Anthony Metivier's Blog

Worried that you might be suffering long-term memory loss?

See if you can relate to a scenario like this:

I have come to this area a hundred times before.

Yet, I’m lost in this maze of streets now.

Where’s my schoolmate’s house?

Wait, schoolmate, or was she my colleague at work?

If an inner voice like that sounds familiar, it could indeed be your long-term memory acting up.

The question is, what causes long-term memory loss? What are its symptoms? And, how do you treat or prevent it?

In this article, I’m drawing upon my fifteen years experience as a memory improvement teacher to help you understand and avoid long-term memory loss.

You’ll discover how to identify it, and get proper treatment if needed.

I’ll also show you a powerful, “magnetic” way to improve your memory so it stays intact even as you age.

Better than that, I’ll show you some simple memory exercise routines I practice myself to keep sharp as I approach my fifties.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

What is Long-Term Memory?What is Long-Term Memory Loss?Symptoms of Long-Term Memory LossWhat Causes Long-Term Memory Loss?How is Long-Term Memory Loss Diagnosed?How to Treat Long-Term Memory Loss5 Ways to Boost Memory and Prevent Long-Term Memory Loss

Let’s start with a quick look at long-term memory. Definitions are important because often people don’t stop to consider exactly what this type of memory really is.

What is Long-Term Memory?

Long-term memory is how your brain encodes and remembers events, facts, and how to do things.

For example, if you can remember your high school teacher’s name or the route to the house you stayed in 20 years ago, that’s information stored in your long-term memory.

How is it different from short-term memory?

Short-term memory (or working memory) is how your brain stores things temporarily. Examples include a grocery list, or what you had for lunch earlier today.

How do short-term memories wind up in long-term memory?

Usually through some kind of repetition or process of learning that leads to what memory scientists call “consolidation.’

In other words, the more you deliberately recall memories, the better they get consolidated into permanent, long-term memories.

So, how are these memories stored in the brain?

Assuming your brain is free from any memory disorders, short-term memory activates your prefrontal cortex, frontal lobe, and the parietal lobe of your brain.

The hippocampus brain region is responsible for the consolidation of info from short-term to long-term memory.

And, your long-term memory is associated with the prefrontal cortex, cerebrum, frontal lobe, and medial temporal lobe.

Types of Long-Term Memory

I mentioned the recall of a teacher’s name or a street address. Those two details are actually a kind of information called “semantic.”

Overall, your brain stores many types of long-term memories, not just semantic memory.

You also store episodic memory, procedural memory, implicit memory (non-declarative memory), and explicit memory (declarative memory).

For example, if your teacher’s name is a semantic memory, remembering the time your teacher gave you an A+ is an episodic memory. It is literally an episode from your life.

Your ability to effortlessly jot out the alphabet with a pen or pencil? The same teacher may have given you the skill, but it’s a procedural memory that helps you remember how to recreate your semantic memory of what letters the alphabet contains.

Fascinating, isn’t it?

Yes, and these differences in the various types of memory and kinds of information really matter. That’s because they make the deep-dive into all things related to long-term memory loss we’re about to discuss much more valuable.

Let’s dig in.

What is Long-Term Memory Loss?

When you find it difficult to remember any of the information types we just discussed, provided that you learned it in the past, we call the failure to retrieve these details or skills long-term memory loss.

Is long-term memory loss the same as dementia?

No. Long-term memory impairment isn’t the same as dementia. Not even close.

However, it can be a sign of dementia.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is an umbrella term for “diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking skills.”

Alzheimer’s disease specifically is a kind of cognitive impairment that progressively destroys your episodic memory, thinking abilities, and the ability to do even simple tasks like writing.

Around 10% of Americans above 65 years of age are said to have Alzheimer’s disease. And Alzheimer’s disease happens to be the most common cause of dementia.

How does Alzheimer’s disease affect long-term memory?

The first symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is short-term memory impairment. Long-term memory impairment follows, along with other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

So even though you’re probably not suffering any kind of dementia if you can read this page, if your memory is currently affecting your ability to perform daily chores, it’s worth checking things out with a doctor.

Doing so is critically important because many people diagnose themselves. But as we’ve seen there are different kinds of information and various brain problems influence them differently.

Different types of dementia

That’s why it’s important to understand the many types of dementia. Beyond Alzheimer’s, these varieties include:

Lewy body dementia: This is an umbrella term for Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s disease dementia — both characterized by abnormal deposits of the alpha-synuclein protein in the brain.

It usually sets in after the age of 50. Dementia symptoms are episodic loss of long-term memory, movement problems, and decision-making difficulties.

Frontotemporal dementia: This dementia is caused by progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobe of the brain. It usually starts with behavior changes, and could eventually lead to severe memory impairment.

Vascular dementia: This is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain due to stroke or any other vascular brain damage. It causes progressive memory impairment and affects your attention and problem-solving abilities.

Remember, while memory impairment is a symptom of dementia, having long-term memory impairment doesn’t always mean you have dementia.

Also, note that dementia is often confused with cognitive impairment conditions like amnesia. One way that professionals test to make sure the diagnosis is correct is to have the patient play games that help identify dementia.

People with amnesia find it tough to form new memories. Others are unable to recall facts or past experiences. The two main types of amnesia are anterograde amnesia (characterized by short-term memory loss), and retrograde amnesia (inability to recall long-term memories that happened before developing amnesia).

So, is long-term memory loss different from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)?

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the intermediate stage between normal age-related memory difficulties and dementia.

People diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment have significant short-term memory impairment. But, for some people, it will eventually progress to severe long-term memory impairment and even dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.

How is long-term memory loss different from short term memory loss?

You’d be able to remember incidents from 15 years ago when you experience short-term memory loss, but you’d forget details of what happened 15 minutes ago.

Tests for short-term memory impairment

Your doctor will probably start with a medical history. This initial investigation may be followed by cognitive function tests, blood tests, MRI or CT scans, or cerebral angiography.

Please don’t try and test yourself.

As I discuss in my books on learning tutorial, there’s something the brain does called predictive processing.

If you determine on your own that you have short-term memory loss when you actually don’t, this process can cause you to create problems you don’t actually have.

Or it can make a mild memory impairment worse because you start focusing on it in a negative manner, rather than in a positive and preventative way.

How do you prevent short-term memory loss?

The simplest way to prevent short-term memory impairment is to combine plenty of physical fitness with a good diet, sleep and various memory games, crossword puzzles, or sudoku.

I also suggest spending time with activities like the neurobic exercises I share in this video tutorial:

https://youtu.be/DU4VznNm1z4

By exercising your eyes, ears and your mind at the same time, your memory gets a full workout that transfers to other types of learning and memory tasks.

Please don’t skip this kind of activity. Get in at least a little practice daily, everything from juggling, writing with your non-dominant hand and memorizing playing cards.

You won’t regret it.

Now, let’s look at the ways long-term cognitive impairment like Alzheimer’s disease manifests itself.

Symptoms of Long-Term Memory Loss

The main symptom of long-term memory impairment is forgetfulness of important things or events that happened earlier in your life.

Here are some examples:

Forgetting the name of the countries you’ve lived inMixing up names of people and wordsForgetfulness of common wordsLosing your way in familiar placesConfusion about time and datesRepeating the same questions or personal stories frequentlyDifficulty following instructionsIrritability and other mood changes

All of these signs and symptoms should be reviewed with a doctor.

Checking in with a medical professional is important because early intervention makes a big difference when it comes to long-term brain health.

You’ll also enjoy better piece of mind merely by taking steps to educate yourself with qualified help.

Now let’s look at some of the factors that might cause the symptoms we’ve just discussed.

What Causes Long-Term Memory Loss?

Long-term memory problems could occur due to several reasons:

Anxiety and depressionSide effects of prescription drugsVitamin B-12 deficiencyFatigue and sleep deprivationThyroid problemsDrug and alcohol misuseChemotherapyTraumatic Brain Injury (TBI)Brain tumor, encephalitis, stroke, epilepsy, transient ischemic attack, transient global amnesiaSleep apneaKidney and liver disorders​Mild Cognitive ImpairmentDementia and Alzheimer’s disease

You may also wonder:

Does aging lead to memory loss?

Yes, your long-term memory can get weaker as you get older. So, occasional forgetfulness – or memory lapses like forgetting your new neighbor’s name – is normal.

This kind of forgetfulness is just a part of normal aging, and won’t affect your daily routines or the quality of your life.

But how do you know whether you should get medical help or not?

Let’s see.

When should you see a doctor?

Visit a doctor if:

Your memory problems start affecting your day-to-day activitiesYou had a head or brain injuryYou’re disoriented or experience deliriumYou have other symptoms like headaches, sluggishness, or vision problemsWhy is it essential to diagnose long-term memory impairment?

Some people hide their memory problems due to fear of social rejection or family issues.

But, you should get any memory troubles diagnosed by a doctor, because in most cases it can be treated partially or entirely.

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia will help you sensitize yourself and loved ones about the illness, get proper care at home or at a facility, and get support from organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association.

So, how can it be diagnosed and treated?

How is Long-Term Memory Impairment Diagnosed?

To evaluate long-term memory problems, doctors typically perform the following steps:

Medical history, including your family history, and any medications you take.Physical exam to check for symptoms like muscle weakness.Neurologic exam and questions to check for signs of cognitive impairment. (For example, basic calculations, naming common items, and writing short sentences.)

Depending on the results, your doctor would prescribe some or all of the following:

A blood test to check for vitamin deficienciesUrine testsNerve testsBrain imaging tests like computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)Neuropsychological testing to find the exact reason for memory problems like Alzheimer’s disease

A holistic examination and the results of these tests will help your doctor make a correct diagnosis.

Based on the diagnosis, your doctor might refer you to a geriatrician, neurologist, or psychiatrist to medically manage the condition. Or they may refer you to a psychologist to help you cope with memory problems.

How to treat long-term memory impairment

The treatment of long-term memory impairment will depend on the underlying reason for your mental condition.

For instance, if cognitive impairment is due to vitamin B12 deficiency, the doctor could prescribe vitamin B12 injections. Or, if the underlying cause of your forgetfulness was a brain tumor, then you’ll need surgery to remove the tumor.

But, think about this:

Wouldn’t it be better if you could prevent memory problems instead of seeking treatment after it reaches advanced stages like Alzheimer’s disease?

I’ll show you how to do it.

5 Stimulating Ways to Boost Memory and Prevent Long-Term Memory Loss

These simple yet powerful activities will help you boost your mental function.

They work by strengthening connections between your nerves, helping compensate for any cognitive impairment due to changes in your brain.

1. Build Memory Palaces Using the Magnetic Memory Method

Building Memory Palaces is one of the easiest and most powerful mnemonic techniques to improve your long-term memory.

It allows you to develop your spatial memory while exercising your episodic memory, procedural memory, semantic memory, and more.

When combined with Recall Rehearsal, you’ll be able to move information into long-term memory faster — and with predictable and reliable permanence.

You can also use any other memory technique inside of Memory Palaces (but not the other way around).

Here’s how to use it:

Imagine you need to understand DNA sequencing techniques and be able to recall them later.

Mentally walk through a familiar place like your home or office. Place the facts related to one DNA technique in your entrance hall, all facts related to the next technique in your bedroom cupboard, and so on.

As for remembering complex DNA-related words, associate them with everyday words already in your memory — e.g., to remember Cytosine, associate it with cycle.

Later, take a mental walk through your home, and you’ll easily recall all the DNA techniques.

And, the more you recall (recall rehearsal), the better you’ll commit this information to your long-term memory.

2. Do Regular Exercise

Regular physical workouts are proven to enhance the development of new brain cells in the brain. Exercise lowers the risk of age-related brain impairment and protects the brain against degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s or Mild Cognitive Impairment.

In a study, a few participants were subject to MRI scans and a series of cognitive tests before and after a physical workout over a period of 12 weeks.

Researchers found that those who exercise regularly could remember things long after the workout was over.

So, set aside at least 30 minutes of your day to walk briskly, run, dance, or cross-country bike.

3. Eat a Healthy Diet

Consume a nutrient-rich, healthy diet to strengthen your long-term brain function.

Some of the best brain-boosting foods are:

Fatty fish (like salmon and mackerel)TurmericDark chocolateBerries like strawberries and blueberriesNuts and seeds like sunflower seeds and almondsWhole grains like brown rice and oatmealEggsVegetables like broccoli and kaleGreen tea

Also, stay away from a high-calorie diet. Research shows that a high-calorie diet can impair memory if it causes inflammation in certain parts of the brain. In a 2009 study, women above the age of 60 who reduced their calorie intake by 30% showed significant improvement in their verbal memory scores.

4. Learn a New Skill

A study showed that older people who learned a new skill showed a significant improvement in memory even when tested a year later.

A seemingly simple activity like knitting is a complex one for someone new to it. So learning it from scratch will boost your brain by strengthening the connections between various parts.

You could try to learn anything unfamiliar to you — digital photography, speaking a foreign language, playing a musical instrument, or even how to fix a motorbike.

There’s also the power of relearning skills you’ve lost.

Technically, this problem is called deskilling, something I’ve gone through personally with both languages I’ve learned and skills like driving.

To explore how I re-learned those lost skills, check out this video tutorial where I take you out on the road with me for a drive here in Australia:

https://youtu.be/U1GH0teKTLo

5. Explore Targeted Strategies For Older Adults to Manage Memory Impairment

Again is a challenge, no doubt about it.

When I was younger, I thought I would be fine. But as I’m approaching my fifties, I’m starting to accelerate my use of these memory strategies for coping with forgetfulness and better preventing memory decline, including stopping Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks:

Get enough sleepMake shopping lists and memorize them using this list memorization techniqueKeep a detailed calendar for the weekPlay board games and card games regularlyPay focused attention to one thing at a timeKeep all your things organized, like car keys and stationeryRegularly spend time learning new languagesUse external memory aids like ZettelkastenStay socially active and maintain meeting new people as a regular routine

I know that all of these activities can sound like a lot.

In fact, some people suffering long-term memory loss will likely find so many suggestions a bit overwhelming.

The best thing is to pick just one or two things and take action.

Choosing something over nothing is key because it will promote stress reduction. Since we know that stress itself can cause memory loss, just by picking one or two activities, you stand a chance to enjoy a memory boost.

Take Control Of Your Memory Lifestyle

Your long-term memory is bound to decline with age and due to several other factors.

But memory loss doesn’t have to take over your life. And long-term memory impairment is often preventable.

If you’ve already got it, it’s certainly manageable. In many cases, such as with my student Matt Barclay, it’s reversible. He literally went through cardiac arrest, lost his memory and did everything we discussed above. In short order, he was able to recite a Psalm from the Bible in front of his congregation along with getting his memory back.

It’s success stories like his that make me so passionate about teaching the Magnetic Memory Method.

It’s an approach that taps into your brain’s natural ability to store and retrieve information.

And you can grab your free copy of the training now:

Enjoy taking your first step towards strengthening all aspects of your memory today.

Remember:

You don’t have to wait for forgetfulness to become frustrating.

You can start strengthening your memory today and safeguard your wisdom, your stories and your skills.

They’re what make life meaningful, so power to your progress and I can’t wait to hear your memory improvement story soon.

What does learning look like when your body has stopped cooperating?

For many people, paralysis would mean the end of studying.

But for the historian Tony Judt, who found himself immobilized by ALS, his condition became the beginning of something unexpected: a new way of thinking about memory, language, and the act of learning itself.

Even more astonishing, he found it within himself to write a book using dictation technology while he was still able to use his mouth.

The Memory Chalet is often read as memoir, and it is.

It’s also a poignant farewell by a brilliant European historian.

But hidden in its pages is something more enduring: a learning system disguised as autobiography.

And as I’m about to explain, part of this book’s value comes from the fact that it was forged under constraint.

This isn’t just a book review. It’s an excavation of the intellectual architecture and learning models Judt left behind for any autodidact can use.

And the tools and mindsets he shared matter now more than ever.

Let’s dig in.

https://youtu.be/UQHGXXKQIUo

Nostalgia as a Learning Tool

Early in The Memory Chalet, Judt wrote something that feels like a manifesto:

“Nostalgia makes a very satisfactory second home.”

It’s a striking claim.

Especially in our world of digital amnesia, where nostalgia is often dismissed as weakness, sentimental indulgence and a way of avoiding reality. We’re told to “live in the present,” to stop romanticizing the past.

Judt thought otherwise. For him, nostalgia wasn’t a trap. It was architecture.

Unable to write notes or type a single sentence, he turned memory itself into a private study where he composed his final lessons.

