The Magnetic Memory Method Podcast

The Freedom Journal… sounds ambitious right? Well, what if I told you that I've discovered profound memory benefits from journaling for language learning, including boosts in physical and emotional wellbeing? Benefits that definitely deserve the word "freedom." That's what I am going to tell you about. And it's all happening right now in this step-by-step guide. This page will show you how to use The Freedom Journal to experience multiple levels of mental freedom while using it to learn a language with consistency and confidence. The best part? You don't have to journal blindly. You don't have to start from scratch or wonder exactly how you're going to chart your path towards improved fluency. You just have to: Click play on the podcast above. John Lee Dumas himself is on this episode of the MMM Podcast to help explain how this amazing tool came into existence. Grab yourself your very own Freedom Journal (ideally in print for the fullest brain benefits). Then, have the language you want to learn… A couple of Memory Palaces… 5-10 minutes in the morning, another 5-10 in the evening… And you're ready to experience brain benefits and fluency like never before. Ready? Let's go! A (Very) Brief History Of Journaling You know what journaling is, right? Your words. About you. On paper. Or written inside a digital document. Take your pick. More carefully defined: A journal (or diary) is a place you store entries on a daily or near-daily basis. It is voluntary, helps you put problems to rest and keep yourself moving forward. You can journal to maintain flow, learn more about yourself and use the Magnetic Memory Method better as you go. Or, like the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote in Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν (To Myself), you can journal purely to capture your thoughts. These days, "To Myself' is known as Meditations. Aurelius wrote it in the second half of the 2nd century AD and, even though this book started as his journal, it is still a bestseller today. Here's the important point: Journaling is powerful and the practice has stood the test of time. Therapeutic Journaling And How It Can Help You Learn A Language Did you know that in the 1980s, James Pennabaker's expressive writing paradigm opened scientists onto a whole new world of understanding what makes journaling so good for your health? He started by looking at journaling as a tool for helping people deal with trauma. But soon after that, dozens and soon hundreds of studies started to appear showing similar effects. A lot of them are gathered up and synthesized in one of my favorite books of all time, 59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute. Sounds like hype, right? It isn't. Wiseman is one of the best science writers of our era and if you want the hard data on why journaling, ideally by hand on paper, works so much magic, you'll want to read 59 Seconds. Here's why all this matters: Journaling Makes You Feel Better And Remember More Feeling better literally helps you remember more because the absence of pain is an incredible way to increase your focus and concentration. And that is a huge help when you're learning a language. That said, if you don't feel frustrated or discouraged, then maybe you don't need journaling. But before you decide, check out these… 3 Warning Signs That Scream You Need Journaling To Succeed With Language Learning We've talked before about these 15 Reasons Why Learning A Foreign Language Is Good For Your Brain. And the reason you need at least bilingualism in your life is simple: Learning a language is excellent for the resilience of the white and grey matter in your brain. The ongoing use of other languages creates has been shown to fend off Alzheimer's and Dementia. (So long as you're not reducing your results with Digital Amnesia and self-deception about your attention-span.) But often, scientific proof isn't enough to create significant motivation for language learning. In fact, you might be experiencing one of these 3 warning signs that you need journaling for Language Learning. 1. You're Not Consistent There's no doubt about it: Learning a language takes time plus consistency. Consistency is a skill, and for many of us (including me), not always one that shows up on autopilot. Journaling can help. 2. You Struggle With Organizing Your Time Let's be honest: Time is a slippery fish. Yes, yes, we all know the old line: "Everybody gets the same 24 hours a day." But you know what's so maddening about that cliche? Even if it's true… Not everyone has your life situation, nor your obligations! Journaling (with the right journal) can help you find a tailor made solution. 3. You Forget Where You Left Off (And Even Why You're On The Journey) Do you know why artists use sketchbooks? Yeah, they're convenient. Duh. But they're also a time machine. They reveal the ongoing progress and serve as reminders of where things need to go. And just as an artist needs to see the development of their strokes and abilities with shading… So too do they need clues about what to work on next. It's exactly the same with language learning. With a journal, you can look both forward and back into the past with ease. How To Stop Gambling With Your Language Learning Success Gambling? C'mon, Dr. Memory. Isn't that a rather theatrical way to put it? Not if you value your time. After all, every minute you spend learning a language only to forget what you've learned… Frustrates you. Demotivates you. Chips away at your resilience and makes it harder and harder to succeed. Enter John Lee Dumas And The Freedom Journal All of a sudden one of the most impressive Kickstarter campaigns I have ever seen was everywhere. Great videos and images were talking about how to gauge your pace by setting proper goals and breaking them up into sprints. I'd already been journaling for years. I'd already seen variations on the "regimented journal" many times before. But The Freedom Journal was different. I instantly saw how it could help language learners. And, quite frankly, I was pretty sure it could help me too. Because if there's one thing I hate above all things… It's gambling with my time! My First Experiment (And MASSIVE Success) With The Freedom Journal Learning a language is a big project. And I had just started with Chinese at the time. But I had another project I knew I had to get off my shoulders. The Zeigarnick Effect it was giving me had gotten far too strong. The course is called Genre Frameworks and I'm delighted that it's finally done. But before I sought help from The Freedom Journal, this incomplete project was interfering with my mental space for Chinese and a few other things. So I decided to see if I could bolt the two things things together: 1) Finally get one of my old Film Studies lecture courses into video format and… 2) Learn enough Chinese to ask April's dad for his blessing to get married. After a bit of small talk, of course. All while still showing up for my day job, which involves: Blogging Vlogging Podcasting Developing Branding You Academy Plus… …wearing the 9000 other hats stubborn entrepreneurs with a massive vision for improving lives around the world gladly heap onto their heads. No matter what your calling, perhaps you can relate to be being busy in your own life too? At any stage of your career, or in any life situation, you really can get multiple things done if you have a plan and follow a structure. So to pull of these two projects while still keeping the Magnetic Memory Method ship rolling along without skipping a beat, here's what I did: How The Freedom Journal Helps You Take Charge Of Your Time & Memory The Freedom Journal starts off by helping you define a goal that you: a) Want to achieve b) Can achieve within 100 days It walks you through a simple process for "fact checking" yourself so that you're not stacking the chips against you and your project. Remember, no one likes to gamble with time. When you do, you always lose. With the Magnetic Memory Method on my side, and all the things I've learned from Olly Richards about how to consistently get quick victories with language learning courses, I hopped on a call with my Chinese tutor. I booked every single session with my tutor in advance, another little trick I learned from Olly to "brute force" your way into showing up consistently. Using the Magnetic Memory Method Vocabulary Builder in combination with The Freedom Journal, we charted out a course for the next 100 days with 2-3 speaking sessions per week. Using the Freedom Journal, I broke the 100 day mission into 10-day sprints. For language learning, that process looks like this: 1. The Rule of Ten Magnetic Memory Palaces Create 10 Memory Palaces with no less than 10 Magnetic Stations (ideally a bit more than 10 to give yourself some breathing room and fend off Memory Palace Scarcity). Then keep creating Memory Palaces for the spatial memory benefits. 2. The Rule of Ten Words Per Memory Palace In each of these Memory Palaces, memorize 10 words per day. If you're more advanced, you can immediately add phrases to each word. If you're not yet skilled enough with memory techniques, do this instead: Focus on individual words for the first 2-3 sprints. By the time you hit your stride in 2-3 weeks, you'll easily be able to memorize both core vocabulary and entire phrases. 3. The Rule of Journaling Every Day The Freedom Journal is so valuable because on a time budget of just two pages a day, you get all the emotional benefits and psychological benefits discussed in the scientific research that supports the benefits of journaling. You also get the art sketchbook effect where you can see your progress over time and comfortably predict the future. And by the end of the 100 days, you'll have 100 words and anywhere from 50-80 phrases in long term memory. A Detailed Anatomy Of The Freedom Journal For Language Learning Part One: Conquer the Morning, Conquer the Day Step-by-step, here's how a typical morning using The Freedom Journal works: 1. A Powerful and Inspiring Quote First, you get what I've come to think of as a "Mindset Adjuster." It's a great way of thinking positively and remembering the things that really matter. Many of them are worth committing to memory too. 2. Quick Reflection Next, you reflect on what makes you grateful. Now, you might be wondering… Does gratitude actually work? The answer is "absolutely." Again, 59 Seconds is great reading for the proof, but you can also check out Dr. Erin Olivo. The way she describes journaling really resonates with me: Journaling has been demonstrated beyond doubt to create greater levels of happiness. Thus, happiness is a choice. Bonus tip: Over deliver on gratitude by pushing for as much as you can. When you realize how lucky you are to have things like food and water, it's gets pretty difficult to focus on the wee bit of effort learning a language takes. After all, you could be wandering through the desert under the weight of two barely functioning buckets instead of reading this post on a mobile phone on the bus or in a Starbucks, right? 3. Break The Steps Down Yes, The Freedom Journal asks you to do this every day. For really long projects like the one I completed, I'll be honest with you… It got a little tedious. But I practice what I preach, so I'm going to put my Nikes on before I climb the soap box: Just. Do. It. The cumulative effects of reminding yourself of what needs to be done are powerful. 4. Action Plan On the day you see pictured here, I'd already done most of my language learning activities. You likely won't fill it out at the exact same time every day either. But that's the beauty of it all: By checking in with The Freedom Journal daily, you develop the habit of translating your journaling into action. So keep journaling and filling these parts out even after they become second nature to reinforce them. And if you're wondering about exactly what I did with my language learning ritual, check out Mandarin Chinese Mnemonics And Morning Memory Secrets. Basically, it works like this: Come already prepared with the vocabulary and/or phrases you want to memorize ready to go with your Memory Palace for the day already drawn in The Freedom Journal. See Part Two for more. 5. Morning Mind Relief We know from many creativity studies that a quick switch to something else helps keep you sharp. And so part of the genius of The Freedom Journal is that it gives you something else to think about for your creative projects by suggesting a resource each and every day. Even if you already use the tool under recommendation, it triggers ideas. And that's good for your brain. Part Two: Conquer the Evening, Conquer the Morning 6. Record Your Wins & Your Memory Palaces At the end of the day, I love listing two quick wins as structured by The Freedom Journal. And by luck, fate or some other level of synchronicity, there's just enough room in the corner to sketch out most Memory Palaces. But any time I needed more space, no problem. I would just use one of my Memory Journals or Mind Mapping journals, like the kind you see in this video: 7. Acknowledge Any Struggles We all have blind spots. And that means we keep bumping into obstacles. Or maybe it's physical pain, like I was struggling with at the time. But reflecting on what we might not be seeing can be huge for opening up even the most bruised and blackened eyes. And as they sometimes say, in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. Or in the case of chronic pain, acknowledging it and owning it is the best way to get over it and move forward. I certainly wasn't going to let my psoriatic arthritis symptoms get in the way. So if you want to finally rule over your obstacles and issues, this part of The Freedom Journal will help. 8. Prime The Future For Success If it's true that conquering the morning will help you conquer the day, then this is also true: Conquer the morning before you hit the sheets. The Mastery Journal, which is the "sequel" to The Freedom Journal has additional tools for making every tomorrow successful. But if you've been thinking Freedom Journal vs Mastery Journal, my suggestion is to start with The Freedom Journal and graduate upwards from there. Seriously, even just this little "tomorrow priming" section can make a huge difference. You can use it to pump yourself up or even make a quick action plan for the following day. 9. More Musing Please don't dismiss this step: There's tons of science that demonstrates just how good mind wandering really is for the human brain. You can literally allow yourself to just write anything. For more of the evidence supporting musing and mind wandering as a deliberate practice, check out Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. 10. The Freedom Journal's Hidden Asset For Magnetic Language Learners No, it's not a huge amount of space. But I knew it would be just enough the instant I saw it. And it's just right for 10 words. Plus, if you do the math, 10 words over 100 days is 1000 words. 1000 Words Memorized In 100 Days? Totally Doable! Well chosen (perhaps using the MMM Vocabulary Builder), developed into phrases and used in combination with The Big Five Of Language Learning… … even just 500 words based on a 50% accuracy rate will represent an enormous boost in fluency. Most people who really get into memory techniques, however, will have a 85-90% retention rate, which is massive compared to rote learning studies. And even if the best can still get around 40% retention from rote learning using either index cards and Spaced Repetition Softwares, these approaches: 1) Cannot scale the way a solid Memory Palace practice quickly compounds over time 2) Take way too long and way too much discipline for the effects to settle in (for most people) 3) Bore the tears out of the majority of learners Again, some people get on just fine with rote learning. There's even a science to it that many polyglots have mastered. But even polyglots use memory techniques, especially for what they call the Stubborn Quintile. Your First 10 Days With The Freedom Journal For Language Study Most people don't want to be polyglots, however. They'd be happy to get traction in just one language and grow from there. To that end, here's a quick suggestion for your first 10 days using The Freedom Journal: Start with the pronouns. Like this (noting that some languages may not have each of these in play): Day One: I You She He We They Me Him Us Them Day Two: My Your His Her Ours Their Mine Yours Theirs Myself Day Three: Yourself Himself Herself Ourselves Themselves No one Anyone Someone Everyone Everything Day Four: Anything Something Nothing These Those This Days Five-Ten: Go back and add phrases to each of these core vocabulary words. Still Skeptical?… Good! If you're still skeptical that mnemonics can work for you, well… skepticism is good and will help you improve your memory. And if you need extra discipline, then The Freedom Journal in combination with the process you've just learned is a way to get it. Seriously. Just dive in. The map is definitely not the territory here. But The Freedom Journal is excellent for helping you create the map as you navigate the territory. One day a time. Plus… The Freedom Journal Gives You A Pat On The Back From The People Who Matter Most Can you guess who the first person is? That's right: It's you. You're the one gets to enjoy a massive boost in fluency. You're the one who gets to relax into better conversations and reading experiences. Not to mention going to the movies and listening to music in the language you're studying. And you can do it all while completing more than one project. The other people are your family. Your friends. Your tribe. The ones who notice and appreciate your success. Because the pat on the back I needed? Well, I've always like that phrase, "too cool for school." And even though it still breaks my heart a little that I don't have a traditional university to call home… Using The Freedom Journal, I not only reached my goal with Chinese and set the foundation for speaking the language with my new family… The Most Portable Language Learning Tool In The World I also got that dang video course off my back. (Without breaking my back either.) And with that massive project finally done, I now have the means to grow a completely new tribe with whom I get to talk about things other than memory. And in 100 days, I completely edited each and every lecture, which included getting the book version manuscript nearly print-ready. (It's called Genre Frameworks: How To Understand The Structure, Story And Symbolism In Any Movie) In that same 100 days, April helped me shoot each and every video for the online course version. And we still managed to take a trip around Europe too, The Freedom Journal forever close at hand: In sum: The Magnetic Memory Method snaps together very nicely with The Freedom Journal. You can get The Freedom Journal and then click the graphic below to get my free Memory Improvement Kit to learn how to create and use Memory Palaces: So what do you say? Do you think that The Freedom Journal could help you learn a language? I'm confident it will and can't wait to hear your success story. And you still have doubts, here's a replay of a live version of this post to show you how I use The Freedom Journal in practice and answer any questions you may have: And now you know how to use The Freedom Journal, let me ask you this: If you're struggling to learn a language, wouldn't even one word a day feel incredible? No matter where you're at now, this incredible journaling tool can help. Dive in and grab your own Freedom Journal here now! The post The Freedom Journal For Language Learning: The Ultimate 10-Step Guide appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Does your episodic memory help you remember your first prom? You wore a lovely turquoise gown, your mom couldn't stop smiling, and your dad was delighted to meet your date. It was a fantastic evening, right? Well… Let's just say, that's how you remember it. If you ask your mom, on the other hand, she would say: "It was a frantic evening. You couldn't decide what to wear and were almost in tears when the hair-rollers wouldn't set in. More annoyingly, your dad was upset about your date and was being difficult". Each person remembers a specific event in his or her unique way – this is called your episodic memory. By definition, episodic memory involves the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences. Episodic Memory Examples Are Easy To Find Examples of episodic memory would include your memory of your first day of school or your first kiss. Apart from your overall recall of the event itself, episodic memories also involve your memory of the location and time that the event occurred. For another powerful episodic memory example, please watch this video. It includes some powerful exercises that will help you improve your episodic memory too: Someone else's recollection of that same event or experience would be different (maybe not as dramatically different as your prom night, but different nevertheless). If you want to remember past events in its full technicolor details, you must strengthen your episodic memory. Keen on storing everyday information in an easily retrievable place? Here's a quick demo of how to use Memory Palace to store information that matters to you: Are Episodic Memories And Autobiographical Memories The Same? Not exactly! Autobiographical and episodic memories are personal memories from the past. However, autobiographical memory is more general, for example, when you recall the street name of a house growing up. On the other hand, episodic memory is more specific to time. It's like remembering your 13th birthday party that took place on a particular street. (Electromagnetic Differences in the Brain during Memory Retrieval, Warren Scott Merrifield, 2007) In effect, although autobiographical memory involves episodic memory, it also relies on semantic memory. For instance, you can remember the city you were born in and the date, but you wouldn't have any specific memories of being born. Here's A Fascinating Fact: Research into links between memory and handedness suggest that ambidextrous people (who can perform some tasks with one hand and some with the other) tend to show better autobiographical memory than people who perform almost all tasks with either one hand or the other. In contrast to autobiographical and episodic memories, semantic memory refers to the understanding of factual knowledge that is not connected to any specific time and place. For example, the knowledge that the sky is blue. Semantic memory is similar to looking an item up in the dictionary. Often an individual has no specific recollection, or thoughts of re-experiencing, the event in which the semantic information was acquired; therefore, semantic memories are thought to be "known" rather than "remembered" (McKoon, Ratcliff, & Dell, 1986). Episodic Memory + Semantic Memory = Declarative Memory Episodic memory and semantic memory together makeup part of your long-term memory and are known as declarative memory. But before a memory is cemented into long-term memory as episodic memory, it must pass through the semantic memory, noted Endel Tulving of the University of Toronto in his book, Elements of Episodic Memory. Tulving and colleagues (Habib, Nyberg, & Tulving, 2003) reviewed a large body of neuroimaging research to develop the Hemispheric Encoding and Retrieval Model (HERA). According to HERA, the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) is more involved than right PFC in episodic memory encoding while the right PFC is more involved than left PFC in episodic memory retrieval. As the left hemisphere is related to semantic processing, encoding of the episodic information appears to involve the semantic network. (Intensive Semantic Memory Training: A Comparison to Traditional Episodic Memory Therapy in TBI, Elisabeth C. D'Angelo, 2016) Lost & Found: The Incredible Sense Of Episodic Memory In the 1913 novel In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust describes an interesting scene. The protagonist of the novel, upon tasting a Madeleine cake for the first time in many years, is overcome with a sudden change in his thoughts, emotions, and overall internal mental state. Initially, he struggles to define the change that has occurred. Soon, and with conscious mental effort, he is able to identify what change has overcome him: he has retrieved an episodic memory. The memory was of his youth when his Aunt used to serve him the small cake at her kitchen table. (Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Neural Activity During Human Episodic Memory Encoding and Retrieval, John F. Burke, 2014) And it's a memory that involves all the senses, just like we talk about with the Magnetic Modes: How Are Episodic Memories Formed? Forming episodic memories is not an easy recipe. Several individual steps are involved, each of which requires activating distinct regions of the brain. The first step is called encoding, a process that your brain follows each time you form a new episodic memory. The next step is consolidation, where the information moves from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. This enables the memory to become strongly ingrained so that it is not lost even if the brain suffers any impairment. The final process involves the recall. Under this process, information about a specific incident is retrieved. Sometimes recollection from long-term memory is effortless, while other times it may need a trigger – such as a word, an image or even a smell. Why You Need To Improve Your Episodic Memory In everyday life, episodic memories come to our rescue all the time. They are essential to recall the name of someone you have previously met, remember the current date, or remember to go to your dentist's appointment. Episodic memories also enable you to recall and reminisce personal experiences that are an important part of your life with other people who were part of those events. Such memories create a sense of personal history as well as a shared history with other individuals in your life. More importantly, episodic memories allow you to "travel back in time" (Tulving, 2002) and be consciously aware of a re-experience of important life experiences. Is There An Episodic Memory Advantage For People With ADHD? Recent research by Jeffrey S. Skowronek revealed that children with ADHD showed deficits in working memory but showed equal or enhanced performance on long-term episodic tasks. "When discussing a special-event in their life, children with ADHD provided lengthier and more descriptive narratives. This ability to recall very specific details results in a successful and impressive account of the event, rich both in event-specific details as well as semantically related knowledge". (Long-term Episodic Memory in Children With Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Jeffrey S. Skowronek, 2005) Then there's Jonathan Levi's frank discussion of ADD, which I'm confident you will find a compelling listen when it comes to how he uses his episodic memory to deal with this issue. Why Is This So Important? Put it this way: If you could strengthen your episodic memory, you would be able to remember better details about past experiences and events. A stronger episodic memory would also result in improved long-term memory in students – enabling them to do better in studies. More importantly, strengthening your episodic memory would also enable you to perform better in all aspects of your life starting today. However, episodic memory function is extremely susceptible to cerebral aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Just check out Jennie Gorman's memory loss story: Think about this, though: The older you get, the more events you witness and the more experiences you acquire. If you could retain and recall all those memories in detail, imagine how rich a repertoire of knowledge and experience you would have to pass on to the next generation. You may not be able to control aging, but there are ways to ensure your brain stays young and healthy even as the years pile on. And of course you can learn memory techniques any time to help improve your memory for studying. How To Improve Episodic Memory Exercise your brain. Regularly. Period. That is the most effective strategy to improve memory and retention. But here's the catch: To get tangible results, your brain exercises must be targeted towards specific goals. Playing brain exercise games on your "smartphone" is not necessarily brain exercise. Nor will doing crossword puzzles keep your brain young and active. Instead of improving your brain in its entirety, playing crossword puzzles or brain games on a handset will only improve your abilities for those games. You don't have to take my word for it. Just check out all the people on this live call who agreed: What's the solution? Watch movies. No, I am serious! Hear me out as I explain in detail How to Increase Memory By Watching Movies & Series. The next time you watch a movie, give it your entire attention with the intent to remember more. That's the first step. According to Harry Lorayne, (who always tells great stories)memory ability begins and ends with our attention. If you do an activity like watching a TV series or a movie with the intention of remembering more details, you'll have already given yourself a memory boost. 