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Remember Everything You Want and Manage the Rest: Improve your Memory and Learning, Organize Your Brain, and Effectively Manage Your Knowledge
Remember Everything You Want and Manage the Rest is a practical guide for anyone who wishes to improve their memory and learning and master information in a knowledge intensive world. It merges rapid memorization and long-term memory improvement techniques with information and knowledge management to provide a comprehensive solution for students, professionals, and life-long learners. The book contains a wealth of easy-to-follow examples.
Memorization and the memory palace technique are great, but not enough
"Create a memory palace and store everything in your brain!" Does this really work? Yes - mnemonic techniques allow you to memorize a large fact file, learn foreign languages, and give an important speech completely from memory. Consequently, we cover the most effective memory improvement methods, such as the method of loci, and accompany them with real-life examples.
But to really keep what you have learned, you have to reinforce it. This book scratches more than the surface when it comes to the most powerful memory technique of all - Practicing recall using effective methods and modern computer software.
Besides, what do you want to remember in the first place?
There is more information on the Internet than you would ever want to remember - and a lot of it will be outdated in a few years. Don't "download" it all into your brain or your computer. Instead, become smart about extracting the important information, taking notes, and organizing what is relevant for your life, business, research, or studies, so that you can re-find and use it with ease while it is relevant.
What can you expect from this book?
Update April 16, 2014: Version 1.1 (higher-resolution images, updated step-by-step guidelines and software illustrations, and more)
Memorization and the memory palace technique are great, but not enough
"Create a memory palace and store everything in your brain!" Does this really work? Yes - mnemonic techniques allow you to memorize a large fact file, learn foreign languages, and give an important speech completely from memory. Consequently, we cover the most effective memory improvement methods, such as the method of loci, and accompany them with real-life examples.
But to really keep what you have learned, you have to reinforce it. This book scratches more than the surface when it comes to the most powerful memory technique of all - Practicing recall using effective methods and modern computer software.
Besides, what do you want to remember in the first place?
There is more information on the Internet than you would ever want to remember - and a lot of it will be outdated in a few years. Don't "download" it all into your brain or your computer. Instead, become smart about extracting the important information, taking notes, and organizing what is relevant for your life, business, research, or studies, so that you can re-find and use it with ease while it is relevant.
What can you expect from this book?
Update April 16, 2014: Version 1.1 (higher-resolution images, updated step-by-step guidelines and software illustrations, and more)
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
June 15, 2013
Are you a person who is not good on remembering? I mean a short memory person?
I am a person who forgets often. Sometimes I’m not even able to remember something that I learned recently. Also, I find myself going in the kitchen to take something and when I go there I don’t remember for what I went. Or maybe I meet someone to ask for something and in the same time I don’t remember for what I wanted to ask for.
In the beginning of the book the author listed these three questions,
• Where is my key?
• Have I switched off the stove?
• Did I lock the backdoor this morning?
Let me ask you…Do these questions sound familiar to you?
If YES then, for sure this is a book for you…If your answer is NO than I would still suggest you to read this book because you can learn a lot about managing your knowledge or improving your memory and learning, or organizing your brain.
Here are some tips of
1. How to learn a new language and how learning becomes fun.
2. How to be attentive.(an example from the book is, => when you switch off the stove, tell yourself: “I am switching off the stove.” Look at the switch, and report to yourself: “The stove is switched off.”), there are many other smart tips as well.
3. How to think up a password for our social network that we won’t forget, but at the same time cannot be guessed by other people.(I was surprised about the tips the author shared. Never thought about those before! I will not share examples from the book because it would not be interesting for you when you will read it ;)
4. How to learn to learn. (Personally, I am very thankful to the author about this chapter because it helped me very much on my finals.)
5. There are many other chapters on how to memorize bus numbers. (This chapter helped me as well. As I wrote in the top, I am not good in memorizing. Last week I was in Bari, Italy and I had to memorize two line buses one was #16 from the airport to the train station, and the other one was #20/ from train station to the bus. So, thanks to the author again for making my trip in Italy EASY).
6. If you are struggling and complaining that you don’t have time to read books, or you don’t know how to write a review/essay, or it’s hard for you to take notes while you read, watch a video, or following a lecture, here are some tips as well.
Lastly, Mr. Helmut Sachs is a lecturer, trainer, manager, and computer engineer. He has been teaching creative and critical thinking and information literacy at colleges as well.
If I would have the possibility to meet Mr.Sachs today, for sure I would have a coffee and a good long conversation with him.
Let me end up with few quotes from the book,
“Paying attention is the first step to remembering.”
“Knowledge builds upon knowledge, and learning can be a virtuous or a vicious circle.”
“You have a clear goal, and this goal motivates you to understand and remember the information that matters your goal.”
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
P.S: “I would HIGHLY recommend to you this guide book!”
