Electromagnetic Differences in the Brain during Memory Retrieval, Warren Scott Merrifield, 2007)
In effect, although autobiographical memory involves episodic memory, it also relies on semantic memory. For instance, you can remember the city you were born in and the date, but you wouldn’t have any specific memories of being born.
Here’s A Fascinating Fact:
Research into links between memory and handedness suggest that ambidextrous people (who can perform some tasks with one hand and some with the other) tend to show better autobiographical memory than people who perform almost all tasks with either one hand or the other.
In contrast to autobiographical and episodic memories, semantic memory refers to the understanding of factual knowledge that is not connected to any specific time and place. For example, the knowledge that the sky is blue. Semantic memory is similar to looking an item up in the dictionary.
Often an individual has no specific recollection, or thoughts of re-experiencing, the event in which the semantic information was acquired; therefore, semantic memories are thought to be “known” rather than “remembered” (McKoon, Ratcliff, & Dell, 1986).
Episodic memory and semantic memory together makeup part of your long-term memory and are known as declarative memory.
But before a memory is cemented into long-term memory as episodic memory, it must pass through the semantic memory, noted Endel Tulving of the University of Toronto in his book, Elements of Episodic Memory.
Tulving and colleagues (Habib, Nyberg, & Tulving, 2003) reviewed a large body of neuroimaging research to develop the Hemispheric Encoding and Retrieval Model (HERA).
According to HERA, the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) is more involved than right PFC in episodic memory encoding while the right PFC is more involved than left PFC in episodic memory retrieval.
As the left hemisphere is related to semantic processing, encoding of the episodic information appears to involve the semantic network. (Intensive Semantic Memory Training: A Comparison to Traditional Episodic Memory Therapyin TBI, Elisabeth C. D’Angelo, 2016)
Lost & Found: The Incredible Sense Of Episodic Memory
In the 1913 novel In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust describes an interesting scene.
The protagonist of the novel, upon tasting a Madeleine cake for the first time in many years, is overcome with a sudden change in his thoughts, emotions, and overall internal mental state.
Initially, he struggles to define the change that has occurred. Soon, and with conscious mental effort, he is able to identify what change has overcome him: he has retrieved an episodic memory.
The memory was of his youth when his Aunt used to serve him the small cake at her kitchen table. (Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Neural Activity During Human Episodic Memory Encoding and Retrieval, John F. Burke, 2014)
And it’s a memory that involves all the senses, just like we talk about with the Magnetic Modes:
How Are Episodic Memories Formed?
Forming episodic memories is not an easy recipe. Several individual steps are involved, each of which requires activating distinct regions of the brain.
The first step is called encoding, a process that your brain follows each time you form a new episodic memory.
The next step is consolidation, where the information moves from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. This enables the memory to become strongly ingrained so that it is not lost even if the brain suffers any impairment.
The final process involves the recall. Under this process, information about a specific incident is retrieved. Sometimes recollection from long-term memory is effortless, while other times it may need a trigger – such as a word, an image or even a smell.
Why You Need To Improve Your Episodic Memory
In everyday life, episodic memories come to our rescue all the time. They are essential to recall the name of someone you have previously met, remember the current date, or remember to go to your dentist’s appointment.
Episodic memories also enable you to recall and reminisce personal experiences that are an important part of your life with other people who were part of those events. Such memories create a sense of personal history as well as a shared history with other individuals in your life.
More importantly, episodic memories allow you to “travel back in time” (Tulving, 2002) and be consciously aware of a re-experience of important life experiences.
Is There An Episodic Memory Advantage For People With ADHD?
Recent research by Jeffrey S. Skowronek revealed that children with ADHD showed deficits in working memory but showed equal or enhanced performance on long-term episodic tasks.
“When discussing a special-event in their life, children with ADHD provided lengthier and more descriptive narratives. This ability to recall very specific details results in a successful and impressive account of the event, rich both in event-specific details as well as semantically related knowledge”. (Long-term Episodic Memory in Children With Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Jeffrey S. Skowronek, 2005)
Then there’s Jonathan Levi’s frank discussion of ADD, which I’m confident you will find a compelling listen when it comes to how he uses his episodic memory to deal with this issue.
Why Is This So Important?
Put it this way:
If you could strengthen your episodic memory, you would be able to remember better details about past experiences and events.
A stronger episodic memory would also result in improved long-term memory in students – enabling them to do better in studies.
More importantly, strengthening your episodic memory would also enable you to perform better in all aspects of your life starting today.
The older you get, the more events you witness and the more experiences you acquire. If you could retain and recall all those memories in detail, imagine how rich a repertoire of knowledge and experience you would have to pass on to the next generation.
You may not be able to control aging, but there are ways to ensure your brain stays young and healthy even as the years pile on. And of course you can learn memory techniques any time to help improve your memory for studying.
How To Improve Episodic Memory
Exercise your brain. Regularly.
Period.
That is the most effective strategy to improve memory and retention.
But here’s the catch:
To get tangible results, your brain exercises must be targeted towards specific goals.
Playing brain exercise games on your “smartphone” is not necessarily brain exercise. Nor will doing crossword puzzles keep your brain young and active.
Instead of improving your brain in its entirety, playing crossword puzzles or brain games on a handset will only improve your abilities for those games.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Just check out all the people on this live call who agreed:
The next time you watch a movie, give it your entire attention with the intent to remember more.
That’s the first step.
According to Harry Lorayne, (who always tells great stories)memory ability begins and ends with our attention.
If you do an activity like watching a TV series or a movie with the intention of remembering more details, you’ll have already given yourself a memory boost.
4 Step-By-Step Strategies To Improve Memory And Retention Using Movies
1. Watch the movie and try to remember the beginning, middle, and end of the plot with some details about the characters: names, clothes, objects they handled, houses they lived in, street names, maybe even dialogues.
2. Next, retell the entire story to a friend or your partner. (Just make sure it’s not a movie they have been waiting to watch themselves. It can be extremely hazardous to reveal plot spoilers!)