4 Step-By-Step Strategies To Improve Memory And Retention Using Movies 1. Watch the movie and try to remember the beginning, middle, and end of the plot with some details about the characters: names, clothes, objects they handled, houses they lived in, street names, maybe even dialogues. If you're interested in learning more about memorizing plot points, check out this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast on memorizing plot points. 2. Next, retell the entire story to a friend or your partner. (Just make sure it's not a movie they have been waiting to watch themselves. It can be extremely hazardous to reveal plot spoilers!) 3. For added benefits, verbally recount the movie and then write down a description. This will exercise more parts of your memory and deeply improve recall. 4. Another related method is to listen to your friend retell the latest episode of your favorite show. Commit to memory at least three major pieces of information from that story as your friend tells it to you. This Memory Strategy Works Amazing For Adults Next time you meet someone, memorize four details about that person – like what they are wearing or how they order their coffee. I learned about this when I discussed Memory Improvement Tips With Dr. Gary Small. This simple method of observation with intent and then detailed recall will strengthen your episodic memory and enable you to become a better observer of the world around you. Add A Memory Palace There's more: If you want a guaranteed method that will improve your episodic and semantic memory as well as autobiographical memory, build Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way. Unlike mind mapping, which unlocks multiple intelligences, a Magnetic Memory Method Memory Palace approach does that and more. This incredible combination of intelligence and memory strengthening is very powerful because, combined with Recall Rehearsal, the holistic process lets you move information from short-term memory into long-term memory faster. All you have to do is add the details from movies, or from people you meet in the streets to your Memory Palace. Even better: While you can use all other memory techniques inside of Memory Palaces, it never happens the other way around. For instance, you can't use Memory Palaces inside of the Major Method the way you can use the Major Method inside of Memory Palaces. If you choose this memory training technique… Click the link below to get started: Be Mindful Of Your Surroundings No, not this kind of mindful (though meditation for memory and focus will certainly help): Just be mindful of the things around you and repeat the stories that surround them to exercise your episodic memory. Being mindful and paying attention to everyday events is essential to creating complete memories and useful recall of information. The more mindful you are throughout the day, the more attention you'll pay. The more attention you pay, the more naturally and effortlessly you'll store events and facts you experience into your episodic memory. And remember, it all happens in time, with a beginning, middle and an end. And when you combine mindfulness with the magic of Memory Palaces you can move information into long-term memory faster and with predictable and reliable permanence. Sounds good, right? Now if only you could remember what you got Uncle Alan for his last birthday, you can save yourself the embarrassment of sending him the 'crazy uncle' mug for the fifth time! The post Episodic Memory And How To Improve It: A Step-By-Step Training Guide appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Is coconut oil good for memory? Well, many people think that a diet rich in coconut oil is essential to prevent brain fog, memory loss, dementia and even Alzheimer's disease. But… Here's the thing: For years, coconut oil has been been a staple in ketogenic diets for its high fat levels and low carbohydrate content. Interestingly, a 2016 study by Klaus W.Lange and his team revealed that "both the direct administration of ketone bodies and the use of high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets have been shown to be efficacious in animal models of AD (Alzheimer's disease) and clinical trials with AD patients." But there's a catch… The study stated that "the mechanism underlying the efficacy of ketogenic diets remains unclear, but some evidence points to the normalization of aberrant energy metabolism. At present there is only limited evidence of the usefulness of ketogenic diets in AD." Don't get deterred through… There are other foods that improve memory well worth checking out too. And yes, I like to cook with it myself, such as when making my Memory Friendly Chocolate Pancakes With Cacao Powder: But despite being a wonderful ingredient in memory recipes like ours at the Magnetic Memory Method Headquarters in Brisbane, one question remains… How vital is coconut oil in boosting your brain? Let's find out. Starting with: The History Of Coconut Oil And Its Link With A Healthy Brain Settlers in tropical countries used all parts of the coconut tree. The leaves were weaved into baskets and mats, the sap of the flowers used to create syrups and the meat of the coconut served as food. Gradually, the settlers pressed coconut meat to produce coconut oil. For at least 2000 years, coconut oil has been an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine. It has been used to heal wounds, treat hair fall, as a skin moisturiser and sunscreen, taken as a health tonic and even considered beneficial for the heart. You could say coconut oil was the 'swiss army knife of medicine'. But there's the kicker… Despite its rich history, coconut oil is not used as extensively as it used to be. Why? In the 1950s physiologist Ancel Keys discovered that hydrogenated oils had saturated fat which was responsible for heart disease. Remember, hydrogenated coconut vegetable oil was used extensively for cooking at that time. In response, the vegetable oil industry blamed saturated fats in processed coconut oil and gave it a bad name. The tactic worked and throughout the 1950s and 60s coconut oil was replaced by polyunsaturated vegetable oils. New Discovery Brings Coconut Oil To The Forefront Again Half a century after Dr. Keys discovery, scientists found that Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) which are present in coconut oil can improve memory for Alzheimer patients. That again changed public perception of this humble oil. In a 2004 study, elderly subjects were fed either MCT oil or a placebo at random. Subjects who had symptoms of Alzheimer's showed an immediate improvement on the paragraph recall memory test after consuming the MCT solution. Then in 2008, Dr. Mary Newport – who was researching possible treatments for her husband diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease – came across the patent application for Ketasyn (which contains MCT), which stated that the oil was derived from coconut oil or palm kernel oil. Here's where it gets interesting: Dr. Newport fed her husband around 35 grams of coconut oil each day. In her popular article "WHAT IF THERE WAS A CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND NO ONE KNEW?", she described rapid change in her husband's behavior two months after the treatment. From the case study by Dr. Newport: "He walks into the kitchen every morning alert and happy, talkative, making jokes. He is able to concentrate on things that he wants to do around the house and in the yard and stay on task, whereas before coconut oil he was easily distractible and rarely accomplished anything unless I supervised him directly." So the question is: Will guzzling gallons of coconut oil result in improved mental alertness? Before we answer that let's understand the connection between coconut oil and ketones. The Ketones Story: How to Power Your Brain Our body uses glucose to power brain cells under normal circumstances. If there is no glucose available, our body burns fats to produce ketones which are then transported to the brain. However in case of Alzheimer's and dementia, your brain cells tend to resist glucose, and won't function effectively. PET scans have shown that areas of the brain which resist glucose, use ketones as an alternative source of energy. Why does this matter? Coconut oils consists 60% of MCTs which contains Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFAs) that release ketones when burnt. The Popularity Of Coconut Oil: Is It All Just A Marketing Gimmick? It seems a lot of popularity of using coconut oil for memory loss is based on Dr Newport's research. On September 27, 2011, Dr. Mary Newport published Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was A Cure? The book detailed her husband's struggle with Alzheimer's and how regularly consuming coconut oil drastically improved her his condition. Notice the spike in coconut oil searches on March 2012, a few months after the release. Coincidence? Maybe not. It's quite possible that her positive experiences with coconut oil treatment was a ray of hope for families with Alzheimer patients. In their bleak situation, it's understandable that families would try anything for the wellbeing of their loved ones. Just How Bleak Is Alzheimer's Really? Trust me, it's bleak. Worse: Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia and one of the earliest and most distinctive aspects of Alzheimer's is its effect on memory. And so far… There's no cure for Alzheimer's. We do have these 3 Things To Remember About Alzheimer's, however. Plus, there are a few treatments and medications to help manage the disease. But here's the problem: The costs of these treatments can be an additional burden on families. On the other hand, being so inexpensive, coconut oil treatment seems like an attractive option. Coconut Oil… A Miracle Cure? And under such circumstances, it is understandable that families wanting a miracle cure will grasp anything that even remotely suggests a cure. No wonder, Dr. Newport's studies were treated as the gospel truth. Soon after, hundreds of families reported that coconut oil improved their family member's symptoms. Their claims were not as dramatic as Steve Newport's progress, but any development was hailed as positive. Especially improvements to episodic memory because we use this to share the stories of our lives. This is a common psychological phenomenon… We tend to see or believe what we want to see. The Newport's story was so remarkable that it was even featured on CBN. Soon after this report appeared, the coconut oil fad reached its peak. Is Coconut Oil A Superfood? Some sure like to say so. Coconut oil is marketed as a superfood. A few health bloggers claim that coconut oil can improve mental performance, support the immune system and improve digestion. Companies even sell coconut oil pills. Will popping an oil pill make you smarter, boost your memory and keep that brain fog away? The truth is harder to swallow.. Dr. Newport states that a person needs to take fourteen 1 g pills to receive the same effect as 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. That is a lot of pills even for the most ardent pill popper! Before we go further, take a quick peek at the truth about the best supplement for memory and concentration: Coconut Oil And Memory: No Real Connection? Should you take coconut oil to improve memory? Dr. David Morgan, CEO of BYRD Alzheimer's Institute states: "There is only anecdotal information that shows it can be beneficial, but there is not enough research on the matter." And I think he is right. Although there are studies prove MCTs might benefit brain health such as improving brain cells and learning in older dogs and rats , there exists no clinical data that MCTs promote long-term brain health. Another study shows that MCT supplements have shown to increase in memory and motor skills in a few Alzheimer patients. But here comes the sad part… The effects are only short term. What Does MCT Have To Do With Improving Memory? As it turns out, nothing much! Under normal conditions, brain cells require glucose. Only after your body runs out of glucose, ketones supply energy to your brain cells. So an additional source of MCT in your diet just produces additional ketones which may not be even used by your brain. There are some embarrassing side effects to this treatment too. Patients who took MCT supplements reported cases of diarrhea, flatulence, and dyspepsia. That's not all… You also need to be vary of the dark side of coconut oil. According to a recent paper on Dietary Fatty Acids Directly Impact Central Nervous System Autoimmunity via the Small Intestine: "Lauric acid (LA), which usually makes up 50% or more of coconut oil, tips the balance of T-cells (immune cells that actively participate in the immune response) towards the production of inflammation, and also, in mouse