I am a person who forgets often. Sometimes I’m not even able to remember something that I learned recently. Also, I find myself going in the kitchen to take something and when I go there I don’t remember for what I went. Or maybe I meet someone to ask for something and in the same time I don’t remember for what I wanted to ask for.
In the beginning of the book the author listed these three questions,
• Where is my key?
• Have I switched off the stove?
• Did I lock the backdoor this morning?
Let me ask you…Do these questions sound familiar to you?
If YES then, for sure this is a book for you…If your answer is NO than I would still suggest you to read this book because you can learn a lot about managing your knowledge or improving your memory and learning, or organizing your brain.
Here are some tips of
1. How to learn a new language and how learning becomes fun.
2. How to be attentive.(an example from the book is, => when you switch off the stove, tell yourself: “I am switching off the stove.” Look at the switch, and report to yourself: “The stove is switched off.”), there are many other smart tips as well.
3. How to think up a password for our social network that we won’t forget, but at the same time cannot be guessed by other people.(I was surprised about the tips the author shared. Never thought about those before! I will not share examples from the book because it would not be interesting for you when you will read it ;)
4. How to learn to learn. (Personally, I am very thankful to the author about this chapter because it helped me very much on my finals.)
5. There are many other chapters on how to memorize bus numbers. (This chapter helped me as well. As I wrote in the top, I am not good in memorizing. Last week I was in Bari, Italy and I had to memorize two line buses one was #16 from the airport to the train station, and the other one was #20/ from train station to the bus. So, thanks to the author again for making my trip in Italy EASY).
6. If you are struggling and complaining that you don’t have time to read books, or you don’t know how to write a review/essay, or it’s hard for you to take notes while you read, watch a video, or following a lecture, here are some tips as well.
Lastly, Mr. Helmut Sachs is a lecturer, trainer, manager, and computer engineer. He has been teaching creative and critical thinking and information literacy at colleges as well.
If I would have the possibility to meet Mr.Sachs today, for sure I would have a coffee and a good long conversation with him.
Let me end up with few quotes from the book,
“Paying attention is the first step to remembering.”
“Knowledge builds upon knowledge, and learning can be a virtuous or a vicious circle.”
“You have a clear goal, and this goal motivates you to understand and remember the information that matters your goal.”
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
P.S: “I would HIGHLY recommend to you this guide book!”
November 12, 2013
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for writing a review when I was finished.
This book is good for what it aims to help with – memory improvement and information management. At this period of my life, I just don't feel there is so much I need to remember. For example, I usually read for a combination of learning and relaxation. I don't feel that I need to remember everything so I don't stress about if I forget things. I felt I didn't get that much out of this book. Perhaps I wasn't the intended audience for this book so that's ok. Some of the systems presented in the book (ie. the Pomodoro technique) I was already familiar with and using on a daily basis so parts of the book weren't so new to me.
That being said, I wish I read this book in high school or university. It would have saved me countless hours of studying. If you're a student or in a profession where you need to memorize a lot of information and have it readily available, then the systems presented in this book will really help you with that. For example, when I was learning the 2000+ Chinese characters that are used in Japanese (Japanese Kanji), I used a similar system and learned them all in a few months. So it does work.
The book is tough to read cover to cover. After finishing it, I feel it is more like a reference book. It would be great to keep it around and then refer back to it should I need to improve in some of the areas mentioned. I felt it was a bit dry at times to read fully through but as a “How-to” book, it has very useful information.
If you want to improve your memory dramatically and get more organized, this book will help you with that.
This book is good for what it aims to help with – memory improvement and information management. At this period of my life, I just don't feel there is so much I need to remember. For example, I usually read for a combination of learning and relaxation. I don't feel that I need to remember everything so I don't stress about if I forget things. I felt I didn't get that much out of this book. Perhaps I wasn't the intended audience for this book so that's ok. Some of the systems presented in the book (ie. the Pomodoro technique) I was already familiar with and using on a daily basis so parts of the book weren't so new to me.
That being said, I wish I read this book in high school or university. It would have saved me countless hours of studying. If you're a student or in a profession where you need to memorize a lot of information and have it readily available, then the systems presented in this book will really help you with that. For example, when I was learning the 2000+ Chinese characters that are used in Japanese (Japanese Kanji), I used a similar system and learned them all in a few months. So it does work.
The book is tough to read cover to cover. After finishing it, I feel it is more like a reference book. It would be great to keep it around and then refer back to it should I need to improve in some of the areas mentioned. I felt it was a bit dry at times to read fully through but as a “How-to” book, it has very useful information.
If you want to improve your memory dramatically and get more organized, this book will help you with that.