3. For added benefits, verbally recount the movie and then write down a description. This will exercise more parts of your memory and deeply improve recall.
4. Another related method is to listen to your friend retell the latest episode of your favorite show. Commit to memory at least three major pieces of information from that story as your friend tells it to you.
This Memory Strategy Works Amazing For Adults
Next time you meet someone, memorize four details about that person – like what they are wearing or how they order their coffee.
This simple method of observation with intent and then detailed recall will strengthen your episodic memory and enable you to become a better observer of the world around you.
Add A Memory Palace
There’s more:
If you want a guaranteed method that will improve your episodic and semantic memory as well as autobiographical memory, build Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way.
Unlike mind mapping, which unlocks multiple intelligences, a Magnetic Memory Method Memory Palace approach does that and more.
This incredible combination of intelligence and memory strengthening is very powerful because, combined with Recall Rehearsal, the holistic process lets you move information from short-term memory into long-term memory faster.
All you have to do is add the details from movies, or from people you meet in the streets to your Memory Palace.
Even better:
While you can use all other memory techniques inside of Memory Palaces, it never happens the other way around. For instance, you can’t use Memory Palaces inside of the Major Method the way you can use the Major Method inside of Memory Palaces.
If you choose this memory training technique…
Click the link below to get started:
Be Mindful Of Your Surroundings
No, not this kind of mindful (though meditation for memory and focus will certainly help):
Just be mindful of the things around you and repeat the stories that surround them to exercise your episodic memory.
Being mindful and paying attention to everyday events is essential to creating complete memories and useful recall of information.
The more mindful you are throughout the day, the more attention you’ll pay. The more attention you pay, the more naturally and effortlessly you’ll store events and facts you experience into your episodic memory.
And remember, it all happens in time, with a beginning, middle and an end.
And when you combine mindfulness with the magic of Memory Palaces you can move information into long-term memory faster and with predictable and reliable permanence.
Sounds good, right?
Now if only you could remember what you got Uncle Alan for his last birthday, you can save yourself the embarrassment of sending him the ‘crazy uncle’ mug for the fifth time!
Well, many people think that a diet rich in coconut oil is essential to prevent brain fog, memory loss, dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease.
But…
Here’s the thing:
For years, coconut oil has been been a staple in ketogenic diets for its high fat levels and low carbohydrate content.
Interestingly, a 2016 study by Klaus W.Lange and his team revealed that “both the direct administration of ketone bodies and the use of high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets have been shown to be efficacious in animal models of AD (Alzheimer’s disease) and clinical trials with AD patients.”
But there’s a catch…
The study stated that “the mechanism underlying the efficacy of ketogenic diets remains unclear, but some evidence points to the normalization of aberrant energy metabolism. At present there is only limited evidence of the usefulness of ketogenic diets in AD.”
And yes, I like to cook with it myself, such as when making my Memory Friendly Chocolate Pancakes With Cacao Powder:
But despite being a wonderful ingredient in memory recipes like ours at the Magnetic Memory Method Headquarters in Brisbane, one question remains…
How vital is coconut oil in boosting your brain?
Let’s find out. Starting with:
The History Of Coconut Oil And Its Link With A Healthy Brain
Settlers in tropical countries used all parts of the coconut tree.
The leaves were weaved into baskets and mats, the sap of the flowers used to create syrups and the meat of the coconut served as food. Gradually, the settlers pressed coconut meat to produce coconut oil.
For at least 2000 years, coconut oil has been an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine. It has been used to heal wounds, treat hair fall, as a skin moisturiser and sunscreen, taken as a health tonic and even considered beneficial for the heart.
You could say coconut oil was the ‘swiss army knife of medicine’.
But there’s the kicker…
Despite its rich history, coconut oil is not used as extensively as it used to be.
Why?
In the 1950s physiologist Ancel Keys discovered that hydrogenated oils had saturated fat which was responsible for heart disease.
Remember, hydrogenated coconut vegetable oil was used extensively for cooking at that time.
In response, the vegetable oil industry blamed saturated fats in processed coconut oil and gave it a bad name.
The tactic worked and throughout the 1950s and 60s coconut oil was replaced by polyunsaturated vegetable oils.
New Discovery Brings Coconut Oil To The Forefront Again
Half a century after Dr. Keys discovery, scientists found that Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) which are present in coconut oil can improve memory for Alzheimer patients.
That again changed public perception of this humble oil.
In a 2004 study, elderly subjects were fed either MCT oil or a placebo at random. Subjects who had symptoms of Alzheimer’s showed an immediate improvement on the paragraph recall memory test after consuming the MCT solution.
Then in 2008, Dr. Mary Newport – who was researching possible treatments for her husband diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease – came across the patent application for Ketasyn (which contains MCT), which stated that the oil was derived from coconut oil or palm kernel oil.
Here’s where it gets interesting:
Dr. Newport fed her husband around 35 grams of coconut oil each day.
“He walks into the kitchen every morning alert and happy, talkative, making jokes. He is able to concentrate on things that he wants to do around the house and in the yard and stay on task, whereas before coconut oil he was easily distractible and rarely accomplished anything unless I supervised him directly.”
So the question is:
Will guzzling gallons of coconut oil result in improved mental alertness?
Before we answer that let’s understand the connection between coconut oil and ketones.
The Ketones Story: How to Power Your Brain
Our body uses glucose to power brain cells under normal circumstances. If there is no glucose available, our body burns fats to produce ketones which are then transported to the brain.
Plus, there are a few treatments and medications to help manage the disease.
But here’s the problem:
The costs of these treatments can be an additional burden on families. On the other hand, being so inexpensive, coconut oil treatment seems like an attractive option.
Coconut Oil… A Miracle Cure?
And under such circumstances, it is understandable that families wanting a miracle cure will grasp anything that even remotely suggests a cure.
No wonder, Dr. Newport’s studies were treated as the gospel truth. Soon after, hundreds of families reported that coconut oil improved their family member’s symptoms.
Their claims were not as dramatic as Steve Newport’s progress, but any development was hailed as positive. Especially improvements to episodic memory because we use this to share the stories of our lives.
