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Remember It!: The Names of People You Meet, All of Your Passwords, Where You Left Your Keys, and Everything Else You Tend to Forget
In Remember It!, four-time USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis teaches us how to make the most of our memory, using his competition-winning techniques, featuring illustrations by Adam Hayes.
Foreword by Sanjay Gupta
Throughout his research into memory theory, Nelson Dellis found existing memory improvement guides to be wanting—overcomplicated, dry, and stodgy. So he decided to write a book that is approachable and fun, centered on what people actually need to remember.
Presenting the information in a user-friendly way, Dellis offers bite-size chapters, addressing things we wish we could remember but often names, grocery lists, phone numbers, where you left your keys—you name it! This fast-paced, highly illustrated tour of the inner workings of the brain makes improving your memory simple and fun.
“An amazingly practical book to help you keep your mind in shape! I’ve had the opportunity to see Nelson explain his techniques, and this book really showcases not only his knowledge about memory but his ability to make memory techniques easy to learn and relatable to everyday situations.” —Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Maria Shriver
Foreword by Sanjay Gupta
Throughout his research into memory theory, Nelson Dellis found existing memory improvement guides to be wanting—overcomplicated, dry, and stodgy. So he decided to write a book that is approachable and fun, centered on what people actually need to remember.
Presenting the information in a user-friendly way, Dellis offers bite-size chapters, addressing things we wish we could remember but often names, grocery lists, phone numbers, where you left your keys—you name it! This fast-paced, highly illustrated tour of the inner workings of the brain makes improving your memory simple and fun.
“An amazingly practical book to help you keep your mind in shape! I’ve had the opportunity to see Nelson explain his techniques, and this book really showcases not only his knowledge about memory but his ability to make memory techniques easy to learn and relatable to everyday situations.” —Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Maria Shriver
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 25, 2018
799 people are currently reading
2277 people want to read
About the author
Nelson Dellis
6 books65 followersNelson Charles Dellis is an American memory athlete, Grandmaster of Memory, mountaineer, published author, public speaker, and consultant. He is a four-time USA Memory Champion, tying the record for most wins of the national memory champion title. He is also one of the co-founders of Memory League
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
March 11, 2020
What is better than revisiting an old topic by reading a new book. More than 4 years ago I was fascinated by memorization of lists and numbers and learnt a couple of tricks. Over time I was running out of steam and dropped the whole topic but now I am back with a vengeance.
Nelson Dellis is 4x USA Memory Champion. Throughout the book he points out that everyone is able to remember things well. He isn't especially gifted, it all comes down to applying some old, well known techniques plus a bit of fine tuning to make them work better for you.
I totally enjoyed Nelson's way of teaching. He starts with the basics and shows many examples of how to come up with memorable scenes. I guess it's just a matter of time until the brain does this automatically because finding a good hook for "Nanga Parbat" or "Millard Fillmore" can be challenging at first. Seeing a memory master in action was very inspiring.
What I loved about the book were the many tips for everyday situations, e.g. "where have I parked my car", "where is the key", "what was the name of that person", "how to avoid forgetting a task on the next day", "what's the password" etc. This is way more useful than memorizing a deck of cards or any other party trick. These are covered as well but I was glad that the focus is on normal people.
This book is my new favorite. It's a great example why knowledge alone is often not enough. You can go to various websites (Art of Memory is a good starter) and learn the techniques that are covered in the book on your own. However, an engaging and enthusiastic teacher like Nelson will make this journey easier and more enjoyable - and the critical mind is satisfied because it's someone with reputation who tells you to trust the process.
Alright, it's time to work on my personal PAO system!
5 of 5 stars and a clear recommendation
Nelson Dellis is 4x USA Memory Champion. Throughout the book he points out that everyone is able to remember things well. He isn't especially gifted, it all comes down to applying some old, well known techniques plus a bit of fine tuning to make them work better for you.
I totally enjoyed Nelson's way of teaching. He starts with the basics and shows many examples of how to come up with memorable scenes. I guess it's just a matter of time until the brain does this automatically because finding a good hook for "Nanga Parbat" or "Millard Fillmore" can be challenging at first. Seeing a memory master in action was very inspiring.
What I loved about the book were the many tips for everyday situations, e.g. "where have I parked my car", "where is the key", "what was the name of that person", "how to avoid forgetting a task on the next day", "what's the password" etc. This is way more useful than memorizing a deck of cards or any other party trick. These are covered as well but I was glad that the focus is on normal people.
This book is my new favorite. It's a great example why knowledge alone is often not enough. You can go to various websites (Art of Memory is a good starter) and learn the techniques that are covered in the book on your own. However, an engaging and enthusiastic teacher like Nelson will make this journey easier and more enjoyable - and the critical mind is satisfied because it's someone with reputation who tells you to trust the process.
Alright, it's time to work on my personal PAO system!
5 of 5 stars and a clear recommendation
July 1, 2019
This book is excellent at what it tries to do: teach you effective techniques for uploading (large amounts of) information into your brain as quickly as possible. These techniques are based on breaking the information into pieces, visualising each as an intentionally ridiculous, memorable image, and then linking the images together in some way.