models, exacerbates multiple sclerosis (MS), in which your immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body." A More Nourishing Way to Build Your Memory Cells No known supplement or oils can help your memory. There is an easier and far less complex way to help you improve your memory: build Memory Palaces, using the Magnetic Memory Method way. Memory Palaces work even in the most broken brain. But they work REALLY well in healthy brains. Memory training through daily exercise that keeps your mind active, in tune, and fully under your control is a great way to noticeably improve your brain. Just look at Nelson Dellis and Climb for Memory charity. Nelson is a firm believer that "exercising" the brain daily can keep the mind sharp and delay, or even prevent, Alzheimer's disease. It gets better: The Memory Palace is the best memory technique because it allows you to develop and use spatial memory in a way. Spatial memory, the basis of the Memory Palace technique, unlocks the power of multiple levels of memory, including: Autobiographical memory Episodic memory Semantic memory Procedural memory And more… So that you can move information into long term memory faster and with predictable and reliable permanence. This incredible combination of intelligence and memory strengthening is very powerful. Combined with Recall Rehearsal, the holistic process lets you move information from short term memory into long term memory faster. If you choose this memory training technique… Click on the link below to get started: Build Your Memory With Vitamin M Vitamin M comes from creating Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way. This is by far the coolest and easiest way to boost your brain function and make it easy to learn and remember anything. Far better than duping yourself or letting yourself fall prey to other realms of hypnosis and memory improvement. So in sum… Vitamin supplements or coconut oils are not the best "nutrients" for gaining improvement in memory or recall. You could try using coconut oil for hair loss, though. I've been thinking of doing that myself. In the meantime, here's what is likely going to work best: A balanced diet, meditation, sleep, and an effective, dedicated memory strategy (like the Magnetic Memory Method) are the real ingredients to enhance your memory, concentration and focus. Bilingualism can also make for a healthier brain. Ready to improve not just your memory, but your entire life? Let's get cooking! The post Coconut Oil and Memory: Can It Boost Your Brain? [Advanced Study] appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Can you write legibly with both your left and right hands? Midway through a gig, can you swing the guitar to your left arm and continue strumming the ballad? If you can, you are part of that 1% of the population who do not have a dominant hand and experience ambidextrousness. And as you're about to discover, ambidextrousness truly is an experience! If you are ambidextrous, you're in good company too. Or at least, interesting company. Other members of this 'exclusive' group include Benjamin Franklin, Kobe Bryant, and even Nikola Tesla, just one of many reasons I featured him on the cover of The Memory Connection: Many people believe training oneself to use both your hands equally unleashes hidden creativity and even improves memory. The idea that becoming ambidextrous boosts brain function has existed for over a century. Moreover, it is also claimed that if you harness this 'power' you can improve your academic performance, decision making skills and grasp difficult concepts quickly. Can 'learning' to become ambidextrous really have all these advantages? Let's find out: Ambidextrousness: A Dual Handed Benefit? There is a bit of confusion regarding the actual definition of ambidextrousness. You are ambidextrous, if you can perform any task equally with either hand, for instance, write legibly using either of your hands. However, if you do some tasks with your right hand and others with your left, experts will term it as being mixed-handed. Jimi Hendrix is a good example of mixed-handedness. He used his left hand to throw and comb his hair, but he wrote, ate and held the telephone with his right hand. How To Become Ambidextrous? (Because Few Are Born This Way) In the 1800s Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke discovered that different hemispheres of the brain handled different functions such as speech, language and even motor functions. But it was only in 2009 that scientists researched around 25,000 families and found certain genes were responsible for ambidextrousness in people. Then in 2015, researchers found that brain function within the cerebellum is responsible for creativity. This certainly proves why many ambidextrous people have unconventional problem solving abilities. Creative Geniuses, Or: The Celebrities Of Ambidextrousness Nearly 60 years after his death, neurosurgeons studying Einstein's brain discovered that his brain hemispheres were extremely well-connected. The ability to use the right hemispheres creativity and the left hemispheres logic gave the Father of Relativity a significant advantage from his peers. Despite a lack of evidence proving Einstein's ambidextrousness, the study confirmed Einstein's non right-handedness. Another historical figure who belonged to the ambidextrous club was Leonardo Da Vinci. The famous artist (and scientist of art) could easily write with both hands. When Da Vinci wrote an ordinary letter, he used his right hand. However, he wrote his secret diaries in mirror writing using his left hand which made it difficult for others to read. Are All Ambidextrous Individuals Creative Geniuses? Not really! Left-handed tennis player Evgenia Kulikovskaya can switch her racket hand mid game to keep hitting forehands when her left hand gets tired. She doesn't have a backhand! Take a look at this video: The Controversial History Of Ambidextrous Training: John Jackson Though many modern studies link ambidextrousness with increased brain function in both hemispheres of the brain, this idea was not well received at first. In 1905, English educational reformer, John Jackson established the Ambidextral Culture Society. He believed that a two handed, two brained society encouraged superior learning as it engaged the entire brain. He also expected a lot from his disciples. Whether it was playing the piano with one hand or writing a letter with the other, he required his disciples to execute them flawlessly. Was he successful in his mission? Not quite. His society was a laughing stock of the scientific community at the time. Leading British neurologist, James Crichton-Browne criticized the society and even warned Jackson against going the evolutionary process. John Jackson's movement died out in the 1920s. However, his ideas did not. They continued to fuel misconceptions regarding the power of ambidextrousness. Can Being Ambidextrous Make You More Creative? A Few Myths Busted Jackson's theories were not random ideas. They were derived from Paul Broca's studies of brain lateralization that states that some cognitive brain activity is dominant in one hemisphere, and that each hemisphere was linked to the opposite hand. No wonder people believed that using your less dominant hand would help activate both hemispheres of the brain leading to higher mental abilities. That's just the beginning… In her book, The Power of Your Other Hand, Lucia Capacchione claims that writing and drawing with the non-dominant hand gives greater access to the right hemispheric functions like feeling, intuition, creativity and even spiritual wisdom. These claims are based on the fact that the function of the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity. Is there any truth to these claims? "Although there are recurrent claims of increased creativity in left-handers, there is very little to support the idea in the scientific literature." This from renowned psychologist Chris McManus in his book Right Hand, Left Hand – The Origins of Asymmetry in Brains, Bodies, Atoms and Cultures. The Truth About Learning To Be Ambidextrous And Getting A Sharper Brain While there is no hard data to prove that training your non-dominant hand can improve your mental prowess, there is now evidence to state that if you are born ambidextrous, you may have some mental health issues. After 8 years of research, German psychologist, JB Sattler discovered that children who switched from their dominant left hand to a non-dominant right or the reverse did not see "a change in cerebral dominance but rather a multifaceted cerebral disturbance or damage". The psychologist noted that ambidextrous children even had decreased memory for all three areas of information processing – encoding, store and recall. Sattler said: "Ambidexterity is therefore neither a goal to aspire to nor is it a gift from God. Instead, it is first and foremost the mark of brain damage." It May Sound Crazy, But It's True! A study published in the 1998 edition of Neuropsychologia confirms Dr. Sattler's research. In this study around 12,770 children were tested for their verbal, non-verbal, and mathematical ability and reading comprehension skills. They found that ambidextrous children had lower test scores as compared to those who were left-handed or right-handed. Need more proof? Another independent study led by Alina Rodriguez from Imperial College London showed that ambidextrous children exhibit higher symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Ambidextrousness may also have a lasting effect on adults as well. In the creatively titled paper "Handedness and intellectual achievement: an even-handed look", Michael Corballis reveals that ambidextrous adults perform more poorly on IQ tests (arithmetic, memory, and reasoning). Ambidextrousness May Actually Harm Your Brain Here's why: For right-handed or left handed people most of their brain activity is localized in the opposite part of the brain. So your brain can easily access information through the majority of one hemisphere. For ambidextrous people information has to flow back and forth between both hemispheres of the brain through the Corpus Callosum. This can be a big problem. This rapid transfer may lead to mental dysfunction in some cases. Are There Any Possible Benefits to Ambidextrous Training? Yes, though they are not as dramatic as advertised. Mr. Corballis writes that it's possible to train your non dominant hand for artistic purposes – like playing the piano for example. Other than that, there are no studies to prove that becoming ambidextrous can improve brain function. But what about improved memory? Ambidextrousness and Memory: A Genetic Connection Ambidextrous tendencies has been associated with improved memory. But here's the catch: To reap even the slightest memory benefits of ambidextrousness, you would be need to have at least an ambidextrous parent or sibling. A 2001 study shows that families with one-left handed member may have better episodic memory rather than semantic memory. Which means they have a better time recalling the context of the story rather than the facts present in the story. The Only Trick You Need To Know To Make Both Sides of Your Brain Work There is one guaranteed method to improve both your episodic and semantic memory as well as autobiographical memory, spatial memory and procedural memory. One more thing.. This method won't be painful and labour intensive as using your non dominant hand. Okay here it is: Creating Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way. Memory Palaces have the unique characteristic that all other memory techniques can be used inside of them (not the other way around). So if you need to store a massive amount of information, Memory Palaces engage both hemispheres of the brain. How do they do this? Memory Palaces require a great deal of creative visualization, therefore it helps to activate your right hemisphere associated with creativity. You need more than one Memory Palace and as many as possible. That way you can revisit the technique to recall tons of information. If you want to know more – here's some vital information about Memory Palace Science. If you want a complete brain workout try this brain fitness method… Click on the link below to get started: A Direct method To Improve Your Memory Learning to use your non-dominant hand to improve your memory can be a bit wasteful. You would have to spend days and weeks practicing to write with your other hand instead of focusing on what you need to learn. While this may be fun, it's not useful. Memory improvement training should always be linked to memorizing information that will immediately improve your life. Using the Magnetic Memory Method is great because, once you're rolling, good memory abilities get you more time. More time means you can practice memory enhancing techniques more often. And that means experiencing better memory, better focus, clarity and concentration. Ambidextrousness might be fun to develop if you take caution. But, as we've seen, developing your memory is far more valuable! So, what are you waiting for? Please make sure you've claimed my free Memory Improvement Kit and use it to start experiencing better memory now. The post Ambidextrousness And Memory: Can Dual Handedness Boost Your Brain? appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Do you have enough mental exercises to genuinely help you experience real and lasting memory improvement? Whether it's for learning a language, or even just remembering directions while traveling the world. Be honest about your answer. No one here is to judge. Quite the opposite. This blog post (and the podcast – hit play above!) is about about helping you better understand how to judge your memory as it is now and take the right steps toward improving it. To that end, last week we covered 3 Powerful Memory Training Techniques From Around The World. And I just hopped on a live video session to demonstrate just how powerful memory techniques can be in everyday life for memorizing the information in life that matters: This week, we've got 7 more