That is a lot of pills even for the most ardent pill popper!
Before we go further, take a quick peek at the truth about the best supplement for memory and concentration:
Coconut Oil And Memory: No Real Connection?
Should you take coconut oil to improve memory?
Dr. David Morgan, CEO of BYRD Alzheimer’s Institute states: “There is only anecdotal information that shows it can be beneficial, but there is not enough research on the matter.”
And I think he is right.
Although there are studies prove MCTs might benefit brain health such as improving brain cells and learning in older dogs and rats , there exists no clinical data that MCTs promote long-term brain health.
Under normal conditions, brain cells require glucose. Only after your body runs out of glucose, ketones supply energy to your brain cells. So an additional source of MCT in your diet just produces additional ketones which may not be even used by your brain.
There are some embarrassing side effects to this treatment too.
Patients who took MCT supplements reported cases of diarrhea, flatulence, and dyspepsia.
That’s not all…
You also need to be vary of the dark side of coconut oil.
“Lauric acid (LA), which usually makes up 50% or more of coconut oil, tips the balance of T-cells (immune cells that actively participate in the immune response) towards the production of inflammation, and also, in mouse models, exacerbates multiple sclerosis (MS), in which your immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body.”
A More Nourishing Way to Build Your Memory Cells
No known supplement or oils can help your memory.
There is an easier and far less complex way to help you improve your memory: build Memory Palaces, using the Magnetic Memory Method way.
Memory Palaces work even in the most broken brain. But they work REALLY well in healthy brains.
Memory training through daily exercise that keeps your mind active, in tune, and fully under your control is a great way to noticeably improve your brain.
Just look at Nelson Dellis and Climb for Memory charity. Nelson is a firm believer that “exercising” the brain daily can keep the mind sharp and delay, or even prevent, Alzheimer’s disease.
It gets better:
The Memory Palace is the best memory technique because it allows you to develop and use spatial memory in a way.
Spatial memory, the basis of the Memory Palace technique, unlocks the power of multiple levels of memory, including:
Autobiographical memory
Episodic memory
Semantic memory
Procedural memory
And more…
So that you can move information into long term memory faster and with predictable and reliable permanence.
This incredible combination of intelligence and memory strengthening is very powerful. Combined with Recall Rehearsal, the holistic process lets you move information from short term memory into long term memory faster.
If you choose this memory training technique…
Click on the link below to get started:
Build Your Memory With Vitamin M
Vitamin M comes from creating Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way.
This is by far the coolest and easiest way to boost your brain function and make it easy to learn and remember anything. Far better than duping yourself or letting yourself fall prey to other realms of hypnosis and memory improvement.
So in sum…
Vitamin supplements or coconut oils are not the best “nutrients” for gaining improvement in memory or recall. You could try using coconut oil for hair loss, though. I’ve been thinking of doing that myself.
In the meantime, here’s what is likely going to work best:
A balanced diet, meditation, sleep, and an effective, dedicated memory strategy (like the Magnetic Memory Method) are the real ingredients to enhance your memory, concentration and focus.
Can you write legibly with both your left and right hands?
Midway through a gig, can you swing the guitar to your left arm and continue strumming the ballad?
If you can, you are part of that 1% of the population who do not have a dominant hand and experience ambidextrousness.
And as you’re about to discover, ambidextrousness truly is an experience!
If you are ambidextrous, you’re in good company too. Or at least, interesting company.
Other members of this ‘exclusive’ group include Benjamin Franklin, Kobe Bryant, and even Nikola Tesla, just one of many reasons I featured him on the cover of The Memory Connection:
Many people believe training oneself to use both your hands equally unleashes hidden creativity and even improves memory.
The idea that becoming ambidextrous boosts brain function has existed for over a century.
Moreover, it is also claimed that if you harness this ‘power’ you can improve your academic performance, decision making skills and grasp difficult concepts quickly.
Can ‘learning’ to become ambidextrous really have all these advantages?
Let’s find out:
Ambidextrousness: A Dual Handed Benefit?
There is a bit of confusion regarding the actual definition of ambidextrousness.
You are ambidextrous, if you can perform any task equally with either hand, for instance, write legibly using either of your hands.
However, if you do some tasks with your right hand and others with your left, experts will term it as being mixed-handed.
Jimi Hendrix is a good example of mixed-handedness. He used his left hand to throw and comb his hair, but he wrote, ate and held the telephone with his right hand.
How To Become Ambidextrous? (Because Few Are Born This Way)
In the 1800s Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke discovered that different hemispheres of the brain handled different functions such as speech, language and even motor functions.
But it was only in 2009 that scientists researched around 25,000 families and found certain genes were responsible for ambidextrousness in people.
This certainly proves why many ambidextrous people have unconventional problem solving abilities.
Creative Geniuses, Or: The Celebrities Of Ambidextrousness
Nearly 60 years after his death, neurosurgeons studying Einstein’s brain discovered that his brain hemispheres were extremely well-connected. The ability to use the right hemispheres creativity and the left hemispheres logic gave the Father of Relativity a significant advantage from his peers.
Despite a lack of evidence proving Einstein’s ambidextrousness, the study confirmed Einstein’s non right-handedness.
Another historical figure who belonged to the ambidextrous club was Leonardo Da Vinci. The famous artist (and scientist of art) could easily write with both hands.
When Da Vinci wrote an ordinary letter, he used his right hand.
However, he wrote his secret diaries in mirror writing using his left hand which made it difficult for others to read.
Are All Ambidextrous Individuals Creative Geniuses?
Not really!
Left-handed tennis player Evgenia Kulikovskaya can switch her racket hand mid game to keep hitting forehands when her left hand gets tired. She doesn’t have a backhand!
Take a look at this video:
The Controversial History Of Ambidextrous Training: John Jackson
Though many modern studies link ambidextrousness with increased brain function in both hemispheres of the brain, this idea was not well received at first.
