The Magnetic Memory Method Podcast

Home is where the heart is, right? Judging by my inbox and all the pains and frustrations with memory I hear … Maybe not. I mean, think about it: You pour all that hard-earned money into rent or your mortgage, and yet … You're Living In A Memory-Toxic Dump! It really doesn't matter how much you like your home. If you don't set it up for memory success and sufficient memory care home solutions, you're leading yourself down a path of mental destruction. And yes, there are things worse than Alzheimer's. Such as letting another moment slip by without the extraordinary powers available to you now for improving your memory based on Memory Palace Science. In addition to all the memory techniques you can learn here on the site, here are 15 more ways that your home is crushing your memory. Avoid these issues and your memory abilities will soar. 1. Your Fridge Is Filled With Memory Destroying Foods Here's a rule of thumb you must not forget: If it comes with a list of ingredients, it's probably wrecking your brain. I know it's hard these days. Almost everything comes wrapped in plastic and there are additives in everything. Heck, you can't even trust your local farmer's market. But sticking with foods that improve memory isn't hard. In fact, it's one of the easiest things you can do. And yes, it's the one time Magnetic Memory Method fans know I think it's okay to memorize your shopping list. So drop the sauces and start eating well. Your brain and memory will thank you for it. 2. No Mat, No Enlightenment, No Memory Improvement Getting sick of hearing about meditation? Don't. In study after study, scientists keeps piling on all the benefits of meditation for your memory. And the good news is that memory is good for all kinds of other life areas too. Don't believe me? Just listen: https://youtu.be/zP20eBfp2oM 3. No Dedicated Study And Memory Location People say they want to get smarter, but do they act like it? Just take a look around your own home and point to all the places you go to FOCUS. If you can't even come up with one, then you and your memory are in trouble. Don't you think it's time to fix it? 4. How Scribbling Can Save The Life Of Your Memory Once you have a place to focus in, it's good to have rituals. My morning rituals for Mandarin have changed a bit since I first shared them, but the basics are the same. And a huge part of getting my language learning done involves having an if-this-then-that chain of events. To help, I'm currently using The Mastery Journal, which is John Lee Dumas' follow-up to the excellent Freedom Journal. Why not just use an app? Digital amnesia, for one thing. It's killing your memory and your brain. Kind of like reading from screens is sucking your brain dry of the life it used to have. 5. Not Enough Dead Weight Two words. More books. Real books. It's true: People can't remember nearly as much of what they read from a digital device as they can from physical books. Why? I have a lot of pet theories, but the important thing is that you make sure you've got physical books in your home. Even if it's just a couple, so long as you actually read them, you'll be doing your memory and brain a favor. 6. Not Enough Playful Romance (And Yes, Sex) If you want to keep your brain and memory healthy, you've got to do it. Often. But more than just get physical with your partner, you've got to be romantic and make love in memorable ways. How? Ask questions. Tease. Remind your lover of the things you remember and prove that the past of your relationship matters. Because it does matter, doesn't it? And if you can't imagine it mattering, maybe you need to get checked out for aphantasia. 7. Too Much Idiot Box Okay, everybody knows the truth here: TV has gotten better. And you can improve your memory by watching long form series and making a network of Memory Palaces from them. But here's the thing: No matter how good TV gets, it's still twitchy. Instead of helping you extend your attention span, it's constantly shrinking it. Not only that, you're continually being exposed to bad news that create the perception of a negative world. Well, guess what? That world doesn't actually exist. And if you don't believe me, just read The Better Angels Of Our Nature by Stephen Pinker. 'nuff said. 8. Too Many Interruptions From Mobile Devices If the TV isn't interrupting your attention, instant notifications from a dozen or more less than useful apps are probably yapping at you. Seriously, does the latest post on Facebook really matter that much to you? Wouldn't you rather be experiencing the benefits of learning a new language instead? Listen, I use social media too, but there's a time and place for it and the home isn't one of them. Try digital fasting and use social media only when you're out at a cafe or some other place. My prediction: You'll enjoy where you live more than you ever imagined possible. 9. No Wheels, No Memory Skills Crazy, but true. I know all kinds of people who prefer driving to work when they could ride. A bike. They're not only great exercise, but you can use bikes as Memory Palaces too. And driving instead of cycling means a few things: You're robbing yourself of exercise while polluting the environment. You're also robbing yourself of experiencing the world at a deeply infinite level. You see more when you go slower and that means you have more interesting thoughts to think. Plus, you'll discover you have more Memory Palace options in your environment than you ever realized before. These will come in handy when you know how to improve memory for studying. 10. Only One Language Spoken At Home This one's a kicker. Far too many people live monolingual lives. Worse, they've hypnotized themselves into thinking that learning another language is hard. It costs time, energy and maybe a bit of money. No doubt about it. But hard? That's just negative self-hypnosis. Check out The Big Five Of Language Learning and put this nonsense about language learning being difficult to rest. Your home will become so much more vibrant when you have multiple languages flowing through it. And that can't help but be super-healthy for your memory and your brain. 11. Clutter, Clutter Everywhere And Not A Thought To Think Okay, I'll admit it. I've got a fair amount of clutter around me a lot of the time. But I also spend a few moments every morning clearing it up too. It's written into my Mastery Journal as part of my morning routine. And not just the clutter around my physical desk. I spend at least 5-10 minutes arranging the files on my desktop into folders too. It does a lot to create focus and peace of mind, not to mention a heightened ability to find things fast. 12. No Musical Instruments Like language learning, studying music is incredible for your memory. Not only that, but you can explore music and mnemonics together in many fascinating ways. Plus, you're already probably familiar with the music mnemonics they teach in schools. Why not revive them and put them to some use? 13. Not Using Your Home As A University Campus Did you know that you can get university level certifications for free? Welcome to the wonderful world of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). For more information about these, check out my interview with Barbara Oakley. Why should you listen to what she has to say about Massive Open Online Courses? Simple. She's the creator behind the biggest MOOC in the world! She's also the author of several great books, including the wonderful Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential. That library I was suggesting you should build in order to ensure that your home stops crushing your memory? Add MindShift to it. 14. Not Teaching The Kids How To Use A Memory Palace (And Then More Than One Memory Palace) If there's one crime against humanity that gets the hounds of hell howling louder than any other, it's this one. Memory improvement techniques for kids are easy to teach and do so much good for everyone in your home. Whether it's learning history, the multiplication table, or just the simple ability to memorize the names of new people, your kids will be much more delightful to be around if you give them the gift of memory. And let's be clear: Introducing your kids to memory techniques shouldn't be done on a whim. It's kind of like a Martial Art, especially if you do it the Magnetic Memory Method way. They don't call me the Bruce Lee of Memory for nothing, after all. One of the key reasons for this honor stems from the MMM's concentration on making meditation part of the memory process. And meditation, provided it's free from dogma and mythology, is very likely good for your kids and their memory too. 15. Not Using Your Home As A Memory Palace Of all the ways your home is crushing your memory, the quickest thing you can do to break the trend is the easiest: Turn your home into a Memory Palace! Not only is Memory Palace creation one of the best brain exercises on the planet, but it does something remarkable: It instantly quadruples the value of your home! Why? Because now instead of just living in the place, you can use it to learn, remember and recall anything. And that's more valuable than anything else in the world. Bonus: 16. You're Not Using The Solution! But then again … … if you haven't given memory techniques a try, you wouldn't know. That makes me sad, so let me extend this simple invitation. Grab my FREE Memory Improvement Kit now and start the process immediately. You'll learn how to create a Memory Palace in 4 simple steps. After that, you'll be amazed by all the wonderful things you can do with the simple power of your natural imagination. Have fun and keep me posted on your progress. Talk soon! Sincerely, Anthony Metivier The post 15 Ways Your Home Is Crushing your Memory appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Hey, it happens. We've all forgotten a name. Where we left our keys. Whether or not we locked the front door. But there's a difference between mild forgetfulness and more serious memory problems like memory loss. And mild forgetfulness is particularly vicious because it can creep up on you. In fact, it could be biting up parts of your brain as we speak. But it's not the same as memory loss, which is what we really need to focus on curing. And to help you out, here are five signs of serious memory loss problems you need to take seriously: 1. Asking The Same Questions Over And Over Again This is a big warning sign that you have memory loss problems. You might even be suffering from one of the big memory loss diseases like Alzheimer's or Dementia. It's not just that you've forgotten the answers to the questions. You've even forgotten that you asked the question before. If this happens to you or someone points out that you've been asking the same question multiple times, please get it checked out. No shame in having the problem. Just something that needs attention. 2. Getting Lost In Well-Known Places This problem can occur at any age. It's not necessarily a sign of Alzheimer's or dementia, either. It could be a sign of fatigue, dietary problems or thyroid issues. But if you find yourself getting lost in places you've been in many times before (including your home), you know that it's more than well-warranted to get yourself to the doctor. 3. Inability To Follow Directions No, I'm not talking about rebellion. I'm talking about literally not being able to understand and execute. We all have this from time to time. Sometimes, the instructions are to blame. But other times, it's a sign of serious memory loss. 4. Experiencing Confusion About Time It's normal to forget the day of the week every once in awhile. But if it becomes a common occurrence, you need to do something about it. Not only that, but you can use a Memory Palace to help ensure that you always know what day of the week it is. Here's how: Look at the wall nearest your bed. Imagine it has seven quadrants. In each quadrant, place an image. For example: Monday = the moon Tuesday = a can of Tuna Wednesday = a weathervane Etc … Having a mnemonic calendar like this will make the days of the week more memorable for you as such. But to know for sure, you can imagine crossing out a huge X over the can of tuna before going to bed on a Tuesday. Or you can do something even more imaginative, like seeing it smashed by the weathervane that represents Wednesday. In this way, when you wake up, you can think of what happened before you went to sleep on your mnemonic calendar. That will instantly remind you of the current day. And this works just as well for young people as it does for people coping with age related memory loss. Having a mnemonic calendar is also one of many great brain exercises that will help you keep sharp. 5. Not Taking Care Of Yourself Seriously. Some people forget to eat, bathe and otherwise take care of themselves. I know this problem well from the periods when depression has crushed my memory so heavily my hygiene went down the drain. It sucks and if it happens to you, get it checked out. 8 Simple Cures For Memory Loss And Forgetfulness The good news is that people are winning the battle against memory loss and forgetfulness. Here are 8 things you can do starting today that will give you the upper edge in the battle against these critical memory problems. 1. Learn A New Skill Seriously. Juggling, piano, simple sketching. Anything you can find will help. I'm currently learning more about video production and photography while learning Chinese. The improvements to my memory are noticeable on a daily basis. 2. Volunteer It could be at a school, community service office or church. It really doesn't matter what, so long as it's with other people and you genuinely feel happy about helping others. These kinds of experiences create powerful new memories that will last a lifetime while exercising your brain. 3. Spend More Time With Friends & Family Be honest. You're not getting enough face time with the people that matter. And it's killing your memory. Get out your calendar and cell phone now. Make the call. Book a time. Your memory will thank you for it. 4. Put Your Wallet, Keys & Glasses In The Same Place Every Time Look, I can teach you how to remember where you put objects in the house. But sometimes it's good to give your memory some relief. That's why instead of imagining explosions every time you set your keys down, you can take the pressure off your memory by dedicating a spot for these easily lost items. 