Why Judt’s Take On Nostalgia Matters for Learning

Psychologists like Endel Tulving have shown that deliberately engaging in autobiographical recall strengthens encoding and retrieval.

Many self-taught geniuses seem to have known this well, such as Benjamin Franklin who wrote extensively about his life and the lessons he learned along the way.

When we connect new information to vivid, personal memories, it sticks.

And we know that Judt was doing this based on his knowledge of memory techniques.

So his choice to write about his life was not nostalgia as escapism, but as construction material. And his choice to use a reframed version of the Memory Palace technique also helped him reinforce the present.

What does this suggest for you, practically speaking?

Your own history is not dead weight. It can be turned into a system for thought.

The hallway of your old school can become a place to rehearse arguments.

The kitchen you grew up in can help you memorize a list.

Even a remembered teacher’s voice can become a tool for mental rehearsal.

So Judt’s first lesson is simple but radical:

Don’t dismiss your past. Use it.

Nostalgia, when harnessed correctly, is not regression. It is forward motion.

The Autodidact’s Secret: Community

Judt described himself as an “isolated autodidact.”

It’s an evocative phrase, but it’s only half true.

The deeper truth is this:

Judt engineered his learning life so that he still encountered other minds.

When he set out to teach himself Czech, for example, he didn’t bury himself in a textbook or trust an app to drip-feed him vocabulary.

He sought out what he called “linguists of talent.” He placed himself in the company of sharp, demanding speakers.

Not only that, but he sought out the corrections of native speakers, which as anyone learning a new language knows, gives you the challenge of being wrong in public.

That friction was his sharpening stone.

And it can be yours too.

Why Would-Be Autodidacts Fail in Isolation

Too many self-learners today fall into what Judt would have called “methodological solipsism.”

They seal themselves off with language learning software, YouTube videos, or dense books.

Sure, these can be useful tools, but rarely do they put you under any kind of productive pressure.

Lacking real dialogue, too many ideas and assumptions go untested, leading to sometimes severe memory biases.

And without correction, errors harden into habits.

This is why so many would-be autodidacts flame out. They confuse consumption with education. They mistake being alone for self-directed learning.

But Judt’s example reminds us of the real secret: autodidacts design communities.

They don’t wait for the perfect classroom, professor, or syllabus. They build their own circuits of exchange, no matter how improvised.

Community as Cognitive Fuel

Cognitive science supports this claim.

Psychologist Lev Vygotsky argued that all higher thought is scaffolded by social interaction.

Our minds expand in dialogue, not monologue.

So when Judt surrounded himself with linguists, he wasn’t just practicing Czech. He was literally wiring his brain to handle complexity under pressure.

The same is true for polymaths across history.

From Leonardo da Vinci’s Florentine workshops to Benjamin Franklin’s Junto Club, the great self-learners of the past didn’t isolate themselves.

As I discuss in my full tutorial on how to become a polymath, people like these built learning communities tailored to their ambitions.

My Own Lesson in Community-Based Friction

I saw this need for community play out in my own journey with learning German.

Reading textbooks and attempting translations of Kafka got me only so far.

But everything shifted when I joined a German metal band called The Outside and decided to speak German with them, even if they continued to speak English back.

Suddenly my practice wasn’t theoretical.

Every rehearsal, every backstage joke, every late-night conversation became a test. My bandmates were my “linguists of talent,” and even if they continued answering in English, I knew I was making sense in German so long as the conversation flowed.

My point?

Progress rarely comes from having the perfect study conditions.

It comes from the awkward friction of real use. Mistakes, laughter, corrections. This is the true engine of fluency.

Building Your Own Learning Network

Judt’s lesson is one we can all apply:

Seek out friction. Don’t hide behind apps. Put yourself where mistakes can be corrected.

Even better:

Curate your companions. Find people whose skills are sharper than yours, even if only slightly.

Think like a polymath and for more tips, read my guide on what autodidacticism really involves.

It’s not really about studying on your own. It’s about creating a breadth of environment in deliberate ways that strengthen your depth of knowledge.

This is why I often tell people: if you want to become a true autodidact or even cultivate the broader traits of a polymathic personality, you cannot do it in a vacuum.

You need others. Not always as teachers in the formal sense, but as friction in your learning system.

Judt understood this. It’s why his “isolation” was never really alone. His “memory chalet” was built from the presence of others.

And that may be the greatest secret of all: self-directed learning is a communal act in disguise.

 

From Palace to Chalet: Rethinking the Memory Palace Technique

Most people who encounter the art of memory are introduced to the Memory Palace: an ancient technique dating back to Simonides of Ceos and then carried forward by people like Thomas Aquinas and the Renaissance memory master Giordano Bruno.

The idea is simple but powerful:

To use a Memory Palace, you simple place information along a route through a remembered building. You then recall each piece of information by walking through that structure in your mind.

For many learners, the grandeur of “palace” is inspiring. It suggests something vast, ornate, filled with chambers and corridors.

But for Judt, it was alien. Too grand. Too abstract. Too far removed from the reality of a body pinned to a hospital bed.

So he quietly re-engineered the method. Instead of a Memory Palace, he chose a “memory chalet.”

Modest, sure. But scaled to the size he need during his final months.

This adjustment wasn’t cosmetic.

It was a redesign of the mental engine that drives discipline itself.

Cognitive scientists call this predictive processing: the brain constantly tests incoming information against the models you give it.

The lesson is simple but radical:

Change the model, and you change the way the system runs.

Why Metaphors Matter for Memory

I’ve seen this lesson play out in my own teaching over the years I’ve been offering the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass.

One of my students, 88 years old, rejected the idea of palaces outright.

“Too grand,” he said. Instead, he invented his own phrase: “apartments with compartments.”

Suddenly, what had once seemed mysterious clicked. Memory became inhabitable.

This isn’t a trivial shift in language. It’s a structural shift in cognition.

At the risk of repetition, I’ll repeat a theme that shows up in countless books on learning:

Choose the wrong metaphor, and the system feels unworkable. Choose the right one, and the doors swing open.

For this reason, every learner should learn to test their metaphors and adapt them.

Take the Next Step: Build Your Own Memory System

Should you read The Memory Chalet?

The short answer: yes.

Tony Judt wrote a masterpiece in the face of unimaginable pain.

His book is more than memoir. It’s a manual for learning like a pro, full of lessons that will certainly endure in my mind.

And I hope yours too.

One of them is that memory is not a passive archive. It can be re-engineered, reshaped, and scaled to fit the life you actually live.

But here’s the part most people miss: you don’t need to wait until your back is against the wall to build your own system.

You can start now. And doing so doesn’t require superhuman discipline, just the right tools and metaphors.

That’s exactly why I created my Free Memory Improvement Course:

Inside, you’ll learn:

How to design a Memory Palace (or chalet, or “apartment with compartments”) that matches your life.How to encode and recall information using images that actually stick.Why the right metaphors make or break your memory practice.Step-by-step exercises that transform abstract theory into daily results.

Thousands of learners, from language students and professionals to lifelong autodidacts, have already used this course to unlock their memory.

Now it’s your turn.

Because as Judt reminds us, someday never comes.

The time to strengthen your memory is always now.

Yes, you can use the Memory Palace technique without visualization.

I’ve been doing so for years as the founder of the Magnetic Memory Method. I’ve also succeeded beyond my wildest dreams as someone who experiences very limited visual imagery.

At first, I struggled with this technique, however. Until my research revealed that the Memory Palace technique was never purely visual.

No, from the beginning, the technique was taught in multi-sensory ways, including one powerful approach that is purely logical and conceptual.

And that’s the approach that helped me earn my PhD in Humanities at York University.

It also helped me learn languages, pass multiple certification exams and substantially expand my knowledge base.

And I’m not alone.

Today, accomplished memory athletes with no “mind’s eye” (aphantasics) prove that Memory Palaces work without inner pictures.

So how did the technique get mischaracterized as primarily visual? And how can you rapidly create well-formed Memory Palaces in just minutes?

Whether your imagination produces high-definition images or nothing at all, the methods I’m about to share will help you use the Memory Palace technique to learn faster and remember more.

Let’s dive in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJTZQ...

Why Visualization is Incorrectly Emphasized in Memory Palace Training

If you’re new to the Memory Palace technique, its ancient roots might not be on your radar.

Yet.

But we know from the historical science writer Lynne Kelly in books like The Memory Code and The Knowledge Gene that this technique had non-visual foundations for thousands of years.

For example, humans “offloaded” information they needed to remember onto rocks arranged in particular ways at sites like Stonehenge.

People also used objects covered in beads called lukasa to feel where they had encoded information in space.

As the Aboriginal author Tyson Yunkaporta shares in Sand Talk, elders used their hands as Memory Palaces. In some cases, they used each finger to remember an individual rule of conduct during a meeting.

Rather than visualize anything with the mind’s eye, bringing the thumb together with a particular finger sparked recall.

And these are all examples of the Memory Palace technique using an approach that is not inherently visual. It is spatial, kinesthetic and conceptual.

Fast forward to the Ancient Greek and Latin memory tradition, Simonides of Ceos emphasizes location as a concept above all things.

And St. Thomas Aquinas insisted his students imagine that they were inscribing information into the walls of their Memory Palaces as if writing on the surface of a wax tablet. He borrowed this idea from Aristotle and extended it with other useful ideas I have covered in this tutorial on Aquinas and memory.

So how did visual imagination come to be so prominent?

Misrepresentation by Modern Interpreters

In 1966, Frances Yates released an important, but deeply flawed study of the technique called The Art of Memory.

Don’t get me wrong. As a history of various mnemonic devices, it’s an important work. It has also inspired thousands, if not millions, of people to give memory techniques a try.

That said, we shouldn’t brush the problems she introduced under the rug.

By her own admission, she never actually used the techniques she wrote about.

As a result, she missed the importance of orientation, physical sensation and conceptualization discussed multiple times in her historical sources.

How was this mistake possible?

Besides not actually trying the techniques, I believe Yates may have been influenced by Dorothea Waley Singer.

Although this point might seem like an unnecessary detour, bear with me. It will pay off.

In 1950, Singer published the first edition of Giordano Bruno: His Life and Thought.

Singer’s biography influenced and inspired Yates’ own book on Bruno. Yeats in fact wrote The Art of Memory as background for her own book on the infamous mnemonist.

Here’s the problem:

Singer utterly dismisses the influence of another mnemonist named Llull on Bruno. She in fact suggests that Bruno was an utter fool for tinkering with Llull’s memory wheels.

So you don’t think I’m exaggerating, here’s exactly what Singer says:

Capable of hero worship, Bruno sometimes chose heroes who would have been strangely out of touch with him, as for example that saintly and mystical, muddled and truculent Franciscan, Raymond Llull, on whose worst works he wasted many years.

I wish the joke was on Singer and Yates. But it isn’t. Their mistaken dismissal and failure to deeply explore the techniques led a major problem to spread everywhere.

Due to Yates’ enormous influence in particular, uncountable numbers of people have misunderstood the non-visual art of combination so necessary to effectively using Memory Palaces.

As you can learn from this tutorial on Giordano Bruno, he wasn’t wasting his time on Llull at all.

Far from it.

The Influence of Memory Competitors & Stuntmen On the Mass Market

I’ll never forget when one of the most successful authors of memory books told me, “Whatever you do, don’t tell them about the science!”

This was Harry Lorayne, an influential popularizer of memory techniques like linking, the Major System and the story method.

Sadly, Lorayne believed that most people could not rise to the challenge of learning the most robust methods available (like the 20 memory techniques I describe in this tutorial).

He also thought that using memory science to prove that the techniques work only caused eyes to glaze over.

Although Lorayne may have been right that many people just want a fast solution to their memory problems, my point is that he and many other memory teachers took shortcuts.

Rather than lay out all of the multisensory, Lorayne went so far as to cut the Memory Palace from his training until his final book, Ageless Memory.

For years, he stubbornly insisted that he didn’t use Memory Palaces despite all evidence to the contrary. I give some of that evidence in this tribute video I made about Lorayne following his passing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaPMu...

On top of constantly using words like visualization and teaching people to see pictures in their imagination, Lorayne created the impression that Memory Palaces weren’t needed at all.

Another influential memory improvement author named Tony Buzan avoided this error by carefully detailing both Memory Palaces and multi-sensory mnemonic imagery.

But like Lorayne, who was a kind of stuntman of memory, many memory competitors flooded the market with books that refused to challenge readers.

Nelson Dellis is one of the few exceptions to the rule. As a 6x USA Memory Champion who openly teaches how to beat him, Nelson once remarked during a Magnetic Memory Method Podcast interview that “there’s no time to visualize” while using Memory Palaces in the heat of competition.

Despite my efforts in speaking with people like Nelson over the years, it’s been an uphill battle.

And when you combine the force of Lorayne’s influence with Yates, it’s easy to see why many people wound up misunderstanding how our ancestors actually used these techniques.

As a result, they’ve unnecessarily struggled and memorized much less information than they could have otherwise.

But there’s one more factor we need to consider, perhaps the most serious of all.

The Real Problem: People Falsely Believe They Need “Pictures”

Back in 2015, countless people started emailing me about a condition they called aphantasia.

Originally, I dismissed the idea because I know exactly what it’s like to live with seeing pictures in my mind.

But after finally learning about a study called Lives Without Imagery, I got seriously concerned.

People were now using a “condition” labeled by psychologists to describe why they were struggling to use Memory Palaces.

Given that Lynne Kelly identifies as aphantasic and still performed well at memory competitions and as a mnemonist, there’s a clear and obvious disconnect here.

Don’t get me wrong. Some people do benefit from visual memory skills.

The point is that you don’t need them to use the technique.

In fact, many people without aphantasia struggle to imagine clear visuals.

Personally, I feel like people trick themselves into mistaking how we describe the imagination for a proper definition of mental imagery as it is actually experienced.

I’ve written this complete discussion of mental imagery if you’d like to better understand the distinction.

When it comes down to brass tacks, I don’t know how to make the point clearer than this:

The belief that imagery is required for success with Memory Palaces blocks people from using the technique authentically.

The Multi-Sensory and Conceptual Alternatives

As you’ll discover in my full Memory Palace tutorial, my main suggestion is that people make the process inherently visual through the kinesthetic process of sketching.

Over the years, I’ve received thousands of Memory Palace drawings from students of the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass around the world.

These Memory Palace examples completely eliminate the need to imagine the location visually. Instead, you physically produce it so you can see the plan with your physical eyes.

This key distinction made it possible for me to start using the technique immediately after a period of struggle.

I only came to the idea of drawing my Memory Palaces after reading a book by Robert Fludd and speculating that he and other early authors of Memory Palace books must have sketched the illustrations for their printers.

When I discovered how helpful this simple step was, I added simple sketching to other aspects of memory techniques.

For example, I started sketching rather than using words on my flashcards and then combining them with my Memory Palaces. To take just one of many examples, I passed level III in Mandarin easily as a result back when I was learning Chinese using this approach.

Even if you’re highly visual, I still encourage you to sketch your Memory Palaces.

Not as art.

But as a simple planning step to avoid leading yourself into dead ends and creating other avoidable issues.

I’m still proud that my fellow mnemonist Jonathan Levi came to me for advice when preparing to memorize his TEDx Talk.

He’s very visual, but still benefitted from the exercise. He even shared the MMM-style Memory Palace in the talk itself:

But there’s more than one way to use the kinesthetic mode to help you experience the Memory Palace technique.

Let’s explore further.

Kinesthetic Loci

When using the method of loci (an alternative term for the Memory Palace technique), you can make the experience more physical in a few different ways.

I’ve used each of these approaches:

Run your hands along the walls of a location to make the journey firmer in your mind.Imagine doing something physically at each station in the Memory Palace, such as bending down to tie your shoes by the door, brushing your teeth next to a plant, etc.Reach up mentally to touch the top of a bookshelf (something suggested by Peter of Ravenna back in the 15th century).Associate various locations with gestures, such as waving hello at an entrance.

As an exercise, quickly sketch your home and then run through each of the tactics I just shared.

Don’t try to visually imagine the Memory Palace.

Literally examine your own sketch with your eyes as you experience the location visually with your eyes and then feel the sensation of tying your shoes or making a physical gesture.

This will start training your mind to approach the technique in a deeply physical way.

Auditory Loci

Next, practice anchoring various points in your Memory Palaces to sounds.

Imagine:

Hearing footsteps in a hallway.The echo of voices in a stairwell.Music playing from a bedroom.

These are all associations that occur naturally in these locations.

Also practice strange soundscapes, like imaging massive church bells ringing in a tiny bathroom.

As you explore this form of Memory Palace creation, limit the scope of your focus as closely as you can to pure sound. Doing so will exercise your auditory memory at the same time you build your Memory Palace skills.

Abstract Loci

Although it’s not always practical for use in learning when exams are at stake, you can stretch your skills quickly by experimenting with abstract Memory Palaces.

For example, watch this tutorial on using Geometrical Memory Palaces:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAPwO...

Again, you don’t have to “see” anything.

Whether you’re using a square, circle or more complex shape, words alone will help you navigate from corner to corner.

Conceptual & Logical Loci

Some of the most powerful techniques are admittedly a bit challenging to understand.

My favorite are found in the work of Jacobus Publicius, who was massively influential on Giordano Bruno. Perhaps even more so than Ramon Llull, something neither Singer nor Yates seem to have picked up.

This approach involves using a lot of categories, oppositions and logical frameworks as spatial anchors.

For example, Publicius teaches us to think purely in terms of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, west).

He also discusses alphabetical arrangements on squares and wheels that are navigated directionally by looking at the diagram, not in your imagination.

This one, for example, is a physical volvelle with rotating parts that get your hands involved in the encoding process:

You also find in the ancient tradition a lot of combinatorial tables that work like logical slots.

One way I’ve used pure logic in combination with Memory Palaces has helped with picking up new languages.

Opposites, for example, are logical. You can place the word for “white” on one wall and the word for “black” on another. Provided you use the technique consistently, you can memorize a lot of vocabulary quickly in this way.

Think of it like this:

A location is not just something you look at.

It’s a system of relationships involving everything from facts about height and weight, to grades of light and shadow at various times of day.

The more you think about the logic of association, the more you can harness these conceptual aspects. And the command to “think” has long been part of the tradition, something demanded by Aristotle, Hugh of St. Victor, Peter of Ravenna, Jacobus Publicius and many more.

Perhaps Bruno’s demand to think reached the highest crescendo when he suggested that anyone who thinks long and hard enough about the Memory Palace technique will reach the same conclusions about it as he did.

In Tony Buzan’s The Memory Book, specifically what he called SEM3, we see this principle in play.

Although you might not need to go to these conceptual lengths for your own learning projects, the point is that none of them require you to visualize.

The Integration Principle

The key is never to rely on just one approach.

As taught by Hugh of St. Victor and many other mnemonists until the 20th century, you want to approach all aspects of mnemonic technique in a hybrid manner.

Especially the Memory Palace, as stressed by St. Aquinas long ago with his suggestion that you imagine writing your mnemonic associations into the walls. Literally feeling and hearing the process as you go.

Practical Walkthrough: How to Build a Non-Visual Memory Palace

When you’re just getting started, here’s how I recommend you proceed:

Choose a familiar location that doesn’t require the strain of trying to visualize it. The place you’re in while completing the exercise is a good option because you can see it in front of your eyes.Sketch out the floor plan using pen and paper, not software. Some people do like to use various computer programs and even virtual Memory Palaces, but resist this for now so you don’t place an interstitial screen between your mind and memory at this point.Assign each station using a variety of the methods described above using the Integration Principle.Rehearse the Memory Palace in all of the patterns I teach in my spaced repetition tutorial.Pick a learning goal and use multi-sensory associations on each station to encode the information. Start simply with the number rhyme technique if you want the easiest approach to encoding as a beginner.When retrieving information, focus on physically navigating the Memory Palace as if you are participating in a theatre play, not replaying a movie.

This final practice step is crucial.

Many people try to re-enact what happens in their Memory Palaces perfectly, as if reviewing a movie.

That’s not possible, and it’s also not necessary. The Memory Palace technique is much more like theatre where the actors always do things differently.

They still give you the target information, but never in quite the same way.

In other words, approach your recall practice in a relaxed manner that allows for difference. They will always be there as part of your practice with this technique.

Advantages of Non-Visual Memory Palaces

If you’re already skilled with Memory Palaces, you’ll soon find many benefits from reducing down to other modes of experience apart from the visual.

For one thing, you’ll recover the true historical breadth of this mental art.

You’ll also likely find that logic-based loci and associations are more durable than fleeting images. This is because they’re typically easier to dimensionalize.

You’ll also enjoy deeper personalization and variety, which we know from studies in active recall help many learners recall more information with greater accuracy.

Examples & Case Studies

As already discussed, memory experts like Lynne Kelly have used memory techniques with great success without having inner images.

Kelly in particular uses a lot of the ancient memory techniques we’ve just gone through. Her book Memory Craft is fantastic for more information and notes from her personal practice.

Keeping in mind that I’ve already broken the advice from Rhetorica ad Herennium that the teacher of memory should give no more than two examples, let me detail one of the most direct case studies.

Bruno’s Body Memory Palace

Your own body is one of the most physical Memory Palaces you can use.

In Bruno’s case, he talked about creating 30-station Memory Palaces on the statues of mythological figures.

To get that many stations, he focused on all of the major body parts that come in pairs, like the eyes, ears, cheeks, hands, etc.

If you try this practice, your Memory Palace might look something like this:

You can easily start by applying this approach using the journey method to your own body.

I personally start from the top of each body (or my own body) and work my way down. You might prefer to start from the feet and work your way up.

Either way, note that you don’t have to assign as many stations as Bruno advised in his 1586 book, Lampas triginta statuarum (The Lantern of Thirty Statues).

For example, in his Black Belt Memory course, Ron White shares a 10-station version. Not only is this reduced number of stations more practical. He also shows how you can easily link each station to the Major System.

My Hand Memory Palace

My personal favorite use of a physical Memory Palace was a hand Memory Palace I assigned in preparation for an interview with Tyson Yunkaporta.

You can see me use it in the video version of our discussion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_–IA...

Although the list of steps for holding a meeting I memorized based on Aboriginal tradition was brief, using my hand was a lot faster than the way I normally memorize lists.

On each finger I placed a single word:

Connect (pointer)Respect (middle)Reflect (ring)Direct (pinkie)

To lock in each word, I used a phonetic and logic-based version of the pegword method to lock in simple associations on each finger.

For “connect,” I imagined the singer Connie Francis on my pointer finger, Aretha Franklin singing “Respect” on my middle finger, and so on.

It was easy, fun, fast and required no visualization whatsoever.

FAQs About Non-Visual Memory Palaces

I’ve been blessed to receive countless questions about memory techniques over the years, either through my contact page or through one-on-one memory coaching.

Here are some rapid fire responses to the most common questions I’ve received.

Do Memory Palaces work if I have aphantasia?

Yes, and in many cases they work even better because having to visualize takes more time and mental energy than necessary.

What if my imagery is inconsistent?

There are two points to consider:

First, “imagery” is not quite the right way to look at mnemonic associations. So long as you practice using phonic similarities and logical connections, you don’t need imagery at all.

Second, as I discussed above regarding thinking of Memory Palace as theatrical rather than cinematic, our associations are bound to be inconsistent.

It’s not a problem so long as you approach the technique with realistic framing.

Why do people say that the Memory Palace is a visual technique?

Many people have been influenced by authors like Frances Yates and Harry Lorayne.

In reality, the Memory Palace technique was never strictly visual.

Having read vast amounts of ancient memory improvement guides, I believe our ancestors would be distressed to see how some of the most important aspects of the technique have been deemphasized.

That said, if you read teachers like Hugh of St. Victor, Peter of Ravenna and Giordano Bruno, you’ll quickly see that their students also came to them with incorrect conceptions.

There’s a particularly funny passage in Ravenna’s The Phoenix where the author corrects the limited mindset through an example of a typical student objection. You can read it in my updated version of this classic memory training book, available from the Magnetic Memory Method products page.

What senses can you use other than vision in a Memory Palace?

The main eight “Magnetic Modes” I use have come to be called KAVE COGS.

This is an acronym for:

KinestheticAuditoryVisualEmotionalConceptualOlfactoryGustatorySpatial

I don’t always use all eight. But sometimes I dig deeper into the conceptual mode, which has twenty variations. I shared some of them above in terms of category, opposites and the cardinal directions.

Generally, these are best saved for really tough information, like the Sanskrit phrases I’ve memorized.

Do non-visual Memory Palaces take longer to build?

When you follow my simple sketching recommendations, no. In fact, the process is much faster.

That said, the amount of time depends on the learning project.

For my Sanskrit memorization goals, one Memory Palace took a few extra minutes to work out.

This is my drawing of this particular Memory Palace, which I pre-numbered to help me also remember which verse I memorized on the individual stations:

This pre-numbered Memory Palace example shows you how I prepared to memorize the Atma Bodha in full. I know the text and the number of each verse in an ancient Sanskrit text thanks to my favorite memory technique.

But generally, a well-formed Memory Palace takes 2-5 minutes to develop or less.

Can I combine the Memory Palace with the Major System without visualization?

This is a very important and interesting question.

In fact, the Major System is a kind of Memory Palace.

So too is its extension, something called a 00-99 PAO System.

The reason I suggest you consider these tools as types of Memory Palaces is simple:

As Hugh of St. Victor pointed out in his writings on memory (which you can find in The Medieval Craft of Memory), raw numbers create a kind of field.

I’ve created this illustration to show you what he means:

Hugh then discusses attaching various associations to these purely imagined locations. These associations are generally Biblical in nature and in some cases surround a Memory Palace based on Noah’s Ark.

But Hugh did not expect you to visually imagine any of these locations. In the case of the Ark, he had a painting on the wall behind him to help illustrate the pairing of Biblical information with associations and conceptual spaces.

In other words, the answer is yes, you can combine Memory Palaces with any numerical mnemonic system including the Major System without visualizing anything in your mind.

How many Memory Palaces should I create if I don’t visualize?

Along with anyone else interested in serious results with these techniques, I suggest you assign as many Memory Palaces as you can.

That way, you’ll always be prepared to memorize anything you like without hesitation.

As two starter projects, I suggest you assign one Memory Palace for each letter of the alphabet.

Once done, learn the Major System and develop a 00-99 PAO. You can use this as a Memory Palace unto itself by experiencing the numbers in a field.

Or you can make the number-based Memory Palace Network more tangible by assigning it to a street (or series of streets) in a neighborhood you know reasonably well.

In other words, you snap your 00-99 figures onto the actual street addresses. Using my system, I would assign Nick Nolte to a building with the number 27 in the address because the Major tells us that 2 is N and 7 is K.

Can children or beginners learn to use Memory Palaces without visualization?

Yes.

That’s because the same conceptual rules are available to anyone at any age.

For examples of young people succeeding with the Memory Palace technique, please listen to my podcast episodes with Alicia Crosby and Imogen Aires. They were both just ten years of age when they were recorded.

Common to both success stories is parental involvement.

And that’s the key if you would like to see your kids succeed with these techniques.

Don’t just put a training guide in front of them. Learn the techniques yourself first so you can teach them from experience.

And share in the fun too.

Unlock the Power of Memory Without Relying on Images

From Simonides of Ceos and Thomas Aquinas to Bruno and beyond, the Memory Palace has never belonged exclusively to those who see vivid pictures in their minds.

The technique has always been grounded on multi-sensory and conceptual frameworks that turn raw data into lasting memories.

Whether you see high-definition images or nothing at all, you can build Memory Palaces that expand knowledge, sharpen focus and unlock your potential.

The key is to correctly understand your imagination and pair it with structure, practice and a willingness to experiment with the techniques.

If you’re ready to go deeper, register for my free memory improvement course:

It walks you step by step through mastering the Memory Palace.

Inside, you’ll get four concise training videos and worksheets designed to get you taking action immediately.

Last thought before we go:

The Memory Palace technique endures because vast amounts of people adapt it to their needs.

Whether by focusing on sight, sound, tactile sensations or pure thought, this technique reminds us that memory knows no bounds.

And all that mastering it requires is the same as anything else:

Constant study and practice.

In this case, that’s a wonderful requirement because using this particular learning technique is endlessly rewarding and fun.

If you’re seeking memory training because of forgetfulness, mental fog, or information overload, you’re not alone.

In fact, I’ve been on both sides.

I’ve been so frustrated with my memory that I nearly dropped out of grad school.

And so successful I came in second in a memory competition against one of the best mental athletes in the world.

My range of experiences means good news for you.

With the right daily drills and proven exercises, you can dramatically improve your recall, focus, and clarity.

In this guide, you’ll discover 7 memory training techniques I’ve personally used to:

Complete a PhD using mnemonic strategiesDeliver a TEDx Talk seen by millionsLearn multiple languages with confidence

Each routine is practical, research-backed and useable starting today.

Whether you want to remember names, prepare for exams, or simply keep your mind sharp as you age, these drills work.

Let’s dive in.

https://youtu.be/DU4VznNm1z4

Proof that Memory Training Works

As we go through the list of memory techniques you can start practicing with today, keep in mind that there’s no particular order of importance.

They all matter and each one is well-worth spending time learning.

But you might like to have some assurance that scientists have actually studied these memory tools.

In addition to reading my full profile of the state of memory science, you’ll be delighted to know that many of my memory champion friends have participated in memory studies.

For example, Katie Kermode recently posted on LinkedIn about her participation in this University of Cambridge Study.

This study follows many others, including a major analysis of how proper memory training leads to superior memory skills.

I’ll share a few more scientific references as we go, but for now, keep in mind that we are talking about training.

This means that your time does need to be spent on learning and applying the various memory techniques we’re about to explore together.

But every moment will be worth it once you see the results of better memory flowing into your life.

The Core Memory Training Techniques & Drills I RecommendOne: Mnemonic Linking

Mnemonic linking is where most people start training their memory.

What is linking?

It’s a simple technique where you assign vivid, strange or emotional associations between information you already know and new data you want to retain.

To keep things simple, let’s say you need to remember a list of words like “apple,” “book” and “dog.”

To use the linking technique, you simply mentally link the apple with something related to apples that is specifically familiar to you. I would personally forge a link with an Apple computer.

For the next word in the list, I would imagine the Apple computer interacting with a specific book. Since the final word is “dog,” that book could be the Bible in the jaws of a specific dog.

The key is to make every association specific. So in this case, the list will be easiest to remember if there’s a kind of mnemonic story playing out:

“An Apple computer flies down from the sky to try and wrestle the family Bible from the jaw of Superman’s dog.”

Silly, right?

Yes, and that’s what makes it so memorable.

In case you’re interested, one of the reasons why so many people start with linking isn’t because it’s the best place to start.

It’s largely because that’s where the dominant memory improvement authors like Harry Lorayne and Tony Buzan talked about starting. They were largely repeating the instructions given by Bruno Furst in his correspondence memory courses.

Linking is definitely worth learning. I use it frequently and found it especially helpful for learning the articles and other aspects of learning German.

Two: Peg Systems

Peg systems are the foundation of how I learned to memorize playing cards.

Please be aware that memory teachers use the general term “peg” in quite a variety of ways.

I generally call it the pegword method and separate pegs into at least four different kinds of mnemonic images:

Number RhymesNumber objects (or number shapes)Major SystemPAO System

To give you an example of the simplest peg system, here’s how the number rhyme technique works through the association of rhymed images:

1 = sun2 = shoe3 = bee4 = door5 = hive6 = sticks7 = heaven8 = gate9 = wine10 = hen

As a fun exercise that will itself give your brain a workout, I suggest you draw your first number-rhyme list.

Here’s my own hand drawn list:

Once you’re set up with these rhymes (or variations of your own choosing), associating information using this technique will be a breeze.

To give you an example, let’s refer back to our previous list.

Using number rhyme pegs, you could imagine the apple growing as large and as bright as the sun. The book could be shaped like a shoe, and smell just as bad. And the dog could be chasing bees.

The advantage to number rhymes is that you not only remember the items. You also remember the numbered order of each item in the list.

Another advantage when you develop your skills will all four peg systems is that you have pre-learned mental associations.

You don’t have to invent new links on the fly. You have mental “pegs” to hang new information on.

Please train with all of these peg systems in the bulleted list above because having multiple tactics offers tremendous flexibility when you want to remember things quickly.

Three: Keyword Mnemonics

When preparing for my TEDx Talk, I didn’t memorize every word.

Instead, I pulled out only the most important words. This is generally the best approach to memorizing a speech.

By compressing the speech into a smaller set of memory triggers laid out along a Memory Palace journey, I was able to convey the main points without having to memorize the entire speech verbatim.

As a result, you can memorize two or three words and still recall entire sentences.

For example, my TEDx begins with the line, “How would you like to completely silence your mind?”

The images are simple Howie Mandel with a stick of wood hitting a like button on a YouTube video. Since I know the topic of my talk, I didn’t need to encode the rest of the phrase.

Verbatim Memorization By Making Every Word a Keyword

Now, if you’ve seen my TEDx Talk, you might have noticed that I recite a few quotes and Sanskrit phrases.

This is verbatim memorization, but it’s essentially the same process.

Instead of extracting keywords, every word is memorized as if it were a keyword. To practice this, I suggest you complete my tutorial on how to commit poetry to memory.

As an additional resource, please consult my detailed tutorial on how to memorize a paragraph.

Four: Alphanumeric Mnemonics

I mentioned the Major System above.

Let’s dig deeper into how this technique works so you can easily remember important phone numbers, credit cards, historical dates and even matters related to programming on demand.

What is it?

The Major System is called an “alphanumeric” technique because it helps you transform numbers into consonant sounds.

You then turn these into memorable words by inserting vowels between the consonants.

The Major System is a foundational technique and merely learning to use it will provide you with outstanding memory training.

Here’s the exact alphanumeric pattern I’ve used for decades:

The Major System

Once you’ve committed this set of associations to memory, here’s how it works:

If you have to memorize the number 34, you note that 3 = M and 4 = R.

You then insert a vowel and come up with a word like “mare” or a person like “Mary.”

Personally, I use “mare” as my word for 34, but make it more specific by thinking of a specific horse: the one pictured on the cover of Piers Anthony’s Xanth novel, Nightmare.

Although this technique is primarily used for remembering numbers, you can actually use it to remember many other things.

For example, often when I learn new words in different languages, I observe the consonants and work out what numbers they would be in the Major System.

This makes it fast and easy to come up with associations.

For example, in German, “blacksmith” is der Schmeid.

In the major, the “sch” sound can be represented by 6, which also covers J sounds. D is linked with 1.

61 makes words like “Jedi” and Judd. So I can imagine the actor Judd Nelson “smushing” his Jedi uniform into a suitcase shaped like an E.

Although that’s not 100% direct, it doesn’t have to be. With a small amount of spaced repetition, the target information will enter long-term memory.

A Brief History of Alphanumeric Mnemonics

Although it can be a bit tough to learn in the beginning, rest assured that people have been using mnemonic tools like the Major System for thousands of years.

For more background, check out Lynne Kelly’s The Memory Code.

In my own research, I’ve found the katapayadi system, which goes back to at least 869 CE.

I find the length of time this particular type of tool for establishing memories has been around inspiring. Hopefully it will continue to survive for both practical uses and fun projects like memorizing pi.

Five: The First Letter Mnemonic Technique

This next technique is great for training with poetry, song lyrics and quotes.

To use it, all you do is take the first letter of each word and write it on a piece of paper.

Here’s what I mean using the opening of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 59:

“If there be nothing new, but that which is hath been before…”

Once you’ve written out the letters, you look at the list and practice recalling all the words in full.

It is literally an exercise in mentally filling in the blanks.

As a learning technique, this approach is related to the Cloze test.

In this laboratory study of using what the scientists called the “first Initial mnemonic,” students who used it as part of their studies showed significantly better recall.

Although I would never use this approach to memorize something mission critical like a speech, it is a good training exercise. I use it a couple of times a year just for practice.

Six: Story-Telling For Better Memory

I mentioned the power of crafting mnemonic stories above. Let’s go deeper.

As we know from the story of Simonides of Ceos, the brain loves stories because it finds them instantly memorable.

That’s one reason why the Renaissance memory master Robert Fludd talked about using theatre plays in your associations.

I personally use this approach often, and have a full Story Method tutorial that will help you use it in a highly targeted way for both training your memory and as a learning tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhN0r...

Seven: The Memory Palace Technique (The Gold Standard)

The Memory Palace technique changed my life.

Also known as the method of loci, it’s powerful because it lets you use one of our most powerful types of memory and mental faculties:

Spatial memory.

In other words, you place associations paired with your target information along a familiar route or location in your imagination.

Then, using spaced repetition and one of the association techniques discussed above, you revisit the images you placed along the journey. Soon, you’ll have the information you want to remember in long-term memory.

That’s exactly what I did to memorize my TEDx Talk using keywords after making a quick sketch of a familiar location:

And like all memory techniques, the Memory Palace has been thoroughly vetted by researchers.

According to a Nature article prepared by Eleanor Maguire and her team, anyone can reshape their brain’s networks by using this technique.

As the scientist’s revealed when sharing the brain scans of memory champions who use the technique, their success in remembering vast amounts of information quickly came from using this spatial memory technique.

The researchers then put non-memory athletes 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.

That means you can expect similar memory boosts, even if you’re a beginner with this particular mnemonic device.

Beyond Training with Techniques: Daily Memory Exercises

Developing stronger memory skills is generally best approached using the techniques I just shared with you.

However, there are other smaller actions you can take to create remarkable results over time.

Here are some recommended daily memory-boosting exercises I personally use and recommend:

One: Brain Games and Puzzles

You can stimulate multiple aspects of your cognition by playing a variety of brain games.

In addition to the classics like Sudoko and matching games, you can get involved with my Memory Detective game. We usually play a round every Halloween in the Magnetic Memory Method community.

Two: Regular Mindfulness and Meditation

Even just ten minutes a day of sitting meditation can improve your focus and working memory.

As this study shows, less is definitely more.

Not only did they find that brand-new meditators enjoyed better memory. They also experience mood boosts and greater levels of emotional regulation.

Three: Physical Exercise for Brain Health

Although I don’t always feel like it, I work hard to get myself to the gym three times a week. Or I will do a calisthenic routine at home.

I also take walks almost every day, including walking backwards. As this study showed, even just imagining that you’re walking backwards produced a memory boosting effect.

Personally, I prefer the real thing, even though it gets strange glances when I do it at the local outdoor gym.

Four: Learn Something New Every Day

Whether it’s studying a new language, a musical instrument or practicing a hobby like writing, continually learning new topics and skills keeps your brain engaged.

It also helps with neuroplastic change, literally rewiring your brain for better processing speed and memory.

You might also consider exploring a variety of ways to learn. If you typically take notes in a top-down fashion, for example, you can spend a few months on Tony-Buzan style mind mapping for a change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Over the years, I’ve received dozens of questions about various memory activities.

Here are answers to some of the most useful.

Does memory training really work?

The nuanced answers is that any memory exercise you engage in will work relative to the effort you put into it and the level of challenge.

Often people complain that a mental training routine isn’t producing results, but they are not actually challenging themselves in any meaningful way.

For example, in my critical analysis of crossword puzzles as a memory activity, you’ll find research showing that many people weaken themselves by looking at the answers.

So if you’re following a routine that lets you cheat in any shape or form, then no, it’s not likely to work.

The flip side of the coin is that you don’t want to engage in activities that are so challenging you simply feel frustrated.

So I encourage you to find activities that are challenging, but not to the point of constant failure.

How long does it take to see results?

If you choose a memory training exercise like the first letter mnemonic we discussed above, you could feel the results instantly.

But generally, there’s no magic number.

The point of memory training is similar to physical training. You want an ongoing balance of new exploration and maintenance of existing skills.

Are brain training apps the same as using memory techniques?

Not at all.

This is because the point of memory training is ultimately to have sharper recall in situations where you can’t reach for a device and use a search engine.

As I discussed in my post on cognitive training myths, you want some alignment between your specific memory improvement goal and the improvement activities you choose.

So if you truly want to improve your memory, think about exactly what that means. As I discuss in my tutorial on how to increase memory power, you need to start by defining your memory improvement goal.

Then select the activities most likely to get you there. Chances are, it won’t involve an app.

Can memory training help me pass exams?

Absolutely. People who regularly train their memory skills will gain an advantage.

But let’s be clear:

There’s a difference between daily training trills and sitting down to commit testable information to memory.

Just because you’ve sharpened your memory doesn’t mean you’ll memorize test answers.

For that, make sure you consider the techniques for studying I used when completing my PhD more comprehensively.

Memorization was a substantial part of my process, but not the only activity I engaged in by far.

Will memory training help reduce the impact of aging?

Almost certainly.

But you definitely want to discuss any issues you’re experiencing with a doctor.

As you do, please take inspiration from some of the greatest memory instructors who ever lived.

Harry Lorayne wrote many fantastic books on his way to the ripe age of 96 years.

He provided complete proof of concept and shared his best memory training processes in a book called Ageless Memory.

Likewise, Tony Buzan remained sharp during his twilight years. I re-read The Memory Book frequently to continually take inspiration from how he combined memory training with physical activity and diet.

What is the best memory training technique for beginners?

I suggest starting with number rhymes and applying them to simple lists.

It’s quick to setup and wonderfully effective.

Once you have the system setup, the only remaining task is to select various words with which to practice on a daily basis.

Fortunately, that’s as simple as picking up a dictionary or visiting a website that will suggest words for you.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need a “Photographic Memory”

Many people ask me to teach them to have a photographic memory.

I always turn them down because most of what we need to memorize is in language, not pictures.

Plus, photographic memory is widely considered to be pseudoscience.

Ultimately, if you want a trained memory, or even just to learn faster, every technique you’ve discovered on this page is very learnable.

If you’d like more help, especially with turning these exercises into long term results, sign up for my free course now:

It gives you the ultimate memory improvement exercise by focusing on spatial memory through four free videos and three powerful worksheets.

You’ll learn how to:

Lock information into long-term memoryRecall faster with less effortTransform more of your studies and work life into effective brain workouts

And if you’d like more information on additional mnemonic tools, this list of memory techniques goes deeper still into the many mnemonic activities you can explore.

The important point is to get started and keep going.

The absolute best years of your learning and remembering life await!

How did the runaway fugitive Benjamin Franklin become a writer, printer, inventor, philosopher and diplomat and still find time to help found the United States?

Part of the answer is easy: he was a self-made polymath.

That means he trained himself to study and succeed in multiple skills and disciplines with surgical focus.

The key to learning across so many fields?

Habits.

Routine processes and procedures that still work to this day.

In fact, they’re more valuable than ever.

On this page, you’ll learn how Franklin built one of the sharpest minds in all of human history.

Even better:

You’ll learn how you can use the same habits and techniques to learn faster, think deeply, and integrate knowledge across multiple fields.

Let’s dive in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQm-...

What Makes Benjamin Franklin a Polymath?

The term “polymath” has been used for hundreds of years to describe a person of various learning.

But we’re not talking about productivity nerds, which is sometimes how the term is now used in our time.

Franklin, like Thomas Jefferson and other polymaths I’ve covered on this website, built expertise in multiple areas through the power of habit.

It’s important to understand this fact because Franklin was not born into privilege. He wasn’t a savant.

But the specific activities he engaged in make him one of the most influential minds of his time. He influences us to this day.

And his learning habits are proof that polymathy isn’t about talent. It’s about practicing the right habits.

Benjamin Franklin’s Most Important Learning Habits

As we get into my discussion of how Franklin learned, you might think that some of the habits I’m describing belong more to the realm of productivity.

Although that might be true, to succeed in everything from science and innovation to politics and diplomacy, Franklin’s biggest habit is the most important of all.

That’s because it creates reflective thinking. And when you have that, you learn from your own habits, enabling personal growth over time as you learn from your own journey.

With that point in mind, here are what I believe are the most important lessons about learning, overcoming obstacles and long-term focus.

One: The Focusing Power of Franklin’s Reading Deadlines

Franklin worked for a time in his brother’s printing shop.

To educate himself, he would quietly borrow books from apprentice booksellers and read them overnight. Then, before anyone noticed, he would return them.

As he wrote about this habit:

“Often I sat up in my room reading the greatest part of the night, when the book was borrowed in the evening and to be returned early in the morning, lest it should be missed or wanted.”

This early habit of reading against the clock focused his mind and deepened his memory.

He also chose books written in modern styles, which would influence his communication skills.

But the point is that Benjamin chose to become one of the most well-read minds of his era.

And when he read, he wasn’t just reading. He was training.

I’ve also read against the clock for years and deadlines are indeed powerful. Check out my guide to reading faster for more information.

Two: The Expansive Power of Conversation

Franklin didn’t just read books. He also read people.

That’s because he understood something that many people who want to become polymathic miss:

The right conversation with the right person can teach you more than a hundred books. Faster.

In order to make sure he was having plenty of the right conversations, Benjamin created the Junto in Philadelphia.

This was a weekly discussion group where a variety of tradesmen, writers and thinkers shared ideas.

It was not just a social circle.

Rather, the Junto was a living, breathing social system that allowed its members to learn from one another.

As Jessica Borger recently wrote in a scholarly paper titled The Power of Networking in Science and Academia, networking remains just as important in our time. If not more so.

As Franklin wrote with reference to the importance of relationships:

“A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.”

Three: Accumulating Knowledge Through Questioning

Franklin wrote a lot and was clearly highly opinionated.

But Walter Isaacson highlights in his excellent biography,  Franklin wrote that knowledge “was obtained by the use of the ear rather than of the tongue.”

To make sure he had plenty to listen to, Franklin stimulated conversation through questions.

If you’d like to emulate the process, check out my full guide on how and why you should question everything.

The key is to understand that Franklin didn’t ask questions to impress others.

He used dialogue to help refine his thinking, uncover new perspectives and help himself and others understand more.

All the reading to deadlines he did surely helped stimulate his curiosity and stockpile a number of questions.

But the deliberate practice of questioning helped make the process automatic, literally forging it into a habit thanks to what scientists call procedural memory.

Make questioning while you meet with people and as you study a habit of mind. It will help you think differently, learn more and experience tremendous growth.

And the best part is that the more you practice asking questions, the better your questioning will become.

Four: Setting Rules and Keeping Them

Just as reading to deadlines focuses the mind and memory, developing codes of conduct frees the mind to pay much more open attention to what you want to learn.

That’s why Benjamin was a fanatic for creating rules.

But he didn’t just create them.

He wrote them out, tested them, enforced them and evolved them over time.

For example, he crafted thirteen rules around a list of virtues. You can find them in his autobiography, specifically the section where he talks about his goal of achieving moral perfection.

But he didn’t stop at self-discipline for himself.

When he formed the Union Fire Company from a group of volunteers, he wrote bylaws. If members broke the rules around attending meetings or taking care of equipment, they paid fines.

Likewise with the Junto. Members followed written rules to help ensure an environment where their mutual focus on learning from one another thrived.

You might think Franklin’s approach is a bit old-fashioned. But in our time, internet companies like stickK enable people to set up commitment contracts. If they don’t achieve goals they’ve set for themselves, the company will send a certain amount of the users money to a charity or other designated party.

Although your mileage may vary from setting rules for yourself, habitually setting up codes of conduct and sticking to them can create a framework for learning.

Personally, I use rules as accelerators for my learning goals often, such as rewarding myself for getting through difficult books I don’t want to read. For example, I won’t let myself get a book for pleasure until I’ve finished one that I’ve committed to completing for my research.

I find that accountability works best when it’s unavoidable, visible and public. That’s one reason I made a video about my in-progress bookshop Memory Palace project.

Although many challenges have made me want to give up along the way, my rule that I finish the projects I start helps me push through. As does making the projects I start public.

Five: Masterful Note-Taking

As a student of multiple topics, Franklin developed his own shorthand.

These days, you can learn Gregg shorthand relatively quickly, sparing yourself the hassle of creating a system from scratch.

But the larger point is to learn how to take notes effectively.

For picking up this powerful study skill, you can consult my guide to note-taking.

You can also explore one of the core techniques Thomas Jefferson used, an approach now called the Zettelkasten method.

Whichever method you choose, it’s helpful to understand that many of Franklin’s notes were not main points copied out verbatim.

He formulated the ideas in his own words, often reconstructing the ideas in the form of Socratic dialogues.

Franklin even invented names for different personas and had these characters help him explore and refine a variety of ideas.

You can think of this approach as an advanced form of active, transformational note-taking. If you want to be as polymathic as Franklin, avoid passive reading and seek the active synthesis of ideas by engaging them deeply in your own words.

Six: Writing to Learn

Franklin didn’t stop at reformulating his notes. He treated long-form writing as a laboratory for learning.

As a self-taught teenager marked by the most common traits of an autodidact, Franklin copied essays he admired.

Then, he would attempt to rewrite them from memory a few days later.

Even more importantly, he studied grammar and rhetoric to help him craft better persuasion skills. As he wrote:

This habit, I believe, has been of great advantage to me when I have had occasion to inculcate my opinions, and persuade men into measures that I have been from time to time engaged in promoting.

Franklin also wrote correspondences with people around the world. When he could not learn from available journals or his social circle, he wrote to thinkers across Europe.

They helped him design his own experiments, and his habit of regularly communicating in writing through the mail was tremendously fruitful.