mental exercises you can use to experience true memory improvement. Are memory techniques for everyone? Yes and no. But you can't decide for yourself without the fullest possible range of perspectives. And let's make this point as clear as possible: Memory techniques give you the best mental exercise on the planet. Study them well, everywhere they appear around the glob. With that point in mind, let's get rolling with… 1. USA: Moonwalking With Einstein (And Elaborative Encoding) For Total Recall US memory champion Joshua Foer's book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything talks about the importance of memorizing events and stories in human history. Sadly, Foer also documents the decline of mental exercises for memorizing in modern life. By the same token, with partial thanks to his book and the internet, the techniques that people need to adopt to restore the art of remembering have never been more popular. The memory trick that Foer explains in his book involves a process known as "elaborative encoding." This involves converting information, such as your grocery list, into a series of "engrossing visual images." For instance, if you want to remember a list of objects like gherkins, cottage cheese, etc. all you need to do is visualise them in an unforgettable manner. Memory expert Ed Cooke – who helped Foer develop his techniques – suggests remembering an item on a shopping list by imagining something like "Claudia Schiffer swimming in [a] tub of cottage cheese." Of course, why someone would waste time on memorizing shopping lists in the best memory improvement books is beyond me. But feel free to memorize anything you like. Whatever works. So long as it really works to give you the memory improvement outcomes you seek! To ensure that, be sure to deposit these images you've created using elaborative encoding in a specific order in your Memory Palace. With practice, a mnemonist can trace a certain path around these memory rooms to recover thousands of images – and with them, thousands of memories. Nelson Dellis, repeat champion of the USA Memory competition, also uses a combination of vivid imagery linked with placing those images in your Memory Palace to remember a list of words. 2. Germany: Memorizing Names Through Association German memory champion Simon Reinhard is one of the top memory athletes in the world. He holds two records for memorizing a 52-card pack of playing cards in just over 21 seconds. Reinhard uses the "association" method to memorize names and faces. And it makes for great mental exercise. How does memorizing names work? When he hears a name for the first time, Reinhard imagines someone else (a familiar figure) with the same name and then try to find similarities between the two or associate it with a feeling. "Sometimes the names fit perfectly, for example a bald headed white Thomas could be the middle age monk Thomas von Aquinas. But if that doesn't work and I don't find an immediate connection, I try to search a bit more thoroughly what this name could tell me. For example the name reminds me of a feeling of anger and then I either try finding some angry expression in the face or the exact opposite, if the person is laughing. It is kind of a multi-faceted approach that doesn't work automatically but comes easily when I look at the name with an open mind. This is my basic, natural approach." This quote comes from an interview that Reinhard gave to Memory-Sports.com. Reinhard also uses memory palace method or the method of loci to remember decks of cards and digits. 3. Japan: Kioku-Jutsu Or The Ninja Mnemonic Method Ninja's were highly trained Japanese spies who were expected to gather and remember crucial information without having to resort to any written text. In order to sharpen their memory skills, Ninja's used the method of "association" to remember complex numbers. They would associate numbers with body parts or food – something that you will definitely recall. They used another extreme method. Please Do Not Try This Mental Exercise At Home! If the information was extremely crucial, Ninja's would cut a body part – the arm or leg – when trying to memorize that information – this helped them associate that memory with a scar or the pain of injury, making it unforgettable. These methods of "association" are similar to the Peg System. It is also based on the principles of the Memory Palace technique – where you visualising a room and then associate each object in the room to each piece of information you want to memorize. Memory expert Tony Buzan equates the Ninja Kioku-Jutsu technique to hanging a coat on a hook. You can always remember where to find your coat (which is a new information) if you hang it on an immovable hook (a number or a word you can remember easily). 4. Australia: Can You Ever Forget The Obvious Elephant In The Room? Tansel Ali is a 4 x Australian Memory Champion, most famously known for memorizing two Yellow Pages phone books in only 24 days. He is also the author of The Yellow Elephant and How To Learn Almost Anything In 48 Hours, and a celebrity memory coach. Ali advocates using the Major System along with the Memory Palace (which he terms as the Journey System) to memorize playing cards. I also recommend checking out Florian Dellé's Major System recommendations. He will take your ideas on what you can do using this wonderful memory tool to the next level. 5. UK: A Person-Action System To Call Numbers To Mind British mnemonist Dominic O'Brien is the eight time World Memory Champion. Accomplishments like these are no small feat! A master of memory, O'Brien is a major innovator in the field of memory techniques. His Dominic mnemonic system is a brilliant memory training system that he invented to remember long strings of digits. It is somewhat similar to the mnemonic major system and is widely used by brain athletes in memory competitions. While the Major System associates sounds with numbers, the Dominic System is designed as a person-action system where the letters comprise the initials of someone's name. "Like the mnemonic major system, the Dominic system can be combined with a memory palace, thereby creating the Hotel Dominic." (Ron Hale-Evans, Mind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain) Another of O'Brien's big contributions to the world of memory is his Rule of Five. It states that we should recall information strategically by using the following pattern: First review: Immediately Second review: 24 hours later Third review: One week later Fourth review: One month later Fifth review: Three months later Also notable from the British world of mnemonics is Mark Channon. Mark brings great insights from the worlds of acting and setting highly effective goals. He also gave a wonderful presentation at Magnetic Memory Live in London in 2015. 6. India: The Katapayadi Shankya To Remember Numbers Ancient Indians used various mnemonic techniques to remember complex texts and numbers, the most talked about being the Vedic Memory Method. More on that later. First, let's look into the ancient Indian numerical notation – Katapayadi system – that assigns letters to numbers so that the numbers may be easily remembered as meaningful words or verses. Under this system, several letters can be assigned the same number, however every letter is not allotted a number. Have a look at this chart: Ancient Indians used this system to encrypt mathematical formulas into their devotional hymns to Lord Krishna and also recorded historical data in the codified lyrics. Take for instance, this verse written in praise of Lord Krishna: Gopibhagya madhuvrata srngisodadhisandhiga| Khalajivitakhatava galahalarasandhara|| When translated it means: Oh Krishna, the fortune of the Gopis, the destroyer of the demon Madhu, Protector of cattle, the one who ventured the ocean-depths, destroyer of evildoers, one with plough on the shoulder and the bearer of nectar, may (you) protect (us)! Have a listen: How is the mental exercises involved in memorizing this text relevant? The answer might astonish you: Using the Katapayadi system when you replace the letters of the verse with its corresponding numbers, like this – 'go' by 3, 'pi' by 1, 'bha' by 4, 'ya by 1' and so on, you get the following result: 31415926535897932384626433832792 Why is this number important? This is the decimal representation of pi up to 32 decimal places. Look like memorizing a long digit like that requires magic? Far from it. All it takes is a dedicated mnemonic technique! If you like, listen to Brad Zupp talk about how he memorized way more of Pi than you see here. Brad also shares his thoughts on using your memory in place of a passwords manager. Vedic Memory Techniques: Ancient Science Or Just A Fad? Vedic memory techniques were systems put in place to memorize ancient texts known as the Vedas, which were composed and handed down orally over a period of about 10 centuries, from about the 15th to the 5th century bce. There are four Vedas, the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva with over 100,000 plus verses. So how did the ancient Indians ensure no errors crept into the original texts? "The oral tradition of vedic learning has preserved the entire vedic texts by purely human memory for several generations…This has been made possible by a diligently devised systematic scheme of chanting the vedic corpus." This quote is from Krishna Prasad Miyapuram in Divide and Link: Robust Memory Techniques from Vedic Learning. That's not all… They developed highly complex techniques of recitation that had mathematical precision to ensure that the Vedas remained unchanged in content, intonation, and inflection. "The first (technique) is Samhita, the simplest form of recitation that approaches the mantra as it is, for example, 'the sky is blue' (abcd). Next is Padha, where each word is broken down, as in, 'the/sky/is/blue' (a/b/c/d). Krama, the third technique, adds the first real level of difficulty into the recitation through a pattern of 'the sky/sky is/is blue' (ab/bc/cd). Jatapatha, the first of the more challenging, alternates between a repetitious interposing and transposing of words to create a pattern of 'the sky sky the the sky/sky is is sky sky is/is blue blue is is blue' (abbaab/bccbbc/cddccd). "Between Jatapata and the last technique are six other techniques (called Mala, Shikha, Rekha, Dvaja, Danda and Ratha) that again are built-in combinations and permutations that have ensured that the order and words of the Vedas remain unchanged. The ultimate and most complex technique is called Ghanam. It's mind-boggling backwards and forwards pattern is, 'the sky sky the the sky is is sky the the sky is/sky is is sky sky is blue blue is sky is blue' (abbaabccbaabc/bccbbcddcbbcd)." This quote is from Suhag A. Shukla, Esq in Peeling Back the Layers of Sanskrit and Vedic Chanting. The Vedic way of dissemination of knowledge was mainly through Shruti or the oral tradition of seers and knowledge used to flow through the teacher-student lineage. Moreover, all these memory techniques were not operated in isolation. Learning was considered a lifelong process and a way of life during the Vedic times. What does all this mean? It means Vedic memory science was based on memory training systems or mnemonics. There was no learning by rote or memorising through concentration involved. Retaining information accurately is an essential part of any good memory training system and that has been demonstrated very clearly in the vedic memory science. You might be wondering… If The Vedic Memory Technique Was So Awesome… … why did it disappear? One simple reason is that since the techniques were closely linked to a particular way of life. Students would live in an Ashram (sort of a boarding school without summer breaks) to get education. But once that way of living changed, we lost this ancient science of super memory training. It might also be due to the rise of people who lack a mind's eye. But don't worry if you have that condition. Here's Aphantasia: Develop Your Memory Even If You Cannot See Mental Images. As you can see, all is not lost. Far from it! And if you are skeptical about whether memory techniques work at all, you might be in for a treat! This is because… Skeptics Succeed With Memory Techniques Better Than Anyone Else 7. Global Mental Exercises For Better Memory: Tony Buzan And The World Memory Championships Tony Buzan – the inventor of mind maps – is a true master of memory as his mind mapping techniques have the potential to unlock multiple intelligences. As the co-founder of the World Memory Championships, Buzan actively promotes memory skills along with mind mapping in a wide range of books and software programs. Even Michael Jackson once sought him out in order to gain deeper insights into his creativity and mental abilities. So what is a Mind Map? It is a powerful graphic technique that harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – to unlock the potential of the brain. You can use a Mind Map in every aspect of your life to improve your learning ability or induce clearer thinking. The question is… Can You Bring Mind Mapping And The Memory Palace Together? But of course! Reigning World Mind Mapping champion Phil Chambers can help you with that question in this podcast where he talks about Mind Mapping and how to bring this creativity, memory and learning tool together with a Memory Palace. So, now that you know about so many memory athlete techniques, you might be wondering… What's the best memory training course? One Sure Way To Coach Your Brain To Remember Everything If you read through this post carefully, you would have noticed how many of the world's top memory athletes used some form of Memory Palace Method to sharpen their brain power. How can you use a Memory Palace yourself? By building Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Way. Here's how to take my free course to learn all the details so you can get the benefits of this mental exercise: Creating Memory Palaces using the Magnetic Memory Method allows you to develop and use spatial memory. What's so cool about that? For one