March 21, 2023
This book was excellent in its first part that deals with memory, remembering and techniques for remembering and memorizing. The advice was practical and well-explained, while encouraging the reader to adapt and tailor the techniques to their own style of thinking and culture. I basically stopped reading when the material switched to "effectively manage your knowledge" with methods for organizing research, outlining material and storing it in various apps or programs on the computer. This was so individual to the author that I found it mostly useless to me. (This may be because I already have my own apps and methods that I use.) Also, I seen from my dates read that I started this in 2016(!!) and came back to it and finished it this year (2023!!!). Much of the technology the author recommends is still around, but some of it is either gone or has been superseded by newer, shinier, and in some cases superior apps. I would have liked this more if it had remained in the realm of developing "tricks" or techniques for memory and perhaps even for concentration and comprehension which he touched on but did not develop as well. If you're looking for one book or your first book on the topic of developing memory and "organizing" your brain, I would look for something newer and more focused.
August 27, 2013
Disclaimer: The author gave me the book for free suggesting that I write a review once I am finished.
THE GOOD:
This book is exactly what I was needing. I am interested in the brain and exploring memory and learning techniques. This book has a bit of everything and it is just EXCELLENT for people who want to get acquainted with ways to improve their efficiency in the management of information and time. The book is full of links and references to other websites and tools that are extremely useful. As a student writing a thesis for my second master's degree and an avid learner of Japanese, the discovery of Zotero and Anki proved to be worthy enough of reading this book, but you will surely get even more.
THE UNAVOIDABLE:
It is precisely because of the many topics that the author presents, that there is no deep exploration of only one. In other words, this book will get you started and familiar with areas that you can research further later, but do not expect to have complete knowledge about any of the areas.
THE BAD:
The author definitely needs to update his screenshots. Most of the illustrations come from Windows XP and look old. On the other hand, a significant part of the software is only Windows-compatible and not everything can be applied for Mac users. Also, I found it the examples to be a bit repetitive sometimes. I feel that the section on memorization of numbers could have been shorter or drafted in a more didactic way. Finally, after starting to use Evernote, I noticed that the author uses the same font and extends the same sentence "Remember Everything..." I think this is a gimmick trying to catch attention to the book, and yet I feel the book is good enough not to need anything like that.
CONCLUSION:
Definitely recommendable. After reading it you will be challenged to apply some of the principles to improve your workflow. Anki, Zotero, time blocks and Mind-mapping are some of the things that I am using now on a daily basis and I would not have known if it is not through this book. This is already good enough to overcomes its flaws. Still I would suggest the author to release an updated revision to make the book even better.
UPDATE 08-27-2013: The author wrote to me explaining that they used the classic theme of windows to allow better visibility on the e-ink Kindle. So, it is not windows XP, though in practice it really looks like that, it is good to know that the content is relevant. I would still suggest a reviewed edition with new screenshots, but this may be more of a personal preference than a factor diminishing the benefits I got from the book. It deserves the five stars.
THE GOOD:
This book is exactly what I was needing. I am interested in the brain and exploring memory and learning techniques. This book has a bit of everything and it is just EXCELLENT for people who want to get acquainted with ways to improve their efficiency in the management of information and time. The book is full of links and references to other websites and tools that are extremely useful. As a student writing a thesis for my second master's degree and an avid learner of Japanese, the discovery of Zotero and Anki proved to be worthy enough of reading this book, but you will surely get even more.
THE UNAVOIDABLE:
It is precisely because of the many topics that the author presents, that there is no deep exploration of only one. In other words, this book will get you started and familiar with areas that you can research further later, but do not expect to have complete knowledge about any of the areas.
THE BAD:
The author definitely needs to update his screenshots. Most of the illustrations come from Windows XP and look old. On the other hand, a significant part of the software is only Windows-compatible and not everything can be applied for Mac users. Also, I found it the examples to be a bit repetitive sometimes. I feel that the section on memorization of numbers could have been shorter or drafted in a more didactic way. Finally, after starting to use Evernote, I noticed that the author uses the same font and extends the same sentence "Remember Everything..." I think this is a gimmick trying to catch attention to the book, and yet I feel the book is good enough not to need anything like that.
CONCLUSION:
Definitely recommendable. After reading it you will be challenged to apply some of the principles to improve your workflow. Anki, Zotero, time blocks and Mind-mapping are some of the things that I am using now on a daily basis and I would not have known if it is not through this book. This is already good enough to overcomes its flaws. Still I would suggest the author to release an updated revision to make the book even better.
UPDATE 08-27-2013: The author wrote to me explaining that they used the classic theme of windows to allow better visibility on the e-ink Kindle. So, it is not windows XP, though in practice it really looks like that, it is good to know that the content is relevant. I would still suggest a reviewed edition with new screenshots, but this may be more of a personal preference than a factor diminishing the benefits I got from the book. It deserves the five stars.
July 15, 2013
I was honored to be contacted by Helmut D. Sachs and to receive a free copy of his new book Remember Everything You Want and Manage the Rest: Improve your Memory and Learning, Organize Your Brain, and Effectively Manage Your Knowledge to read and review. Sachs hasn’t pressured me to give his book a positive review as he is looking for helpful feedback. So I hope this review (which is positive) is helpful to him.
Remember Everything lays out a daunting task in its title. In essence, Sachs wants to not only give you a few tools to improve your retention of important information, but he wants to aid the reader in using tools for almost every quadrant of information intake. Like David Allen sets out to do in Getting Things Done, Sachs wants to revitalize your memory and organization habits.
While the book might seem lengthy and daring to many, the variety of chapters allows one to pick and choose where to begin. I would suggest reading the first five chapters since they are the basic building blocks of Sachs‘ project, and then decide if you need help with learning a foreign language (chapter 7), memorizing dates and numbers (chapter 9), making mental maps (chapter 10), reading a non-fiction book (chapter 11), or organizing digital information (chapters 12-16). Sachs covers essentially everything. So the reader, while not reading every chapter, will find enough relevance to benefit from the book.
Sachs has a writing style that keeps appropriate pace, stays on point, and keeps the reader’s attention. While not humorous, Sachs does establish a personal touch with the reader to keep engagement.
One of the more helpful parts of the book are when Sachs explains WHY we don’t remember things (failure to transfer short-term memory to long-term memory). Most of the tactics taught in the first few chapters are helpful (some more than others), but Sachs comes back to these tips in later chapters. Diagrams an cross-references are also well done.
While I haven’t read many books of information retention and improving one’s memory, I don’t think a book like this has been written. It is up to date and comprehensive. I have already started following Sachs on his blog (remembereverything.org), and you probably should as well.
Remember Everything lays out a daunting task in its title. In essence, Sachs wants to not only give you a few tools to improve your retention of important information, but he wants to aid the reader in using tools for almost every quadrant of information intake. Like David Allen sets out to do in Getting Things Done, Sachs wants to revitalize your memory and organization habits.
While the book might seem lengthy and daring to many, the variety of chapters allows one to pick and choose where to begin. I would suggest reading the first five chapters since they are the basic building blocks of Sachs‘ project, and then decide if you need help with learning a foreign language (chapter 7), memorizing dates and numbers (chapter 9), making mental maps (chapter 10), reading a non-fiction book (chapter 11), or organizing digital information (chapters 12-16). Sachs covers essentially everything. So the reader, while not reading every chapter, will find enough relevance to benefit from the book.
Sachs has a writing style that keeps appropriate pace, stays on point, and keeps the reader’s attention. While not humorous, Sachs does establish a personal touch with the reader to keep engagement.
One of the more helpful parts of the book are when Sachs explains WHY we don’t remember things (failure to transfer short-term memory to long-term memory). Most of the tactics taught in the first few chapters are helpful (some more than others), but Sachs comes back to these tips in later chapters. Diagrams an cross-references are also well done.
While I haven’t read many books of information retention and improving one’s memory, I don’t think a book like this has been written. It is up to date and comprehensive. I have already started following Sachs on his blog (remembereverything.org), and you probably should as well.
June 19, 2013
How to read for retention.
As I am fully in self improvement mode (think "Der Übermensch") this book fell into my hands at exactly the right moment.
While I was familiar with a couple of the memory techniques present in this book, I had never taken the time to really practice them. "Remember everything ..." had these and a bunch more.
What Mr SACHS has done is bring together and very succinctly explain how to put these memory techniques into practice. Having tested some of them I am very happy with my ability to vividly recall the facts. Be warned this is not a quick fix and like anything worth having will still require some effort on your part. But the tools for success are here, one need only learn how to use them.
Whether you are an autodidact or following a more formal course of study and regardless of the field, you could save yourself a lot of time by learning some of these methods of memorization and importantly 'how to read for retention.'
This book distills a lot of really useful information and just by having it all in one place I have quite possibly saved myself a couple of years of web surfing/independent research.
There is also a full bibliography and many other useful and interesting links for further reading.
The chapters on classification and organization are a bonus. I am now using some of the suggested web apps to streamline my study workflow.
As I am fully in self improvement mode (think "Der Übermensch") this book fell into my hands at exactly the right moment.
While I was familiar with a couple of the memory techniques present in this book, I had never taken the time to really practice them. "Remember everything ..." had these and a bunch more.
What Mr SACHS has done is bring together and very succinctly explain how to put these memory techniques into practice. Having tested some of them I am very happy with my ability to vividly recall the facts. Be warned this is not a quick fix and like anything worth having will still require some effort on your part. But the tools for success are here, one need only learn how to use them.
Whether you are an autodidact or following a more formal course of study and regardless of the field, you could save yourself a lot of time by learning some of these methods of memorization and importantly 'how to read for retention.'
This book distills a lot of really useful information and just by having it all in one place I have quite possibly saved myself a couple of years of web surfing/independent research.
There is also a full bibliography and many other useful and interesting links for further reading.
The chapters on classification and organization are a bonus. I am now using some of the suggested web apps to streamline my study workflow.
November 4, 2016
You won’t come across any philosophy in this one; Sachs’ book reads more like a textbook than any self-help literature. However, Helmut makes up for not supplying anything in the manner of motivation by providing a thorough, if not comprehensive, list of memory and data organization tools. Each tool listed is thoroughly explained, and step-by-step examples are given for each one.
Like a textbook, Remember Everything does not inspire a motivation to become a master memorizer or data organizer. While this makes for something of a dry read, I found it refreshing not to feel as if Helmut was trying to sell me something: he simply provides and explains useful tools for the tasks described in the title.
My biggest problem with Remember Everything is that the second part of the book seems more of a tutorial on how to use Zotero and Diigo rather than a holistic guide for data organization. Sachs’ system with these is certainly rigorous and effective, but I’m not convinced his particular system is for everyone.
Overall, I would recommend this book to any student, or person struggling with information overload in this modern Internet world. I will certainly hold onto it for reference help with memorizing or information gathering.
Like a textbook, Remember Everything does not inspire a motivation to become a master memorizer or data organizer. While this makes for something of a dry read, I found it refreshing not to feel as if Helmut was trying to sell me something: he simply provides and explains useful tools for the tasks described in the title.
My biggest problem with Remember Everything is that the second part of the book seems more of a tutorial on how to use Zotero and Diigo rather than a holistic guide for data organization. Sachs’ system with these is certainly rigorous and effective, but I’m not convinced his particular system is for everyone.
Overall, I would recommend this book to any student, or person struggling with information overload in this modern Internet world. I will certainly hold onto it for reference help with memorizing or information gathering.
June 21, 2014
Very hands-on & useful book; worth a read.
I would recommend this book even if you don't really feel that your memory faculties are lacking. It covers specific techniques - some simple & some more involved - to improve things such as remembering lists, names, dates, numbers, etc. Yo duo not have to internalize every technique mentioned but can pick and choose what works for you. That said, obviously the more you "internalize" the bigger a difference you will feel in your ability to remember stuff.
The second thing I really liked was it points out specific tools available online that you can use for creating flashcards, mind maps, etc. Just knowing that these tools exist and how to use them is very helpful to me because the next time I need such a thing I know where to go.
The language used in the book is remarkably simple especially considering how complicated some techniques discussed may be.
I would recommend this book even if you don't really feel that your memory faculties are lacking. It covers specific techniques - some simple & some more involved - to improve things such as remembering lists, names, dates, numbers, etc. Yo duo not have to internalize every technique mentioned but can pick and choose what works for you. That said, obviously the more you "internalize" the bigger a difference you will feel in your ability to remember stuff.
The second thing I really liked was it points out specific tools available online that you can use for creating flashcards, mind maps, etc. Just knowing that these tools exist and how to use them is very helpful to me because the next time I need such a thing I know where to go.
The language used in the book is remarkably simple especially considering how complicated some techniques discussed may be.
May 24, 2013
This is a great little book for memory techniques. It has the method of loci, the peg system, memory palace and more. I have yet to come across a book this short that provides a complete summary of the major techniques.
The other part that I really enjoyed was the part on mind mapping. I had heard about it before but didn't see the value. This book explains why they work well.
If you wish to memorize things and want to learn some techniques to do so, I'd definitely recommend this book. Even if you don't it is an interesting and engaging read.
The last few sections are all about managing the other information that you might want to keep track of but not memorize. It covers a few different technologies that work great. Definitely check those chapters out if you don't have much experience with it.
The other part that I really enjoyed was the part on mind mapping. I had heard about it before but didn't see the value. This book explains why they work well.
If you wish to memorize things and want to learn some techniques to do so, I'd definitely recommend this book. Even if you don't it is an interesting and engaging read.
The last few sections are all about managing the other information that you might want to keep track of but not memorize. It covers a few different technologies that work great. Definitely check those chapters out if you don't have much experience with it.
January 3, 2024
only logging this because i was forced to read this and i refuse to simply accept that i wasted my time, so i may as well log it 😭.
was basically forced to read this because of some work i had to do for my cousin 💀
even keeping aside my dislike for self-help books, this still was just not a good book at all. it contained surface level advice at best and i found it to be very outdated (all the "tricks" and software in the book are literally ancient, half the book read like "to improve memory use flashcards and mind maps" ??😭) , but that figures, the book was written in 2013. Although there were a few good tips here and there, but then again nothing we dont already know and nothing of actual substance.
was basically forced to read this because of some work i had to do for my cousin 💀
even keeping aside my dislike for self-help books, this still was just not a good book at all. it contained surface level advice at best and i found it to be very outdated (all the "tricks" and software in the book are literally ancient, half the book read like "to improve memory use flashcards and mind maps" ??😭) , but that figures, the book was written in 2013. Although there were a few good tips here and there, but then again nothing we dont already know and nothing of actual substance.
November 7, 2020
Just confused from to start and how to describe, but this book is surely one of the best on learning, organising and managing our knowledge.
What I liked about is firstly mind mapping everything about it tips to make and tricks to remember, secondly making numbers memorable by phonetic number system trick which is very useful to remember any huge number by converting number into consonant sounds and making words or sentences and finally Mnemonics.
And a lot of tricks are there which are definitely useful to each and every reader.
What I liked about is firstly mind mapping everything about it tips to make and tricks to remember, secondly making numbers memorable by phonetic number system trick which is very useful to remember any huge number by converting number into consonant sounds and making words or sentences and finally Mnemonics.
And a lot of tricks are there which are definitely useful to each and every reader.
September 24, 2019
Some tips and software introductions
December 4, 2021
perfect book.
August 4, 2013
Helmut Sachs in his book "Remember Everything You Want and Manage the Rest" offers quite a few golden nuggets. Each chapter is dedicated to developing your memory for different uses in different situations. One methodology that resonated with me is the use of [flashy] cards. I have used flash cards for years but was unaware of the methodology to put them to use in a systematic way. Helmut outlines those different ways and even offers his choices of online flash card tools. I love a good web app but hate searching for the right one. Also, I found the section on organizing the content from your web searches extremely relevant and helpful. I have been using plain old folders for years but never tags as an organizational tool. This suggestion alone should save me mega-time searching my computer for those fragments of information I need at a moments notice but couldn't remember what folder I put it in. Another golden nugget was the Method of Loci. Setting up a memory path for you to follow throughout your day or a speech is a great way to remember everything.
With a book like this it is impossible to get all of it all at once. It also offers different types of nuggets to different people. This is one of those books that you will want to keep for your library to refer to over the years as you need to develop different skills. Find your golden nugget and work it. Then the next nugget and work that one. Thank you Helmut!
With a book like this it is impossible to get all of it all at once. It also offers different types of nuggets to different people. This is one of those books that you will want to keep for your library to refer to over the years as you need to develop different skills. Find your golden nugget and work it. Then the next nugget and work that one. Thank you Helmut!
July 29, 2013
I have read my fair share of self improvement books so I had some low expectations for this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Helmut Sachs brings real psychology that I have learned at my graduate school teacher coursework. Meaning, he is extremely credible and helpful. To really improve your memory you will need to do what all of us do, work at it. I was not willing to do that.
How to manage the rest is an extremely useful part of the book for anyone who wants to organize. I found that most of his tips for managing them unique and up to date. This part of the book, could easily be found on lifehacker.com. They both contain different tips. If you are interested in both of them I advice you to check out the other. He had up to date apps and programs that could catapult anyone's research. For example one problem that everyone seems to have today is remember all their personal online passwords for each accounts. He suggested that we pick a random book and random sentence for our own bookshelf. Do not tell anyone of course. From that sentence choose that first letters of each for word. So for that last sentence my password would be Ftsctflofefw. or pick a quote that you like. Yogi Berra, It sure gets later early around here. Isgleah
Good reference for anyone that wants to improve their memory.
How to manage the rest is an extremely useful part of the book for anyone who wants to organize. I found that most of his tips for managing them unique and up to date. This part of the book, could easily be found on lifehacker.com. They both contain different tips. If you are interested in both of them I advice you to check out the other. He had up to date apps and programs that could catapult anyone's research. For example one problem that everyone seems to have today is remember all their personal online passwords for each accounts. He suggested that we pick a random book and random sentence for our own bookshelf. Do not tell anyone of course. From that sentence choose that first letters of each for word. So for that last sentence my password would be Ftsctflofefw. or pick a quote that you like. Yogi Berra, It sure gets later early around here. Isgleah
Good reference for anyone that wants to improve their memory.
September 24, 2013
After having read quite some books about personal memory management, I come to the conclusion that Helmut Sachs has done a fantastic job operationalizing it. Not only does he accurately cite the theory behind our memory capabilities, he gives great examples and tools to implement it in real life situations.
And in that aspect this book differentiates itself greatly from books like `Moonwalking with Einstein' by Joshua Foer, that left me puzzling on the question: `why would I want to remember a deck of cards?'.
I sure wish I had read this book before I went to University. I would've been so much more effective at studying. Every school should include this material in it's curriculum. I'm already teaching my 10 year old some of the mechanisms in the book and he's very fond of it.
I particularly like the idea of time boxing where you do not let yourself be distracted during a time period of 20 minutes, the use of (electronic flash cards) and the tips for reading and remembering articles. It turns out that reading a text while asking yourself questions about the subject outperforms reading it multiple times. And finally, from now on I'm going to use mind maps more often. Not only to visualize and structure information, but also to be able to better remember it, too.
And in that aspect this book differentiates itself greatly from books like `Moonwalking with Einstein' by Joshua Foer, that left me puzzling on the question: `why would I want to remember a deck of cards?'.
I sure wish I had read this book before I went to University. I would've been so much more effective at studying. Every school should include this material in it's curriculum. I'm already teaching my 10 year old some of the mechanisms in the book and he's very fond of it.
I particularly like the idea of time boxing where you do not let yourself be distracted during a time period of 20 minutes, the use of (electronic flash cards) and the tips for reading and remembering articles. It turns out that reading a text while asking yourself questions about the subject outperforms reading it multiple times. And finally, from now on I'm going to use mind maps more often. Not only to visualize and structure information, but also to be able to better remember it, too.
January 11, 2015
This comprehensive book truly does teach you how to remember anything and everything you may need to remember, if you are willing to learn the tricks and systems and put in the time required to practice them. I am amazed at the wealth of information this book contains. It covers every kind of memory system from simple mnemonics to systems that are used by champions in memory competitions. If you are a student and need to remember information for tests, this would all be very helpful. It also has helpful information on studying and learning foreign languages.
The latter part of the book is dedicated to managing the information you gather, focusing on digital information that can be more difficult to organize than traditional paper based information. This section on managing information would be especially helpful for graduate students and those doing in-depth research and/or writing books.
There was much more information provided in this book than I could use or need to use at present, but it is a wonderufl resource, and one that I think that I will return to in the future.
The latter part of the book is dedicated to managing the information you gather, focusing on digital information that can be more difficult to organize than traditional paper based information. This section on managing information would be especially helpful for graduate students and those doing in-depth research and/or writing books.
There was much more information provided in this book than I could use or need to use at present, but it is a wonderufl resource, and one that I think that I will return to in the future.
July 2, 2015
Helmut reached out to me and offered his book for free in exchange for a review.
This book contains a lot of techniques and tactics for how to memorize things. It reminded me a lot of Moonwalking with Einstein, which is a more entertaining but less instructional book on the topic of memory. It also covers what I would call general organization and study techniques.
I most enjoyed discussion of how memory works and the conditions required to get stuff into our long term storage.
I found I lost interest in different techniques after 3 or 4 different ways to memorize things and nothing in particular that I had an urgent need to memorize. Sure I could memorize all kinds of obscure facts, but why would I want to? I think this book would be a great resource to students that have an urgent need to memorize something.
This book contains a lot of techniques and tactics for how to memorize things. It reminded me a lot of Moonwalking with Einstein, which is a more entertaining but less instructional book on the topic of memory. It also covers what I would call general organization and study techniques.
I most enjoyed discussion of how memory works and the conditions required to get stuff into our long term storage.
I found I lost interest in different techniques after 3 or 4 different ways to memorize things and nothing in particular that I had an urgent need to memorize. Sure I could memorize all kinds of obscure facts, but why would I want to? I think this book would be a great resource to students that have an urgent need to memorize something.
March 19, 2014
Disclaimer - The author gave me a free copy to review.
I really enjoyed this book and the only reason I didn't give it five stars was it was a little dense at times and I couldn't just read it for long periods of time. Remember Everything You Want and Manage the Rest: Improve your Memory and Learning, Organize Your Brain, and Effectively Manage Your Knowledge does a great job of teaching you how to remember things. I especially liked the section on mind mapping as that is a technique that David Allen of Getting Things Done fame uses and recommends often. I also use Evernote to remember for me so I don't have to rely on my brain as much but this seems like a great guide to training your brain to remember stuff.
I really enjoyed this book and the only reason I didn't give it five stars was it was a little dense at times and I couldn't just read it for long periods of time. Remember Everything You Want and Manage the Rest: Improve your Memory and Learning, Organize Your Brain, and Effectively Manage Your Knowledge does a great job of teaching you how to remember things. I especially liked the section on mind mapping as that is a technique that David Allen of Getting Things Done fame uses and recommends often. I also use Evernote to remember for me so I don't have to rely on my brain as much but this seems like a great guide to training your brain to remember stuff.
February 19, 2014
This book is so information-dense and thorough that it took me several months to get through the whole thing.
Mr. Sachs describes an incredible array of mental tips and tricks to help everyone remember things more efficiently.
If I were to practice and implement every suggestion in this book, I would be a cognitive superstar.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because I became overwhelmed with the huge number of excellent systems available in this book. If you would like to improve your mental power, too, go out and get this book!
Full disclosure: the author gave me a complimentary copy of his book in exchange for this unbiased review.
Mr. Sachs describes an incredible array of mental tips and tricks to help everyone remember things more efficiently.
If I were to practice and implement every suggestion in this book, I would be a cognitive superstar.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because I became overwhelmed with the huge number of excellent systems available in this book. If you would like to improve your mental power, too, go out and get this book!
Full disclosure: the author gave me a complimentary copy of his book in exchange for this unbiased review.
November 4, 2013
Most of this book will probably be useful for as long as humans have brains, although the last chapters will age less gracefully as they refer to contemporary software and Internet services.
The book is a toy chest of memory enhancement techniques, with the basic science behind them. It may lack in inspiration and vision, but it is easy to read and practical. You probably buy it because you experience a need, and it will likely fill that need. There is no magic button and the book does not pretend to have it, but as a toolbox it is quite good.
The book is a toy chest of memory enhancement techniques, with the basic science behind them. It may lack in inspiration and vision, but it is easy to read and practical. You probably buy it because you experience a need, and it will likely fill that need. There is no magic button and the book does not pretend to have it, but as a toolbox it is quite good.
February 6, 2014
This book will help you remember important things. One of the techniques for remembering a name is using mental images. For example if a person last name is Smith than you bring up an image of an anvil since that is what is used by a blacksmith. You can use that image to associate it with that person's name. Like so many self-help books this will only help if you read it and practice it. If you do all the exercises suggested in the book you can do wonderful an incredible things. Overall an excellent book by Mr. Sachs!
April 5, 2014
Sí, quizá toda la información que se encuentra en este libro podría hallarse buscando horas y horas en internet, pero para qué si aquí está toda bien organizada. Muchas de las cosas de las que trata ya las sabía y otras solo me eran familiares. Ahora creo que las entiendo mucho mejor. El autor tiene un verdadero interés en ayudar a los demás (aquí a los lectores) a mejorar sus habilidades de memorización y eso es algo que hace valioso al libro. No sólo da tips, sino que además da consejos sobre otras cosas que de alguna manera inciden en la memoria.
August 10, 2014
I have to say up front that I was given free copy if I agreed to providing a review.
I found this book fascinating and only wished I had read something like this years ago before University. Written in an easy to absorb style with good examples this book provides the reader with strategies for memorising all sorts of important information. Although I thought this was an excellent book, I would prefer to use it as a reference text, learning bits, going away to practice and then going back for more.
Excellent well worth a copy to any one embarking on period of serious study.
I found this book fascinating and only wished I had read something like this years ago before University. Written in an easy to absorb style with good examples this book provides the reader with strategies for memorising all sorts of important information. Although I thought this was an excellent book, I would prefer to use it as a reference text, learning bits, going away to practice and then going back for more.
Excellent well worth a copy to any one embarking on period of serious study.
August 10, 2015
Having read quite a few books on memory improvement I couldn't help but notice that "Remember everything you want and manage the rest" was poorly written. Let me elaborate.
Does the book include really useful information? Absolutely. Does the writer go over his head to help you grasp those techniques and tips? Absolutely not.
I can't consider a book naming techniques and giving one example a practical guide.
I have a feeling Helmut Sachs spend more time on marketing for his book than actually writing it.
2.5 / 5 stars.
Does the book include really useful information? Absolutely. Does the writer go over his head to help you grasp those techniques and tips? Absolutely not.
I can't consider a book naming techniques and giving one example a practical guide.
I have a feeling Helmut Sachs spend more time on marketing for his book than actually writing it.
2.5 / 5 stars.
February 27, 2016
This book by Helmut Sachs is attracting with a very practical look at the remembering process. And the magic is the author involves very basic and easy psychology, explaining the memorizing processes crystal clear. Based on that, he introduces and provides step-by-step guidelines on how to leverage the power of your brain in order to keep the thing in memory meaningfully and really easy. Recommended for youth learning in schools and for students.
January 8, 2014
Very nicely done. If you're reading this book, then in all likelihood you're as busy as I am. As such It's no easy task to explain some fairly involved methods to someone short on time in the first place. But Helmut Sachs does this efficiently, with great examples. I began using several of these methods immediately after learning them and they help immensely!
August 29, 2019
If you want a great reference tool to help with your other organizational methods whether for the office or hobbies, or studying, and personal life, this is it. I hope the author keeps it updated over the years to come.
February 10, 2014
This is a great book to read and to learn how to be more organized in this fuzzy world. I find memorization techniques very helpful. It is good to read when you start a professional career or start studying a degree. ENJOY!!
September 27, 2014
A lot of "how-to" memory techniques and note-taking, electronic filing recommendations. The section on spaced repetition for review of material you want to learn was great and the author suggested some flash card software that utilize space repetition.
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