Writing also helped provide Franklin with a fantastic memory for quotes and short sayings packed with wisdom.

And of course, writing made him incredibly wealthy. This habit literally bought him more books and more time to read them. He retired from his business at just 42 years of age.

Seven: The Synergy of Synced Habits

Although we often think of polymaths as people who have established mastery in multiple domains, Franklin unified his skills wherever possible.

His strategies for competing with a fellow newspaper printer named Andrew Bradford reveal synergistic thinking.

To do this, Franklin built a multimedia empire over time. He combined the ownership of multiple printing presses in various regions with also creating and owning products.

On top of owning the presses that printed his own catalogs, magazines, almanacs and newspapers, Franklin also wrote content for them.

From there he conquered distribution, meaning that he could profit by taking care of mailing his own products.

These strategies compounded the value of the habits he used to accomplish and maintain all of these processes.

As you work on your own development as a polymath consider the many areas where you can build new skills on top of the foundational abilities you’ve already developed.

In the terms Peter Burke offers in his book, The Polymath, Franklin was a centripetal polymath. This means that he built his many skills to support a singular vision.

Other polymaths might stack on skills more randomly. There’s nothing wrong with doing this, but you’ll wind up missing the benefits of syncing your habits synergistically the way Franklin did.

What We Can Learn From Franklin’s Daily Schedule

There’s no mystery to how Franklin fit all of his skills development and maintenance activities into his day. He lays out the process in his autobiography.

If you look at his illustration above, you’ll see an early version of what we now call “time boxing.”

But more important than giving his time organization habits a name, not that he did not cram. He crafted space for asking questions, removing clutter and thinking reflectively.

When you design your day around thinking, you’ll live more deliberately.

Your mind will have more space for focusing on what you want to learn. And your mind will be freer to integrate what you’re learning.

To emulate Franklin’s process:

Begin and end each day with one reflective thoughtProtect and assign your thinking timePlan and track your exact behaviors, not just what you accomplish

In other words, manage the meaning of your time. This will help align your activities into habits worth having.

Franklin’s Greatest Achievements as a Polymath

Everyone will have their own favorite accomplishment from Franklin’s incredible life.

Here are the ones that stand out most to me.

Science and Innovation

Franklin’s most famous experiment proved that lightning was electricity.

But he didn’t rely on intuition. He studied the topic deeply, including different ways to test his hypothesis safely.

He used some of the habits we’ve discussed above to contact other inventors and scientific-minded people.

As a result, he:

Invented the lightning rod, preventing destructive fires.Created bifocal lenses, solving a personal problem that still helps people around the world.Charted the Gulf Stream, helping massively improve Atlantic navigation.

Franklin went beyond curiosity and the relentless consumption of information we see today.

He tested what he learned, applied it and shared his results, inspiring many other “citizen scientists” to do the same.

Politics and Diplomacy

As a student of classical philosophy, Franklin understood the political theories of his time incredibly well.

His self-directed reading habits included international law so that he could practice the highest level of public service.

As a result, he helped:

Draft the Declaration of Independence.Negotiate the Treaty of Paris.Serve as a cultural and political ambassador between America and Europe.

Although some people attribute Franklin’s success to charisma, that’s not the full story.

He studied people carefully in addition to being a practitioner of rhetorical tools of persuasion. He turned everything he learned into skills that he leveraged.

Philanthropy and Civic Initiatives

Franklin used his knowledge and business acumen to serve others.

The list of examples is long, but includes:

Founding lending libraries.Establishing volunteer fire departments.Organizing street cleaning and mutual aid groups.

All of these came from Franklin’s passion for people.

But their success was aided by the habits that structured his interdisciplinary study efforts.

Writing and Publishing

As a writer and publisher myself, Franklin has inspired me for years.

Everything from his habit of reconstructing what he’d read from memory to building a multimedia conglomerate has given me insight into how to enjoy success of my own.

Franklin’s lifelong writing habits led him to:

Create Poor Richard’s Almanack, where he shared his practical wisdom and philosophy.Establish a lucrative career in printing, publishing and distribution.Tackle politics through satire by writing dozens of pseudonymous essaysStacked, Not Scattered

If there’s one major lesson to take from Benjamin Franklin’s learning life, it’s that he leveraged the power of structure and balance.

His achievements were the product of interleaving:

CuriosityStudySystems developmentExperimentationAnalysisSharing

It was like a perfect circle.

And one that anyone can emulate.

But if you find that your mind is scattered, I suggest getting some memory training.

That might sound like a leap in logic, but if you’ve enjoyed the insights about Franklin you’ve read today, I have good reason to believe that Franklin’s memory was sharp.

It’s part of the explanation for why he could pay attention to what mattered and prioritize the right habit stacks at the right times.

To help you get your memory sharper so you have more focus and clarity, consider signing up for my free course.

Its exercises will help you improve your working memory so you can process more ideas faster.

And prioritize them like Franklin.

So what do you say?

As far as I can tell, Franklin wasn’t born a polymath.

Nor did he wait to be taught.

He used daily discipline, deadlines, intentional habits and a relentless drive to help others enjoy an incredible life of learning.

His polymathy was forged.

And that means you can forge your own polymathy too.

Start with one habit, one question and one page in a journal.

And keep going. Before you know it, learning multiple skills and fields of knowledge will fill your entire being with accomplishment and joy.

To make learning how to memorize a list quickly a fast and seamless process, I suggest you learn to use the Memory Palace technique.

That’s because I believe memorizing a list should not be hard.

And people who struggle with with them?

It’s not because their memory is bad.

They’re often just using the wrong method.

I’ve been thinking about lists a lot lately as I reach the final stages of establishing a real-world Memory Palace with a bookshop in it.

To pull it off, I’m studying real estate in a course.

It involves all kinds of acronyms, form numbers and logistics.

And thanks to the technique you’re about to discover, I’m retaining the lists of information with easy.

The Memory Palace technique is not a trick.

It’s a system.

And once you learn it, you can memorize any list. Quickly and for life.

Let’s begin.

https://youtu.be/dJvbbMtA1OA

How to Memorize a List Fast

There’s a fair amount of confusion about list memorization because there are different ways of doing it.

So many ways that people wind up confused and wondering which approach to use.

For example, you might have heard of Harry Lorayne.

He was a magician who popularized using mnemonics for remembering lists using the pegword method.

But what if you want to memorize a list of numbers, like Akira Haraguchi who was able to commit 100,000 digits of pi to memory?

What if you’re a medical professional who needs to memorize lists of symptoms, pharmaceutical information and all the carpal bones?

Or perhaps you want to memorize vocabulary as part of learning a language.

Perhaps your goal is even more modest. You just want to remember a to-do list or the groceries you need to pick up from the store later.

For each of these goals, I suggest you sidestep most memory techniques and get started immediately with the Memory Palace technique.

I teach all of the other techniques in the video above, including number rhymes.

But since I don’t recommend those techniques as the fastest and most practical means of memorizing a list, let’s get into the technique I favor the most.

In detail.

Step One: Create Your First Memory Palace

A Memory Palace is a form of mental association where you place a list of information along a journey you assign within a familiar location.

You’ve probably seen the technique used in Sherlock Holmes when the iconic character says, “I must go to my Mind Palace.”

In case you’re not familiar with this mnemonic device, this ancient memory technique has been used for centuries.

Essentially, you just mentally order locations in the manner you see in this image:

And if you were Sherlock and had to commit a list of facts about a case to memory, you would use a location like the study pictured above.

To avoid laying out associations chaotically, you would identify a few places (called loci) where you can “store” each part of your list.

For example, if you needed to of a suspect, you would place a mnemonic image on the chair labeled “1” in the illustration above. You do that by using a very special form of association, which we’ll discuss next.

Step Two: Pair Each Item on the List with an Association & the Memory Palace

Let’s use the example of memorizing a grocery list.

To do this, mnemonists (people who use memory techniques) use what are called mnemonic images.

If carrot is the first item on your list, you just imagine a giant carrot on the chair in your office.

That’s weird and strange enough to stick in your memory.

But what if you have a list of facts or the names of the presidents? This kind of information needs to be transformed mentally into an association that’s a bit more elaborate.

For example, if the first name is Washington, you can imagine a washing machine on your bed. Imagine yourself commenting that it weighs a ton. Washing machine + ton = Washington.

How to Practice Placing a List Item in a Memory Palace

For practice, write out your to-do list on a piece of paper.

Let’s say you have to attend a meeting about a technology at 2 a.m. The topic is Microsoft’s Zune.

To add an association and place the word in your Memory Palace, you will need to split the word using the principle of word division I teach in my bestselling course, How to Learn and Memorize the Vocabulary of Any Language.

For this word, I would personally imagine my favorite zoo in Berlin and have the movie Dune playing while zebras watch.

Zoo + Dune = Zune.

What about the time of this meeting, 2 p.m.?

To add this kind of information to your to-list, you’ll want to use either the Major System or a PAO System.

Although these memory techniques are somewhat advanced, anyone can learn them.

Step Three: Gather the Information Into the Best Possible Order

Sometimes the order of items is clear.

However, when studying for an exam, you might need to rearrange the main points in different orders of importance.

For this reason, I like to extract information from textbooks onto flashcards. That way I can easily move the facts around and place them in the most logical order before creating associations and placing them in one of my Memory Palaces.

As a pro tip, here’s something you can try:

I normally draw my Memory Palaces out on a piece of paper (these drawings serve as essentially a list of already-remembered stations within a location).

Then I fold the paper around the flashcards. The example you see above is one of the Memory Palaces I used when I learned Mandarin and passed Level III. Here’s what some of my cards looked like:

If you like the idea of being able to keep the lists of information you need to remember flexible, I also use special flashcard methods known as Zettelkasten and the Leitner System.

Step Four: Use Optimized Spaced Repetition For Reviewing Your List

Here’s where the Memory Palace technique for memorizing lists really shines.

Not only does the technique let you include as many items as you like.

It also makes it easy to use what scientists call spaced repetition. If you’re using flashcards as I discussed above, this kind of rehearsal technique looks like this:

The Leitner spaced repetition system helps you manage your exposure by placing accurate and inaccurate flashcards in boxes.

If you’re using the Memory Palace approach (which is kind of like using chairs and other furniture as index cards you draw on), here’s the process:

You simply mentally revisit the journey in your Memory Palace.

Then, on each station, you recall what funny image or direct association you put down.

Try it now:

If I ask you to think about the list item we discussed on the chair in the Sherlock Mind Palace example above, you will probably remember that we talked about a giant carrot.

That one came easily.

But what about the item you needed to discuss at a technology meeting?

Although it may take a second, provided that you personalized your own mnemonic associations, you should be able to get back the word “Zune.”

And that’s another key:

As the Renaissance memory master Robert Fludd used to stress about using these memory techniques, you need to personalize them so that when you are reviewing the images associated with the list items, they pop much better. He was completely right and contemporary science has shown this to be true.

The principle of personalizing your images belongs to what scientists call active recall. By adding personal elements to the information on your lists while you link them with associations, you increase your chance of remembering them.

Many people learn this technique within minutes and immediately get it working.

Memorizing Lists FAQ

Over my years of teaching the Magnetic Memory Method, people have sent me many questions about dealing with lists.

For example, one of my students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass emailed today about memorizing the Buddhist eightfold path.

He expressed some concerns that naturally come up when dealing with lists where each item involves multiple words.

We’ll get into these issues and more in the following list of questions and answers.

What’s the fastest way to memorize a list of words?

The brief answer is to become a mnemonist who uses Memory Palaces and related tools.

That way, you’ll have all five of the main mnemonic systems needed for rapidly recalling information in list format.

The longer answer is that you need to start where you’re at.

Learn the memory skills I teach, and then set benchmarks.

If you start by memorizing just 2-3 items and practice recalling them reliably, move on to 4-5 items.

Progressively build the amounts from there by setting time challenges for yourself. If you can memorize 10 items in one minute, challenge yourself to build up to 15, then 20.

If you really want to push your skills, you can explore making your Memory Palaces “stickier” by pre-loading them with associations from your PAO System.

This is how some memory athletes have improved their speed with the kinds of lists that come up in memory competitions.

How can I memorize a long list without fogetting an item in the middle?

To establish long-term retention and recall of each item, you need to use spaced repetition.

You can use Memory Palaces, flashcards, Leitner boxes or software to help.

But giving equal doses of primacy effect and recency effect to each item in the list is key.

How do I memorize a list in order vs. out of order?

Although this is an interesting question, I’m not sure what it means.

Everything we do occurs in time. So if you’re memorizing a list, time always sets some kind of order, i.e. the first thing you memorize is followed by the second.

It’s possible that when people ask this question, they are trying to work out how they can add something to a list they’ve memorized after the fact.

There are two ways:

Use the principle of compounding as taught in the Magnetic Memory Method MasterclassAdd new details to a completely new Memory Palace

I do both, and it depends on the context.

In the case of the student who asked me today about memorizing the items on the Buddhist eight fold path, it actually makes sense to memorize it in two passes within a single Memory Palace.

First, you set the keywords up and use spaced repetition to establish long-term recall. Then you add the description of each step on the path.

How do actors memorize lists of lines or cues?

It’s important to realize that different actors approach learning their lines in different ways.

For those using memory techniques to memorize lines, I suggest this full tutorial. It describes the approach I use for memorizing Shakespeare and recommends a book you might like to read.

You might also have the option of not memorizing your lines at all.

In Dustin Hoffman Teaches Acting, Hoffman relates a story where he saw Robert De Niro reading lines from index cards he kept in his pockets shortly before the director would call action.

According to Hoffman, De Niro said that he didn’t memorize his lines because he didn’t want to look like he was carrying around his responses for two weeks. By not memorizing his lines, he made his performances more authentic.

Of course, the ultimate answer is to ask what your director wants and be prepared to collaborate with them. That way, you’re much more likely to produce an incredible stage play, series or film.

For more on the relationship between memory and acting, please see 8 Unusual Memory Tips from Actors Who Don’t Clown Around.

How do students memorize lists for exams (like biology terms of historical details)?

Unfortunately, many students cram.

But the best students do what we discussed today. Or they might pursue a study strategy that involves linking without using a Memory Palace.

The important thing to understand is that the exact nature of the information is not that important when it comes to using memory techniques.

So long as you’re prepared with the techniques, you can learn anything that involves numbers, words, concepts or symbols.

For examples, you can see my tutorial on memorizing historical dates and medical terminology training post.

What’s the best way to memorize vocabulary lists in a foreign language?

Technically, the best way to study vocabulary lists is to find a method that you’ll actually use.

If using rote repetition helps you achieve your goals, that’s a great way to go about learning a language. In this tutorial about rote learning, I suggest reasons why it’s not the best idea for many people.

But that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

Beyond that, I would suggest that memorizing lists is just part of learning a new language.

You also need to add reading, writing, speaking, listening and reading.

Combined with memorization, I call this approach The Big Five, and this illustration shows how these activities work together:

This process is very effective because it gives you natural spaced repetition and lets you experience the words on your vocabulary list in context.

How to memory champions memorize decks of cards or digits of pi? Are lists different?

This is a great question because although committing a sequence of digits is a list, it can feel different.

This is because many mnemonists memorize pi from left to right in their Memory Palaces.

Likewise, many memory athletes memorize cards by following horizontal lines along their memory journeys.

When I memorize cards using the strategy I teach in this card memory tutorial, however, I often place cards in vertical rows.

Using a chunking memory strategy, I usually memorize the cards in clusters of two or three at a time. This makes the task much faster.

However, just because the cards are memorized using different spatial configurations, the information is still essentially a list.

How many items can the average adult reliably retain without using memory aids?

The answer will differ depending on the state of your working memory.

Most people can memorize 5-8 items if they are simple, like numbers.

But we’ve all had the experience of memorizing words and forget a bunch of them, even though they seemed simple.

This is why I personally commit to applying memory techniques to just about everything.

Today in my real estate class, for example, I quickly attached images to various numbered forms to start the process of committing them to memory.

And with memory techniques, there will be no end to the exact amount that any person can memorize, except lifespan.

People who attend my live workshops are constantly amazed by how much information I recite during my courses.

And the way I do it is simply described. I just memory techniques.

How much time should I budged for spaced repetition reviews?

The exact amount depends on:

The volume of informationThe typeYour current level of skill with memory techniques

Rather than consider time in the beginning, think about building your skills.

Then, once you’re able to reliably memorize lists, work on shaving off the amount of time you need by practicing so you get better.

Does writing a list by hand improve recall compared with typing it?

Yes, and this Scientific American article gets into the scientific reasons why this is the case.

Also, I mentioned active recall above and the importance of personalization.

A second aspect of active recall involves writing.

The specific process is that you:

Bring the information in your list to mind by visiting the location you established in your memory palaceWrite it down on paperCheck your accuracy

I’ve been doing a lot of this kind of active recall in my real estate course. The teacher and the program designers are very wise for including a lot of writing exercises.

How do I blend chunking, the method of loci and spaced repetition for maximum retention?

One way is to use the Magnetic Memory Method, which I designed precisely to form that blend of rapid learning strategies.

Once you have the techniques in operation, all you have to do is organize your time.

If you’d like to discover more about what this approach is like, please register for my free course now right here:

It will help you create multiple Memory Palaces, discover fun and easy ways to use the method of association and more about how to rapidly apply spaced repetition.

Combined, you’ll soon have all the lists you want stored in long-term memory.

So what do you say?

Are you ready to give this approach to memorizing lists a try?

Make it happen!

The Major System is a centuries-old mnemonic tool that helps you transform numbers into concrete words and striking mental associations to increase their memorability.

You then apply these evocative mnemonic images to help with recalling the important numbers in your life. Such as:

Phone numbersPIN numbersAccount numbersBirthdaysMath formulasHistorical datesThe digits of piPlaying cards during games

Technically, the Major System is a phonetic peg system. It works either on its own or in combination with other mnemonic peg systems.

It looks like this, a simple pairing of 0-9 with a specific set of consonants:

The Major System

Like other mnemonic devices, this means that the Major uses consonant sounds to ‘peg’ numbers to words and images, making them easier to store and retrieve from memory.

Although people have been using the Major System (sometimes called the Major Method) to commit numbers to memory for centuries, there’s a rarely taught, but incredibly powerful dimension you’re about to discover.

I call it “bi-directionality.”

It’s the very approach to the Major System that helped me get my PhD in Humanities at York University. I memorized key historical dates, facts related to the history of science, logical formulas and more.

I’ve also applied the bi-directional Major System to learning several languages. I even used it in 2015 to take second place in a memory competition against a two-time Guinness World Record holder for playing cards.

On this page, I’ll share exactly how to use this mnemonic system yourself for memorizing any number. And I’ll share use cases for how you can get started using the Major System to absorb many other types of information.

Ready to get started applying this system to everything from banking numbers to complex academic material?

Let’s dive in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vonJW...

What Is The Major System?

The mnemonic Major System dates back more than 2000 years. The earliest version I’ve found is called the katapayadi. You can also find information about the ancient Hebrew version in Eran Katz’s Where Did Noah Park the Ark?

These versions show that people across many cultures have turned to this kind of mnemonic device throughout time.

In our era, it used for everything from credit card numbers and phone numbers to thousands of digits of pi.

Extraordinary as that sounds, Akira Haraguchi famously used the Japanese version of the Major System to recite over 100,000 digits of pi from memory.

A Brief History of the Major System

Historically, we know from Hugh of St. Victor that students of the Bible used a similar system to memorize the dates of Adam and his descendants.

Hugh even linked numbers to people, actions and objects back in the twelfth century in The Three Best Memory Aids for Learning History. You can find an English version of this text in The Medieval Craft of Memory.

Although Hugh was already quite sophisticated, the Major System really start to take shape in the 16th and 17th centuries through people like Giordano Bruno and Robert Fludd.

Both of these Renaissance memory masters used letters and consonants to represent numbers, but their systems were often inconsistent and lacked a standardized approach. Nonetheless, their contributions added new dimensions, such as Bruno’s influence on the development of the Memory Wheel, and Fludd’s evolution of the number-shape system of Jacobus Publicius.

When it comes to developing the standardized system we now use, these are the most important figures.

Johann Justus Winckelmann

Johann Justus Winckelmann was a German mathematician and mnemonist. He proposed a method where each digit was always associated with the same specific consonants, laying the groundwork for later developments.

Aimé Paris

As a French mathematician and memory expert, Aimé Paris simplified the associations, making the system more user-friendly. His version is nearly identical to the Major System as we know it today.

Major Beniowski and the Naming of the System

The Major System is named after Major Beniowski, the 19th-century linguist, memory expert and author of the strangely titled, The Anti-Absurd or Phrenotypic English Pronouncing and Orthographical Dictionary.

Here’s how he graphically represented the Major System in his book by embedding the consonants into each of the digits, 0-9:

Apart from his book, not much is known about Beniowski. Some people believe that “Major” refers to Beniowski’s military rank.

Although that’s the most likely explanation, the name clearly underscores Beniowski’s “major” role in popularizing and standardizing this mnemonic method. Through his teachings and writings, Beniowski helped spread the use of the system, making it accessible to a wider audience.

The name is also much easier to remember than “alpha-numeric” code.

Further Refinement and Popularization

The Major System continues to evolve and gain popularity. Memory experts like Harry Lorayne brought it to the masses.  Later books like Moonwalking with Einstein encouraged many people to incorporate the system into their learning lives.

The technique continues to evolve to this day. Many memory competitors now use a variation called the Shadow, which is still based on the same alpha-numeric code you learned earlier in the video above.

If you want to check out some of the most impressive users of the Major, check out my podcast episodes with Katie Kermode and Don Michael Vickers. These memory athletes are seriously impressive.

They’re hardly the first of my memory champion friends to use the method, however.

Using Tony Buzan‘s SEM3 technique, many early memory competitors also used it to win year after year. The Major is still at the core of newer techniques like the Shadow, which competitors like Alex Mullen and Braden Adams have used to stunning effect.

Competition is not something many of us are interested in, however.

And the fact is that the Major System was never just about numbers. Limiting the Major in that ways is one of the biggest limitations learners impose on themselves.

But before we dive into how to use it bi-directionally—for both numbers and deep conceptual memory, let’s make sure you have the fundamentals locked in.

How the Major System Works in English

Now that you know where the Major System comes from, let’s break down exactly how it works. We’ll start by learning the sound-to-number code that makes it so powerful.

You start by converting the digits 0-9 into consonant sounds. This is basically a form of mnemonic chunking, a memory strategy that makes information easier to recall by breaking it down into smaller units.

The smaller these units are, the easier it is to make simple words that can be attached to meaningful associations you won’t forget.

Here’s a table of the core phonetic code used in the English version of the Major System. As you can see, each digit is linked to one or more consonant sounds, which you will eventually use to form words.

As you go through this table, you’ll notice that I’ve added a few suggestions for how to commit these pairings to memory:

0 → S or Z (sounds like the “s” in “zero”)1 → T or D (sounds like the “t” or “d” in “toad”)2 → N (has two downstrokes, resembles the letter “n”)3 → M (has three downstrokes, resembles the letter “m” or a moustache on its side)4 → R (the word “four” has four letters and ends in “r”)5 → L (hold your whole hand with the thumb out and the hand makes the “L” shape)6 → J, Sh, Ch, or Soft G (a cursive “j” has a similar shape to “6”)7 → K, G (hard), C (hard), or Q (a “k” can be seen as two mirrored 7s)8 → F or V (cursive “f” and “8” look similar)9 → P or B (both have a loop resembling “9What About Vowels?

Most people leave all vowels out of the system (A, E, I, O, U) .

That’s because vowels are used to form meaningful words or phrases by inserting them between the consonants.

For example, if you need to memorize 84, you can transform F and R into words like fire and fur. I’ll share a few more examples below to help you get the gist of how vowels work in combination with the consonants.

The Major System in Other Languages

Simon Luisi, a French-Canadian mnemonist and organizer of the Canadian Memory Championship event, uses a variation where 3 is also paired with W and 7 with Y.

To help people expand their Major System, Simon joined me on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast to discuss his approach in this episode:

In addition to Simon’s variations, you’ll find different versions in many languages.

Languages like Spanish and Russian each adapt the Major System’s consonant assignments to help native speakers of these languages assign the maximum number of words.

Here’s an illustration showing how the Major System looks in Russian. Notice how the logic and its foundations remain, even if the exact consonants change:

In German, the Major System remains identical to English.

However, authors like Ulrich Voigt use the term “Zifferncode.” That’s the term he uses in his excellent book, Esels Welt: Mnemotechnik Zwischen Simonides und Harry Lorayne.

“Ziffern” means digit, and assembling digits into a code of meaning is exactly what you’ll be doing. No matter what language you speak, let’s next explore how to use these digit-sound pairings to make words and expand them into unforgettable mnemonic associations.

How to Turn Numbers Into Vivid Associations with the Major System

The next step is to transform sequences of numbers into vivid mental images.

To remember the number 123, you could break it down like this:

1 → T or D2 → N3 → M

From this arrangement, you might form the word “Denim” (D-N-M). This word is reached by inserting vowels between the consonants linked to the digits.

As you can see, D-N-M isn’t any more meaningful than 123. But once you insert the vowels to make a word, it’s easy to imagine denim. You can add even more meaning by imagining someone famous wearing denim whose name sounds similar, like James Dean.

Let’s take another example:

If you had to memorize 22, you could insert the vowel U and imagine a nun. If you had a number like 22235, you could imagine a nun attacking an “animal” like a tiger just by adding more vowels to the sequence to form words.

At this point, you’ve gone beyond mere words. You have the basis for building a narrative, which in the world of mnemonics is called the story method.

Back to the Ancients

I mentioned adding James Dean to make “denim” for 123 much more memorable.

This suggestion is based on an idea from Hugh of St. Victor, whom I mentioned above.

Don’t worry if you don’t know many celebrities.

You can also draw upon people from you real life, such as:

FriendsFamilyProfessionals (lawyers, teachers, doctors, dentists)PastorsAuthorsMusiciansHistorical figures

Since Hugh’s time, many people have used this more elaborate approach. It is now called a Person Action Object System or PAO System.

You can read my full PAO System tutorial when you’re done learning the Major.

PAO is the system I wish I had been using when I competed against Dave Farrow, the Guinness World Record holder I told you about in the introduction.

But don’t worry if you’re not ready for it yet. Like I said, I still came in second place with just the Major. You can read the full story of that competition here for more detail.

Now let’s take the vivid associations you’ve learned to form and give them a place to call home.

How to Use the Major System in a Memory Palace

The Memory Palace technique is one of the most powerful ways to situate the associations you’ve assigned in long-term memory. It involves selecting a familiar location and identifying a simple path for you to place figures like tiger-fighting nuns and James Dean wearing jeans.

I’m talking about locations like you:

HomeSchoolChurchFavorite cafes, restaurants, movie theatresLibrariesBookshopsParks

The key is to develop clear mental journeys through your Memory Palaces.

They should be truly based on what is in your memory and have little or no imaginary elements (at least not in the beginning). That way your focus can fall on encoding the number-consonant associations into these spaces.

Once you’re set up, convert the numbers you need to memorize into consonants. Then form words or phrases by adding vowels or other non-consonant sounds. These words should be vivid and memorable and follow the principles you can learn by using these visualization exercises.

Next, place the words you come up with in a Memory Palace. Basically, you’re associating each word as a mnemonic image with the location.

Make each one as vivid as possible, with lots of detailed and interactivity.

Here are some examples:

Example 1: 314

3 → M
1 → T or D
4 → R
Word: “Meter”

Memory Palace Placement: Imagine a large meter on the wall of your bedroom.

Example 2: 72

7 → K or G
2 → N
Word: “Gun”

Memory Palace Placement: Picture a gunman standing in the kitchen, guarding the fridge.

By placing these images in specific locations within your Memory Palace, you can mentally walk through the space and easily recall the numbers associated with each image.

How to Get Numbers Into Long Term Memory

This next step is very important.

Although you will increase your ability to memorize this information greatly by not only creating a crazy image and sticking it in a Memory Palace, you can and should  lock it down for the long haul.

You do this by revisiting the imagery several times. I suggest you specifically use a process called spaced repetition.

It’s really easy. You’ve created a Memory Palace and you know exactly where to look for that tiger-attacking nun 22235.

And if you’ve got ten pieces of information along that journey, it’s easy to travel it and decode each image. It’s almost like watching a movie.

I recommend that you revisit that journey and watch that movie you’ve created (making sure to decode the imagery and practice retrieving the information) at least 5 times the first day. This suggestion is based on remarks by Dominic O’Brien who created an alternative number mnemonic system called The Dominic System.

What To Do If You Have An Exam Coming Up

If you’re studying for an exam that involves historical dates or formulas, I’d recall the numbers five times a day for a week and then at least 1-2 times a week thereafter. Do this for as long as you want to keep the imagery fresh and available.

It will probably still be there if you don’t perform this Magnetic Memory Method Recall Rehearsal, but you might have to fish around for it.

But if you’re serious about being able to recall the information, you’ll revisit it more than a few times to get it down cold.

That’s just how the method of loci works best. Every good Memory Palace book stresses the same point.

And the best part is that you’ve done so without having to use index cards or any weird and boring stuff like that.

The only time that it’s good to repeat information over and over again is when you’re using your imagination to do it. That makes both your memory and your imaginative abilities stronger and stronger.

Intermediate & Advanced Major System Techniques For Memorizing Numbers

Once you have the basics of the Major Method down, you might want to learn how to create a Person Action Object (PAO) or 00-99 system. For that, please check out The 3 Most Powerful Techniques For Memorizing Numbers.

These next-level techniques for memorizing numbers will then help you in other areas, such as human anatomy. Learning numbers related to blood flow through the heart, for example, are easier and faster to absorb when using the Major System.

You can also think about using a Major System to help you memorize any book. All you need to do is call upon words or images for each page based on the page number.

For example, if you want to memorize a fact on page 75 of a book, you use an image built from the Major System to remember the location in the book. Then you use the page as the Memory Palace.

I did exactly this when I wanted to recall a point about episodic memory in Maps of Meaning. I turned 75 into John Cale and had him interacting with Freud and Shakespeare, who are related to memory science related to how we remember ancient wisdom.

You can also easily use the Major System in combination with a Memory Palace for language learning. I normally use alphabetical associations, but when I can’t think of images for some words, I just think through the consonants as numbers in the Major System and then start using that image.

Even if it’s not perfect or doesn’t exactly reflect pronunciation, it’s at least a starting point.

As a recent example, I did this with a Sanskrit phrase.

Although I later realized that a celebrity I’m aware of was better than my image for 07 (Oliver Sacks), at least working with Sacks to get started with “suktikarajatam” led me to think about using Sook-Yin Lee.

For more on just how deep into history this numerical bi-directionality goes, see my video tutoris called Aristotle’s Nuclear Alphabet and The Imaginary Memory Palace Method of Hugh of St. Victor.

And just to make sure you fully understand how valuable bi-directionality goes, let’s dig deeper into this powerful dimension of the technique.

Bi-Directionality Case Study:
The Hidden Superpower of the Major System

Although it’s perfectly valid to use the Major System only for memorizing numbers like PINs, historical dates and long sequences of digits, you now know there’s more to the technique than that.

As artificial intelligence ramps up, I find myself using it much more often than ever before.

Take Lindy’s Law, for example, a principle which states that the longer something exists, the more likely it will continue to exist.

To lock in that idea using the Major System, I used the number 51 because of the strong L and D in “Lindy.”

Here’s a quick YouTube short to enhance the written explanation that follows:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Tqm2HmzCqr...

As you can see, I turned L and D into a name more familiar to me than Lindy: Alan Ladd. (L = 5 and D = 1).

I then imagined Alan Ladd pouring a “latte” (also 51) over a copy of Shane, his most-known film. Since this movie has endured for generations, it’s very likely it will continue to enjoy fame.

This is the power of using the Major System in a bi-directional way.

Rather than limiting yourself to using the Major System for numbers, you’re using it to encode words and concepts using the same system.

You’ve now doubled its value, if not more as you start using it to mentally catalog entire books, vocabulary lists and more with greater speed and accuracy.

Major System FAQ

As you’ve seen, the Major System is a powerful mnemonic technique that converts numbers into consonants.

By inserting vowels, you can create simple words that can be expanded into vibrant images and stories.

Let’s turn now to some of the questions I’ve received about it over the years with some answers that will help expand what you’ve just learned.

Why should I use the Major System?

Numbers are abstract and difficult to remember.

But by turning digits into images and stories, your brain remembers them.

As you’ve seen, you can also use the Major System bi-directionally. Whenever you struggle to find an association for a word or concept using the alphabetical pegword method, you can look at the numbers associated with the consonants. Then use those images.

Personally, I wish I would have started using the bi-directional approach much sooner.

Is the Major still worth learning in the age of AI?

Absolutely yes.

As you saw in the YouTube short above, I recently used it to memorize an important concept in computer science.

So if anything, it’s even more valuable now than in any other period of history.