5. Get More Sleep Easier said than done, to be sure, except … It is easy if you set a computer curfew. Seriously: Shut the machine down at the same time every day. Read a book. Play a game. Get in bed. Rest your #memory.Click To Tweet I like to spend about 5 minutes wandering a Memory Palace and sometimes exposing myself to something new before turning out the lights. However, I read a study recently that older people get less memory consolidation than younger people during sleep. Nonetheless, the additional exposure to information can't hurt – AND those studies are still relatively new. Point being: Get off the computer and get more sleep. It's good for your brain and memory. 6. Exercise, Hydrate & Eat Well There's nothing that helps improve memory better than having a healthy brain sitting in a healthy body. There's no doubt that walking, pushups and other forms of fitness provide great memory benefits. And it's a no-brainer that eating foods that improve memory like salmon, blueberries and walnuts are far better for your memory than pizza, chocolate bars and foods bursting with bizarre preservatives. Get rid of the junk and enjoy memory friendly foods. Drink tons of water too. Studies show that just a touch of dehydration shrinks your brain and harms your memory. Who wants that? 7. Ditch The Booze I haven't touched alcohol for over a year now (except for a bit that touched my tongue by accident at a party). I used to drink a fair amount, but in the last year, the benefits for my memory are really just the beginning. Not drinking has contributed to losing a lot of weight and feeling better all around. 8. Get Help If You Feel Depressed Not a lot of people know this, but even a mild depression can cause memory problems. For that reason, don't be shy or embarrassed to reach out for some help. In fact, doing all of the above almost guarantees that you'll never get depressed. But wait! There are more cures for memory loss and forgetfulness. Introducing … Why Do Memory Loss Problems Take Place To Begin With Now, before we get started, you might be asking yourself … Why do these memory loss problems take place in the first place? Lots of reasons. It could be that you're reacting to a new medicine – or an old one that has started compounding elements in your body. Seasonal or contextual depression might be in play. You might be lacking certain vitamins and minerals in your diet. Perhaps you've had too much alcohol. Blood clots or tumors might be growing in your brain from a health issue or injury. Or other parts of your body might be affected. The Ultimate Cure For Memory Loss & Forgetfulness For most of us, we're fit enough that we don't have to worry that our health is affecting our memory. We don't suffer from Alzheimer's. There are no vascular issues causing dementia. We're not boozing or vitamin deficient. So why then do we struggle with our memory abilities? The Answer Is Simple Lack of memory exercise. Yes, it is a must to see a doctor if you have any of the memory problems I've listed above. But if it's just general lack of memory ability we're talking about, then I've got just what the doctor ordered. The Magnetic Memory Method doctor, that is. I do hold a Ph.D., after all. Although I am making no medical recommendations of any kind, I can tell you this: Nothing has boosted my mood more than using memory techniques and experiencing the raw power of recall. Seriously. This morning my wife woke me up with a simple request: To sing a Chinese poem she'd taught me. Which one? I asked. Yes, I've memorized more than one. Quickly. Efficiently. In ways that make me happy. Boost my confidence. Are ridiculously fun. In fact … It's Impossible To Be Depressed When Using Your Memory! So if you'd like to experience the cure for memory loss and forgetfulness yourself, I urge you to scroll up and enroll in my free memory improvement course. You'll learn the best way to use create and use a Memory Palace. Having one of these easy to make memory tools will let you learn, remember and recall anything. And it's the ultimate memory improvement exercise, especially since I teach you exactly how to make sure that you're memorizing the information that matters in your life. Then again, you probably already know exactly what would make a huge difference if you could remember it now, don't you? Either way, giddy up and sign up for my FREE memory improvement course now. Enjoy and until we speak again … Keep yourself Magnetic! Sincerely, Anthony Metivier The post The Most Important Difference Between Memory Loss And Forgetfulness In The World appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Ever hear that crazy phrase, "knowledge is power"? Sounds kind of cool, right? But have you ever asked yourself … What The Heck Does That Silly Cliche Mean? Well, "power," it turns out, is an interesting concept. Especially when it comes to memory and memory improvement. To begin, understand this: People have defined it thousands of different ways throughout history. Ever since I discovered it in university, I've always liked Michel Foucault's definition. He's a philosopher who you should check out sometime. Don't worry if you think philosophy is boring. Foucault didn't dally around. He gets right down to defining it in many books. For Foucault, power amounts to "the ability to conduct the conduct of others." Now, let's be honest: Who In Their Right Mind Wouldn't Want A Taste Of That? And let's be clear: When it comes to memory improvement and using memory techniques as a way of life, that's what we going for: Power. Exactly as Michel Foucault defined. Why? Because if you're using memory techniques to help you learn a language, guess what? Speaking a language "controls" what others think. Just like my words are controlling what you think now. Controlling what you're thinking, feeling, deciding to do next. And more than that … Power Is Productive It produces the next action in line. When it comes to the power that using memory techniques creates, think of it this way: If you're using memory techniques for numbers so that you can quote SKU numbers at work or cite aspects of the law, you're instantly better at controlling how your colleagues work with you. Pretty neat, huh? Well, hold on now, because it gets even better. Because there are a lot of things about memory you probably don't know. And all of them will give you more power. Which equals more control. Particularly over the most important person in your life you need better control over. You. So with all that in mind, let's get started: 1. Memory Loss Starts At A Much Younger Age Than Most People Think Sad, but true. We have this image that memory loss starts when you're forty or older. Worse, we project the idea that struggles with memory belong to the elderly or people with Alzheimer's. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Long before the age of digital amnesia, scientists knew that memory struggles begin already in our mid-20s, if not earlier. And the more people relegate their memory activities to smartphones and computers, the more younger people start experiencing memory problems. Don't Blame The Machines For Everything! Of course, we can't just blame the machines or the questionable fact that they don't teach learning and memory techniques in schools. (They do.) This is what's more important: We're exposing young people to information they don't care about. Want to help the young person in your life learn how to discover exactly what they care about to help guide their studies? Make sure you listen to the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast for the link to the listener only audiobook, The Ultimate Memory Improvement Secret. I promise. That book will help. And then giddy up on improving your memory. No matter how young and spry you think you are now, memory loss is always around the corner. 2. You Change Your Memories Every Time You Remember Them I love that scene from Lost Highway. For two reasons: A) It exposes a fundamental truth about human behavior. B) The whole movie is about how memories change merely by recalling them. And it's true. Every time you remember something, you're engaging in an exchange of chemicals. You know this, right? Your mind is produced by your brain: soft, squishy material made up of all kinds of nutrients and acids. The kind of stuff that aliens probably love to eat. And in that pool of chemical substances, sit your memories. Your memories are part of that stuff, not different from it. Every time you access one of them, it's like putting bread into a toaster. Chemical change. And, as you know, bread that has been toasted ain't never going back to being bread again. It's different now, and different it shall remain. 3. Your Memory Is More Like A Neighborhood Than A Computer Not only are your memories made of physical material, they are also dispersed like multiple spheres in a pinball machine. Think of it the way Gary Small suggested when I interviewed him on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. He explains that the computer metaphor for the human brain and memory is false. Instead, your brain is like a series of neighborhoods, bigger and more complex than the biggest cities of the world. And every time new information enters your "memory city," it doesn't book a room in a hotel someplace and wait patiently to be called for a business meeting when you need it. Instead, the information is broken up and sent into many different homes in many different neighborhoods. The Businessmen Your Memory Slices And Dices Everyday Think of it like this: Say that you learn a German phrase like, "Ich möchte mir etwas kaufen, aber ich weiß nicht was." (I want to buy myself something, but I don't know what.) If that phrase was a businessman, your memory wouldn't store him altogether in the same place. Instead, it would take his hat and put it in one home in one neighborhood of your memory. Then, in an entirely different neighborhood, your memory would deposit his briefcase. And that neighborhood might be just around the bend, or it might be hundreds of thousands of miles away. And the division keeps going, taking each arm of the businessman to a unique location. It might even be the case that each individual toe goes to its own home in a variety of different neighborhoods. Sounds Complex, Doesn't It? Well, that's the miracle and challenge of memory. Next time you struggle to recall something because you're missing a part (like a last name when you have the first name), understand that this is why: Your memory stored the first and last name, just not necessarily in the same neighborhood of your "memory city." And this is why memory techniques are so fantastic, especially for remembering a lot of names at events: When you use a Memory Palace, and particularly the Magnetic Memory Method, you're rigging the game in your favor. You are literally requesting that your mind store the information in a more compact way. You are creating connections that put you in control of information storage in ways that no computer can beat. 4. You Cash In On Your Memories Overnight I know, I know, you're tired of hearing about how important SLEEP DEFICIT page is for your memory. I'm sorry. Get used to it. Nothing could be more important for your memory. I've experienced a lot of sleep deficit over the past few years due to traveling the world in search of new Memory Palaces. I can tell you one thing: Nothing hurts your memory more than exhaustion. Why? Because even with the most powerful memory techniques in the world, memory "consolidates" during sleep. It seems to be related to the same way that we experience muscle growth during sleep. Work out all you want in the gym, but if you're not putting in the snooze time, you'll never see anything like the results you want. Does Memory Consolidation Work If You're Old? Recent research shows that sleep consolidation might not be nearly as important for memory as an adult as it is for a younger person. But in my own experiences as someone now in his forties, I can tell you that I still feel a huge difference. I've also done experiments with changing when I memorize Chinese vocabulary, and I do seem to have much stronger recall when I use the Magnetic Memory Method at night, rather than the morning. Here's the real kicker, though: Practicing your memory first thing and before you go to bed. WINNING! 5. Technology Can Augment Human Memory, But Also Harm It Some of my friends think I'm a Luddite. After all, I didn't update my iPhone 4s until 2017. And even then I never used it as a phone anyway. It's a computer for reading and writing. All things told, all my devices are good for memory in certain contexts and I appreciate having them. But we're killing our memory abilities in so many ways. I talk about this a lot on my post about digital amnesia, so I'll step off my soapbox for now. Just please understand that we need balance in our life and that's why vinyl records are so popular, not to mention physical journals (I recommend The Freedom Journal). 6. Repetition Can Be Fun Most people don't know this, but rote learning does have a fun button written into its code. No, that's a lie. Rote learning is always a crime against humanity. If you have to repeat anything a zillion times or you're bombing through flash cards without at least the assistance of some mnemonics, you're doing it wrong. No exposure to information should be without excitement. And every memory activity you engage in should CREATE energy, not CONSUME it. Think of that the next time you repeat something mindlessly with the hope and the wish and the prayer that it will stick in your memory. Remember: power is productive. If rote learning and spaced-repetition software give you your jollies, rock on. But if you're sick of hammering your brain with same information and having it drain you of enthusiasm, get out into the real world and use a Memory Palace and the rest of the Magnetic Memory Method instead. 