thing, this particular approach to the Memory Palace technique unlocks the power of your multiple intelligences. It also combines your autobiographical memory, episodic memory, semantic memory, procedural memory and other kinds of memory. We talked a lot about how to do that in part one of this two-part series about memory techniques around the world, so please be sure to link back to the first one for more information about the Magnetic Modes. But That's Not All… When you build Memory Palaces with the Magnetic Memory Method, you learn to measure your memory improvement activities. Here's why that makes everything better: Tracking your outcomes leads to rapid improvement which means you could be playing with the big guns at the next memory competition! Or if you're not into competing, you can simply enjoy using the memory techniques to help you learn a language, pass an exam, or get better at your job so that everything becomes easier and more fun. If you choose this memory training technique… You Will Unlock The Most Powerful Aspects Of Your Brain! Think about it: Being able to recall 1000 of names, phone numbers, decks of cards or flight information is a super power! And as we've seen, anyone can train themselves using the techniques that memory champions do to improve recall and retention. The only question is how fast will a method start showing results. With the Magnetic Memory Method, you can move information from short term memory into long term memory faster. When combined with Recall Rehearsal you will be able to retrieve that information at the snap of a finger. Memory Championships aside… Wouldn't it be awesome if you could remember every word to every song you ever loved? Plan to woo your date with a ballad? And succeed? Use the right memory techniques for the job and you got this! The post 7 More Mental Exercises For The Brain From Around The World (Part 2) appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Memory training techniques involve more than just training. The use of mnemonics is an ancient art, craft and science practiced around the world. And it's not new. People have been training their memory for thousands of years. The best part? They've left many wonderful tips we can use to learn, memorize and recall more information in ways that are fast, easy and fun. Whether we're talking about Matteo Ricci's recipe to overcome forgetfulness or French scholar Aimé Paris' Mnemonic Major System, strengthening the cerebral muscles of memory has mattered to people across time and around the world. In fact, there are numerous techniques used worldwide by memory champions as well as amateurs to train their brain. The Most Common Question About Memory Training Techniques In The World The question is: Is Ricci's method better than Paris' or would you be more interested in Alex Mullen's PAO system that helps him memorize a deck of cards in less than 17 seconds? These are good questions and I believe everyone should expose themselves to as many memory experts as possible. But here's the deal… Like honing any other skill or strengthening your body's core muscles, hacking your brain to remember anything takes time and practice. It is not difficult to build a better brain, but you must be sure which memory workouts will train it better to help you achieve particular learning outcomes. Before you start reading and executing different memory training techniques practiced around the world, take a quick look at this video. It will introduce you to some powerful prehistoric memory techniques you can use now that Lynne Kelly put together for us in her book, The Memory Code. Why Anyone Can Be A Memory Champ, Even If They Have Never Had Formal Memory Training According to a study published in March 2017, anyone can reshape their brain's networks by using the same tricks as the world's top memory champions. To understand how memory athletes remember huge strings of information, researchers recruited 23 of the world's top-ranked memory champions. They compared the brain scans of these memory champions with those of people who had never practiced memory techniques at all. The scans revealed that memory athletes' brains were not built differently from yours or mine. Far from it. But… These scientists did find something distinctive. The champions' brain showed unique patterns activity in regions that involved memory and cognition. The researchers then put some of the rookies through a memory training program and observed how their brains changed with exercise. The more the newcomers practiced the memory training techniques, the more their brain activity started to resemble the brains of memory athletes. Six Weeks Or Less To A Measurable Increase In Brain Power? You bet. In fact: It took only six weeks for the rookies who had never used memory techniques before to show an increase in brain power. "These really incredible memory feats … are not some form of inborn talent. It's really just training". This is from Martin Dresler, a neuroscientist at Radboud University in the Netherlands and the lead author of the study. And what these findings mean is that anything these people can accomplish in terms of brain fitness, you can do too. Travel Back In Time: Important People In the History of The Major Memory Method Let's start with some history. Remember Monsieur Paris? He's the French scholar we talked about earlier. (If you had to scroll up to check out what we had said about Paris, maybe you need a quick boost of these vitamins for memory improvement.) Paris was the first person to publish a version of the mnemonic Major Method in its modern form that is used by memory experts. However, French mathematician and astronomer Pierre Hérigone is said to have devised the earliest known version of the major system. Herigone apparently used both consonants and vowels in Latin and French. What's the real story? Watch this video for more and a free memory improvement exercise: As complex as the history of memory techniques may be, here's something about which most memory historians agree: The Major Method for memorizing numbers has its roots in the ancient Greek memory tradition. This is a tradition that combined strategic, systematic thinking with strong guidance from the larger guiding principles of memory. And using the Major Method, numbers are converted into consonant sounds and then developed into Magnetic words by adding vowels. Oh, you can make any kind of words if you wish, but it's attention to involving as many of the Magnetic Modes as possible that will make these words impossible to forget. What Are The Magnetic Modes Of Memory? The Magnetic Modes come into play whenever you combine a dedicated Memory Palace with associative, Magnetic Imagery. You use both of these tools to create links between information you already know, with new information you'd like to remember. Your Magnetic Modes are based in brain science, and easily tapped when the Magnetic Images you create in your Memory Palaces are: Bright Vibrant Dynamic Big Colorful Crazy Strange Emotional Physical Animated Forceful Loud Rhyming Punning For more information on how all this works, please take my free course: Why The Major Method Is The Most Popular Memory Technique The answer is simple: This memory training system, once you've practiced it, will help you remember short sequences of digits like telephone numbers or historic dates. You can also use it to remember long sequences of numbers like Pi, or to help you memorize a deck of cards as an alternative memory improvement exercises based on annoying apps. Plus, the Major Method is just plain easy. Why? Because, like most memory techniques, the Major Method works on the principle that the human brain remembers images far more easily than plain numerals. So now that you know the most popular memory athlete technique, let's start our two part series on different memory techniques used around the world and the people who use them. Memory Techniques Around The World (Part 1) Different countries hold different kinds of memory championships. Sure, they might use different rules and offer different prizes. But at the end of the day, these are the competitive meetings where mind athletes of every stripe compete with each other to prove the superiority of their cognitive prowess. Now: While there are no memory athlete techniques unique to any given country, several mnemonists from various regions have modified ancient mnemonic techniques to perfect memory training exercises for professionals and amateurs alike. Ready to take a look? Let's go! 1. China: Ming Mnemonics To Memorize Reams Of Classical Poetry In the 16th Century an Italian Jesuit priest became the first westerner to pass China's highest civil service exams. Why is this relevant? The exam involved memorizing reams of classical poetry – a task that only 1% of people who took the test were able to perform successfully. Yet, Ricci passed these exams after only 10 years, despite not having spoken any Chinese before. How did he do that? Ricci did it with the help of the Memory Palace technique. But more than just use the techniques personally, get this: As Jonathan D. Spence writes in The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci: "…Ricci taught the Chinese how to build a Memory Palace". Why The Memory Palace Is Better Than Rote Learning During that time, the Chinese had their own diligent study methods that used repetition and recitation as memory aides. This was coupled with mnemonic poems and rhyming jingles that were part of the traditional Chinese memory practice. "To everything that we wish to remember, we should give an image; and to every one of these images we should assign a position where it can repose peacefully until we are ready to reclaim it by an act of memory," wrote Ricci in his Treatise on Mnemonic Arts. Ricci suggested 3 locations for these "mental" buildings – they could be based on real buildings one has seen, they could be imaginary locations or a mix of both. Ricci's memory training techniques helps with memorizing entire books and large volumes of vocabulary. What's more? He also developed a means for memorizing how to write in Chinese. Memory champions who participate in China's popular reality and talent show – The Brain – have used Memory Palaces (probably evolved versions of Ricci's system) to memorize decks of cards or information about airline flights. In each episode, seven contestants must perform mental challenges like memorizing the names and birthdays of over 900 infants or solving a series of Rubik's Cube completely blindfolded in under five minutes. For more, check out this video of the first episode of Season 1 of The Brain: How To Memorize A Deck Of Cards Chinese Style – Fast! Want to know what system Chinese mnemonist Wang Feng uses to memorize a deck of cards? Feng, who is two-time winner of the World Memory Championships, uses a technique similar to Ricci's to exploit the brain's natural ability to memorize images and locations. To memorize the order of a deck of cards, Feng first gives each card a two digit number. Next he turns that number into an image and then puts that image in familiar location – from where he can retrieve it easily when needed. Notice the similarity with Ricci's Memory Palace system? Now that you know it, you toocan modify Ricci's system to build your own memory training course (like making a gym in your own mind for mental fitness). Or you can create Memory Palaces the Magnetic Memory Method way. Ultimately, I believe the Magnetic Memory Method approach is better for most learners. Why? Because it not only helps you remember the information faster, but also helps you get predictable and reliable permanence that grows in strength with practice. But more about that later. Let's turn now to: 2. Mongolia: The Genghis Khan Way To Brain Strength The founder of the Mongol Empire – Genghis Khan – would probably be delighted to know that in some of the most recent world memory statistics, ten of the top 50 people are his descendants! Mongolia – home to one of the world's last nomadic cultures – wants to be a titan in the obscure world of mental athletics and is using mental athletics as a nation building exercise. At the Mongolian Intellectual Academy, students are taught to flawlessly remember the Periodic Table of Elements and other brain feats by using the same principles that govern the Memory Palace technique – linking unfamiliar words and numbers to familiar mental images or stories that can be ingrained in a person's long-term memory. The teacher points to the periodic table and moves through the first column turning letters and numbers into vivid and outrageous images. The visuals are accompanied by an engaging story that offers a way to remember the name of the element, its atomic number and its atomic mass. When asked to recall the period table memorized using this mnemonic technique, there are virtually no errors! Impressive accuracy aside, the Mongolian team still faced tough competition in the 2015 Extreme Memory Tournament. The opponents were: Simon Reinhard, the world's fastest card memorizer and the reigning XMT Champion; and Alex Mullen, the 2015 World Memory Champion. Despite the steep competition, using memory palace training exercises paid off for 17-year-old first-time competitor Enhkjin Tumur, who set a tournament record by recalling 30 images in 14.4 seconds. 