Two minor issues I had with this book:
(1) Not much focus on how to maintain the memorised information in long-term memory, not just for a couple of days. Spaced repetition is mentioned, but much more specific guidance could have been given.
(2) Some of the "real-world" examples were a bit odd, for example learning (foreign) words via an elaborate visualisation when a clear etymological explanation was available, or learning isolated facts about a historical event instead of the whole background/context.
Two minor issues I had with this book:
(1) Not much focus on how to maintain the memorised information in long-term memory, not just for a couple of days. Spaced repetition is mentioned, but much more specific guidance could have been given.
(2) Some of the "real-world" examples were a bit odd, for example learning (foreign) words via an elaborate visualisation when a clear etymological explanation was available, or learning isolated facts about a historical event instead of the whole background/context.
December 8, 2018
I had never heard of Nelson Dellis before I read this book. This book was a joy to read. A lot of useful information about how to remember more. This book made me laugh at different parts of the book. I can't wait to use the foreign language word remember tips. The person action object system seems like fun when trying to remember numbers. I also can't wait to see how well I do at remembering the order of playing cards. Reading this book made me think that one day with enough practice that I to could become a memory competition champion. And don't get me wrong I will need a lot of practice. I think it is one of the best books I have read this year.
January 21, 2019
The whole book is really "one weird trick..." expanded on and into many examples and situations. Should have been article length instead. Really nice illustrations though!
June 8, 2025
Think of that annoying radio add - or jingle. There is something about it you can’t stand, but somehow you do remember it. This whole book - and especially the audio narrator, was a little bit like that. Maybe it was an intentional memory gimmick, (and the book did have some good information,) but in the end I just couldn’t do it.
July 5, 2024
My main takeaway from the book is to utilize the see-link-go format in everything we do—memorizing names, building a memory palace, or remembering a deck of cards.
The book provides specific examples on how to use this technique and build upon it, including the Major System and the PAO phonetic system, to help improve our memory skills.
The tone is rather informal, and there are a lot of fun graphics throughout the book. Definitely a fun read!
The book provides specific examples on how to use this technique and build upon it, including the Major System and the PAO phonetic system, to help improve our memory skills.
The tone is rather informal, and there are a lot of fun graphics throughout the book. Definitely a fun read!
January 22, 2020
The author gives a clear and practical description of how to memorise many of the things that we tend to forget everyday. He also gets in depth on how to use the techniques and make them work. I think his techniques are practical and very useful.
May 16, 2019
Inspiring
Dellis has mastered these techniques and has put them to good use. If you want to do the same then this book is the best guide I know of and I’ve read many, many books of this type.
Dellis has mastered these techniques and has put them to good use. If you want to do the same then this book is the best guide I know of and I’ve read many, many books of this type.
February 8, 2019
Started listening on Audio Book. Much better in print format. Great book to learn tools to assist in remembering. Well done.
March 28, 2019
There are definitely some neat tips and ideas in here for improving memory and remembering things. I think for me it will mostly be helpful for remembering names and numbers.
June 24, 2021
Very helpful book. It contains almost every technique to memorise anything.
I am using it as an everyday guide to improve my memory. Within just 2 weeks I saw great results.
I am using it as an everyday guide to improve my memory. Within just 2 weeks I saw great results.
April 21, 2025
This book on audible discusses many clever ways to not only memorize and remember information, but improve your overall brain health. Though this is not a light read, I enjoyed this and learned a lot. There are several examples and practice points throughout. I have already used some of these tactics throughout my life, but there were some new strategies as well that are brilliant. This read is suitable for people of all ages who are interested in improving memory, whether it’s cramming information for a test, remembering passwords and phone numbers, or where you put your keys.
June 15, 2021
Absolutely fascinating and riveting (believe it or not)! I will be going back to this book as a reference over and over again. It is encouraging, hilarious, and extremely motivating to get my mind into shape, and to trust my memory more than other devices. It's all about SEE, LINK, GO!
December 2, 2019
Pretty amazing, but not perfect. Has tons of real world examples including a most useful technique for remembering names.
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May 24, 2021I’m a fan of Nelson and how accessible he makes memory training.
This is a great supplemental read if you have taken his memory course.
This is going to be my quick reference text while I train for my first memory competition this summer.
This is a great supplemental read if you have taken his memory course.
This is going to be my quick reference text while I train for my first memory competition this summer.
June 20, 2019
Nelson Dellis has done a remarkable job of teaching us how to train our memories and make them stronger.
Using examples from his own experience he shows us just how simple memory training can be.
This book is a pure pleasure to read.
Using examples from his own experience he shows us just how simple memory training can be.
This book is a pure pleasure to read.
June 20, 2019
Easy to read, useful, and funny. No false advertising in this one - Nelson Dellis delivers what he promises.
November 22, 2020
This is a fun little book on heuristics for improving memory, mostly "short term", which basically amount to mapping pieces of the thing[s] you want to memorize (phone numbers, sequence of objects facts etc.) and the relations between these things to another "context" that is more familiar to you (e.g. letters to people you know, foreign words to objects that sound similar to words in your native language etc.) and then purposely exaggerating the context you've mapped the information to make it stick out in your mind.