7. Human Memory (Probably) Has No Limits People often think that their memory is like a sponge. If they bring in new information, they ask, won't it squeeze the old stuff out? The answer is no. Memory is nothing like a sponge and there is no metaphor of "storage" or "absorption" that fits the bill. It's also important to understand that when we use the word "memory" we are mushing together all kinds of different memory? There's no way we can use them all up. And if you have a good Memory Palace technique by your side, here's the thing: You can ALWAYS find a building you've never been in before. Get out your Memory Journal, make a quick sketch. Chart out your Magnetic Stations. And then use them to memorize some information. Bang Presto. It's easy, fun and you don't have to be a world traveler to do it. I'll bet there are at least ten cafes and restaurants you haven't been to in your city or town that would make glorious Memory Palaces. You don't even have to spend money in them to create your Memory Palaces. You could just go during off hours and tell them what you're doing. Most will be okay with that. If Not, Just Move On … And if you don't like restaurants or cafes, go to movie theaters. Go to libraries. Museums. Churches. Even well-structured parks can serve if you're into outdoor Memory Palaces. The point is to not trick yourself into thinking that you're running out of Memory Palaces. That can't and won't happen. That's called "Memory Palace Scarcity, " and sadly it stops many people cold in their tracks. Don't let it happen to you. 8. You Probably Remember Less From Ebooks Than Physical Books I'll bet you love Ebooks. I know I sure do. The problem is … You're much less likely to remember information you read digitally than from physical books. Why is this? Well, you can check out the research for yourself, but I have a pet theory. And the theory is more than the obvious points that information is "located" inside of books in a way that it cannot be inside a computer. In other words, it is probably useful to your memory that you know on a conscious or subconscious level that a piece of information was 1/4 or 3/4 of the way into a book. The location of the information within the physical space of the book is a kind of memory hook. You don't get that feeling in an Ebook, even though devices like Kindle will show you a percentage to give you a sense of progress. I also don't think it's just about the physical differences between holding a book and holding a digital reader. Those elements are important too, but far more critical it seems to me is this: Your Brain Is Chemical Your brain is chemical. Books are chemical. And computers are chemical too … And yet somehow … I don't know how to explain it. And I'm happy to be dead wrong, but I just think we are at a strange remove from "digital ink" that doesn't exist when you've got a book in your hand. It may have to do with presence. The best way I can think of to explain it is to relate books to vinyl records. Check out this cool video from Vinyl Eyezz to expand your thinking on the matter. Then go buy something physical. 9. Memories Can Be Manufactured Just as each memory transforms ever time you recall it, you can be compelled to create memories that never happened. There are a lot of angles to this problem, some of which fall under the title of false memory syndrome. But I think it's more complex than that – and quite possibly sinister. For example, look at this seemingly innocent manufacturing of memory regarding a hot air balloon experience: Then imagine that the cops have accused you of committing a murder. Scary stuff, right? Well, now that you know about this problem, you can fend off any threats that might emerge around it in your life. And the best thing for it is to train your memory so that you're starting off strong in the first place if trouble ever arises. 10. The First Memory Palace Probably Comes From The Buddha, Not Ancient Greece I love the story of Simonides of Ceos. It not only demonstrates just how easy it is to remember stories, but the story itself contains all the traits of what makes a story memorable. But here's the thing: The idea of "location-based mnemonics," (the sexier, but more accurate term for the Memory Palace technique) predates Simonides by a long time. For example, many yogic and Buddhist rituals involved using parts of temples to recall passages of rituals. You might imagine a bridge in one corner of the temple, for example, and a black dog in another. Then, during your meditation, you would mentally "visit" these Magnetic stations in the temple Memory Palace and decode them as part of completing the meditation. Sure, they didn't call it a Memory Palace and probably didn't think of it as a memory technique. But that's what's going on beyond a doubt. And the best part is that when you understand this relationship between space and memory, the role of churches of all stripes throughout history becomes much clearer. Stations of the Cross, anyone? 11. Stories Filled With Emotion Are The Easiest Information To Remember Yesterday I ate a sandwich. It was good. … not very memorable, is it? Of course not. But what if I told you that yesterday at 11:49 p.m., I was so ravenously hungry that a furious rage overtook me. I hopped into a tank I stole from the local military and drove it through the wall of the nearest McDonald's. Then, with a wave of my magic wand, I made my mouth so big that I could fit all the food in the restaurant into my mouth. I'm talking EVERYTHING. I vacuumed it in like I was the Hoover Vacuum King of Fast Food. Then I burped a strawberry vanilla-scented wind that put the police in a relaxed state so that they turned around and went to the nearest Buddhist temple to meditate about bridges and dogs. Stupid story, I know, but it's a heck of a lot more memorable. Why? Because it's got emotions in it: The NEED of hunger. The ANGER of irrational aggression. The EXCITEMENT of magic. The WEIRDNESS of dream logic. And all those elements mixed together make bland information much more memorable. Go ahead and try it. Pump a reminder into your phone for later today: What was Anthony's story at the end of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast? Take a moment to jot it down. Then come back and compare notes. I'll bet your 85-99% accurate in your recall. Here's What's Even Better: You can apply that same, emotion-based zaniness to even the most deadly boring information in the world. And so long as you know how to create a Memory Palace and use Magnetic Imagery to encode and decode the information through the Recall Rehearsal process … Power! Sheer power! And power in the positive senses we've been talking about. So listen … There's no need to struggle with bad memory anymore. In fact, no one has a bad memory. People who suffer from forgetfulness just don't know enough about the miracle of memory. But now you do and the future is wide open and bright for more discovery about your memory and your mind. Get out there and have fun and until next time … Keep yourself Magnetic! The post 11 Empowering Things About Memory You Probably Do Not Know appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Guest post and podcast narration by Lukas Van Vyve. Have you ever wished you had the ability to memorize information in real time? Believe it or not, you can. Interpreters do it all the time. They listen, understand, memorize, translate and speak – all at the same time. Impressive, right? Conference interpreting is certainly not for the faint-hearted. In fact, research shows that conference interpreting is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. One study put the stress levels experienced during interpreting on about the same level as those of an air traffic controller! Go figure. How To Succeed In Conference Interpreting Without All The Stress However, people who wind up with great conference interpreting jobs were not born with these skills: they developed their abilities by learning and practicing specific techniques. If you'd like to do the same, pay attention because I'm about to show you exactly how it works. 1. How One Simple Test Will Strengthen Your Memory And Boost Your Fluency Here's the single most important thing you can learn from conference interpreters: They focus a lot on flexibility. You see, no matter how good your memory is or how many words you know, sometimes you're going to forget something or wind up stuck looking for words. It even happens in your mother tongue! Interpreters know that if you want to boost your fluency, you need the flexibility to retrieve at least something to say from your memory in every situation. The good news: this ability to remember is something that can be trained! Even better, if you're already a conference interpreter, you can continue learning and potential boost your conference interpreting salary! How To Hear The Future As A Conference Interpreter Before It Happens One way interpreters go about this is by making it a habit to guess what a speaker is going to say next. That buys them time to think of a good translation. Now you know why your interpreter friends are always finishing your sentences! As annoying as that habit might be, exercises in which you anticipate words might be the key to increasing your flexibility. The most important exercise used by interpreters to train this skill is the cloze test. This exercise is fantastic, and I use it all the time. How To Close In On The Cloze Test For Maximum Memory Results So how does the cloze test work? You get a sentence with certain words blanked out. It's your job to fill in the blanks with an appropriate word (or word group). That word can be anything, as long as the sentence makes sense and is grammatically correct. An example: David wants to ____ a table for 5 tonight. Answers: David wants to book a table for 5 tonight. David wants to reserve a table for 5 tonight. David wants to make a reservation for a table for 5 tonight. David wants to make a call to the restaurant for a table for 5 tonight. David wants to ask if you've booked a table for 5 tonight. … and so on … You get the point. Try to come up with as many appropriate answers as possible. The more you can find, the more flexible you are in speaking a language! The Truth About What Really Improves Your Fluency Here's another reason I really like this exercise: It builds flexibility by teaching you how to take advantage of context. In this regard, it relies a lot on your association powers. The better certain language patterns and structures are ingrained in your brain, the easier words to fill in will come to mind. That translates to improved fluency. However, there's more. What really makes the cloze test stand out for me is that it shows how context can be a mnemonic for learning words or expressions! Context: The Ultimate Conference Interpreting Equipment That Sits In Your Awareness (Priceless!) To give you a basic example: whenever someone says "Thank you" to me, I'll immediately, without even thinking about it, respond "You're welcome!" Just hearing these words triggers my memory and gives me the appropriate response. The association between those two phrases became so strong that they act as a mnemonic for each other. If you'd like to take advantage of the cloze test to memorize vocabulary and use context as a mnemonic, I found that the easiest way to do that is by making flashcards (physically, or use an app like Anki (link)). Here are the steps: 1. Make a flashcard with sentences in the language you're learning. 2. Blank out the words you want to memorize and add them at the back of the flashcard. 3. Review your flashcards and try to guess which word would fit in the sentence. Try to experience the situation described in the sentence as vividly as possible! Read it out loud, visualize it, feel it. 4. Every time you review the flashcard, the connection between the context and the word you're learning will become stronger! My experience is that learning vocabulary this way works wonders. Incorporate this in your language learning routine, and you'll start seeing the benefits in no time. 2. Flexibility 2.0: How These 4 Improvisation Techniques Help Conference Interpreters Remember Translations Ever started a sentence in a language you're learning and gotten completely stuck because you couldn't think of a certain word? You go blank, start stuttering. Maybe you even decide it'd be better to just shut up until you become more fluent. Interpreters feel your pain. They'll often hear words in a speech that they understand, but for which they don't have a translation readily available. Shutting up because of a cognitive overload is no option, though: your audience is counting on you for an accurate translation! Experienced interpreters have learned how to work around this and always remember a suitable translation. How? You guessed it: by working on their flexibility. In this case, to increase flexibility, interpreters rely on improvisation. Let's go through some of the tricks they use, that might come in handy for you as well! • First of all, if you don't know a word, just try to find a description with words you do know. For example, a 'civil servant' could be described as 'someone who works for a state's administration'. • Second, you could also just use something opposite. Instead of a 'civil servant', you could say 'someone who doesn't work in the private sector'. Most of the time people will understand what you mean soon enough. • Third, use a more general or more specific word. For example, if you can't think of the word 'car' you could say 'means of transport' or 'vehicle'. Or you could go more specific and say the brand of the car ('Ferrari'). • If nothing else works, assess how important the word really is to your story. If you want to say: 'Yesterday, I went to the cinema by car. It was a great movie', is 'by car' really important? If not, leave it out so you can continue the conversation. There you go: 4 techniques to make sure you always remember an appropriate translation. Use them to never get stuck while speaking a foreign language! Interpreter Memory Booster Bonus: These techniques are extremely useful while learning vocabulary as well. Whenever you see a word, apply the techniques mentioned above. You'll instantly make associations with synonyms, opposite words and examples which will make the words stick so much faster! 