How did you memorize names and numbers in the phone books?

Tansel describes memorizing over 2,300 business names and 20,000 digits and linking names to numbers bidirectionally.

Transcript

chevron_right

Play full episode

chevron_right

Transcript

Episode notes

In this episode, Chris Do sits down with Tansel Ali, a four-time Australian Memory Champion, to explore how anyone can train their brain to remember anything — from names and speeches to entire books or phone directories.

Together, they unpack the science and art of storytelling for memory, the role of emotion in recall, and how tools like spaced repetition and the memory palace can transform how we learn. Tansel explains that memory isn’t a talent but a trainable skill that anyone can develop. Listeners will walk away with clear, actionable techniques to strengthen their focus, recall, and retention.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro

(01:00) - Meet Tansel Ali, memory master

(02:20) - Memorizing two phone books

(04:40) - Short-term vs long-term recall

(05:55) - Storytelling as a memory tool

(08:20) - Remembering names creatively

(10:40) - Visualization and imagination hacks

(12:30) - Why emotional memory sticks

(15:00) - Spaced repetition explained

(16:40) - Inside the memory palace method

(19:00) - Recall vs storage mindset