In 1905, English educational reformer, John Jackson established the Ambidextral Culture Society. He believed that a two handed, two brained society encouraged superior learning as it engaged the entire brain.
He also expected a lot from his disciples. Whether it was playing the piano with one hand or writing a letter with the other, he required his disciples to execute them flawlessly.
Was he successful in his mission?
Not quite.
His society was a laughing stock of the scientific community at the time.
Leading British neurologist, James Crichton-Browne criticized the society and even warned Jackson against going the evolutionary process.
John Jackson’s movement died out in the 1920s.
However, his ideas did not. They continued to fuel misconceptions regarding the power of ambidextrousness.
Can Being Ambidextrous Make You More Creative? A Few Myths Busted
Jackson’s theories were not random ideas. They were derived from Paul Broca’s studies of brain lateralization that states that some cognitive brain activity is dominant in one hemisphere, and that each hemisphere was linked to the opposite hand.
No wonder people believed that using your less dominant hand would help activate both hemispheres of the brain leading to higher mental abilities.
That’s just the beginning…
In her book, The Power of Your Other Hand, Lucia Capacchione claims that writing and drawing with the non-dominant hand gives greater access to the right hemispheric functions like feeling, intuition, creativity and even spiritual wisdom.
These claims are based on the fact that the function of the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity.
Is there any truth to these claims?
“Although there are recurrent claims of increased creativity in left-handers, there is very little to support the idea in the scientific literature.”
The Truth About Learning To Be Ambidextrous And Getting A Sharper Brain
While there is no hard data to prove that training your non-dominant hand can improve your mental prowess, there is now evidence to state that if you are born ambidextrous, you may have some mental health issues.
After 8 years of research, German psychologist, JB Sattler discovered that children who switched from their dominant left hand to a non-dominant right or the reverse did not see “a change in cerebral dominance but rather a multifaceted cerebral disturbance or damage”.
The psychologist noted that ambidextrous children even had decreased memory for all three areas of information processing – encoding, store and recall.
Sattler said: “Ambidexterity is therefore neither a goal to aspire to nor is it a gift from God. Instead, it is first and foremost the mark of brain damage.”
It May Sound Crazy, But It’s True!
A study published in the 1998 edition of Neuropsychologia confirms Dr. Sattler’s research.
In this study around 12,770 children were tested for their verbal, non-verbal, and mathematical ability and reading comprehension skills. They found that ambidextrous children had lower test scores as compared to those who were left-handed or right-handed.
Need more proof?
Another independent study led by Alina Rodriguez from Imperial College London showed that ambidextrous children exhibit higher symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Ambidextrousness may also have a lasting effect on adults as well.
In the creatively titled paper “Handedness and intellectual achievement: an even-handed look”, Michael Corballis reveals that ambidextrous adults perform more poorly on IQ tests (arithmetic, memory, and reasoning).
Ambidextrousness May Actually Harm Your Brain
Here’s why:
For right-handed or left handed people most of their brain activity is localized in the opposite part of the brain. So your brain can easily access information through the majority of one hemisphere.
For ambidextrous people information has to flow back and forth between both hemispheres of the brain through the Corpus Callosum.
Are There Any Possible Benefits to Ambidextrous Training?
Yes, though they are not as dramatic as advertised.
Mr. Corballis writes that it’s possible to train your non dominant hand for artistic purposes – like playing the piano for example.
Other than that, there are no studies to prove that becoming ambidextrous can improve brain function.
But what about improved memory?
Ambidextrousness and Memory: A Genetic Connection
Ambidextrous tendencies has been associated with improved memory.
But here’s the catch:
To reap even the slightest memory benefits of ambidextrousness, you would be need to have at least an ambidextrous parent or sibling.
A 2001 study shows that families with one-left handed member may have better episodic memory rather than semantic memory.
Which means they have a better time recalling the context of the story rather than the facts present in the story.
The Only Trick You Need To Know To Make Both Sides of Your Brain Work
There is one guaranteed method to improve both your episodic and semantic memory as well as autobiographical memory, spatial memory and procedural memory.
One more thing..
This method won’t be painful and labour intensive as using your non dominant hand.
Okay here it is:
Creating Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way.
Memory Palaces have the unique characteristic that all other memory techniques can be used inside of them (not the other way around).
So if you need to store a massive amount of information, Memory Palaces engage both hemispheres of the brain.
How do they do this?
Memory Palaces require a great deal of creative visualization, therefore it helps to activate your right hemisphere associated with creativity.
You need more than one Memory Palace and as many as possible. That way you can revisit the technique to recall tons of information.
If you want to know more – here’s some vital information about Memory Palace Science.
If you want a complete brain workout try this brain fitness method…
Click on the link below to get started:
A Direct method To Improve Your Memory
Learning to use your non-dominant hand to improve your memory can be a bit wasteful. You would have to spend days and weeks practicing to write with your other hand instead of focusing on what you need to learn.
While this may be fun, it’s not useful.
Memory improvement training should always be linked to memorizing information that will immediately improve your life.
Using the Magnetic Memory Method is great because, once you’re rolling, good memory abilities get you more time.
More time means you can practice memory enhancing techniques more often.
And that means experiencing better memory, better focus, clarity and concentration.
Ambidextrousness might be fun to develop if you take caution.
But, as we’ve seen, developing your memory is far more valuable!
So, what are you waiting for?
Please make sure you’ve claimed my free Memory Improvement Kit and use it to start experiencing better memory now.
Do you have enough mental exercises to genuinely help you experience real and lasting memory improvement?
Whether it’s for learning a language, or even just remembering directions while traveling the world.
Be honest about your answer.
No one here is to judge.
Quite the opposite.
This blog post (and the podcast – hit play above!) is about about helping you better understand how to judge your memory as it is now and take the right steps toward improving it.
And I just hopped on a live video session to demonstrate just how powerful memory techniques can be in everyday life for memorizing the information in life that matters:
This week, we’ve got 7 more mental exercises you can use to experience true memory improvement.
Are memory techniques for everyone?
Yes and no. But you can’t decide for yourself without the fullest possible range of perspectives.
And let’s make this point as clear as possible:
Memory techniques give you the best mental exercise on the planet. Study them well, everywhere they appear around the glob.
With that point in mind, let’s get rolling with…
1. USA: Moonwalking With Einstein (And Elaborative Encoding) For Total Recall
US memory champion Joshua Foer’s book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything talks about the importance of memorizing events and stories in human history.
Sadly, Foer also documents the decline of mental exercises for memorizing in modern life.
By the same token, with partial thanks to his book and the internet, the techniques that people need to adopt to restore the art of remembering have never been more popular.
The memory trick that Foer explains in his book involves a process known as “elaborative encoding.” This involves converting information, such as your grocery list, into a series of “engrossing visual images.”
For instance, if you want to remember a list of objects like gherkins, cottage cheese, etc. all you need to do is visualise them in an unforgettable manner.
Memory expert Ed Cooke – who helped Foer develop his techniques – suggests remembering an item on a shopping list by imagining something like “Claudia Schiffer swimming in [a] tub of cottage cheese.”
Of course, why someone would waste time on memorizing shopping lists in the best memory improvement books is beyond me.
But feel free to memorize anything you like. Whatever works. So long as it really works to give you the memory improvement outcomes you seek!
To ensure that, be sure to deposit these images you’ve created using elaborative encoding in a specific order in your Memory Palace. With practice, a mnemonist can trace a certain path around these memory rooms to recover thousands of images – and with them, thousands of memories.
Nelson Dellis, repeat champion of the USA Memory competition, also uses a combination of vivid imagery linked with placing those images in your Memory Palace to remember a list of words.
2. Germany: Memorizing Names Through Association
German memory champion Simon Reinhard is one of the top memory athletes in the world. He holds two records for memorizing a 52-card pack of playing cards in just over 21 seconds.
Reinhard uses the “association” method to memorize names and faces.
When he hears a name for the first time, Reinhard imagines someone else (a familiar figure) with the same name and then try to find similarities between the two or associate it with a feeling.
“Sometimes the names fit perfectly, for example a bald headed white Thomas could be the middle age monk Thomas von Aquinas. But if that doesn’t work and I don’t find an immediate connection, I try to search a bit more thoroughly what this name could tell me.
For example the name reminds me of a feeling of anger and then I either try finding some angry expression in the face or the exact opposite, if the person is laughing. It is kind of a multi-faceted approach that doesn’t work automatically but comes easily when I look at the name with an open mind. This is my basic, natural approach.”
Reinhard also uses memory palace method or the method of loci to remember decks of cards and digits.
3. Japan: Kioku-Jutsu Or The Ninja Mnemonic Method
Ninja’s were highly trained Japanese spies who were expected to gather and remember crucial information without having to resort to any written text.
In order to sharpen their memory skills, Ninja’s used the method of “association” to remember complex numbers.
They would associate numbers with body parts or food – something that you will definitely recall.
They used another extreme method.
Please Do Not Try This Mental Exercise At Home!
If the information was extremely crucial, Ninja’s would cut a body part – the arm or leg – when trying to memorize that information – this helped them associate that memory with a scar or the pain of injury, making it unforgettable.
These methods of “association” are similar to the Peg System. It is also based on the principles of the Memory Palace technique – where you visualising a room and then associate each object in the room to each piece of information you want to memorize.
Memory expert Tony Buzan equates the Ninja Kioku-Jutsu technique to hanging a coat on a hook. You can always remember where to find your coat (which is a new information) if you hang it on an immovable hook (a number or a word you can remember easily).
4. Australia: Can You Ever Forget The Obvious Elephant In The Room?
Tansel Ali is a 4 x Australian Memory Champion, most famously known for memorizing two Yellow Pages phone books in only 24 days. He is also the author of The Yellow Elephant and How To Learn Almost Anything In 48 Hours, and a celebrity memory coach.
Ali advocates using the Major System along with the Memory Palace (which he terms as the Journey System) to memorize playing cards.
I also recommend checking out Florian Dellé’s Major System recommendations. He will take your ideas on what you can do using this wonderful memory tool to the next level.
5. UK: A Person-Action System To Call Numbers To Mind
British mnemonist Dominic O’Brien is the eight time World Memory Champion.
Accomplishments like these are no small feat!
A master of memory, O’Brien is a major innovator in the field of memory techniques. His Dominic mnemonic system is a brilliant memory training system that he invented to remember long strings of digits.
It is somewhat similar to the mnemonic major system and is widely used by brain athletes in memory competitions.
While the Major System associates sounds with numbers, the Dominic System is designed as a person-action system where the letters comprise the initials of someone’s name.
“Like the mnemonic major system, the Dominic system can be combined with a memory palace, thereby creating the Hotel Dominic.” (Ron Hale-Evans, Mind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain)
Another of O’Brien’s big contributions to the world of memory is his Rule of Five. It states that we should recall information strategically by using the following pattern:
First review: Immediately
Second review: 24 hours later
Third review: One week later
Fourth review: One month later
Fifth review: Three months later
Also notable from the British world of mnemonics is Mark Channon. Mark brings great insights from the worlds of acting and setting highly effective goals. He also gave a wonderful presentation at Magnetic Memory Live in London in 2015.
6. India: The Katapayadi Shankya To Remember Numbers
Ancient Indians used various mnemonic techniques to remember complex texts and numbers, the most talked about being the Vedic Memory Method.
More on that later.
First, let’s look into the ancient Indian numerical notation – Katapayadi system – that assigns letters to numbers so that the numbers may be easily remembered as meaningful words or verses.
Under this system, several letters can be assigned the same number, however every letter is not allotted a number.
Have a look at this chart:
Ancient Indians used this system to encrypt mathematical formulas into their devotional hymns to Lord Krishna and also recorded historical data in the codified lyrics.
Take for instance, this verse written in praise of Lord Krishna:
Gopibhagya madhuvrata srngisodadhisandhiga|
Khalajivitakhatava galahalarasandhara||
When translated it means:
Oh Krishna, the fortune of the Gopis, the destroyer of the demon Madhu,
Protector of cattle, the one who ventured the ocean-depths, destroyer of evildoers, one with plough on the shoulder and the bearer of nectar, may (you) protect (us)!