3. How Interpreters Use Their Memory to Understand Words They've Never Even Heard Of Before The previous point showed you how you could use improvisation if you understand the meaning a word but can't remember the translation. Sometimes, though, you won't even understand the word and have absolutely no clue about what it could mean. So how do you react when you don't understand a word during a conversation in a foreign language? Do you panic? Do you start looking so hard for the right translation that the rest of the conversation becomes background noise? This isn't an option when you're interpreting. Your audience expects you to understand everything, and make them understand as well! So what do you do? A good interpreter will stay calm, keep listening and try to make sense of the word. How? By using two things: context, and their memory. But wait, that doesn't make sense, right? How can your memory help you understand a word you've never even heard before? It's possible, if you've already built a strong memory connection in your mother tongue between the meaning of this word and some other words in the sentence. Tap The Mind Of A Panic-Free Conference Interpreter Let me explain by telling a story. I once had to interpret a German speech that dealt with the salt concentration in the Adriatic Sea. The speaker kept talking about the cycle of 'kondensieren' and 'verdunsten'. Now, kondensieren (condensate) is self-explanatory, but I'd never heard from 'verdunsten' before. The pressure was high: after a few minutes I had to interpret the speech and I had never heard from one of the keywords of the speech! However, I stayed calm and relied on the memory connections I'd already made with the word 'condensation'. In high school, I'd learned (in my mother tongue) about the cycle of condensation and … evaporation, of course! That was indeed the meaning of the word verdunsten. I was saved! What's the moral of the story here? Your brain is smart and capable of making connections, if you don't panic, keep listening and try to understand the context. Rely on the memory connections you've already made in your mother tongue. Don't get frustrated if you don't understand every single word in a speech or conversation. Just dive in and try to understand the bigger picture. More often than not, the meaning of that one word you don't understand will become clear automatically! 4. Why Conference Interpreters Memorize Everything They Read or Hear, And How That Makes Them More Fluent First of all, a word of warning: students of interpretation are usually rather skeptical about this in the beginning. I was, and you might be too. Please hear me out! It's more logical than you think! Ask any professor of interpretation what makes a good interpreter, and most of them will give you the same answer. I know what you're thinking, but it's not amazing memory skills! It's not even perfect fluency in a foreign language. The Most Important Thing About Conference Interpreting In The World There's something more important: a broad general knowledge. A good interpreter needs to be an excellent public speaker, in his mother tongue. Granted, he or she needs to understand a foreign language, but most of all he has to be able to explain things in his mother tongue in a coherent way, without making mistakes. For that, you need to have general knowledge and know a lot of words. There are hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, and you can't know them all. You don't need to, either. Yet, working on your mother tongue and on your general knowledge will bring you so many benefits, not in the least when learning foreign languages. We're coming back to context here: the more knowledge of the world you have, the more you'll understand in other languages as well. If you know a thing or two about a topic, you'll only need to understand a couple of words from a conversation in a foreign language to know what it's about. I'll give you an example: I'm in Italy right now and the country has just held a referendum on a constitutional change. It's quite a big thing: everyone seems to be talking about it. I'm not a lawyer, but I read some articles on the referendum (in my mother tongue; my Italian isn't that good yet) and memorized the basic facts. Now, every time I hear an Italian say the word 'referendum,' I know what he's talking about. There will be many words I don't understand, but everything will make much more sense because I can rely on the information I've memorized before. Interpreters are masters at this. They need to be versatile and 'know a little about a lot' because you'll never know what the people you're interpreting for will talk about. That's why interpreters always keep learning to improve comprehension in any language. You should do so, too. Oh, and if you feel like your general knowledge is lacking and you can't remember basic facts, I'm sure Anthony has a cure for that 5. How Conference Interpreters Mimic Others to Improve Their Memory And Get An Amazing Accent Interpretation puts enormous stress on the brain's working capacity. After all, you're listening to what a speaker has to say in a foreign language, trying to understand, translating and speaking in your mother tongue – all at the same time. Most new interpreting students – and most people in general – are not trained to do so many things simultaneously. The obvious result is a cognitive overload, and, quite often, miserable failure. So how do you cope with that? Interpreters use a technique to learn how to listen and speak at the same time. If you're into geeky language learning techniques, you might have heard of it already. It's called shadowing. What's this all about? You listen to someone speaking and you immediately – with a couple of seconds of delay, that is – repeat what's been said in the same language. Doesn't seem too difficult, does it? Well, give it a try: it'll surprise you how even such an easy task can confuse you. Once you get the hang of it, though, you can start reaping the benefits. How To Use Shadowing To Become A Better Conference Interpreter First of all, you're improving your memory and focus. Shadowing will train you to listen and speak at the same time, and it will improve your short-term memory. That's some excellent brain training you're doing there. Second, you can also use shadowing to familiarize yourself with a foreign language. In fact, this is the first exercise I use myself when I start learning a language. It gives me a huge advantage when it comes to pronunciation and listening skills. If you want to try this exercise yourself, here are the steps: 1. Find a speech, podcast or other media in the language you're learning. Take a slow one if you're not that proficient yet! You could also slow down the video a bit with an app like Audacity. 2. Use headphones, but only in one ear: you want to hear yourself talk! 3. Play the audio and repeat immediately what's being said. If you want to focus on pronunciation, stay as close to the speaker as possible. If you want to train your memory, you increase the delay to a couple of seconds. 4. That's it! You're listening and speaking at the same time. Now marvel at your brain's capacities and see your memory and pronunciation improve. Start with slow conversations or speeches (find language learning podcasts for example, or Youtube videos), and slowly work up your way toward materials at normal speed. Then amaze native speakers with your flawless accent and listening comprehension. One last piece of advice: do the exercise with audio only, so without reading a transcript at the same time. Using a transcript might be temping, but you really want to focus on memory and sounds only. 6. How Interpreters Use Memory Palaces And Mnemonics to Memorize Speeches on The Spot Nowadays, conferences mainly use simultaneous interpretation (with the interpreters sitting in a booth and instantly translating), and even consecutive interpretation (with the interpreter standing next to the speaker, translating after the speaker has finished) is usually only done in 5-10 minute chunks. Back in the early days of the profession, though, the world's best interpreters were interpreting speeches of 30-60 minutes long in one go. Yes! Conference interpreters memorised speeches of more than 30 minutes, in one listening. Now those are some impressive memory skills! Of course, these geniuses were no stranger to nifty memory techniques, including our beloved Memory Palace. One of the founding fathers of conference interpreting, Kaminker, reportedly said the following about his memorization strategies: Kaminker assigned each speech to a district of Antwerp that he could recall, in his mind's eye, in all its topographical detail. He assigned each idea of the speech to a shop and thus by walking down the streets of his childhood he was able to recreate the speech. Check out the book 'Naissance d'une profession' for more info. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The famous polyglot Luca Lampariello, who studied translation and interpretation, talked about this at length during an interview on the Magnetic Memory Podcast as well (among other topics people interested in conference interpreting will want to discover. Using Memory Palaces to learn a speech by heart is nothing new, of course. Even the famous Roman orator Cicero did it. Anthony and many others have talked about it as well. Still, for, me, how interpreters do it is an inspiring showcase of the power of the Memory Palace. Mind you, these interpreters heard a speech only once, and that was enough to place it firmly in a Memory Palace and reproduce the full speech in another language immediately. What About The Crazy Names Of People And Conference Interpreting? The same goes for remembering names, numbers and dates. If you struggle with those, imagine how much worse it would be in a foreign language, when instead of a John Johnson, a German name like Gerhard Düsediekerbäumer might show up. Or you interpret for a speaker that mentions a date in every other sentence. Impossible? Of course not. Interpreters usually try to jot names, numbers and dates down during a speech, but you don't always have the time. Moreover, many interpreter students seem to have difficulties with writing down figures, dates or percentages. And it's not only forgetting: I even noticed that, even though I remembered the figures, I often remembered (and even wrote down) wrong ones! One of the ways interpreters deal with this is just leaving out unimportant numbers. But hey, that's not really professional, is it? A much better way to deal with this is using some basic memory techniques. After I started using mnemonics and the Major Method, I noticed a dramatic improvement in how well I remembered dates and figures. I've connected each number to an image, and whenever I hear a number or date I just instantly connect the images. That way, when I'm interpreting after the speech, I will have the images in mind and will always remember the correct numbers! The same goes for names: by using imagery (read and listen to Anthony's teaching on remembering names at events here). it became much easier to remember difficult names. 7. How Interpreters Achieve Laser-Like Focus & Instant Memorization by Listening The Right Way I've saved this one for last, as it's a bit more abstract than the other tips. Let me explain. In the previous points, I've shown you how interpreters take advantage of improvisation, context, shadowing techniques, Memory Palaces and mnemnoicsThese skills will improve your concentration, but to achieve laser-like focus, you need more. I, for one, often have difficulties paying full attention when someone speaks for longer than 5 minutes. I'm sure I'm not alone. When I'm interpreting, though, something changes. I think athletes would call it being 'in the zone'. The beautiful thing? It's actually possible to achieve this state, just by changing the way you listen. The Core Secrets Of Analytic Listening For Raw Conference Interpreting Power First of all, you'll need to learn to listen for ideas and for structure. In every sentence or paragraph, grasp the main idea (sometimes just one word) and you'll be fine. Then go after the structure. One of the first things you learn as an interpreter is to pay extreme attention to conjunctions (like AND, BUT, ALTHOUGH, HOWEVER,…). These mark events and twists in a text and are important for structure and for following the story. Interpreters call this 'analytic listening'. Write these structure words down along with one keyword per idea, and you'll be amazed how much you remember after listening. The Secrets Of Using Strong Imagery To Make Even The Dullest Information Impossible To Forget Second, you must make an extreme effort to imagine the speech you hear as vividly as possible. For me that includes mainly visualisation, others swear by auditory experiences or feelings. The more senses you use the better. Anthony and other memory experts have been saying it for years: To make ideas more memorable, exaggerate them to make them so absurd that you just can't un-see them anymore. Now, for interpreting, I find this a bit dangerous. After all, no matter the improvisation tricks you used to translate everything, you still need to convey the right message as the original speaker. When you start exaggerating or changing things in your mind, chances are you're going to screw up and say things that are just wrong. There's another way, though. When I'm going to interpret a speech, I try to wonder all the time what's going to happen, and I try to be genuinely surprised by the important facts. Yes, also if they're super boring. Belgium's GDP has increased by 0.2% last year? Incredible! There was a local chess tournament yesterday, with 6 participants? What, chess, and 6 participants? I can't believe it! This works because you're artificially adding emotion to what you're hearing. Good stories often use suspense and surprise to suck you in, right? And because you were so curious about what was going to happen next, you're super focused and your brain absorbs everything you hear. That's why almost everyone can recount a fairytale like little red riding hood after hearing it only once. This emotional connection is what you're trying to emulate here. Getting in this state of curiosity makes your mind much more receptive and completely sucks you into a speech. When you're in this state, you'll get laser-like focus and memory so even the most boring facts will stick. And emotions and story help with motivation when learning a language too. Back To Basics? So there you have it. 7 techniques that will give you conference interpreter superpowers and are all very applicable in everyday situations. Just try to incorporate some of the tips while learning languages, memorizing a speech or whenever you hear something you want to remember. You'll never want to go back to a forgetful life again. Good luck, and let me know in the comments if these techniques were helpful to you! Oh, and no matter where you're at with your language learning journey, grab my Back to Basics guide now and learn how to set up or improve your language learning routine. You'll also discover how to track your progress based on a clear overview of your goal language learning goals. The post 7 Killer Memory Improvement Tips From The World Of Conference Interpreting appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

No question about learning and memory enters my inbox more often than than "why aren't these memory techniques taught in schools?" The question reeks of conspiracy. It creates pictures of entire nations hoping to keep their children in ignorance so they will become mindless slaves working for the state. But worse than all of that paranoia … The question is … Completely Irrelevant! First off, memory techniques are taught in schools. I recognize this simple fact even if once upon a time I dropped out without a high school degree (part one of this three-part series) and mercifully figured out what to go back to school for (part two). How are memory techniques already used in schools? How about the song we teach children to help them remember the alphabet? Its melody is a memory technique, loud and clear. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge for music is a memory technique. We have simple mnemonics for astronomy, art, math, biology, geography and chemistry. Heck, just search Wikipedia for "list of mnemonics" and you'll find more than you can shake a stick at. But Are Simple Mnemonics Enough? That's the real question at hand. Because the problem is that a lot of the images and word play you'll find on that Wikipedia page are useless. Worse than useless, they create a ton of overwhelm. Why? Because they don't come with any understanding. They're not loaded with strategy … They Have No Method … And that's why the Magnetic Memory Method is such a roaring success. No, not for everyone. Not everyone wants to learn how to think about memory. Many people want formulas, gimmicks and "systems." I'm sorry, but that's not reality. And it's not what we do in the Magnetic Memory Method Family. Far from it. Instead of pretending that there's some kind of fix all system that will magically improve your memory for all things forever and ever amen … We Break Memory Techniques Down To The Basics And once that's done, we understand the how, the why and the what. So that it doesn't hurt so much to learn. Here's why you feel pain with learning, by the way (thanks to Miklós in the SuperLearner community for bringing it to our attention): It's even easier to stop the pain than the video suggests. How so? By making sure that you understand how to really get results from the techniques by aligning them with your real reasons for learning, remembering and recalling information. It's often not what it seems. Because here's the deal … At the Magnetic Memory Method Headquarters, I strive to achieve just one thing: Mastery. Mastery over your memory. Mastery over your concentration. Mastery over the rate at which you learn. Mastery over the pain of forgetfulness. So That You Never Have To Feel That Pain Again! But it's not going to happen without study. It's not going to happen without effort. It's not going to happen without creating and using Memory Palaces. Above all, it's not going to happen without consistency of effort. And that's what's so cool about the Magnetic Memory Method. If you've been following the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you've heard the stories of success. Just one for today: These success stories with learning and memory techniques all boil down to one thing: Learning the techniques. Using the techniques. Analyzing your results and then improving your abilities using them. The best part? I've had the chance to teach the Magnetic Memory Method to some of the finest students on the planet. And guess what? Success Leaves Clues All of the most successful students share one thing in common. They don't wait around waiting for success to happen! They invest in themselves. They study the material they've invested in. They take action. They experiment, explore and when they're done, they experiment and explore some more! Having The Humility To Learn Is A Skill What I've learned from all of the Magnetic Memory Method success stories is that everything begins with a decision. It's a decision to set aside time to learn. To really learn. I've done it myself. After years of success with my own memory and as a memory trainer, I went to learn from one of the best on the planet. Not just to collect data and "spy" on the competition. To Truly Learn As a result, I'm better for it. In fact, I still buy books and courses from people. Some are from authors who help only a fraction of the audience the Magnetic Memory Method has gathered. Some are from towering figures who practically rule the memory world. I'm talking about taking some courses that cost 4x the amount of the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass and Mastermind combined. Yes! Memory improvement courses that expensive really do exist! The Best Always Invest In Themselves Here's the thing: Even when you get to the top – which is incredibly rare – you still have to keep learning. And let's not beat around the bush: The ones who sail past the obstacles in life are the ones who are in motion to begin with. Wouldn't you like to be in motion? Of course you would. You just need to get started with learning and memory techniques. And the best part about them is that learning can be fun. Seriously. Learning how to learn doesn't have to be the horrid and depressing playground of the school system where everyone winds up asking, "Why don't they teach the most important skills in the world in school?" Again, that isn't the real question. Let's Ask The Really Important Questions About Learning And Memory The really important questions have to do with the quality of the memory techniques you study and the quality of the action YOU take. And let's face it: The quality of your action comes down to the quality of the philosophy behind the education. And my philosophy of learning and memory is that you need someone to teach you how to fish, not someone to do the fishing for you. Are you in? The post Why They Don't Teach Learning And Memory Techniques In Schools appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Did you ever fantasize about dropping out of high school? I sure did. So much so that I wound up taking the leap into the unknown. Stupid as it was, I dropped out and left Canada's free education system without a high school diploma. (Don't get distracted now … … but for the full story, right-click and open a new tab to read What To Do If You Or Someone You Love Wants To Drop Out Of High School.) The question is … Given all the amazing information I found myself learning on my own without interference of schools, boring teachers and their rules … Why On Earth Go Back To School? It's a simple story, really. I went back to graduate with my friends … even though I wasn't graduating. Actually, as cool as all my friends in high school were … There was a girl named Kelly. I had a huge crush on her! I don't remember all the circumstances, but somehow I wound up taking her to a prom to celebrate a graduation I wasn't completing! Everyone but Kelly thought it was awkward and weird. I mean … just imagine: One of the most popular girls in school was going to attend high school graduation with a dropout. It Was A Year Of Living Dangerously! In reality, I was the obvious choice. After all, I'd gone through an entire encyclopedia during my time off and listened to educational radio programming every morning. Whereas most others had sat in desks and tapped their pencils against textbooks they found exhausting, I'd left disgusted by what I saw as an epic waste of time. But as smart as that move may have been, I was still a Heavy Metal Moron with barely two nuts rolling around in my head. No one in their right mind drops out of high school. Even so, I'm glad I did. And because I did, I could make my return as a Heavy Metal Renaissance Man armored in everything but the Magnetic Memory Method. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Oh, my … Kelly … I remember her so well. Kelly wore a tight blue dress. The Kind Of Dress That Should Be Illegal … Then again, it's the illegal character of her dress that made it so memorable! For my part, I dressed like James Bond. My white Tuxedo jacket made me stick out like a sore thumb, but it was fun. Different. Totally my style. Together, Kelly and I looked like we were trying to be undercover spies in a high school espionage movie. Only Sheep Need A Leader But at some point during the evening, Kelly squirmed away from my protective grip and I found myself hanging out with Sophie. Background: Sophie and I became fast friends in Grade 10 and worked on a Western Civilization project together. It was called Only Sheep Need A Leader and involved an alternative history of Ancient Egypt. I won't get into it the entire assignment, but just imagine Moses battling aliens after discovering that the pyramids were actually interstellar space ships. Somehow we got an A on that project, even if we completely rejected factual history in our reports. Whatever. We had weird teachers … The thing is this: I wound up spending a lot of time with Sophie and often went with her on trips to her mom's place near Vancouver. Her mom was a professor and made a HUGE impression on me. After all, she was an author of a book you actually came across in bookstores in Canada and always seemed to be writing or traveling somewhere to give a speech. But that kind of future as an author and professor was beyond my imagination … Especially As A High School Dropout! That's why it must have been an act of fate when Sophie's mom found out on graduation night that I was attending only to celebrate, not walk away with a Dogwood like everyone else (Dogwood = fancy talk for "high school diploma" out in B.C.). I wasn't using memory techniques back then, so can't rattle the exact discussion off the top of my head. But it started with dismay … Then shifted to refusal … And ended with persuasion. Persuasion so strong I did exactly what Sophie's mom told me! You must finish your high school degree, Sophie's mom told me. You're exactly the kind of guy who should become a professor. Stay In School Until You've Reached The Very Top! That was her ultimate message. Get every degree you can until they won't reward you any more.Click To Tweet Even though it wasn't easy … Even though I wound up experiencing a long series of mysterious twists and turns … And even though I don't teach at a traditional university outside of the Magnetic Memory Method Online University these days … Memory Techniques Helped Me Get Every Degree You Can Get (And They Will Help You Too!) And don't think for a second that it wasn't painful. I had to go back and sit with a group of kids younger than myself for an entire semester to get that Dogwood. But here's the thing: Even though I was embarrassed and felt totally out of place when I went back to high school … I was never bored. Not anymore. You see, Sophie's mom had installed within me a picture of hope and triumph during an uncertain time. A time during which, no matter how smart a kid I may have been, without a degree I probably would have wound up cleaning toilets or flipping burgers. Having done both … I know just what a nasty fate that can be. That's Not The Fate I Want For You! Wherever you are, whatever your current state of education, no matter how you feel about your memory … Each of us needs someone who believes in us. Someone who can see exactly what we need.Click To Tweet My feeling is that people need memory training on an ongoing basis. Someone to help them along on a monthly basis Even though I'm quite good with memory techniques, I still continue studying and practicing on a daily basis. I don't have to. I could just continue talking about memory. Lots of people on the Internet talk and talk about memory techniques without actually using them. You, like me, can instantly see through them. But here's the thing: Even with all the ruffians, lurkers, haters and trolls … Memory Improvement Never Ends But back when Sophie's mom challenged me to return to school … it was a difficult choice to make. Not just because of the shame involved in going back to high school. But because school wasn't that much fun. Far from it! And it was a long time yet to go before I would find the memory techniques that made it a blast. Learned them to the bone. Fashioned them into something I could own. Used them every day. Set up elaborate online teaching systems so I can offer them to the world. For you: No need to take such a long journey through educational hell. School never has to be tough for anyone again. Never. Just learn and use memory techniques. You'll be more than fine. You and your memory will be Magnetic. The post What To Go Back To School For And Why (Even If You Don't Use Memory Techniques) appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Picture this: You're a bright student well on your way to completing your high school diploma, but also … You're a child of chaos. Yes, you love your parents, but … It's been a rocky road. You live an all too interesting life. And most days, school is the last thing on your mind. Plus … when you do go … School Is Utterly Boring! At least, that was almost always the case for me. I mean … seriously? What the heck is a high school diploma to a guy who just wants to play bass, write lyrics and hang out with his friends? And the teachers? Not exactly friendship material. And yet … Why You Should Never Forget Any Of Your Teachers Sure, I had some real characters for teachers. For example, there was the guy who had a fishing boat on his truck. We always saw him leaning against it and smoking a pipe before wandering off to his classroom during the breaks. Another teacher was a champion curler. He could make the trash bin stop on a dime right beside the desk of anyone chewing gum. And then there was the math teacher who always used beer in his examples because it was the only thing he could do to get anyone's attention. And you know what? Even though I forget 99.99% of everything they taught me … They still teach me because I use them as Bridging Figures in my Memory Palaces. Milk Those Teachers For All They're Worth! Advanced memory improvement tip: Go through your life history and write down the name and a description of every teacher you've ever had.Click To Tweet If you remember their names, all the better. But more importantly, focus on their classrooms. What they looked like. How they moved. Then keep these details in mind for the next time you need to remember something. If you've got the Magnetic Memory Method under your belt, those teachers will serve you very well as mnemonic tools for the rest of your life. You just have to finesse them a little by doing the simple memory exercise of "excavating" them from your past. Anyhow … … As amusing as those teachers were … I still thought grinding out the hours toward this abstract thing called a "high school diploma" was … A Complete Waste Of Time! It really felt that way. Besides, almost every teacher I spent time with obviously had other things they would rather have been doing with their time. Fishing … Curling … Drinking beer … No Wonder I Became A High School Dropout! But here's the thing … Just because I dropped out of high school doesn't mean I stopped learning. Far from it! When I took my leave from the hallowed halls of high school education … I did it in a very sneaky way. (Hi Mom, if you're reading this!) Every morning, I'd head out to the bus like usual. But instead of standing and waiting for that rusted bucket along with the other kids … I'd leave for school a little bit earlier. No one ever saw me. This was rural Canada, after all. Frosty mornings … Turkey farms … Lots and lots of trees. The True Story Of My Real High School Diploma And back then, I carried one of razzmatazz yellow Walkman cassette-radio players. You know the kind: Chunky plastic that you bolted down. Grey plastic nozzles to protect the headphone jacks from getting wet. (Oh yes, multiple headphone jacks. You just never knew when there was going to be need for a spontenous listening share. We didn't have Facebook for sharing music videos on YouTube, after all …) But instead of my fave Metallica and Megadeth or Slayer cassettes those frosty schoolday mornings … I would listen to CBC Radio. Peter Gzowski's Morningside, to be exact. I could get lost in his voice so easily. Oh! and he always had great guests. Amazing guests … People who taught the listeners about themselves … About the world … And how to think about it from a myriad of exciting angles. To hell with school! I Learned Everything I Needed To Know About My Country And Science And Literature And World Political History During Those 6 Months Just By Walking Up Into The Hills With My Walkman! To this day, I can't quite understand why they even bothered having schools! Seriously? Why bother back when Gzowksi was so good at asking important authors, musicians and politicians the right questions. And my-oh-my, the stories they would tell! Anyhow, about 10 minutes along the road, there was a path up into the mountains. Like some kind of solace-seeking samurai of the mind, I would enter the forest. And yes, it was dangerous. More than once I nearly got my head kicked off by a startled deer. I can only thank my Magnetic stars that I never encountered a bear. Not Even That Tank Of A Walkman Could Have Defended Me … Listening away, I would begin my hike. Up, up, up. And once I'd climbed to one of my favorite crests … I would stand stoic over Silver Creek and watch the road. I could monitor my mom's place from that vantage point and even see a Lego-sized version of her scraping ice from the windshield of her car. Then she'd unplug the engine from the wall, wrap up the orange cable and then motor her way up to the road. I would half-chuckle, half recoil in horror as I watched her car wind its way towards town. I was getting away with educational-murder, after all, and couldn't help but question when it was all going to catch up with me. And here's the thing: Dropping Out Of School Always Catches Up With You! So I would stand there awhile. A good long while. And listen and listen and listen. And remember some of the books that were mentioned on Morningside. And then walk back down the mountain. Once home, most kids probably would have switched on the TV and Nintendo. I did neither. None Of That Brain-Rotting Material Would Do! Instead, I opened up the encyclopedia. The same encyclopedia my mother had purchased for me piece by piece when I was a kid. (I'm so grateful for them – they've help me know how to live an interesting life!) I remember her clipping coupons and all the excitement around getting a new edition month after month. I was too young to appreciate it at the time, but I understand now that she was investing in my future. And if I hadn't dropped out of high school … The Opportunity To Soak Up All That Knowledge Would Have Been Lost! Back then, I hadn't heard of memory techniques. But in my own way (just as you should develop your own way), I was still using them. Like a sponge … Connecting data … Linking pieces of an ever-expanding puzzle … Referring backward and forwards. Long before "hypertext," I was making the volumes and pages of the encyclopedia connect. No Tap. No Click. No Swipe. For example, when an encyclopedia entry on an author like James Joyce would say "See Modernism," I would obey. I would have to down Collier's Encyclopedia Book of J and haul out the Collier's Encylopedia Book of M. And those books I remembered from Morningside? A lot of them were available at the public library! And the odd time I would hitch a ride into town on the bus and go hang out there so I could read them. I would even hang out in Bookingham Palace (where I would later work) to check out some of the books I heard mentioned. And what exactly what I was doing in all this? Exactly what we should all do in life. Don't Rely On Schools! Make Your Own Textbooks! I don't know exactly how I knew to do this. I was just following my instincts, I guess. And my technique for reading encyclopedias and books would evolve into something I call Magnetic Bibliomancy. It's not too different than what my good friend Jonathan Levi calls "Brute Force Learning." And it is delightful. You should learn it. Jonathan has a free trial just for Magnetic Memory Method fans and students so grab it now. Looking back … there's only one thing I would change. I'd hop into a time machine and teach myself memory techniques so that my present self could … Remember More Of Everything! With mnemonics, that would have been more than possible. It would be insanely possible. In fact, if I'd only known what I know now … I could have set a number (as I do now with learning projects) and simply reached it. Anything is possible when you have a combined memory and learning strategy.Click To Tweet Not Just How To Memorize, But What To Memorize This ability is important, and it's what the Magnetic Memory Method is all about. But as a young person, you mostly likely have a distinct advantage: The time and energy to pursue your interests. Mine was learning. And I didn't let school get in my way. And so if you're a parent listening to this and you have any opportunity to give your son or daughter a "sabbatical" from school so they can pursue a passion or interest … Just Do It! I'll bet your most precious family member has more self-direction than you imagine … … if you just let them find their way to it. Anyhow, that's all I did during my months as a high school dropout. Learning. Learning. And more learning. Audio. Text. Want to know what dragged me back into those hallowed halls so that I finally finished my high school diploma? Make sure you're subscribed and tune in for next week's episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast and full text version on the only memory improvement website devoted to making school easy, fun and downright Magnetic. Till soon! Sincerely, Anthony The post What To Do If You Or Someone You Love Wants To Drop Out Of High School appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

It's annoying when the memory improvement exercises on your smartphone don't help, isn't it? Your smartphone is supposed to be smart after all. But instead, it's packed full of junk you never use or apps you never get results from. And if you're like most people, you've downloaded a few brain trainers, some of which included memory improvement exercises. Don't worry. I've been there. And the good news is … Memory Improvement Exercises Make Everything Better It's true. It's not just about improving your memory. It's also about bringing a higher level of fitness to your mind. But the truth is that the science just doesn't stand in favor of apps for exercising your memory. Far from it. Worse, companies have even been punished for some of the claims they make about the memory improvement an app can make possible. Stop wasting your time on memory improvement apps. Mind you … I have discovered one that I think is worth your time and I'll be talking about it later this year after I gather some more experience with it. But for now – and even if you take up the app I'm using now in the future – you never need memory improvement apps in order to complete the best memory improvement exercises in the world. Let's dive in to my Top 5 faves. 5. The Gary Small Memory Improvement Exercise It's been awhile since I interviewed Dr. Gary Small, author of the excellent book, 2 Weeks To A Younger Brain. My favorite exercise from the book involves a simple exercise that will amaze you. You not only feel your memory improving over time, but you get a clarity boost too. All you have to do is pay attention to people in the world. Pick one of them. Notice four details. Then, later in the day, recall that person and the four details you noticed. For example, the other day I chose a man I saw on the way to the gym. He wore a red scarf, black jacket, held his key in his hands and had scuffed brown shoes. Don't Try To Memorize! This is important: I didn't try to memorize these details. Instead, I just noticed them and asked my brain to pay attention. Then, on my way home from the gym and once again later in the day, I recalled those four details. It's such a simple exercise. Better than all the memory improvement vitamins in the world. And it feels so good. I've played a lot of memory improvement games and not a single one of them created nearly as much pleasure. Best part: You don't have to stop with just one person. You can do this memory exercise all day long and really stretch yourself. For example, when I got to the gym, I made it a point to notice four things about the woman at the desk who took my card and gave me my wristband. I noticed the grooming of her eyebrows and the colors of her sweater, jogging pants and shoes. And that made me more present. Something we all need to be practicing. We know that meditation is good for the brain, and this exercise, although not a form of meditation, relates to the practice because of how it keeps you aware of your surroundings. Instead of being lost in thought, you're actively paying attention to the world and the things you encounter in it. 4. Memorize Information From A Book But not just any information. Information that matters. Information that enhances the experience or even helps you make the world a better place. For example, some of us are sloppy readers. Because character names are repeated so often, we never bother to memorize them. That, or the authors focus our attention on the meaning of names in order to ensure that we instantly remember them. But what if we made it our goal to actively practice our memory by making some memory improvement exercises from the characters? For example, you can modify the Gary Small memory improvement game. Even if the author doesn't provide visual details for you to practice remembering … You Can Simply Make Them Up! I do this all the time when reading. For example, the novel I'm reading now has a character named Stone Luckman. For obvious reasons, that name is instantly memorizable, especially since you can see the character getting stones thrown at him. (Congrats to the novelist Matt Eaton of Blank for building an amazing mnemonic into this character's name!) But I add details. Like that he's bald, has a scar on his cheek, wears a vest and knee-high military boots. Disrespectful to the author? Perhaps, but as Stephen King points out in On Writing, he tends to scrimp on physical details in his writing because he knows readers go ahead and paint their own portraits of the characters anyway. The only question is … Do Readers Remember Those Details? Probably most don't. But you most certainly can. To let this exercise show you how to improve concentration and memory, give yourself a simple test with the next character you encounter in the novel you're reading. You are reading a novel, aren't you? If not, no worries – the same exercise applies to non-fiction as well. For example, I just finished reading No Limit: The Rise And Fall Of Bob Stupak And Las Vegas' Stratosphere by John L. Smith. (Nothing like a book about buildings that can be used as Memory Palaces, right? ) In this case, I looked up pictures of the people mentioned in the book and commanded my mind to remember details about them. Then, I ask my mind later in the day to recall those details. This is one of those memory improvement exercises that simply can't be beat. And You Can Do It Too! You improve your imagination and knowledge of the world through reading and by adding one simple feature, improve your memory too. Oh, and discipline helps too. Here's how to get some: If you want to take things to the next level, you can also check out How To Memorize A Textbook. Go ahead and download that episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast and the infographic. I know you want to! 3. Create More Than One Memory Palace On A Single Day If you've been following the Magnetic Memory Method for any length of time now, you now the phrase: "One is the most dangerous number in memory improvement." People want just one book. Just one memory technique. Just one memory improvement guru. Just one Memory Palace. And no fantasies, like the belief that binaural beats can improve your memory. Sure, some people can get away with that. Memory competition history holds some legendary tales about people who scanned through a single book and went on to win in a short period of time. But Those Cases Are Rare! And the truth is that one is never enough, especially when it comes to the power and the glory of the Memory Palace. If you have only created and used one Memory Palace, that's like enjoying pizza at just one restaurant. Sure, you've had pizza. But do you really know what pizza's all about? Didn't think so. The reality is that the full experience of pizza is always yet to come. You can always learn more about what defines a truly great pizza by eating another one. (Pizza's a really bad example, by the way, but like the Memory Palace, it has stronger originary ties in Ancient Greece – and even then, that's still not the beginning of the story. Eat these foods that improve memory instead.) Creating a Memory Palace the right way is really simple. Make sure you have the Magnetic Memory Method Worksheets and free video series so that you're good to go. And then make it one of your favorite memory improvement exercises to simply sit down and create at least one new Memory Palace each week. It's easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. 2. Use A Memory Palace Every Day You knew this one was coming, right? Well, the truth is that I've gotten a lot of people to make Memory Palaces. I've got folders on my computer full of pics and scans from people all around the world. And making them is great memory exercise. It's great memory activity for kids and one of the most powerful memory exercises for seniors. But there's a difference between creating a Memory Palace and using one. And you can certainly benefit by creating Memory Palaces and not using them. I do this all the time. But the real magic and the real way to blast far and beyond what the memory improvement apps can do for you is to actually use them. What Are Memory Palaces Good For? They're good for encoding and decoding information you want to memorize. That's a fancy way of saying that we use a Memory Palace to place information into long term memory so you can remember it any time you want. Information like: The Vocabulary Of Any Language Professional Terminology From Any Field Poetry, jokes, quotes, long speeches Any string of numbers or equations The most important information from textbooks Names and faces Concepts Oaths Computer commands Streets on a map Facts from history, geography, science and all disciplines Important points from lectures Things said during conversations … and much, much more, all with near or total accuracy! I suggest that you pick whichever of these categories interest you the most and get good at just that area. You can learn more on the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass product page if this training might suit you the best. Then add another. Before you know it, you'll have skills that enable you to use a Memory Palace to learn and remember anything you want! The point is that we should always use memory improvement exercises that involve Memory Palaces to remember information that improves our lives. Which leads to … 1. Remember And Recall Information About The Ones You Love You wanna know why families fall apart? The following is a bit of speculation on my part, but I honestly think it's true. And I'll bet a recent experience proves it. Let me set the scene: I got married recently. It was awesome. April and I went all over the map on our honeymoon. And yes, I can tell you the name of the judge who married us. How Memory Improvement Exercises Can Create The True Ties That Bind I don't say that to brag, but I see stuff like that as a kind of cement that binds two people together. And when April and I finally got our butts to Beijing for the family party … I went out of my way to ask for and memorize the name of every single person I met. Why? Because the old cliche is true (and I don't care if people send hate mail after reading this): A happy wife = a happy life. And what could make a person happier than a spouse who cares? A spouse who can talk about different family members by name? Heck, a spouse who can actually look someone in the eye while shaking their hand and say, "Hey, Steve, thanks for coming. We appreciate it." And then do that again and again and again. Now in my case, there really was a Steve at my wedding party. And because he's Chinese, I had to do double-duty in some cases. In others, I just went with one name. The Curious Reason Memory Improvement Exercises Are The Most Powerful Investment You'll Ever Make But the point is that I was not just practicing my memory. I was investing in my wife. And my challenge to you is that you learn to be a good partner to your loved one too. Even if you're single, equip yourself with this skill. I'm not just saying this because Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I'm saying it because it's true: Love = Happiness At least … most of the time. And one of the best ways to express love is to actually care about the names of the people in your family. And what about your partner's friends? Their childhood pets? And all the other names we all throw around in our day to day lives? Why let that information pass you by when you can capture it all, pop it into a simple-to-create Memory Palace and remember it forever? Use it to help improve your episodic memory? I'll tell you why. I'll tell you the major objection. Stop Leaving Your Success In Life To Chance It's because people leave their lives to chance. They prefer it that way. Rather than lifting a finger to make life awesome now and prepare for a great future, they open themselves up for that divorce request that comes out of the blue a years down the road. Except that request ain't out of the blue. It was set into the wall of the life you're building right now. Because whether you like it or not, you are building your life. And if you want to know what real love is all about, you're going to want to make sure that memory improvement exercises are a part of your life. It Really Is That Simple So what do you say? Are you ready to get out there and do some simple memory improvement exercises? If the answer is yes, then you already have more than you need to get started here on the Magnetic Memory Method blog and podcast. Have fun! The post 5 Memory Improvement Exercises That Don't Need Another Annoying App appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Annoying, isn't it? You're an attentive person and you care about people. But no matter what, the names you encounter completely slip your mind. And it happens in a flash. In one ear and out the other. Zap! It's not just the names of people either. We're talking about the names of: Pets People Places Months Days Holidays Historical periods Wars Books Vehicles Events Institutions … and even adjectives derived from proper names. The List Goes On And On! The question is … Why is information like this so darned difficult to remember? Well, you're in luck. Although some of the reasons may shock you, today you're going to learn everything you need to know about exactly why proper names of all kinds of thing challenge your memory. And as we go along, we'll solve the problem so that names become much easier for you to remember. Why The Meaning Of Names Fuels The Fire In Your Brain At the most basic level, some names are easier to remember simply because they mean something as opposed to meaning nothing. For example, The Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall are less challenging to remember than Ostkreuz and Shun Yi for most people because the names themselves come soaked in meaning. But if you hit a name cold with no base line of familiarity … It slides out of your grip like sand. Certain names also enter your memory at a younger age than others. Bugs Bunny, Marvin the Martian and Donald Duck all hold special favor in my memory because I've been encountering them for years. But in the John Grisham novel I'm reading right now, I needed to deliberately go out of my way to remember the names of the characters. Names like Troy and Nate are so bland, there's little for the mind to grab onto. Mnemonics to the rescue. How Authors Trick Your Brain Into Remembering Characters Other novelists are good at making remember character names easy, however. I'm also reading Blank at the moment. Author Matt Eaton uses names like Luckman. This naming strategy deliberately attaches meaning to the hero by reducing abstraction to a concrete signal that says this man has a relationship to luck. It tells your brain to look out for signs that confirm or disprove this, making the name instantly more memorable. On the other hand, the meaning of names spikes in value when Maxine is subtly shifted to Max. This technique asks the reader to think about her name as an object and wonder if she abbreviates it because she's fun and funky or to give her a masculine edge. The Name-Letter Effect And Your Brain's Endless Name Meaning Search The truth is that names usually have no meaning. And in the real world, there is no author in the sky using literary tricks to help you remember names or find meaning in them. But that doesn't stop your brain from seeking the meaning of names when you encounter them. For example, Jozef Nuttin has demonstrated your brain finds the alphabet letters in your name more attractive than others. Now called the Name-Letter Effect, Nuttin's discovery sheds light on why some people do better in school, gravitate towards certain cities and remember some names better than others. In the main study, Nuttin presented students ranging from elementary school to university with letter pairs. Some were given random letters. Other subjects were given lists that more closely matched the letters in their names. In either case, when asked to select the letters they preferred, all subjects showed a preference for letters that were in their own names. Although memory studies don't all agree, it is possible that the Name-Letter Effect also explains why we remember some names better than others. And It Seems To Appear In Just About Any Language! Note that this effect does not appear to be language-specific. It has been tested in Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish. Other experimenters have tried it with other alphabets like cyrillic and done experiments to see if the effect persists into adulthood when people learn a foreign language that uses a different alphabet or character-set. Also note that the Name Letter Effect might apply to numbers as well. Although I use the Major Method, I tend to find 2 and 7 easier than other numbers, and that advantage may reflect the fact that my birthday is overloaded with both of them. Sound Has Its Own Sex And Success Appeal There's no doubt about it. Some names sound nicer than others. And that appears to have a psychological effect. For example, if your name "sounds" like it belongs to a successful person, you may be motivated to fulfill the prophecy. So one cool trick for remembering names a lot better you can explore is to always associate new information with successful people. This is why the Magnetic Memory Method teaches you to create lists of celebrities. When you do this, you're not just equipped with a "crib" of associations ready to go. You also have the success effect working in your favor. How To Cut Through The Noise And Remember Names Properly One huge barrier to remembering names is noise. Sound can be crippling when it comes to remembering names. If you can't hear it, you can't guess how it's spelled or properly pronounce it. And that means your brain can't create proper pathways in the brain for remembering it. In order to hear names better, you need to practice listening. You also need to monitor yourself for laziness and shyness. For example, I have often made the fatal mistake of remembering names I didn't hear correctly and then using memory techniques. In combination with the Recency Effect, the Magnetic Memory Method is so powerful that the mistake can be impossible to shake. You wind up calling that person by the wrong name for the rest of the night. The solution? Ask people if you've got the pronunciation right. And then use your correct pronunciation to remember the name. There's no shame in asking and it buys you time to overcome some of the other things that make remembering names difficult. But the ultimate barrier we all face is the lack of inherent meaning in most names. Why Your Brain Always Drops The Ball Like A Bad Juggler When you meet a new person, you're not just meeting a name. You have the room around you, a face and all kinds body language and unconscious communication. Plus, names rarely tell you what a person does. Someone being named "Baker," for example, does not mean that they work as a baker. And if someone says they are named "Glirkzifal Mershkevork" and work as an architect, your brain is going to seize upon what it understands and skip over the information it has never encountered before. Plus, your brain needs to store the name in a different area than it does the information about the Glirkzifal being an architect. The filtering happens due to something called "plausible phonology." Even though you likely have never heard the name Mershkevork, your brain accomodates the idea that such a name exists. (On the other hand, if someone says that they're a mershkeverker, your brain will do a backflip trying to figure out if such an occupation exists.) Given the split-processes and the fact that most names have no meaning, you're in trouble. Unless you're using memory techniques, you're bound to drop the ball on the harder to remember information. 3 Language Features That Make Names Easier To Remember Luckily, there are some features and conventions of names and naming that make the meaning of names irrelevant. Understanding these will make a huge difference for your success. 1. Names are both acoustic and physiological. In almost all cases, you have the opportunity to experience names both in your ears and using the muscles of your mouth. You can also see many names represented in writing on paper. By simply taking time to notice the different perceptions you go through when encountering names, you'll improve how you remember them. 2. Some names have "logogens." For example, I might say the name Jon. As a listener of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you might immediately think that I'm talking about Jonathan Levi. (His SuperLearner Academy free trial is still running, if you're interested.) The reason his name would come to mind is because Jon is a logogen within a context you understand. But I could have said "John" and meant "John Wayne." The point is that most names have some kind of logogen in them. To take our friend "Glirkzifal Mershkevork" again, "ifal" and "kevork" are deliberately implanted logogens for real names like Percival and Kevorkian. No matter what names you encounter, and no matter how difficult they may seem, you can always look for the logogens within them to help you make memorable associations. 