Remember, the value of thinking in relationships, associations and patterns is beyond measure. You differentiate yourself by mastering this mnemonic system.

What’s the difference between the Major System and the Dominic System?

The Dominic System assigns numbers to people specifically using their initials.

For example, 1 = Andre the Giant, 2 = Bugs Bunny, 3 = Cheshire Cat.

Although the Dominic System is just as structured in its way, there’s a higher level of arbitrariness. You have to work harder to make the link between the associations.

The Major is much more flexible and less arbitrary. There’s a reason why you use the pope for 99 (because 9 is associated with B or P). You’re getting more value because of how easy it is to make words and logically infer why you chose them.

What about the Shadow System?

Although based on the Major, I believe the Shadow is specifically for memory competition.

In my understanding, it evolved for card memorization because competitors want to memorize multiple decks at a time. This means you will get two Jack of Hearts in row (if not more).

It’s definitely worth looking into, but I stopped learning it when I realized I would never use it.

What if I forget which vowel I inserted between the consonants?

This might happen in the beginning.

But as you establish a standard set of words for all of the 2-digit pairs, you’ll use the same associations repeatedly.

When I drilled mine to memory the first time, I put all the numbers from 00-99 on index cards. I then practiced shuffling them and naming my chosen figures.

Once I could name them all within seconds, I started practicing memorizing strings of digits.

By the time I had realized that the Major could be used bi-directionally, I was able to easily apply the same images to vocabulary and phrases.

How can I practice applying the Major System for real world benefit?

There are a number of valuable ways to practice applying the Major System once you’ve learned it. You can:

Take memory number tests frequently.Keep a journal as suggested by accomplished memory athlete Johannes Mallow.Put numbers on flashcards and test yourself manually.Use the International Association of Memory’s free software for generating random numbers.Attach the Major System to a pack of playing cards and memorize their order.Study vocabulary by using the bi-directional method.How often should I practice?

It’s really up to you and your needs.

But as I discuss in my book on how to memorize numbers, math and equations, I usually practice 3-4 times a week, typically by using the final method: playing cards.

But all of the above methods are a lot of fun and I use the technique as I read often as a kind of “Magnetic Bookmark.”

Rather than putting a print bookmark into my books, I glance at the page number and have my association interact with the information on the page. That makes it easy to remember where I was in the book.

Can I use the Major System for memorizing formulas?

Yes, and the technique applies to formulas in multiple areas, from chemistry to physics, biology to computer science and programming. You can also apply the Major to speed math and becoming a mental calculator.

Here’s a video where I break down how to do exactly that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAkiu...

The trick is always to make sure that you are prepared with the additional symbol and alphabet systems I describe in the video above.

To give you a quick example:

When I was learning the formulas used in logic, I imagined a totem pole for totality and an air conditioner blowing cold air on one of the Ninja Turtle’s weapons for condition. These are examples of the pegword method applied to visual symbols.

For even more advanced techniques related to numbers and equations with examples, please go through my detailed tutorial on how to memorize a textbook.

What’s the role of chunking in the Major System?

The reason systems like the Major work so well is that they help you break long strings of information down into manageable units.

People who memorize large amounts of pi aren’t really memorizing dozens of digits at a time. They are memorizing how interesting images interact in their Memory Palaces.

By recalling these compelling scenarios, they “translate” them back into the original digits.

Should I apply the Magnetic Memory Method technique of KAVE COGS to the Major System?

Yes. Doing so will make your associations even stickier in your Memory Palaces.

In case you’re new to KAVE COGS, it is an acronym to help you remember to add the following multi-sensory associations:

KinestheticAuditoryVisualEmotionalConceptualOlfactoryGustatorySpatial

With “denim” for 123, you might feel what it’s like to be James Dean wearing denim and hear the zipper as you imagine looking at them.

You can smell the denim and imagine its size and really make things strange by tasting it and adding a zany concept. For example, James Dean could be trying to fit jeans over his race car, using the concept of racing to make the word denim more memorable.

What if the number-consonants don’t form words I like or want to use?

This problem is common.

And the answer is practice without thinking too much about whether one likes or dislikes the possible word options.

For example, even if I don’t care much for Thomas Szasz, but he’s a great image for 00.

In my mind, he’s more concrete than Zeus. Although Zeus is an option, there are countless pictures of this Greek god.

But Thomas Szasz is unique and that’s why I tend to use him the most.

Of course, you also have the option of more than one figure or association. That’s where the PAO System comes in because it gives you three different options.

Can kids or beginners learn the Major System?

Absolutely.

But if you or your children find it too challenging, ease your way in using number rhymes.

Here’s my full tutorial on rhymes for memorizing numbers.

How do I avoid getting confused when the same digits appear twice in a Memory Palace (i.e. 33 or 44)?

This is where the Memory Palace technique really shines.

Because any duplicate numbers appear in their own spot along the Memory Palace journey, it’s difficult to get them confused.

33 on your living room recliner is not the same as the 33 in your sink.

When you add KAVE COGS in a way that includes the recliner and the sink, both the associations and the locations become even more unique.

And make sure to sign up for my free memory course here:

It gives you free worksheets and videos that walk you through getting your Memory Palaces and images created optimally in minimum time. But with maximum effect.

So what do you say?

Are you ready to get out there and master the Major System?

Make it happen!

Believe it or not, I once lost my English skills after eight years of living abroad. As much as I loved living in Germany and speaking the language, my mother tongue underwent linguistic deskilling.

After moving back to an English-speaking country, I managed to improve my speed of expression and word selection.

But two things happened.

I stopped speaking German daily and that skill slowed down to a grind.

Plus, I stopped driving. Soon enough, my brain started deprecating that simple skill.

Even my guitar playing gets rusty if I don’t keep at it at least once a week.

More than just creating embarrassing experiences (especially on old episodes of my podcast), undergoing deskilling was a major wake-up call.

One we all need to heed because as artificial intelligence and automation ramp up, many of us are going to lose the skills we’ve needed for survival.

Including the practice we need to think clearly.

The good news is that deskilling doesn’t necessarily mean your brain has forgotten the skills entirely.

Your brain cells are just waiting for you to bring them back into action.

And in this post, I’ll give you some ideas for how to do just that.

Or if you do need to put some of your hard-earned skills on pause, you’ll discover ways to maintain them just enough so that you can hit the ground running when it’s time to relearn them.

Let’s dive in.

https://youtu.be/U1GH0teKTLo

What is Cognitive Deskilling & Why Is It Accelerating Now?

Deskilling can refer to a few things, but generally means a loss or suppression of knowledge in a topic area or skill.

In the business world, deskilling happens when new technologies or processes reduce the skills needed to complete a job.

Usually, whatever a new tool or technique that has arrived on the scene allows for core activities to be done more cheaply or easily.

According to Harry Braverman in Labor and Monopoly Capital, these processes degrade professionals in the workforce because it strips away their personal control and engagement with the world.

This dark outcome is certainly possible, and might be part of what scientists call the Reverse Flynn Effect. That’s the term for a generational decline in intelligence scores around the world.

We also have to factor in the distractions of the Internet. Along with causing digital amnesia, many adults have “forgotten” how to socialize. Meanwhile, many young people aren’t learning good social skills at all.

How I First Realized I Was Undergoing Linguistic Deskilling

I was completely floored when I realized that you can actually lose command of your mother tongue. I’m still shocked.

It dawned on me while I was still living in Berlin that I was starting to struggle with recalling very simple English words.

That’s because I almost never used English.

And when I did, it was usually over Skype, a context that robbed my brain of many non-verbal cues that the brain needs to bring spoken communication to life.

When I got to Australia after eight years in Germany, I would sometimes listen back to Magnetic Memory Method Podcast episodes recorded during my years in Berlin.

The struggle was obvious, and the more I spoke English in Australia, the more I felt my English skills come back to life.

Working with many language learners over the years, I’ve realized just how easily bilingualism can be lost.

For example, I often help people who specialize in conference interpreting. Sometimes it’s to help them get into the field.

But often, I’m asked to help interpreters regain skills with languages they’ve watched fall apart through disuse.

Why the Brain Forgets Skills You’ve Slaved to Learn

As strange as it might seem, your brain is built to forget.

In fact, I’ve covered seven causes of forgetting in detail, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The big picture view is that people are right when they say “use it or lose it.”

The scientific explanation is called synaptic pruning.

When you stop practicing a skill, your brain literally assumes it’s no longer important to you. So it stops spending energy maintaining the neural pathways that support the skill.

First those pathways weaken.

Eventually they disconnect entirely.

Or at least, that’s one theory.

The memory scientist Richard Semon thought it highly unlikely that a complete disconnection takes place.

His theory of engrams and how information is chemically encoded in the brain suggested that traces always remain. With the right ecphory or contextual triggering, he thought it was possible to revive lost memories and old skills.

I believe he was on to something, and highly recommend a book about him called Forgotten Ideas, Neglected Pioneers: Richard Semon and the Story of Memory.

But long before I knew anything about him, I found myself losing my native language, just like the people discussed in this New York Times assessment of how easy it is to lose fluency in your mother tongue.

The question was, how was I going to get my linguistic intelligence back? And keep it?

Here are four ways that have worked for me. People who have contributed to my testimonials page report similar success.

Strategy #1: Ritual Repetition with Purpose

Since we know that deskilling happens when neurons disconnect, strategic reconnection is key.

I’ve practiced a basic ritual to keep my German skills basically intact, primarily through reading and listening.

As an avid fan of philosophy, from Nietzsche to the Advaita Vedanta at the core of The Victorious Mind, I read German books and articles that force me to think in the language.

I also listen to podcasts weekly and at least one video interview with a German author, musician or artist.

This ritual is not about drills in German.

It’s about encounters with meaning.

I could definitely do more to meet and speak with people in German.

But I’ve found that if I just keep reading, writing and listening to the language, I can get back into the flow of speaking the language relatively quickly.

This approach works because of the levels of processing effect, or what I often call the Big Five of Language learning.

Except in this case, I’m only maintaining part of the learning cycle elements. As a result, a sufficient number of connections survive in the brain to make the skill easier and faster to revive later.

Strategy #2: Engage All the Senses & Embody the Skill

Most skills involve movement.

So when I wanted to revive my driving skills, I had to get in a car and drive.

It sounds obvious, but how often do we say “someday,” only to wait until our skills are so atrophied, we’ve completely eliminated the possibility of relearning them?

Just as getting behind the wheel and spending lots of hours driving re-skilled my brain, I often have to make myself play my guitars to physically engage with the instruments.

Sure, I can think intellectually about music.

But to maintain your skills, you can’t just study them on paper.

You have to live them.

Bring them into the physical world.

Strategy #3: Develop an Anti-Deskilling Habit Stack

Here’s the fastest way I know to fight back against losing skills you’ve worked hard to develop:

Create a morning habit stack that combines as many of the skills you want to maintain as possible.

For example, I have a memory coaching client who wants to memorize the football rule guide and maintain fluency in a second language.

By memorizing the rules in that additional language, he could be practicing and maintaining three skills at the same time:

His football knowledgeHis vocabulary and grammarHis abilities with using memory techniques

This kind of dual-purpose learning builds grit and resilience while fighting against deskilling.

In other words, one of the best ways to deal with deskilling is to never let it happen in the first place.

Strategy #4: Use Metaphor as “Memory Glue”

As I shared in my list of books on learning, one text in particular talks about “predictive processing.” The principle shows that when we use certain metaphors, we set the course for how we’ll perform in the future.

In other words, if you think positively about your ability to maintain or rebuild lost skills, you’ll help yourself make it happen.

Andy Clark talks a lot about predictive processing in his excellent book, The Experience Machine. I also made it the core of my video about how George Clooney used mental metaphors to reduce his chronic pain:

https://youtu.be/T9oNgt1MY70

 

Finally, Barbara Oakley talks about how thinking can either help you or hinder you in Mindshift:

With intelligence, you see the options, but you also see the barriers. This means that the smarter you are, the easier it can be to talk yourself out of things.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to talk myself into things, provided they’re good things to do. Like maintaining a language, driving safely, and playing a musical instrument well for life .

To help with that, you can apply metaphors. I’ve done this many times, and started doubling down after Nir Eyal shared how he’s helped people choose better metaphors in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast.

My favorite example of metaphors leading to fantastic skills-based outcomes was reported in this Duke University Study.

In the controlled experiment, participants were told to think of themselves as art thieves when viewing an exhibition. Those who used this memory metaphor were able to retain information longer compared to those who had no mental metaphor at all.

That’s why I always suggest to students in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass that they choose a positive metaphor for themselves.

After all, people come to memory training courses like mine because their ability to recall has been deskilled.

So by thinking of their memory in combination with an empowering metaphor, they are able to get back on their feet with techniques like the Memory Palace much faster.

The Metaphor That Keeps My Mind Skilled

My preferred metaphor is to think of my mind as “Magnetic.”

Sure, it’s the name of my brand.

But its meaning is profound.

Magnets stick things in place so they’re easy to find when you need them.

But magnets also repel. And in the case of my training, I show you how to repel distractions so you remain focused on learning new skills.

Frequently Asked Questions About Deskilling, Memory & Recovering Lost Skills

Many people email me with questions about why their brains seem to “delete” skills they’ve worked so hard to build.

This list of frequently asked questions and answers will help you understand more about why this happens. And how to fight back with memory improvement routines.

What exactly is cognitive deskilling?

This term refers to either the quick or gradual erosion of your cognitive abilities.

When it comes to languages, “linguistic deskilling” describes the loss of ability in either your mother tongue or another language you’ve learned.

Sometimes scientists call what I went through during my years of speaking very little English in Germany “first language attrition.” This scientific article goes deep on the topic.

When it comes to losing your familiarity with a topic, forgetting happens for similar reasons. Your brain literally lets the neuronal connections decay.

What’s important to understand is that cognitive deskilling is not related to temporary memory blocks.

Deskilling refers specifically to deep structural decline in the brain.

How long does it take to relearn a forgotten skill?

The answer depends on:

The depth of your original learningThe type of skill (linguistic, motor or social)How much context dependent memory cues you can access during the relearning phase

In case the idea of context dependent memory is new to you, the basic idea is this:

When first learning a topic, you’re in a particular state. Due to how memory cueing works, any time you’re in that state, you’ll recall the skill or information better.

To give you a concrete example, many people ask me why they can use language learning apps and excel. But whenever they try to speak the language in the real world, they fail.

This is because their state dependence on the app environment has not translated or transferred to the real world.

Although what I’ve said sounds like a detour from the original question, it’s actually the direct answer:

The more you can get yourself in the context or state of original learning, the faster you’ll regain the skill. You just have to make sure that you have developed the skill in the first place.

Sometimes, as in the case of people who use language learning apps, it’s not always the case that the skill was sufficiently learned. Please keep that in mind if you find yourself struggling.

Can AI tools cause deskilling?

Absolutely, and the decay ranges from writing to critical thinking.

By the same token, you can easily use AI tools to give you critical thinking exercises.

When I was first concerned about the rise of AI, I reached out to Andrew Mayne, host of the OpenAI podcast. In this episode of my show, he shares strategies you can use to make sure you’re keeping your skills sharp.

There’s no need for you to lose them. None at all.

What’s the difference between forgetting and deskilling?

Forgetting specifically involves the failure to retrieve information.

It involves partial forgetting, temporary forgetting or permanent forgetting.

Deskilling, on the other hand, involves the degradation of a skill.

Think of forgetting as not being able to find the handle on a door. It’s still there, but you just can’t find it.

When it comes to deskilling, the handle has been removed. No matter how much you search, you won’t find it. You’ll have to insert a new one (or even build a new one from scratch).

What if I want to pause a skill but not lose it?

As with my maintenance of German, I suggest that you pause only parts of the skill.

For example, I still read, write and listen to German even though I rarely speak it. This partial engagement with the language helps prevent losing it completely.

Let’s take another example that involves remembering movements.

I also haven’t practiced Systema in a gym for years. But I write and think about Systema often. And about once a year I manage to practice it with a sparring partner.

In other words, I cannot recommend a complete pause. I suggest only partial pauses so that your brain maintains a certain level of connection. That way it will be much easier to restore the skill later.

How can I use the Magnetic Memory Method to prevent deskilling?

A few ways:

Journal often, including about your identity, linked to well-chosen metaphorsUse a lot of mnemonic images to you connect specifically with skills you want to maintainDevelop an anti-deskilling stack and show up to it consistentlyFocus on encoding your desired skills as deeply into memory as possible using the Memory Palace technique

If you need help with developing well-formed Memory Palaces, feel free to register for this free course:

Completing the four video lessons and three included worksheets will help you stop forgetting things quite so often.

You’ll not only start recalling specific details with greater accuracy.

Soon, your mind will solve problems with greater creativity as well.

Including the problem of removing all the barriers that lead to unwanted deskilling.

You’ll be practicing the cognitive architecture you’ve worked so hard to build, strengthening your mind and memory.

And enjoying a life of learning and continual growth, all based around skills that never fade.

Jacobus Publicius is one of the forgotten forefathers of systematized mental training.

Until now.

And we sure need him in today’s world.

Whereas many people today reach for brain exercise apps, I recommend you train with his memory wheel technique.

Why?

For one thing, his influence on mnemonic theory was so strong, his book was copied thousands of times.

Other memory experts borrowed his visual alphabet and built upon his memory improvement program.

But there’s nothing quite like the original.

Especially when the focus is on exercises that make both your thinking speed and your memory sharper.

That’s why in this post I’ll explain everything you need to know about this incredible scholar, physician and rhetorician.

This article includes how to get started using his incredible memory and brain training program.

It’s the kind of training that helped people during the Renaissance build beautiful buildings, research the cosmos and usher in many of the innovations we still enjoy today.

https://youtu.be/m6t41VxTPsk

Who Was Jacobus Publicius?
And Why Should Memory Students Still Read Him?

Unfortunately, not much is known about Jacobus Publicius other than he was a physician, poet and professor of rhetoric who taught at a variety of universities in the fifteenth century.

You won’t find much more about him than that in The Medieval Craft of Memory, one of the few anthologies where you can read his Ars oratoria, Ars epistolandi, Ars memorativa in English.

Sometimes called Oratoriae Artis Epitoma, this book also shows that he designed a chessboard, including an Alfil piece.

Beyond that, little is known about him.

But his influence was huge.

And the reason we should study him is simple:

It helps us better understand the better known memory improvement books of Robert Fludd and Giordano Bruno.

There’s no question that Fludd’s number-shape images and mnemonic alphabet were heavily influenced by Publicius.

And although we often take Ramon Lull’s memory wheels as the source of influence on Bruno, there’s reason to believe that Bruno copied a great deal of his On the Composition of Images from Publicius.

Influence on Universities

Because Publicius traveled so much to teach at various schools, his book and his teaching instituted memory training in schools.

Although many would have had Rhetorica ad Herennium to draw upon, that famous book is not nearly as high-powered as what Publicius offered those seeking mental training routines.

Plus, we have to take into account the fact that the printing press was relatively new in Europe. As Lynne Kelly puts it in Memory Craft, his was the first of many printed memory guides.

If Publicius really did print the first memory guide in Europe, it would have been a very novel learning resource indeed. Any other memory books at the time would have been by people like Aristotle, Aquinas and Augustine, important texts that copyists would have hand-copied and kept in circulation.

The Publicius Memory Wheel Explained

If you want to know how to use this particular memory wheel, it’s important to begin with what Publicius is not offering.

This matters for one very important reason:

Unfortunately, many people believe that our ancestors used memory wheels as a kind of Memory Palace.

That’s not the case at all. If you want to use Memory Palaces, please go through my full guide on using the Memory Palace technique properly.

You can use memory wheels in a few different ways, ranging from critical thinking and asking questions in a particular order to generating mnemonic images.

It’s for the purposes of training your brain to rapidly come up with mnemonic associations that Publicius offers his memory wheel.

As Clément Poupard has shown in Learning the Art of Memory by Doing, Publicius wanted you to use the memory wheel to train your brain.

In the image above, you can see one kind of memory wheel that Publicius included in his book.

Notice the snake in the center.

It was actually meant to be spun by the person reading the book. That makes this form of the memory wheel a kind of volvelle.

The Uniqueness of Volvelles in Memory Training

Volvelles are charts that operate like analog computers, compressing information into smaller spaces. In this case, the information helps you play a game.

For example, in the image above, the snake’s head faces C and the tail points at F.

You get memory exercise in coming up with mnemonic images by placing vowels between the consonants C and F to create words.

Playing it myself now, I can think of:

CaffeineCEFR (a European language learning framework)CipherCoffeeCuff

Now, you’ll notice that I haven’t strictly placed the F consonant at the end of each word.

That’s fine. The point is to get in some mental exercise and stretch the mind to play the game as closely as possible to the rules.

For more brain exercises like this that involve words, images and even your body, check out my complete guide to brain exercise.

Although this is just one kind of memory wheel explained, I hope you find it useful. You certainly can use it as a kind of Memory Palace, but that’s not at all the point in the case of Publicius’ book.

What’s Inside Publicius’ Art of Memory?

Publicius left us a few texts.

One is all about rhetoric, focusing on how to persuade people by writing and delivering speeches from memory.

The next part teaches you how to write letters elegantly.

Finally, his Ars Memoritiva (art of memory) takes you through how to use what he considered the best memory techniques.

Although there’s overlap with other memory trainers, such as Peter of Ravenna, the uniqueness of his book on memory boils down to:

The memory wheel with the movable snakeHis visual mnemonic alphabetDescriptions of how to use a chessboard as a Memory Palace

Another unique aspect of Publicius’ work is the woodcut illustrations.

Some people believe these were created for him by Erhard Ratdolt, but I haven’t been able to confirm this as a fact.

Whoever created them, each illustration is evocative and helpful for understanding Publicius’ program.

Publicius vs. Bruno, Ricci & Other Memory Masters

Many people ask me who is the best memory expert to read from the world of ancient memory techniques.

Although it’s natural to want to optimize your learning journey, I believe it’s best to keep your learning goal in mind.

For example, if you want to learn Chinese, you can take inspiration from Matteo Ricci. He was the Jesuit memory master who travelled to China, so without question his goals will align with your own.

Or, if you’re interested in philosophy, Bruno’s use of the memory wheel for ars combinatoria (the art of combination) puts you in the right ballpark.

But when it comes to a book that combines memory training with mental fitness exercises, Publicius is fantastic.

I just wouldn’t suggest reading any of these older Memory Palace books as stand-alone textbooks. They all have their strengths and complement one another.

Even the strangest entries are worth looking at, such as the Ars Notoria. In fact, if you want a good historical overview, the Matthias Castle translation of Ars Notoria is much better than what Yates wrote in The Art of Memory.

Exploring Publicius: Key Questions About His Memory System and Legacy

If what you’ve discovered so far interests you, the following question might be on your mind.

Or, there might be some angles to consider that you haven’t yet considered.

Let me answer them for you now.

Why don’t more people know about Publicius today?

In addition to the fact that people like Carruthers commented on and translated Publicius without working as mnemonists themselves, a much bigger problem emerged in the 20th century.

Harry Lorayne, who was unquestionably influential, hid his references. Rather than name his sources, he would just say that he learned memory techniques from “dusty old books in the library.”

Tony Buzan was a bit more oriented towards sharing his sources.

But not that much more. In The Memory Book, he presents SEM3 as if the mnemonic system is utterly unique to himself.

That’s a shame because Publicius was not like this. He talks about many other figures in his writing and their influence on him.

And my work on the Magnetic Memory Method blog, YouTube channel and podcast has always shared as many other memory books, courses and other resources as I can possibly study.

What makes Publicius’ memory wheel different from other ancient memory tools?

Unlike other memory wheels, this one specifically trains your mind to get good at coming up with mnemonic associations at speed.

You could potentially use it as a Memory Palace, but that’s not its express purpose.

Publicius actually teaches the Memory Palace technique separately. There’s nothing particularly new in that section, so I suggest you dive deep into his exercises. Not all of them involve the wheel, but most benefit from referring to it.

Are these techniques still effective in the age of apps and AI?

In a word, yes.

Even if people eventually adopt brain implants, I believe some of them will still want to switch off, unplug and train using their “native” brains.

As things stand now, so many are talking about how AI is leading to brain rot.

Sabine Hossenfelder recently predicted in this video that brain exercise and memory training would rise in importance.

And Andrew Mayne, host of the Open AI Podcast recently wrote in support of my work:

“Anthony is a brilliant teacher and scholar of ancient memory methods. I think people like him are going to be even more important as we become dependent on AI.”

Although it’s possible that one day we won’t need memory training techniques, I think that’s unlikely.

Even if we only use them for fun in the future, we’ll still want to know about and use a wide range of memory training routines. Including those offered by Publicius.

Can I combine the memory wheel with the Memory Palace technique?

Yes, and by completing the exercises offered by Publicius, you’ll increase the likelihood of success.

I’m actually working on that now with an experiment that I share in the Rules Reborn video supplements.

So far the approach is working great and I’ll share more in the future.

What kind of learner will benefit most from Publicius’ approach to memory improvement?

Although I believe everyone will find his training useful, I think specifically this book is helpful for people who:

Need help sharpening their mental processing speedWant an alternative approach to the modern pegword methodWould like to give speeches from memoryAre studying medicine and need help with better mnemonics for anatomyWant to know more about the history of memory improvementWhy did you adapt his book, and how is Rules Reborn different from the original?

I first started adapting ancient memory books years ago with Aristotle’s De Memoria and have always wanted to continue this work.

My passion for engaging in this work stems from the low quality of so many memory books.

On top of that, many of the books created by memory competitors are about short-term retention.

My best results have come from the ancient books and their focus on memory techniques that lead to long-term recall abilities.

Plus, it’s fun to learn more Latin by translating it and hear the voices of other memory teachers in my mind.

I am, as Tyson Yunkaporta put it, a “custodian of memory.”

Yunkaporta also said I might become the first person to identify a “unified theory of memory.”

As kind as that is as a complement, I believe that theory has long been with us. I prefer the custodian part, and believe it’s my duty to combine my many years of using memory techniques with providing versions of older books with commentaries from this perspective.

I want to help you better understand what Publicius was talking about. And help you put his techniques and training tips into action.

Should I start with Publicius if I’m totally new to memory training?

The liberal part of my brain says that you should start with whatever appeals to you.

But if you are already struggling with modern memory improvement books, the answer is probably not.

Although I’ve done my best to modernize his ideas and fill in the gaps left by his “shorthand” style, there’s still an assumption that you already know at least something about memory techniques.

It could also be the case that memory training books aren’t the right medium at all. If that’s the case, you will likely benefit from going through my list of memory training courses instead.

Or, memory coaching might be the best option, something I offer myself to very serious clientele.

Ultimately, there are too many places to start. So my best advice is to find someone you know, like and trust.

But instead of just asking them what to read or study, tell them your learning goals. That will enable your memory mentor to guide you with much greater specificity.

In sum, Publicius offers challenging mental activities that take people who already know a little something about memory techniques to the next level.

I’ve done my best to make his work approachable for anyone who can read at a high school level, so it’s definitely worth having in your collection. Even if only for future use.

Where Can I Read Publicius Today?

You can find versions of Publicius’ work in Latin across the web.

The only English version I’m aware of is in Carruthers’ Medieval Craft of Memory.

However, she doesn’t seem to be a mnemonist, which is why I created my own version.

Not only is the translation in that compilation loaded with long walls of text, it misses the meaning of the suggestions, steps and explicit memory training instructions.

If you’d like to read my adaptation, it’s called Rules Reborn.

In addition to completely rewriting the book based on an in-depth analysis of numerous versions, I wrote a full commentary.

Plus, I recorded the audiobook myself and included a full set of detailed videos to walk you through the various illustrations.

If you’d like a copy, you can find it on the Magnetic Memory Method product page.

Final Thoughts: Restoring Lost Memory Wisdom For Contemporary Use

Memory training isn’t just about passing exams or learning languages.

As Publicius makes clear, you can use the techniques to think faster, and even enjoy a more aesthetic mind.

He talks about health, sleep and diet too, reminding us that memory is a holistic discipline.

This point is so important in a world that often treats memory techniques as “tricks.”

Medieval memory training and other cognitive memory systems of the Renaissance are about so much more.

They help you learn like a polymath, expanding how much information you can process and retain.

Just looking at people from previous periods and all they accomplished offers us more than enough proof that such mental training activities work.

Their success wasn’t produced by magic. It was created through deliberate practice and consistent mental training.

Jacobus Publicius gave us one of the earliest and most elegant systems for sharpening the mind.

Not only is it still usable today. It’s fascinating, inspiring and a means of connecting with intellectual history.

If you’re ready to experience how this forgotten memory master trained Renaissance minds to brilliance, Rules Reborn is your invitation to step inside his world.

You’ll not only bring the techniques back to life. You’ll also enjoy the rebirth of your mind, memory and speed of thought.

If you’re looking to unlock the ancient memory techniques used by philosophers, mystics, and mental elites throughout history, this is the conversation for you.

In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, John Michael Greer returns to reveal how memory systems from thinkers like Giordano Bruno and Ramon Llull can help us reclaim our cognitive power in the AI age.

Why do these long-dead figures matter more than ever in today’s world?

For one thing, a lot of people are scrambling to work out how to survive in a world in which remembering how to think is quickly becoming as scarce as human memory.

But Greer offers hope.

As a renowned author, translator of Giordano Bruno’s On the Shadows of the Ideas, and long-time student of multiple esoteric traditions, Greer joined me again to discuss the growing importance of memory training.

But what makes this episode special is that we’re not talking about just any old kind of training.

And we’re definitely not talking about your everday, average memory tricks.

You’re about to hear about real mental training, the kind that once produced polymaths, philosophers and masters of the mind who inspired the Mentat you’ve read about in Dune.

But don’t let the fictional reference distract from the value at hand. Everything we discuss accords perfectly with memory science, particularly the science of mental imagery.

As part of this discussion, Greer and I also explore his upcoming book project on medieval and Renaissance mental disciplines, a work I’m looking forward to reading very much.

We also cover the overlap between historical mnemonic systems and why reviving these ancient practices is absolutely essential in an age increasingly dominated by machine thinking.

https://youtu.be/hTv4R3e-WWs

From the combinatorial wheels of Llull and Giordano Bruno to the forgotten discipline of syllogistic logic, we discuss:

How memory palaces can function as practical tools and metaphysical metaphors

Bruno’s integration of memory with logic and ontologyWhy the “art of combination” might be the ultimate question-asking systemThe lost connection between Freemasonry and mnemonic trainingWhat a modern Mentat curriculum might look like (and why we need it sooner than later)Practical tips from historical and contemporary memory mastersThe real philosophical difference between tools we use and tools that use usReasons for reading older memory improvement books like Rhetorica ad HerenniumWhy you should explore the Trivium and Quadrivium as tools for modern mental clarity

Greer also shares insights into his current Latin translation work, John Dee research, and what the Twilight of Pluto means for our cultural moment.

No matter what happens, Greer believes memory techniques can thrive again.

But likely not in Silicon Valley.

They will rise again in the ruins of the cultures that resist.

Why not start resisting now?

Whether you’re a memory athlete, aspiring Mentat, or simply tired of outsourcing your intelligence to devices, this episode will give you both intellectual fuel and practical direction.

Bonus: John Michael Greer on Bruno’s
On The Shadows of the Ideas

During my first discussion with Greer, we focus on Bruno’s memory systems and the nature of knowledge from what Greer calls “the rubbish heap of history.”

We also dig into Greer’s translation of On the Shadows of the Ideas by Giordano Bruno.

Finally, we discuss an old and mysterious book called The Picatrix. Like the Ars Notoria, it kind of freaks me out a bit, but Greer puts my mind at ease.

Press play and listen in as we discuss:

The value of “intellectual dumpster diving” to preserve ancient ideasWhy adding more to a text than a literal translation allows can be self-serving, yet somehow can’t be avoidedThe limits of historical clarity in the age of photocopies (which are often of other photocopies)Why Bruno’s memory theory remains of great importance to the art of memoryThe reason subject/abject memorization is the most sophisticated method to memorize textThe deep mystery behind why alphabet-based mnemonics fell out of favor in modern timesAnd why overwhelm can occur, even when using a sequence as simple as the alphabetWhy memory, secrecy and initiation were inseparable in Bruno’s worldThe reason Frances Yates’ ideas about Bruno should be viewed with discernmentThe delusion of treating history as a straight line, and why this idea is wildly inaccurate, given the way the universe operates

Giordano Bruno

 

Further Resources on the web, the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast and blog:

John Michael Greer’s Ecosophia Blog (Toward an Ecological Spirituality)

John’s Dreamwidth Blog

John Michael Greer’s Amazon author page

John Michael Greer Presents: Masonry and the Secret Societies

Frances Yates’s Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition

The Illustrated Picatrix: The Complete Occult Classic of Astrological Magic

My How to Think and Remember Like the Mentat video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/ijm66YXxWfQ