3. Canada: A Hunter-Gatherer Memory Technique Two time Guinness World Record holder for being able to memorize 59 decks of cards in order, Dave Farrow, is a Canadian who has either invented or improved some memory training techniques to remember information and recall them with ease. One method that Farrow uses is the Peg System – where you memorize a list of information by linking or pegging them with words or numbers you already know. You literally hang information on a number. This is what Farrow says about his memory technique: "Memory techniques work by taking advantage of a natural mechanism in the brain that we all have that allows us to memorize information without any repetition. It's a hunter-gatherer fight or flight mechanism—if you needed repetition to remember where you saw that predator, you would not be alive anymore. What I do and what I teach people how to do is trick the brain into triggering that mechanism at will." How To Use Colors To Remember Numbers Another method I've heard Farrow talk about is sometimes called the Alpha Numeric Spectrum system. This approach uses numerical and phonetic codes to memorize numbers and recall them with ease. It uses an arrangement like this (you can create your own version): 1 = red 2 = orange 3 = yellow 4 = green 5 = blue 6 = purple 7 = brown 8 = silver 9 = gold 0 = black Why Are There So Many Memory Training Techniques? As we come to the end of this first part of a two part series on memory training techniques around the world, you might be wondering… How on earth did so many memory techniques proliferate. Well, the truth is that there really aren't that many differences between how memory techniques have been used around the world. Rather, there exists a limited set of varied approaches that different people use according to their learning styles. Remember when we talked about the Magnetic Modes above? Well, it turns out that the precise approach a person using memory training techniques chooses has a lot to do with how the Magnetic Modes match up with their learning style. But if one important aspect binds them all together, it is the use of spatial memory to create Memory Palaces. So come back next week for the second part to see how memory training techniques work in Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA. There are more tips and surprises that you can use to help guide your practice. Stay tuned! The post 3 Powerful Memory Training Techniques From Around The World (Part 1) appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Looking for ways to learn anything fast and remember it in 2018 (whatever it may be)? You're in the right place. Why? Because 2017 was a landmark year for the Magnetic Memory Method blog and podcast. To sum up the year, I've gathered 18 of the most highly-shared and impactful posts from 2017. Scroll up and click play to hear me sum up the year on the podcast. Then get busy downloading each of these episodes and make yourself an audiobook so that you know how to study without forgetting what you have studied in 2018. For the first category of memory-boosting material from 2017, we begin with: The Biggest Learning Problems And Their Solutions 1. How To Stop Google From Ruining Your Memory Digital Amnesia: 5 Ways To Stop Google From Ruining Your Memory Yes, the threat is real. Please make sure you pay the closest attention to this special message because the "Google Effect" is something we all face. In order to overcome, measures must be taken. This blog post and podcast provides the deep-dive you need to preserve your memory for the long haul. 2. Beware of Apps 5 Memory Improvement Exercises That Don't Require Another Annoying App I know, I know. Apps are attractive. The idea that you can download an app that will help you remember or train your brain is seductive. But as this post demonstrates, there are better brain exercises you can use to improve your memory. And if you want more, here are five additional brain exercises that will benefit anyone. 3. Recycle Your Reading 11 Reasons You Should Reread At Least One Book Every Month I'm so glad I started a solid rereading strategy. I've learned so much and really fortified a lot of things I wanted to remember. The best part? Discovering all the things you didn't notice the first time. This can help you avoid many life mistakes that harm your memory improvement journey. Remember: You can't recall information you didn't notice, so have a rereading reading strategy is really important. 4. Know What Really Counts As Memory Loss The Most Important Difference Between Memory Loss And Forgetfulness In The World I survey thousands of people every year. One thing is clear: Many people don't know how to distinguish between every day forgetfulness and the kind of memory loss that should send you running for the doctor. Please check this material out. 5. Destroy Memory Mythologies 3 Reasons We Must Destroy The Human Goldfish Attention Span Myth Nothing is more dangerous than the lies we tell ourselves than the lies we allow to shape our behavior. If you're sick of being told that you have the attention span of a goldfish (and you should be), we took a look at the origin of this silly myth. Better: We learned to replace that destructive myth with an empowering metaphor that serves our memory instead of tearing it down. 6. Make Memory Easier And Faster 4 Easy Ways To Learn Faster And Remember More We all have a need for speed. But if you want to know how to make your brain stranger and train it for focus, you need strategy. Like knowing R.A.M.S. and which one to avoid: Good news: You'll learn everything you need to know about how to attract information into your memory on that video and the learn faster post. Please check them out. 7. Use A Pencil 5 Note Taking Techniques That Force You To Remember More Of course, I realize that we want to siphon information directly from our eyes and ears into our brain. But the reality is that old technology like paper and pencil still play an important role. And not necessarily in the way you think. I gave you some of my best tips for note taking from the viewpoint of someone who has been both student and professor. Memory Improvement Lessons From Experts & Other Warriors Of The Mind One of the my favorite roles as the host of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast is to: 1) Interview world class memory experts 2) Invite world class memory experts and students to take over the show. For example: 8. Learn From Those Who Really Face The Pressure 7 Killer Memory Improvement Tips From The World Of Conference Interpreting Lukas Van Vyve guest hosted the Magnetic Memory Method podcast and wrote everything down for its fans. You will definitely want to get the full run down on how conference interpreters work their magic. 9. Learn How To Take Online Language Learning Courses Properly How To Consistently Get Quick Victories With Language Learning Courses A lot of people fail to remember information because they don't know how to take courses. Olly Richards, who had just released his new Spanish course, came on to discuss the problem and give many powerful solutions. 10. Know Your Memory History For Some Of The Best Tips The Memory Code: Prehistoric Memory Techniques You Can Use Now Lynne Kelly wrote the best memory improvement book of 2017. Why? Because in The Memory Code, she connects memory techniques for our deep past and shows how they're just as relevant to human survival today as they were in prehistoric times. Learn the tradition and use it traditionally. You'll be glad you looked to the elders for guidance. Why else would they have worked so hard to preserve all that knowledge except for your benefit? 11. Get To The Root Of Your Memory Loss Problems Memory Loss Story And Memory Recovery Tips With Jennie Gorman If The Memory Code shows us the link between memory and survival, Jennie Gorman's visit to the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast extends it to modern medicine. If you're struggling with severe memory loss, her story will give you tips for a simple checkup that most people never consider. 12. Get Back On The Horse The Perfect Learn Japanese App With Kevin Richardson Kevin Richardson was looking for the perfect app to help with Japanese. He found it in the form of the Magnetic Memory Palace. Yet, after a short attempt, Kevin gave up. This is the epic story of why he came back to the Memory Palace and what happened next. His story is inspiring, insightful and will give you many tips on how to make memory techniques work for you if you're struggling. Your Memory Mindset & Preparing Your Attitude & Brain For The Future In all my years teaching memory improvement and memory techniques, one thing never changes. I'm talking about the importance of mindset. The truth is that the human brain is designed to give you negative messages. It does this not because you're bad, unworthy or lacking in the wit needed to make memory techniques (or any other skill) work. It's just trying to conserve energy. Rest assured, you're more than skilled enough. The best part: Your most unlikely thoughts are actually a power. 13. A Little Skepticism Goes A Long Way 3 Reasons Why Skeptics Succeed With Memory Techniques Better Than Anyone Else It's true. Those who succeed with memory techniques the most tend to start off as the biggest skeptics. Lynne Kelly talks about this experience herself in The Memory Code. It's mentioned throughout the memory improvement cannon of literature. And it was certainly the case for me. So if you're feeling skeptical, no worries. That skepticism has the potential to be a special power. Just… 14. Don't Let Skepticism Become Poisonous Two Truly Evil Spells People Cast Against Memorizing Vocabulary With A Memory Palace Lurkers must be connected to the Digital Amnesia problem. But it's not just lurkers. Even people willing to use their own names come along who are ready and willing to claim that because something didn't work for them… It couldn't possibly work for anyone else. We set that negative lie to rest in 2017 and hope it stays resting in 2018. In case not, it's important to remember that the negativity comes from the human desire for quick wins. 15. Learn To Love Delayed Gratification By Using These… 3 Powerful Ways To Destroy The Cancer Of Instant Gratification It's normal to get frustrated when you don't get immediate results. But the Internet has created a world filled with people who have unrealistic expectations. According to Will Self, that might be the result of the Gutenberg Mind having said bye-bye in the age of Digital Amnesia: That is very compelling, but as far as most of us are concerned, even without a history of reading novels, memory techniques work super fast and fine. But what I like about Self's critique for those who come to memory techniques is this: Depending on your age, level of interest and exposure to depths of plot and imagination, picking up mnemonic skills can require varying degrees of take time. And that's a very good thing, I venture. Why? Because no matter who you are or where you come from, you are the only person who can experience memory techniques in quite the way you will experience them. When you get in touch and share your experience, we learn more about how these memory techniques work with greater specificity about for whom and under what conditions. In other words, learn to love delayed gratification. It rewards all of us when you arrive and send your report from the frontier of your own imagination. And yes, as you can see on this live version of today's blog post, those of us who belong to the Magnetic Memory Method Family are practicing long form discussions about memory improvement using the available technology. And loving it: Make sure you're subscribed to the Magnetic Memory Method on YouTube and have clicked the bell icon so that you're notified the next time we go live. 16. Learn To Shift Mindshift: 3 "Time Travel" Secrets From People Learning How To Learn The question is… How do you change yourself when old habits die hard? We start by thanking our lucky stars for Barbara Oakley. And if you haven't read Mindshift yet, you are missing out on something truly special. You may need an especially big mindshift if you believe Aphantasia is the reason you can't use memory techniques, for example. (Hint: It's not the reason.) 17. Keep Abreast Of New Topics Forcing Mindshifts Mastering The Memory Demands Of Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency With Jonathan Levi Yes, change is coming. Including how we use our wallets. That's why I was delighted when Jonathan Levi created this free trial of his new Bitcoin Academy for Magnetic Memory Method fans. Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are currently one of the most challenging, and yet most important topics on the scene. I'm grateful Jonathan stopped by and created this course to help us all out. Of course, I'm not 100% in favor of all technological change. 18. Keep Your Brain And Memory Organic 7 Reasons Having A Memory Implant Would Really Suck I'm a techno-positivist. I see mostly only good things. But as I hoped to demonstrate in the podcast and post on why memory implants make no sense to me, if you want a properly functioning brain and memory in the future, you've got to keep a healthy division between your brain and technology. Will my opinion change in the future? Perhaps. I'm a scientist, after all. New evidence always plays a role in shaping – and reshaping – my convictions. But as of the end of 2017, I can tell you this: As with my 2016 State Of Your Memory Address, journals, friendships and learning a new language remain the most likely ways to experience optimal brain health and superior memory. Stick with the fundamentals and keep clear of smartphone addiction if you want to learn anything fast and remember it, Memorizers, and you'll do just fine. Here's a free course to show you how: More than having your learning accomplishments be just fine in 2018, your mind and memory will become truly Magnetic. Happy New Year and thanks for all the great memories of 2017! The post 18 Ways To Learn Anything Fast And Remember It in 2018 appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Have you been looking for the perfect learn Japanese app… Or maybe just wondering how to learn Japanese on your own with memory techniques? Are you still at the level where you're searching Google with "learn Japanese alphabet," unaware of its unique character sets? Or how about that wish to know how to speak Japanese fast? Well, in today's guest post and featured podcast guest host, Kevin Richardson share his experiences using the best app to learn to speak Japanese in the world: The Memory Palace. But not just any Memory Palace. A Magnetic Memory Palace. Scroll up and click play to hear my interview with Kevin and read his separate assessment below. Take it away Kevin! The Man Who Almost Gave Up On Learning Japanese Without Magnetic Memory, I would have packed up my bags and given up on ever learning the readings of Japanese kanji. Now, I have no doubts that I'm going to complete my mission. I want to be fully literate in Japanese … and I want to be able to handwrite kanji too. In for a penny, in for a pound! This is actually my second attempt at using the Magnetic Memory Method. I won't lie to you, the first time I tried making a Memory Palace wasn't a great success. So take heart, don't give up if you don't get everything right the first time. Treat it as a learning experience. I promise you, you'll get better quickly. I'm still only a fledgling Memory Palace maker, yet now I'm able to remember up to thirty kanji readings in a single day! Best of all – I know they're there forever! Before employing the Magnetic Memory technique, I'd used Heisig's "Remembering the Kanji" volume 1 to memorize over two thousand kanji meanings in six months. I wasn't setting the world on fire, but for someone who can't even remember why I've gone to the convenience store, I was still pretty pleased with myself. Maybe The Memory Palace Stuff Wasn't For Me… In hindsight, I wish I'd known more about Memory Palaces when I set about using Heisig's method, but my first attempt wasn't very successful and I resigned myself to thinking maybe this Memory Palace stuff wasn't for me. It was then that I listened to Olly Richard's podcast with Anthony Metivier talking about learning hiragana with the Magnetic Memory Method. By happy coincidence, I was just starting to think about the daunting task of learning thousands of readings for the kanji characters. I knew that if I could get the hang of it, this would be make or break. After all, Japanese people take about ten years to accomplish the same task; so for me, any technique that's going to supercharge my memory was worth a punt. My first Memory Palace was a modest affair. I drew a sketch map of my apartment in Japan, numbered my memory stations in a logical route from bed to genkan (the place you leave your shoes). The first kanji vocabulary word I added to the bottom of my bed – 主に (omoni – 'mainly'). The story, "oh money is mainly found at the bottom of my bed". Next, 大気 (taiki – 'atmosphere') … That utter tyke, Russ Abbot singing "Oh what atmosphere, I love a party with an atmosphere" in the cupboard next to my bed. And as the tour went around my apartment, the story developed into a bizarre journey that I couldn't forget. Do you remember the Hana Barbera cartoon of Godzilla? I always hated the baby Godzilla, "Godzuki", yet when I came to the bathroom, I have to think about that dinosaur, Gojira (as the Japanese say) … I'm a big fan of Godzilla … (dai no gojira zuki desu). My Mind Couldn't Help But Fill In The Gaps I took Anthony's advice and walked through my Memory Palace ten times that first day. That made a big difference; I think by walking through the same linear path through my apartment, visualizing the story ten times, the story in my mind became like a sequence of video clips. My mind couldn't help but fill in the gaps, so I'd see myself mainly getting my omoni from the bottom of my bed, so that I could throw some spare yen at Russ Abbot busking "atmosphere" in my cupboard etc etc. The next day, I walked through it in my mind a couple more times during breaks at work. I loved the fact that I didn't need any technology, no batteries and could simply walk through my Memory Palace whenever I had some downtime. I decided that I'd start making one Memory Palace a week from that moment onwards. I'm now on my fifth Memory Palace and have gone from making twelve Magnetic Stations to now making over thirty Magnetic Stations in each Memory Palace. (* Note: During the making of this Memory Palace, a mosquito collided violently with my notebook … to honor it's death, I shall always remember "Yuu HAVE made a mess here") I'm not rushing anything. Like I say, I'm still a fledgling at this technique, but in the course of a month, my Memory Palaces are becoming richer, stranger, surreal and most importantly … unforgettable. I now draw my map and number my Magnetic Stations. Then I think of a mnemonic to connect the kanji with it's reading. Then I write the whole story out as a walkthrough. Read it to myself and my mind can't help but connect one station to another. My favorite on this page has to be Hulk Hogan speaking in his "hougen dialect"!) Now, I remember Olly and Anthony talking about the effort of making Memory Palaces being "top loaded." Certainly seems to be true for me at the moment – I spend far more time constructing my Memory Palace and creating a walkthrough story. The Time I Save BUT … it works … and if it means I don't forget anything, that's time I save in the long run. In time, I can see myself not needing to write out my walkthrough story … and in time, I'll eventually be able to take forty or fifty kanji readings, plot them out in my head, walkthrough the Memory Palace without having to write everything down. I can see how that will give me the ability to remember hundreds of readings a week … but small steps grasshopper … I'm happy enough that I've gone from having a sketchy memory of maybe six readings a week, to now remembering fifty or so kanji readings a week. That's already a massive improvement … it's certainly given me a huge boost in confidence that this heady goal of remembering thousands of kanji readings is much more achievable than I'd ever thought possible. The post The Perfect Learn Japanese App With Kevin Richardson appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Would you like free tickets to participate in or watch the upcoming Memory Games in Las Vegas? If so, hit play on this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. This is a tremendous opportunity for Magnetic Memory Method fans in the Las Vegas area. Of course, even if you're not in the area, you can help spread the word about memory techniques by sharing this page. If you know anyone who would like some free memory training and an opportunity to practice them, please pass this information along to them as well. You can also watch for all the details about getting free tickets in this video: Hosted by Dave Farrow, these Memory Games present a great opportunity to learn new memory skills, practice the ones you already know and challenge yourself to a friendly and fun competition amongst fellow memory training enthusiasts! This competition will teach you the memory techniques used in the games in a low stress environment. You'll develop courage and confidence with your memory while making new friends. This event is a precursor to the annual Pan American Memory Games in Florida and the annual US Memory Tournament held at eBay in San Jose, so if you'd like to be informed, make sure to get in touch with Dave so you can be notified. Is This Memory Games Event Just For Adults? Not at all. Of course, memory games for kids help young people develop skills that will be useful throughout life and this is a great entry-level opportunity for all ages and skill levels. Also, tune in to this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast to learn about: * A forthcoming book with contributions from Alex Mullen and myself. * The major reasons entrepreneurs and professionals need memory skills more than ever before. * Why memory games are a great way to learn these techniques. * Why the spelling bee competitions may be slowly disappearing and why competition might be one of the best memory activities for students. * Options you have for using memory techniques, even if you're not visual or experience aphantasia. * And much, much more! If you'd prefer to pay for tickets, please grab your Memory Games in Las Vegas now. More information about the event, including time and location are on that page. To contact Dave Farrow directly, please email him using the link provided in the video and podcast or go directly to the contact page on Farrow PR. About The Host Of The Las Vegas Memory Games Dave Farrow earned his second Guinness World Record for memory by recalling the exact order of 59 decks of shuffled playing cards. He created 'The Farrow Method' to help combat his severe dyslexia and ADHD and this is now a certifiable memory system backed by a double-blind neuroscience study at McGill University. Dave has been a featured guest on Dr. Oz, Steve Harvey, The Today Show, Discovery Channel and many others. Most recently, Dave won the grand prize on episode 5 of the hit FOX TV show, SuperHuman. For More On Brain Games And Brain Exercises… Brain Games: The Truth You Need To Know For Memory Improvement Crossword Puzzles For Brain Fitness: Fact or Fiction? 5 Brain Exercises That Ensure Memory Improvement Brain Training: 3 Unconventional Techniques Guaranteed To Help You Conjure Your Best-Ever Ideas 3 Memory Games You Can Play With Your Childhood Tansel Ali on How Gratitude Can Help You Remember Almost Anything Thank you for attending this event if you can make it. If you can't, we deeply appreciate you helping spread the word about the 2017 Memory Games in Las Vegas. Your involvement in keeping this tradition alive is as central as learning and using the techniques themselves. Let us know in the comments below how you found the games or were otherwise able to participate! The post Want Free Tickets To The 2017 Memory Games In Las Vegas? appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

What is Bitcoin and cryptocurrency? And why should memory improvement fans memorize a long list of virtual currencies? To help answer the question, Jonathan Levi joins me on this episode Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. And to help us understand why the topic is so challenging for even the smartest learners, we discuss: * The most important definition of Bitcoin (and probably all new digital currencies to come) and the software involved that you need to understand. * The truth about fiat currencies and the BIG problems with fractional reserve banking. * How Jonathan discovered Bitcoin and found cryptocurrency compelling enough to use his SuperLearner skills to learn how to buy Bitcoin stock in an easy and secure way. * The most popular crypto currencies and why so much terminology is needed to discuss how to buy bitcoins and store them in different kinds of wallets. * How Jonathan answered the central question: Is Bitcoin mining worth it? * Why even people in underprivileged countries can buy Bitcoins with a debit card and participate in a democratized currency that will allow them to buy valuable online education programs (like for learning a language). * The history of money and why everyone interested in this emerging form of currency needs to use their memory to help them learn about it. * Why bitcoin is a revolution in both commerce and technology the provides a strong alternative to a fiat currency and the current culture of debt. * Some of the history of money that "rots" as described by Lewis Hyde in The Gift and its relationship to the BlockChain. * Blockchain technology explained clearly for those who need a "blockchain for dummies" guide to understanding the irreversible functions of mathematics that updates the ledger across the word. * The special relationship between Internet money like Zcash and intellectual property that can never be copied. * How Filecoin and other services help transfer shares properly and establish proper ownership in the hugest paradigm shift since the introduction of the Internet itself. * A clear description of the problems being solved by bitcoin miners on the bitcoin market and how this creates tangible value. * Why mining transactions and rewards take place every ten minutes and yet involve trillions of difficult transactions designed to keep out bad actors. * Why the brilliant decisions of Satoshi Nakamoto helped make Bitcoin fraud very difficult, if not outright impossible. * Why credit card charges are so expensive and make Bitcoin value projections climb higher and higher. * Why every cellphone has the ability to function as its own bank without the need for a third person or elaborate trust structures. * The future of credit card bonuses, air miles, incentive points, interest and transaction fees in this new era of Internet money. * Why Bitcoin value is directly linked to a true understanding of democracy. * The ultimate answer to the question: Is bitcoin mining worth it? * Omisego and how serving the unbanked will prove revolutionary for learners around the world. * Why Copay is the best and most secure wallet to use when learning how to buy Bitcoin. * The role of transparency in a changing world of privacy and security and the role of anonymity when using these new forms of currency. * The role of a passwords manager when using Bitcoin and other issues of online security. * The ultimate question of whether these cryptocurrency solutions are making the world simpler or more complex. * The number one opportunity with Bitcoin, the number one strength you'll need and the number one fear each person should have – and how to avoid the need to fear getting involved in the cryptocurrency of your choice. If you're interested in learning more, click the image below to take a free intro course that will teach you even more: Jonathan Levi is the host of the wildly popular SuperLearner Academy and host of the Becoming A Superhuman Podcast. Together, we teach Branding You: How to Build Your Multimedia Internet Empire. Stay tuned for the 2.0 version of this course coming very soon! In the meantime, please be sure to educate yourself about Bitcoin, cryptocurrency and let the topic serve so you don't get left behind. If nothing else, this topic serves as great brain exercise, no matter your age or general interest. What about you? Excited about the future of money and this interesting learning and memory challenge? The post Mastering The Memory Demands Of Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency With Jonathan Levi appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.