Have a listen:
How is the mental exercises involved in memorizing this text relevant?
The answer might astonish you:
Using the Katapayadi system when you replace the letters of the verse with its corresponding numbers, like this – ‘go’ by 3, ‘pi’ by 1, ‘bha’ by 4, ‘ya by 1’ and so on, you get the following result:
31415926535897932384626433832792
Why is this number important?
This is the decimal representation of pi up to 32 decimal places.
Look like memorizing a long digit like that requires magic?
Far from it.
All it takes is a dedicated mnemonic technique! If you like, listen to Brad Zupp talk about how he memorized way more of Pi than you see here. Brad also shares his thoughts on using your memory in place of a passwords manager.
Vedic Memory Techniques: Ancient Science Or Just A Fad?
Vedic memory techniques were systems put in place to memorize ancient texts known as the Vedas, which were composed and handed down orally over a period of about 10 centuries, from about the 15th to the 5th century bce.
There are four Vedas, the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva with over 100,000 plus verses.
So how did the ancient Indians ensure no errors crept into the original texts?
“The oral tradition of vedic learning has preserved the entire vedic texts by purely human memory for several generations…This has been made possible by a diligently devised systematic scheme of chanting the vedic corpus.”
This quote is from Krishna Prasad Miyapuram in Divide and Link: Robust Memory Techniques from Vedic Learning.
“The first (technique) is Samhita, the simplest form of recitation that approaches the mantra as it is, for example, ‘the sky is blue’ (abcd). Next is Padha, where each word is broken down, as in, ‘the/sky/is/blue’ (a/b/c/d). Krama, the third technique, adds the first real level of difficulty into the recitation through a pattern of ‘the sky/sky is/is blue’ (ab/bc/cd). Jatapatha, the first of the more challenging, alternates between a repetitious interposing and transposing of words to create a pattern of ‘the sky sky the the sky/sky is is sky sky is/is blue blue is is blue’ (abbaab/bccbbc/cddccd).
“Between Jatapata and the last technique are six other techniques (called Mala, Shikha, Rekha, Dvaja, Danda and Ratha) that again are built-in combinations and permutations that have ensured that the order and words of the Vedas remain unchanged. The ultimate and most complex technique is called Ghanam. It’s mind-boggling backwards and forwards pattern is, ‘the sky sky the the sky is is sky the the sky is/sky is is sky sky is blue blue is sky is blue’ (abbaabccbaabc/bccbbcddcbbcd).”
This quote is from Suhag A. Shukla, Esq in Peeling Back the Layers of Sanskrit and Vedic Chanting.
The Vedic way of dissemination of knowledge was mainly through Shruti or the oral tradition of seers and knowledge used to flow through the teacher-student lineage.
Moreover, all these memory techniques were not operated in isolation. Learning was considered a lifelong process and a way of life during the Vedic times.
What does all this mean?
It means Vedic memory science was based on memory training systems or mnemonics. There was no learning by rote or memorising through concentration involved.
Retaining information accurately is an essential part of any good memory training system and that has been demonstrated very clearly in the vedic memory science.
You might be wondering…
If The Vedic Memory Technique Was So Awesome…
… why did it disappear?
One simple reason is that since the techniques were closely linked to a particular way of life. Students would live in an Ashram (sort of a boarding school without summer breaks) to get education.
But once that way of living changed, we lost this ancient science of super memory training. It might also be due to the rise of people who lack a mind’s eye. But don’t worry if you have that condition. Here’s Aphantasia: Develop Your Memory Even If You Cannot See Mental Images.
As you can see, all is not lost. Far from it!
And if you are skeptical about whether memory techniques work at all, you might be in for a treat!
7. Global Mental Exercises For Better Memory: Tony Buzan And The World Memory Championships
Tony Buzan – the inventor of mind maps – is a true master of memory as his mind mapping techniques have the potential to unlock multiple intelligences.
As the co-founder of the World Memory Championships, Buzan actively promotes memory skills along with mind mapping in a wide range of books and software programs.
It is a powerful graphic technique that harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – to unlock the potential of the brain.
Can You Bring Mind Mapping And The Memory Palace Together?
But of course!
Reigning World Mind Mapping champion Phil Chambers can help you with that question in this podcast where he talks about Mind Mapping and how to bring this creativity, memory and learning tool together with a Memory Palace.
So, now that you know about so many memory athlete techniques, you might be wondering…
What’s the best memory training course?
One Sure Way To Coach Your Brain To Remember Everything
If you read through this post carefully, you would have noticed how many of the world’s top memory athletes used some form of Memory Palace Method to sharpen their brain power.
How can you use a Memory Palace yourself?
By building Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Way. Here’s how to take my free course to learn all the details so you can get the benefits of this mental exercise:
Creating Memory Palaces using the Magnetic Memory Method allows you to develop and use spatial memory.
What’s so cool about that?
For one thing, this particular approach to the Memory Palace technique unlocks the power of your multiple intelligences. It also combines your autobiographical memory, episodic memory, semantic memory, procedural memory and other kinds of memory.
We talked a lot about how to do that in part one of this two-part series about memory techniques around the world, so please be sure to link back to the first one for more information about the Magnetic Modes.
But That’s Not All…
When you build Memory Palaces with the Magnetic Memory Method, you learn to measure your memory improvement activities.
Here’s why that makes everything better:
Tracking your outcomes leads to rapid improvement which means you could be playing with the big guns at the next memory competition!
Or if you’re not into competing, you can simply enjoy using the memory techniques to help you learn a language, pass an exam, or get better at your job so that everything becomes easier and more fun.
If you choose this memory training technique…
You Will Unlock The Most Powerful Aspects Of Your Brain!
Think about it:
Being able to recall 1000 of names, phone numbers, decks of cards or flight information is a super power!
And as we’ve seen, anyone can train themselves using the techniques that memory champions do to improve recall and retention.
The only question is how fast will a method start showing results.
With the Magnetic Memory Method, you can move information from short term memory into long term memory faster. When combined with Recall Rehearsal you will be able to retrieve that information at the snap of a finger.
Memory Championships aside…
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could remember every word to every song you ever loved?
Plan to woo your date with a ballad? And succeed?
Use the right memory techniques for the job and you got this!
Memory training techniques involve more than just training. The use of mnemonics is an ancient art, craft and science practiced around the world.
And it’s not new. People have been training their memory for thousands of years.
The best part?
They’ve left many wonderful tips we can use to learn, memorize and recall more information in ways that are fast, easy and fun.
Whether we’re talking about Matteo Ricci’s recipe to overcome forgetfulness or French scholar Aimé Paris’ Mnemonic Major System, strengthening the cerebral muscles of memory has mattered to people across time and around the world.
In fact, there are numerous techniques used worldwide by memory champions as well as amateurs to train their brain.
The Most Common Question About Memory Training Techniques In The World
The question is:
Is Ricci’s method better than Paris’ or would you be more interested in Alex Mullen’s PAO system that helps him memorize a deck of cards in less than 17 seconds?
These are good questions and I believe everyone should expose themselves to as many memory experts as possible.
It is not difficult to build a better brain, but you must be sure which memory workouts will train it better to help you achieve particular learning outcomes.
Before you start reading and executing different memory training techniques practiced around the world, take a quick look at this video. It will introduce you to some powerful prehistoric memory techniques you can use now that Lynne Kelly put together for us in her book, The Memory Code.
Why Anyone Can Be A Memory Champ, Even If They Have Never Had Formal Memory Training
According to a study published in March 2017, anyone can reshape their brain’s networks by using the same tricks as the world’s top memory champions.
To understand how memory athletes remember huge strings of information, researchers recruited 23 of the world’s top-ranked memory champions. They compared the brain scans of these memory champions with those of people who had never practiced memory techniques at all.
The scans revealed that memory athletes’ brains were not built differently from yours or mine. Far from it.
But…
These scientists did find something distinctive.
The champions’ brain showed unique patterns activity in regions that involved memory and cognition.
The researchers then put some of the rookies through a memory training program and observed how their brains changed with exercise.
The more the newcomers practiced the memory training techniques, the more their brain activity started to resemble the brains of memory athletes.
Six Weeks Or Less To A Measurable Increase In Brain Power?
You bet. In fact:
It took only six weeks for the rookies who had never used memory techniques before to show an increase in brain power.
“These really incredible memory feats … are not some form of inborn talent. It’s really just training”. This is from Martin Dresler, a neuroscientist at Radboud University in the Netherlands and the lead author of the study.
And what these findings mean is that anything these people can accomplish in terms of brain fitness, you can do too.
Travel Back In Time: Important People In the History of The Major Memory Method
Let’s start with some history.
Remember Monsieur Paris?
He’s the French scholar we talked about earlier.
(If you had to scroll up to check out what we had said about Paris, maybe you need a quick boost of these vitamins for memory improvement.)
Paris was the first person to publish a version of the mnemonic Major Method in its modern form that is used by memory experts.
However, French mathematician and astronomer Pierre Hérigone is said to have devised the earliest known version of the major system. Herigone apparently used both consonants and vowels in Latin and French.
What’s the real story?
Watch this video for more and a free memory improvement exercise:
As complex as the history of memory techniques may be, here’s something about which most memory historians agree:
The Major Method for memorizing numbers has its roots in the ancient Greek memory tradition. This is a tradition that combined strategic, systematic thinking with strong guidance from the larger guiding principles of memory.
And using the Major Method, numbers are converted into consonant sounds and then developed into Magnetic words by adding vowels.
Oh, you can make any kind of words if you wish, but it’s attention to involving as many of the Magnetic Modes as possible that will make these words impossible to forget.
What Are The Magnetic Modes Of Memory?
The Magnetic Modes come into play whenever you combine a dedicated Memory Palace with associative, Magnetic Imagery. You use both of these tools to create links between information you already know, with new information you’d like to remember.
Your Magnetic Modes are based in brain science, and easily tapped when the Magnetic Images you create in your Memory Palaces are:
Bright
Vibrant
Dynamic
Big
Colorful
Crazy
Strange
Emotional
Physical
Animated
Forceful
Loud
Rhyming
Punning
For more information on how all this works, please take my free course:
Why The Major Method Is The Most Popular Memory Technique
The answer is simple:
This memory training system, once you’ve practiced it, will help you remember short sequences of digits like telephone numbers or historic dates.
You can also use it to remember long sequences of numbers like Pi, or to help you memorize a deck of cards as an alternative memory improvement exercises based on annoying apps.
Plus, the Major Method is just plain easy.
Why?
Because, like most memory techniques, the Major Method works on the principle that the human brain remembers images far more easily than plain numerals.
So now that you know the most popular memory athlete technique, let’s start our two part series on different memory techniques used around the world and the people who use them.
Memory Techniques Around The World (Part 1)
Different countries hold different kinds of memory championships.
Sure, they might use different rules and offer different prizes. But at the end of the day, these are the competitive meetings where mind athletes of every stripe compete with each other to prove the superiority of their cognitive prowess.
Now:
While there are no memory athlete techniques unique to any given country, several mnemonists from various regions have modified ancient mnemonic techniques to perfect memory training exercises for professionals and amateurs alike.
Ready to take a look?
Let’s go!
1. China: Ming Mnemonics To Memorize Reams Of Classical Poetry
In the 16th Century an Italian Jesuit priest became the first westerner to pass China’s highest civil service exams.
Why is this relevant?
The exam involved memorizing reams of classical poetry – a task that only 1% of people who took the test were able to perform successfully.
Yet, Ricci passed these exams after only 10 years, despite not having spoken any Chinese before.
How did he do that?
Ricci did it with the help of the Memory Palace technique.
But more than just use the techniques personally, get this:
As Jonathan D. Spence writes in The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci:
“…Ricci taught the Chinese how to build a Memory Palace”.
Why The Memory Palace Is Better Than Rote Learning
During that time, the Chinese had their own diligent study methods that used repetition and recitation as memory aides. This was coupled with mnemonic poems and rhyming jingles that were part of the traditional Chinese memory practice.
“To everything that we wish to remember, we should give an image; and to every one of these images we should assign a position where it can repose peacefully until we are ready to reclaim it by an act of memory,” wrote Ricci in his Treatise on Mnemonic Arts.
Ricci suggested 3 locations for these “mental” buildings – they could be based on real buildings one has seen, they could be imaginary locations or a mix of both.
Ricci’s memory training techniques helps with memorizing entire books and large volumes of vocabulary.
Memory champions who participate in China’s popular reality and talent show – The Brain – have used Memory Palaces (probably evolved versions of Ricci’s system) to memorize decks of cards or information about airline flights.
In each episode, seven contestants must perform mental challenges like memorizing the names and birthdays of over 900 infants or solving a series of Rubik’s Cube completely blindfolded in under five minutes.
For more, check out this video of the first episode of Season 1 of The Brain:
How To Memorize A Deck Of Cards Chinese Style – Fast!
Feng, who is two-time winner of the World Memory Championships, uses a technique similar to Ricci’s to exploit the brain’s natural ability to memorize images and locations.
To memorize the order of a deck of cards, Feng first gives each card a two digit number. Next he turns that number into an image and then puts that image in familiar location – from where he can retrieve it easily when needed.
Notice the similarity with Ricci’s Memory Palace system?
Now that you know it, you toocan modify Ricci’s system to build your own memory training course (like making a gym in your own mind for mental fitness). Or you can create Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way.
Ultimately, I believe the Magnetic Memory Method approach is better for most learners.
Why? Because it not only helps you remember the information faster, but also helps you get predictable and reliable permanence that grows in strength with practice.
But more about that later. Let’s turn now to:
2. Mongolia: The Genghis Khan Way To Brain Strength
The founder of the Mongol Empire – Genghis Khan – would probably be delighted to know that in some of the most recent world memory statistics, ten of the top 50 people are his descendants!
At the Mongolian Intellectual Academy, students are taught to flawlessly remember the Periodic Table of Elements and other brain feats by using the same principles that govern the Memory Palace technique – linking unfamiliar words and numbers to familiar mental images or stories that can be ingrained in a person’s long-term memory.
The teacher points to the periodic table and moves through the first column turning letters and numbers into vivid and outrageous images. The visuals are accompanied by an engaging story that offers a way to remember the name of the element, its atomic number and its atomic mass.
When asked to recall the period table memorized using this mnemonic technique, there are virtually no errors!
Impressive accuracy aside, the Mongolian team still faced tough competition in the 2015 Extreme Memory Tournament.
The opponents were:
Simon Reinhard, the world’s fastest card memorizer and the reigning XMT Champion; and Alex Mullen, the 2015 World Memory Champion.
Two time Guinness World Record holder for being able to memorize 59 decks of cards in order, Dave Farrow, is a Canadian who has either invented or improved some memory training techniques to remember information and recall them with ease.
One method that Farrow uses is the Peg System – where you memorize a list of information by linking or pegging them with words or numbers you already know.
You literally hang information on a number.
This is what Farrow says about his memory technique:
“Memory techniques work by taking advantage of a natural mechanism in the brain that we all have that allows us to memorize information without any repetition. It’s a hunter-gatherer fight or flight mechanism—if you needed repetition to remember where you saw that predator, you would not be alive anymore. What I do and what I teach people how to do is trick the brain into triggering that mechanism at will.”
How To Use Colors To Remember Numbers
Another method I’ve heard Farrow talk about is sometimes called the Alpha Numeric Spectrum system. This approach uses numerical and phonetic codes to memorize numbers and recall them with ease. It uses an arrangement like this (you can create your own version):
1 = red
2 = orange
3 = yellow
4 = green
5 = blue
6 = purple
7 = brown
8 = silver
9 = gold
0 = black
Why Are There So Many Memory Training Techniques?
As we come to the end of this first part of a two part series on memory training techniques around the world, you might be wondering…
How on earth did so many memory techniques proliferate.
Well, the truth is that there really aren’t that many differences between how memory techniques have been used around the world.
Rather, there exists a limited set of varied approaches that different people use according to their learning styles.
Remember when we talked about the Magnetic Modes above?
Well, it turns out that the precise approach a person using memory training techniques chooses has a lot to do with how the Magnetic Modes match up with their learning style.
But if one important aspect binds them all together, it is the use of spatial memory to create Memory Palaces.
So come back next week for the second part to see how memory training techniques work in Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA. There are more tips and surprises that you can use to help guide your practice.
What if I told you I can show you how to improve focus and concentration in less than five minutes a day?
Are you looking for the perfect memorization technique?
Have you ever wondered about apps like Cogmed for brain exercise and memory improvement really work?
Have you been looking for a memory method you can use to learn and remember difficult information?
And growth can be constant. In Buzan’s classic, The Memory Book, he gives this formula:
What if I told you that recovered memory is a skill that you can use to create a better Memory Palace Network?
Do you want to know how to improve your memory for studying?
It’s a popular perception among many people that listening to binaural beats has a special effect on the brain.
This guest post on effective brain training exercises for mental illness sufferers comes from Alex Moore. 
Can stress cause memory loss and confusion?
Stoic philosophy has helped thousands of people live better lives.
Aphantasia.
Can smartphone addiction fry your brain cells?
Tansel Ali is possibly the most positive memory champion on the planet.
We all make mistakes.
The Freedom Journal… sounds ambitious right?
Does your episodic memory help you remember your first prom?
Is coconut oil good for memory?
Can you write legibly with both your left and right hands?
Do you have enough mental exercises to genuinely help you experience real and lasting memory improvement?
Memory training techniques involve more than just training. The use of mnemonics is an ancient art, craft and science practiced around the world.