3. Phonetic Symbolism. The meaning of names is often found in sound. For example, approximately half of words that begin with "gl" words are visual in nature: glance, glitter, gleam, glow, glower, glimpse. Likewise, many "fl" words are associated with light, such as flash, flare and flicker. In fact, a 1929 study by Edward Sapir showed that there is some relationship between vowels and the meaning of words related to size, speed, brightness, pleasantness and disgust. For example, listen to how the vowel /u/ helps convey meaning in these words: dull, blunder, clumsy, mucky, muddled, bunged up and bungled. Many authors have noted the relationship between meaning and sound in naming characters, particularly Charles Dickens and the marketing departments of many companies. And, of course, any time you meet a person, you can use memory techniques to inject your own meaning into any sound. You just need to pay attention to how names sound in the first place. Never Be Satisfied With Your Memory The takeaways from all this doom and gloom about your memory? You have options, even if the meaning of names is never apparent to you. One of the biggest option is to simply start paying more attention to language, both sound and physiology. Take time to expose yourself to interesting names and words. Be disciplined about this practice and extend it to looking at visual representations of names. There are entire branches of art devoted to representing words. For example, check out the Visual Poetry section at Ubu. You'll find amazing pieces like this by b.p. nichol: But It's Always Okay To Make Mistakes Even though we should never be satisfied with our memory, it's important to understand that you never make errors with your memory. You only learn lessons about how it works and how to make it better. But you need to take risks. And when you forget things, simply explain to people that you're working on your memory. And tell them that's it's not just about your memory. It's about the health of your brain. And that means it's also about the quality of your life. You do want a good life, don't you? The post The Real Meaning Of Names And Your Memory: Why You Find It Hard To Remember Proper Names appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Annoying, isn't it? You say to yourself, "I'll just Google it." Then you do. Get the goods. Move on. Only problem is … Next time you need the info … Thanks to Digital Amnesia … It's Gone! Honestly, this condition called "Digital Amnesia" or "Google Amnesia" … stinks. Not only do you have a fine brain humming along in your skull … There are also a gazillion good reasons why you should be using it properly. Yes, properly. Even if you really can just look stuff up online. Because here's the VERY good news: This year is the best year ever to use your memory at the highest possible level. And this is the year you're going to make it happen, even if battles with net neutrality are starting to make the Internet we've come to love look like an endangered species. Here's how: You Can't Annihilate A Problem You Haven't Defined It's fun to throw around cool terms like "The Google Effect" and "Digital Dependence." But until you've spent some time defining the monster, you'll have a hard time setting it on fire. Or at least using your Magnetic torches to herd it out of the village. That said … what exactly is "Digital Amnesia"? Back in 2015, the Internet security company Kaspersky Lab put out an interesting report on the matter. You really should read it. To condense the report for you, Digital Amnesia occurs whenever your mind draws a blank on information you've stored on a device you trust. And as the report suggests, this outcome isn't always a bad thing. For example, do you really need to remember the thousands of website addresses you've bookedmarked (and never visited again)? Heavens No! But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Also included is information like the phone numbers of family members and friends. And the reality is that by not remembering them anymore, we're endangering lives as we weaken our brains. Seriously. Without knowing the numbers of your loved ones, what would you do in an emergency if your phone wasn't working? Ask a good Samaritan if he remembers your spouse's number? No way, Jose. That's your job. And you've got all the tools you need to get all kinds of simple number strings done when you use the Major Method. How To Suck The Life Out Of Half Your Brain Ever heard of "deskilling"? It basically means that you become less capable over time because you're no longer using certain skills. And that can only lead to bad outcomes: * A destroyed brain * Crappy employment * No employment * … and much, much worse, including linguistic deskilling. But you're probably asking: How exactly does having Google and your devices remember everything for you destroy your brain? Simple. When you develop dependence on technology, the areas of your brain responsible for memory start to decay. Just like the muscles in your body would do if you stopped walking. The Truth About Deskilling Your Brain No, deskilling the muscles of your memory won't necessarily happen to you overnight. But one day you'll wake up and … Bam! You Can Barely Remember A Thing! And it gets worse. Because memory has a sibling. Concentration. And as long as you have the Internet at your fingertips, you don't even bother using your concentration to try and access things you might actually have in your memory. How To Put A Barrier Between Need And Action Instead of instantly searching for information you already know, pause for a second. Give your memory a bit of space. Ask and you might just receive. But when you push it away and go straight to the search engines, you're deskilling your memory every time. And that means you're also damaging your concentration. The good news is that you can improve focus fast with these tips, but there will be more work to be done. Starve The Brain To Rebuild The Brain Yes, I'm talking about destroying digital amnesia by going on an information diet. But wait! you protest. I don't want to miss out on – Miss out on what? More fake news of the impending apocalypse? Come close, my friend. I'll show you exactly how to take a powerful, memory-boosting digital detox so you can seriously improve your entire life in the process. Stop Letting The Internet Push You Around Here's a little secret for you: I have never once "allowed push notifications." So far, I don't think I've missed out on anything of any interest. I could be horribly wrong about that, but I recommend you never accept notifications of any kind in your life that you don't control. By being in control of when you're disrupted, you automatically improve your ability to concentrate. Fight Digital Amnesia Like A Magnetic Jedi For a real Jedi Mind Trick memory exercise, try setting a notification with a positive message for 12:03 p.m. every day. Then work on remembering and reminding yourself that the notification comes at that time. It's tough, but doable. Your mind really can track time and remind itself to remember. (For more cool Mind Tricks like these, check out my post on brain exercises.) Put Your Devices In The Dog House Virginia Woolf famously wrote that writers need their own rooms to create in without disruption. Well, all humans need their own place to sleep without their machines. Problem is, so many people use their devices as alarm clocks. This sad fact means that they're checking their notifications and messages before even stepping out of bed. That's no way to build a better brain. Instead, put your laptops and smartphones out in a hallway closet, kitchen or completely other room. If you need something to wake you up, use an old fashioned analog clock or one of those fancy lamps that slowly turns on over time. That gives you the effect of waking up with the sun and gives you a great dose of light that will contribute great things to your health. Use Airplane Mode Without Fear It's no secret that I write almost every episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast on my iPhone. But people ask me all the time, How on earth do you do it? There's actually a long answer coming out in a new training I'm putting out, but the fast and dirty response is: Airplane mode. I concentrate like there's no tomorrow when writing because Airplane Mode prevents anything and everything from contacting my iPhone. And since all Push Notifications have been disabled, it's just me, my words and the music. Same things go for when I'm using The Big Five Of Language Learning in combination with my Pimsleur Memory Technique: There's nothing to interrupt me as I exercise my memory. And that means that my concentration muscles grow at the same time. Remember this simple equation: Exercising Your Memory = Improving Your Concentration However, don't make the mistake in thinking that it works the other way around. Concentration is a tool that helps you remember more based on paying better attention. But it's not a sure-fire guarantee. That's why it pays to learn how to use the best possible memorization technique. (You are subscribed to this blog and have taken my free video course, right? If not, just scroll up and tell me where to send it.) Cut The Umbilical Cord At Least Once A Week Don't worry, it'll grow back. I'm serious: The ultimate way to help your brain is simple: Take entire blocks of time away from the digital onslaughts to which we subject ourselves. When you start, start small. Vow to not check your device and stay off all computers for an hour. Just one hour. Doable, right? You bet it is. Then see if you can't extend it to an entire 24 hours. And listen, you're not getting this advice from a wanker who doesn't walk his talk. Hard as it sometimes, week after week, I perform at least one digital fast. What To Do During Your Digital Fast Personally, I like to have options. But if I were to boil things down to one portrait, here's one of my fave "digital detox walkabouts." First, I pop a blank page notebook into my backpack along with a bunch of colored pens. Then I pack in my Chinese character book and a deck of playing cards. Next comes a bottle of water, usually my Soul Bottle. Maybe something to read, like a print newsletter. All that done, I head out the door. No podcasts, no music, no communications technology. And when you do this, it'll be great because it'll be … Nothing But You And Your Memory! If you're still with me, let's play do-as-I-do. Picture yourself walking from your home to your favorite park or cafe. Depending on the weather, you go outside some place where you can soak in the sun. Heck, you might even do some of these exercises just standing on the side of the street: Or, if you're doing a coffee and memory experiment or it's unpleasant outside, you head for your favorite cafe. While walking, you think about all the buildings you're passing. You enter the odd shop you've never been in and consume it into your memory for use as a Memory Palace. You notice a street you've never walked down before and take it. Then, when you've reached your destination, you get out your supplies. Since you're the author of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you'll start with a … MMBD (Mind Map Brain Dump) Or you'll use your blank notebook to do something else memory-related you're not telling anyone about … yet. Next, you'll pull out some cards, shuffle and memorize them. You'll set the cards aside, let a few minutes pass and write out all the cards you remember on a piece of paper. Optional method: Carry two decks. Once you've memorized the randomized cards in the first deck, you can reconstruct the order using the second deck. Then you can flip each of the cards over one by one, comparing them. The reason I don't use this method personally is because I feel that the writing process helps strengthen recall in many ways. I'll be looking into the claims that "the hand builds the mind" in a more scientific way throughout 2017. In the meantime, just test different options for yourself as you fend off digital amnesia. Memorize Something Related To Your Computer-Free Memory Project Finally, I crack open my Chinese Character book and draw a Memory Palace. Following the Magnetic Memory Method, I correspond everything with The Principle of Alphabetization and get busy. All of this is done without computers of any kind, including the walk home. Except this time instead of thinking about and gathering new Memory Palaces, you're practicing Recall Rehearsal (this is a flexible memory method, not a memory system). And the last thing you do before you switch the computers back on is test what you've memorized at the cafe. Either just the cards or Chinese or both (both is best). And for bonus points, you never do turn the machines back on. You just hop into bed with a good book and your honey-bunny for some oxytocin-inducing love memories. (Yes, sex helps your memory too while you're healing from digital amnesia!) Recognize The Privilege Of Having Memory Abilities You Can Improve Okay, I'll admit it. This is a mindset thing. But the reason I focus on mindset so much is the same reason it applies to dealing with digital amnesia. You've got to understand this one thing: Not everyone is so lucky to have memory. It's true. Dementia … Alzheimer's … Brain damage from trauma of all kinds … Heck, some people are born without ever having had the ability to use their memory at all. But Not You! If you're reading this post or listening to the podcast version, you can completely skip the rise and impact of digital amnesia on brains around the world. Why? Because you have the opportunity to save your brain. And you have clues and tools for exercising your memory and concentration. The only thing you have to worry about next is what you're going to do with all your super powers. With Great Memory Power Comes Great Memory Responsibility Yes, it's time to dust off that old comic book line once again. (In case you don't recognize the heading above, I'm trying to tap into your episodic memory of Spider-Man and a few other levels to remind you that you're a superhero.) But don't worry. I'm not talking about responsibility for the entire world. It's the responsibility to keep using your mind and memory. Your head isn't just for hanging hair on. It yearns for brain exercise. And your head demands that you take action. Trust me. If you don't use it, digital amnesia will take over. You will lose your memory and the overall health of your mind. So step up to the plate and stop Google from ruining your memory. You're the only one who can. The post Digital Amnesia: 5 Ways To Stop Google From Ruining Your Memory appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.