Dellis, who is a memory champion litters most of the book with examples of this process, and many of his "context mappings" (my phrase) tend to be absurd, surreal, or down right grotesque (toilet humor a plenty in this book). Still, I appreciated the practical nature of the book, it's a text "light" on theory, and very much designed to get you executing on improving your memory. Though Dellis has a named-system for this process, it actually escapes me at the moment (ironic!), so I'll have to definitely listen to the text again (or perhaps purchase the kindle version as visual contextualization is a big part of his process, and from what I can tell, his book has a lot of interesting info/process visuals to help digest and internalize his system.
A definite recommend, perhaps not in audiobook format alone, but I think it would be worth getting both the audio and kindle for this one. I'll update my review once I've gone through it in Kindle format.
Dellis, who is a memory champion litters most of the book with examples of this process, and many of his "context mappings" (my phrase) tend to be absurd, surreal, or down right grotesque (toilet humor a plenty in this book). Still, I appreciated the practical nature of the book, it's a text "light" on theory, and very much designed to get you executing on improving your memory. Though Dellis has a named-system for this process, it actually escapes me at the moment (ironic!), so I'll have to definitely listen to the text again (or perhaps purchase the kindle version as visual contextualization is a big part of his process, and from what I can tell, his book has a lot of interesting info/process visuals to help digest and internalize his system.
A definite recommend, perhaps not in audiobook format alone, but I think it would be worth getting both the audio and kindle for this one. I'll update my review once I've gone through it in Kindle format.
June 4, 2019
Fantastic book, very knowledgeable and very practical content
October 23, 2018
Note, I was planning on giving this a 4, but sometimes the examples of things you're supposed to try out these memorization techniques on are typoed on the same page. Dates, numbers, etc. could have used a little more close attention during editing... that being said:
It's an intriguing book. The techniques are practical as long as you don't mind letting your imagination flow freely. I only wish there was more historical context around how these techniques came to be the most prominent, who popularized them, etc. But considering the title of the book implies you'll gain practical skill, I can see why the author didn't spend as much time on the history of memorization, or take a more academic view. That being said, the techniques are effective based off of my experience doing the exercises in the book.
It's an intriguing book. The techniques are practical as long as you don't mind letting your imagination flow freely. I only wish there was more historical context around how these techniques came to be the most prominent, who popularized them, etc. But considering the title of the book implies you'll gain practical skill, I can see why the author didn't spend as much time on the history of memorization, or take a more academic view. That being said, the techniques are effective based off of my experience doing the exercises in the book.
October 26, 2022
I read this book because I wanted to remember my husbands phone number in case I don’t have my phone with me, and while listening I thought the method was overly complicated so I didn’t enjoy it much. But I tried it anyway and wanted to test whether it worked so I memorised 150 digits of pi in 20 minutes while at the same time creating my own system. And it worked perfectly. So now I consider myself a pi expert, which is absolutely useless, but I’m sure I’ll also remember his phone number now and that makes me happy after all.
Best regards,
someone that calls IT every month because she suddenly forgot her work-password again and forgot where she wrote it down.
Best regards,
someone that calls IT every month because she suddenly forgot her work-password again and forgot where she wrote it down.
February 8, 2019
Am I ever going to win a memory championship ... nope.
But that's not why I read this.
I read to challenge myself and keep my brain processing information.
The SEE-LINK-GO method is something I was already doing myself, but after reading this book I am armed with a better structure of how to remember and recall.
This was a fun read, but be forewarned, it takes time to learn the techniques and you will only learn them with effort and repetition.
But that's not why I read this.
I read to challenge myself and keep my brain processing information.
The SEE-LINK-GO method is something I was already doing myself, but after reading this book I am armed with a better structure of how to remember and recall.
This was a fun read, but be forewarned, it takes time to learn the techniques and you will only learn them with effort and repetition.
October 16, 2018
The author is very enthusiastic, and the journey to have a super memory with him looks like a lot of fun.
I always wondered if memory athlete could use their imagination for other things than memorization. Like getting ideas, writing.
And how it could affect our self-talk and thoughts in our everyday life.
I always wondered if memory athlete could use their imagination for other things than memorization. Like getting ideas, writing.
And how it could affect our self-talk and thoughts in our everyday life.
February 16, 2019
It is a quick and fun read. The main point is to visualize what you need to remember, and link it to the things that you are very familiar and give them a new meaning. See - Pay attention, Link - Visualize and Link - New yet easy to remember meaning.
December 17, 2018
Very useful
I am enjoy reading this book. I think is very useful for day by day. I really really like it
I am enjoy reading this book. I think is very useful for day by day. I really really like it
December 22, 2018
Definitely the best memory-specific book I've read. Does a great job connecting to the practical, which is where most memory books fail.
January 21, 2019
Great overview of memory techniques and good examples of how to apply them
October 13, 2019
There are good techniques in the book to help remember various things. Must continuously practice them to be effective.
January 1, 2020
Great book if u interested in training your memory:)
April 10, 2020
Lots of good tips for improving memory. Implementation does take work, though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews