The Magnetic Memory Method Podcast

Nelson Dellis shares the thinking and strategy behind his highly visual memory techniques. He also has a new book out called Remember It! We go deep into his approach to mnemonics and how you can get more from your memory practice by modeling his approach.

Olly Richards has a new series with Teach Yourself and these really are the best language learning books I've ever seen. Listen in and you'll learn why along with how to make sure you're choosing engaging language learning books that will help you achieve fluency fast.

When it comes to memory training, Phil Chambers is one of the best on the planet. His book How to Train Your Memory gives you real world and memory competition examples that will help you improve your memory quickly.

Tony Buzan reveals the transformative power of mind mapping through ten foundational laws. The discussion dives into how these laws enhance creativity and memory, debunking common misconceptions along the way. Practical ideas for merging mind mapping with the Major System and Memory Palace technique are also explored, providing listeners with tools to unlock their cognitive potential. Revisiting the basics is emphasized, encouraging continuous learning and adaptation in mastering these powerful methods.

Many people ask if they can improve memory like Sherlock Holmes using a Mind Palace or Memory Palace. The answer may surprise you, along with 11 other things you should be doing for real memory improvement instead.

Looking for the most powerful memory techniques you can use to memorize numbers? Tune in and learn the Major System, PAO and 00-99 for fast and flexible number memory skills starting today!

What if I told you I can show you how to improve focus and concentration in less than five minutes a day? Would you believe me? If you've just said… I'm not sure… In fact… I'm downright skeptical! Good answer. Skepticism is good. In fact, as you're about to learn, it's one of the best tools for creating lasting focus and concentration. You can use the tool of skepticism (and others I'll share on this page) to create laser-sharp awareness that not only helps you understand information better… It also makes you feel fantastic! The best part? Everything you do to improve concentration and focus also improves your memory. And that's exactly what the Magnetic Memory Method mission is all about: Showing you how focus, concentration and memory are all sides of the same dice. Are you ready? Great! Then let's get the focus and concentration party started with my favorite ways to improve concentration and focus. 1. Learn How To Improve Focus And Concentration By Resting More Didn't think I would start off with a wildcard, did you? But it's true. According to Alex Soojung-Kim Pang in his book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, many people throughout history who displayed mounds of focus and concentration… Took a lot of rest. Charles Dickens, for example, wrote tons of books but spent huge chunks of his day walking. And as Palle Yourgrau shows in A World Without Time: The Forgotten Legacy of Gödel and Einstein, part of Einstein's success secret involved ample amounts of walking… Just not walking alone. It's actually hard to tell who was smarter: Einstein or Gödel. Personally, I wouldn't want to make any bets myself, but we know for a fact that both these men had these things in common: 1. They took lots of rest. 2. They walked a lot. 3. They were geniuses who changed the world. The Two Secrets Of How Walking Increases Focus And Concentration… According to Pang and the mountains of cool research he cites, walking isn't restful because it's not working. Rather, walking lets the mind wander. But wait a second! Isn't mind wandering the opposite of focus and concentration? Not necessarily. In fact, when you let your mind wander, your brain chemistry changes. Yes, we're talking about "drugs," specifically dopamine. And from a scientific perspective, it's important to understand that most people get their best ideas when their dopamine levels are high. These are, ironically, when we are the most distracted. For example, you are most distracted and experiencing high levels of dopamine when you are dreaming, running, driving, walking, or, the most classic example of them all, taking a hot shower. Why do we get more ideas when engaging in activities like these? It's not just the dopamine. It's also that we're disengaged. Speaking of which, I'd like you to be engaged, so let me ask you this: For more information about this topic, please read Rest for more on the science of mind wandering. Oh, and believe it or not, I didn't just read this cool book and pass it on to you without trying the suggestions out for myself. More on my results in a future blog post. For now, it appears that Pang practices what he preaches too. Just check out his blog. In sum: Walking works. Especially when you combine it with Digital Fasting, my own personal cure for Digital Amnesia. 2. Remove Distractions And Read From Real Books I don't know about you, but I once had a love/hate relationship with Kindle. It got so bad we ultimately broke up. I haven't read a full book on Kindle for more than three years now. The last time I tried, I gave up 1/4 of the way through and ordered the same book in print. Why? Maybe it's because I'm getting older. But I believe it's partly because I never had a proper Kindle device. I always used the Kindle app on an iPhone. And that meant it was crushingly easy to open up a browser – or use the app itself – to fact check things. Every disruption led to less U.S.S.R. No, not the former Soviet Union! I'm talking about Uninterrupted Silent Sustained Reading. You see, physical books are like focus and concentration "engines." If you can just get comfortable with them and stay the course… They pull you along page by page, increasing your commitment to paying attention… Indeed, increasing your attention span itself (which in no way resembles the sharpness and clarity of a twitchy little goldfish). The trick is in carving out time to read. How to do that? It's easy: Put the spotlight on all the things you do that are NOT reading. Then ask yourself… Do I want to improve my focus and concentration (and memory)? Or do I prefer to sit on the couch and watch Netflix? Or have a thousand tabs open or drown myself with music as my friend Joanna Jast talked about when she shared her tips on improving focus. Increasing Focus And Concentration Requires This Secret Ingredient In other words, the experts on these matters are talking about prioritizing. Whether you prioritize with a calendar, a mind map, or even a Memory Palace to memorize your to-do list, this is how to get reading done: 1. Eliminate things that are not reading from your schedule. Things you really need not do. 2. Schedule time for reading. Even if it's just 5 minutes a day, it's a start that will do wonders. (One neat book that takes just 5 minutes a day you can sink your teeth into is Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle. Highly recommended, especially if you want to memorize books.) 3. Bonus: Schedule time for reading books about how to improve your focus and concentration. Or how about a set of books on how to improve focus at work? Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe books like Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. If you'd like other reading suggestions, check out why I make revisiting at least one book I've read before part of my Re-Reading Strategy. 3. Gamble Your Time With Focusing and Concentrating On Zilch There's a long history of scientific research showing a paradox stranger than what we just learned about mind-wandering… It's that meditation improves memory! That's right. Sitting down and staring at the wall can and will improve your memory. Walking meditation will help too. You don't have to work hard at it. You don't have to do it for hours on end. You just have to sit down and breathe. And you really can start with just 5 minutes a day. Here's all the best research on meditation and memory I've got for you so far. Now it's time to take you deeper into my own meditation practice specifically for focus and concentration. Again, calibrating your attention to laser-sharp levels of focus connect with memory in multiple ways. Here's a shocking fact: These connections are not always simple to explain. However, they are easy to spot once you start feeling them. And all the more so when you have a flexible memory method. How You Will Notice This Special Technique Is Improving Your Focus And Concentration Here are a list of some things you'll notice when you start meditating: 1. Less mental chatter. When the boardroom in your head settles down, your focus and concentration must improve. Why? Because you won't get caught up in so much of what Gary Weber calls "blah blah blah." Please don't expect it to disappear completely. It seems possible that it can, but in my experience with what Jeffrey Martin calls Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience (PNSE)… Complete silence in your head is not necessarily a desirable outcome. (Kind of like how photographic memory is not really the blessing people think it is. As Jill Price's story illustrates in that blog post, that kind of memory is much less a path to focusing help when you need to concentrate and can disrupt your life and sanity.) 2. The world seems more vivid. Imagine if colors that used to be so boring you didn't notice them now jump out at you. Do you think that would sharpen your concentration? It certainly did for me. For example, after learning the Wim Hof Method and experiencing a breakthrough in my meditation practice, I remember heading to the gym one morning… All of a sudden I noticed a traffic sign on a street corner in Berlin that I must have seen hundreds, if not thousands of times before. Suddenly the sign itself and its faded green color leapt out at me. I noticed every crack in its paint. The rusted iron holding it in the air was suddenly so beautiful and precious. I felt immersed in each and every detail. And yet for some reason, although it must have been in my field of vision many times before… Something so extraordinary had been completely invisible. Of course, the goal when learning how to focus your mind is not to become autistic or continually overwhelmed by every little detail. And that's not at all what happened to me. But this experience transfers directly to paying attention to what I'm reading in books. I'm aware of both the characteristics of the page and the information at the same time. And I'm aware of using memory techniques to remember dates and names and facts… All without skipping a beat because meditation has helped me keep my brain focused on information. All while my awareness of the beauty of the material world feels blissful. (Okay, I'm human too and sometimes slip from this bliss, but thanks to regular practice, it snaps back in place mighty fast.) Would you like to know how to train your brain to stay focused? In a word: Meditate. 3. Feel Less Bothered By Worldly Events You Cannot Control You know how it is, right? You're humming along. Everything's great. Your mood couldn't be better… Then… Bam! Something happens that completely ruins everything. All of a sudden you feel horrible, hate everything and it seems like the end of the world. Believe me, I've been there. But it happens less and less. And the more I focus on how to increase focus and attention span (and memory) through meditation, the more I can let go. There's a cool quote in The Fire of Self-Knowledge by James Swartz on why this might take place: "To clean the mind, an inquirer needs to abandon gratuitous activities, dedicate essential desire-prompted activities to the field of life and take the results as a gift." To be fair, Swartz says in this commentary on Shankaracharya's Atma Bodha that meditation should not be your only strategy. Far from it! But when you meditate, you'll find you can let go of one of the most gratuitous activities of all: Grumbling at things you cannot change. And because everything is so much more vibrant, you'll see the results of actions you take as a gift, no matter what form the results take. How To Bring Rest, Reading and Meditation Together For A Focus And Concentration Triple-Whammy Could I take another few moments of your time and share my own daily ritual? I promise that it will help you, even if only to give you some ideas to play around with for your personal development. Assuming you're cool with that, here's basically how I suggest anyone can improve their focus and concentration while developing their memory skills: 1. Remove all devices from the room where you sleep. If you struggle at first, learn savasana. That's a fancy yoga-word for lying still without moving. I wrote a whole book about it called The Ultimate Sleep Remedy, but seriously, just lay without moving and train yourself to be comfortable with it. I wander my Memory Palaces as I lay there and focus on breathing and some of the other things I'm going to share with you in this list. 2. Read physical books and use memory techniques (like the Magnetic Memory Method) to remember the information. I've suggested a few books already, and here's one I'm actively memorizing from at the moment. At the end of Evolving Beyond Thought, Gary Weber has included something extraordinary: The best "self-inquiry" phrases from the Ribhu Gita. Remember when I was talking about skepticism at the top of this page? What a powerful tool it can be for improving your focus and concentration? Well, now you've hit pay dirt. So far I've memorized the Sanskrit for: How do my thoughts behave? Are they useful? Just how unreal are my thoughts? (I recited a bit on a recent podcast all about binaural beats and memory, which may or may not help with the focus and concentration issue.) Why does this skepticism help improve my focus and concentration while enhancing my memory? The answer is simple: When I catch the boardroom in my mind running along, I remember to ask in BOTH Sanskrit and English these skeptical questions. I'm exercising my memory while correcting course back to focus and concentration! Because the answer is usually, "No! These thoughts are impeding my concentration!" And when I realize that, thanks to meditation, I can let them go. Even better: Sometimes, thanks to persistent skepticism, I get the opposite the answer to the question. Sometimes I get to say, "Yes! These thoughts are useful!" In fact, sometimes my thoughts are especially beneficial, such as when I'm thinking about how to teach you memory skills and better mental habits. And how "unreal" are they? Well, they are never unreal when people like Robert Martínez emails to say: Dear Anthony, Just to let you know that I'm really happy as I used my first Memory Palace to memorise 41 criteria for a teacher assessment scheme I work with and it took me only 1.5 hours to encode. I then asked one of my colleagues to test me by asking me random criteria e.g. what's 5d, 4m, etc. and it was exciting! I was able to decode all the information and my colleague was really impressed. I told her about the MMM too. Anyways, I just wanted to share my excitement with you! Bye for now, Robert Of course, I don't let it get to my ego (much). I just teach more. And learn more, so I have more to teach. Just like I recommend you do. Because here's the thing: At the end of the day, you are in control of how you improve your focus and concentration. There are lots of ways to get there, but all of them involve changing your perception of the world. And resting, reading and meditation are the finest ways I know of making that happen while improving your memory. The Truth About Perception According To Oliver Sacks And you don't have to take my word for it. Just listen to Oliver Sacks laying down the truth: "Every act of perception is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination." When you follow the three suggestions in this post, you'll find that you use perception to create better habits. And that leads to better thoughts. Thoughts that shape better behaviors. Rest or do whatever healthy things switch your dopamine on to improve your focus and concentration. Read real books and memorize the materials. Then meditate. Wander a Memory Palace while you're at it. I have more steps you can follow related to the journaling elements and language learning if you want to really go for gold. Do these things and the improvement of your focus and concentration will happen practically on autopilot. The post How to Improve Focus And Concentration Using 3 Memory Boosting Habits appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Are you looking for the perfect memorization technique? And getting frustrated? Well, don't blame yourself. Because it is frustrating, isn't it? I mean… everywhere you go people are using different terminology. Linking… P.A.O. … Mind Palace… Roman Room… Journey Method… Mnemonic Peg System… How Real Are The Promises Of Memorization Techniques For Students And Mature Learners? I mean, lets face it: All those terms sometimes make the whole memory improvement world feel a bit like a hoax. After all, even if science backs up memory improvement techniques 100%… Why the heck can't people get their terms straight!?! Well, let's get the painful truth about the world of memorization techniques out of the way: Whether you want to know how to memorize a speech fast or are desperate for memorization techniques for studying… You're going to come across a lot of different terms. That's just the way the world of memory improvement. It has been since humans started developing memorization techniques to help them survive. And it's getting more complex! But in reality, a lot of those techniques are essentially the same. Each and every one has a location-based element in one way or another. That means that all memorization techniques are spatial. And as Thales, the first person in the West to be considered a philosopher and scientist in the same body, said: Megiston topos hapanta gar chorei (Space is ultimate for it contains all things) That's the very cool thing about the discoveries here at the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. Once you understand this and practice with memorization techniques from this basis, your results will accelerate. And the complexity eases down, even if there will still be ins and outs to consider. And if you're interested in more about the history of where mnemonics come from to help humans deal with complexity and how they used space to do it, please check out Lynne Kelly's The Memory Code. Just as we do here on this blog nearly every week, Lynne's book will show you exactly how learning these techniques will help you deal with extreme complexity in modern life. My course which you can subscribe to at the bottom of this post will take you through everything too. It's free. For now, let's persist and do our best to get past all the confusing terminology. Let's talk instead about the… 5 Little-Known Benefits Of Using The Best Memorization Technique Of Them All Ultimately, what will help most people is the Magnetic Memory Palace. At the end of this post, you'll get an opportunity to learn how to create one of these for free, along with the best terminology we've got. No more "method of loci" or other confusing terms. Again, the truth is that the linking method and the peg method and the Roman Room, the Major System and all the rest… You can use them all at the same time in a Magnetic Memory Palace. And if you know the benefits of learning to do so… Any overwhelm you face will be easy to handle. Plus, you can experience these 5 benefits, starting with… 1. Use Fast Memorization Techniques To Make Learning Fun! I get email every day from people who find learning a real challenge. Some of them are struggling to learn and remember very boring topics. That's a real problem too because when you're bored… Your progress slows to a crawl. Yet, when you have the right memorization technique for the job, things not only get faster… The memorization techniques for studying you use make everything more interesting. And more fun. The Best Memorization Techniques Rapidly Increase Focus And Concentration Especially when you know how to to improve focus and concentration with a memorization technique like the Magnetic Memory Palace. Of course, it helps too if you know about motivation in learn, such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Basically, you just have to make sure that you're always dangling a carrot in front of you instead of threatening yourself with a stick. Don't believe me? Self punishment is a real issue when it comes to memory. Please avoid it at all costs. 2. Memorization Techniques For Exams Reduce Stress Imagine walking into an exam that you know you will pass with 100% certainty. It's totally possible if you have the right memory techniques on your side. And in this episode about Giordano Bruno, Scott Gosnell talks about how you can create a Memory Palace out of the examination room itself. The stress reduction isn't just about memorization techniques for college students either. Many adults face certification exams at different points in their career. And when you're working full time, the stress on your memory can be huge. (And if you suffer Manic Depression like I did during university, these memory improvement tips for the Manic Depressive University Student will be especially helpful.) For that reason, it totally makes sense to have the best memorization technique on the planet ready to go. 3. Using Effective Memorization Techniques Create Long-Term Brain Health Use it or lose it. We hear the phrase all the time. But how many of us actively complete brain exercises? (No, not the Cogmed variety, but real brain exercises.) And more than just real brain fitness. Do you do it… Consistently? Whether you're getting a brain workout from visual memorization techniques or memorization techniques for actors (because remembering cool lines from movies helps), regularity matters. Or as one of the supporters of the Magnetic Memory Method once said (Howdy, Alex!): Use the right memorization technique for the job or go H.O.M.E. The acronym stands for: Huge Outcomes Means Exercising And let me tell you, if you want to know how to remember things you read or learn a new language, you'll want to get started right away. After all, the more you learn, the more you can learn. And if you, like me, want to be sharper as a whistle in your old age, the time to start using the best memorization techniques on the planet is not now… It's right now. 4. The Right Memorization Technique Can Help You Scratch That Language Off Your Bucket List Sure, memory exercises are fun. They can perhaps even stave off Alzheimer's and Dementia. But knowing another language can also help. There's even proof that bilingualism is a brain and memory health strategy. Not only is language learning an ongoing source of mental fitness, but you get the benefits of more socialization. You can literally meet more people and get to know them more deeply. This exposure to people enriches the brain with chemicals. The other cool thing about the Memory Palace technique I suggest you learn and use involves the organized approach you can take. I realize this is going to sound counterintuitive, but here's the thing: Language learning experts and polyglots like my friend Olly Richards are right. They advise that you always learn words in phrases. Or at least think intelligently about the question, single words or full sentences? Why Memorizing Words Is A Skill Instead Of Phrases Matters But from the perspective of mnemonics – and especially the Magnetic Memory Method – this is right only after you know how to memorize individual words. If you can't do that, then memorizing entire phrases will be too complicated (at first). You'll be trying to build the house of your fluency from the roof down. You need to build up your memory skills from the foundations instead. This fact is why my international bestselling course is called How to Learn and Memorize the Vocabulary of Any Language. Not "the phrases" of any language. Start with the foundations of individual words and you will quickly learn to memorize entire phrases. Not only that, but you'll learn to memorize any grammar rules you wish, including conjugation rules. But you need a memory method willing to tell the truth. And that truth involves mastering the basics first before going for gold. Once that's established, you really can experience massive boosts in fluency and learn entire phrases on demand. If you're skeptic, that's a good thing. I've got two more resources for you: First: Here are 15 Reasons Why Learning A Language Is Good For Your Brain. Second: Here's a live stream replay where you can watch me memorizing Chinese song lyrics in real time in front of an audience: Anyone can do this and I would love if I could inspire you in this way, so give it a view. And please subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're there if you'd like to join me on a future live stream. I really put my butt on the line to demonstrate for you exactly how these techniques work. And as you'll see – I felt VERY good when I pulled off the challenge. Wouldn't you like to feel good like that too? 5. The Right Memorization Technique For The Job Eliminates Fear Let's face it: Students suffer from examination phobia. Language learners quake in their boots when they get the chance to speak with a native. Doctors make mistakes with patient names that kill. And so on. The reality is that no one has to suffer from the fears of making mistakes. Yes, sometimes they happen. That's just part of reality. But the benefits of good memory with the right memorization technique can reduce mistakes dramatically. Especially when people use their knowledge to remember to sleep, eat well and keep hydrated. Memory techniques really are about more than just learning faster. They're about improving every aspect of your life and creating balance. Integration. Wholeness. And ultimately, competence and control over your destiny. How To Deal With The Global Abundance Of Memorization Techniques Yes, there are a lot of terms out there as more and more people teach their favorite memorization technique. But try not to get lost in the terminology. Just find memory training and memory improvement courses you resonate with and trust. Give those memory experts your attention. Follow the instructions and recommendations. Experiment. You'll be amazed by the memory improvement you experience. Better: You'll be thrilled by the additional benefits using memory techniques brings. Are you ready to be thrilled? Let me know in the discussion area below and then grab the Magnetic Memory Method Improvement Kit to get started today! The post Memorization Technique Secrets: 5 Rarely Known Benefits Of Mnemonics appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.