Memory Techniques
This note is about memory techniques.
TODO: examples
Human memory works by connections. When you see your local grocery store, you associate it with food and then you remember that you should buy milk. Same works for studying, if you understand the logical connections between topics, you remember them more easily.
Memory techniques work by linking items to long term memory. You imagine items and events to existing locations that you remember. There are two genres of memory techniques I use, memory palace and memory path.
Memory palace: Imagine items to places that you know well e.g. old school, childhood home, work place or even whole city. Works especially well with languages.
Memory path: Imagine yourself walking through a path you remember well, e.g. walking to cafeteria inside old school, path from your home to workplace. You place items you should be remembering on the path so they form a sequence.
Speech can be saved on a memory path.
List what you want to talk about and imagine only the ones that are
really important.
Save the thing that first comes into your mind. The saved thing must be able to be visualized e.g. you cannot save "potence" but you can save "springboard". Items are usually either 1) a wordplay or 2) a related thing.
1) consensus => concrete
2) Vatican => Pope
How to use memory path or route in studies:
- Read the material.
- Create the keywords you want to save.
- Create the path/palace, 2 keywords per stop tops.
- Imagine walking through it once with the keyword items.
- Imagine through it a couple of times e.g. while on a walk.
Remembering Abstract Things
Because abstract things like numbers do not have anything visual to place on memory palace or path, you must first transform them to visuals. Here are few system I've used.
Single system: When you need to remember a number sequence, you can link items on the next list to those numbers. Imagine yourself walking a semi-familiar path and place corresponding items on the path. What items you should use depends what first comes into your mind from the shape of a specific number.
0 = ball / egg / bubble / hole
1 = pen / pillar / pole
2 = swan / bird
3 = mouth / breasts / butt
4 = flag / sailboat / sail / boat
5 = hook / sea horse / captain / pirate
6 = elephant / hosepipe
7 = boomerang / diving board / elf / sword / cliff
8 = glasses / snowman / chain
9 = axe / balloon / rocket
Triple system: Triple system works the same way as single system except you have each number represented by one consonant and one vowel. For each number sequence, you split it into groups of three numbers. Numbers are turned to letters by using consonant-vowel-consonant-pattern so you end up with likes of 348-cas 471-ruol etc. Then you think of first word that starts with "cas" and place it on the path e.g. castle.
Consonants (optimized for Finns):
0 = n 0 on _n_olla
1 = l 1 näyttää l
2 = m 2 on _m_onta
3 = k, g, c 3 on _k_olme
4 = r 4 on kuin väärinpäin R
5 = v, w 5 on _v_iisi
6 = p, b 6 on puu
7 = t, d 7 näyttää t
8 = s, z, c 8 näyttää tupla S
9 = h 9 käännettynä on h
Vowels (optimized for Finns):
0 = o,oo,ö,öö näyttää o
1 = i,ii näyttää i
2 = oi,io on toinen
3 = e,ee näyttää E
4 = a,a,ä,ää näyttää A
5 = ai,ia on faiv
6 = u,uu on puu
7 = uo,ou on out
8 = ei,ie on eight
9 = y, yy on ysi
Five System: Five system works like triple system but you divide number sequences to groups of 5 numbers. 2 first numbers is an actor, middle number is action the actor does and two last numbers are actor who the first actor does it. Then you place that event on the path.
Verbs (optimized for Finns):
0 = n 0 on _n_olla nostaa, nojata
1 = l 1 näyttää l lyödä
2 = m 2 on _m_onta maata päällä
3 = k, g, c 3 on _k_olme kuopata, kaivaa
4 = r 4 on kuin väärinpäin R ravistaa
5 = v, w 5 on _v_iisi väistää
6 = p, b 6 on puu piiskata
7 = t, d 7 näyttää t teipata
8 = s, z, c 8 näyttää tupla S seistä päällä
9 = h 9 käännettynä on h heittää
Actors (optimized for Finns)
0 0 n n Nuunuu(Teletapit)
0 1 n l Nils Holgersson naula
0 2 n m Nami(One Piece)
0 3 n k NGR nakki
0 4 n r Naruto(Naruto) nyrkki
0 5 n v Navi(Zelda) naava
0 6 n p Nipsu(Muumi) noppa
0 7 n t nitoja
0 8 n s Nasu(Puh), Nuuskis(Muumi)
0 9 n h nahkatuoli
1 0 l n Link(Zelda) lankku
1 1 l l Lolo(Adventures of Lolo) lilja, lelu
1 2 l m Elmeri(Looney Tunes)
1 3 l k Luigi(Mario), Locke (FF6), Laguna(FF8)
1 4 l r Larry(Leisure Suite Larry) luuranko
1 5 l v Leevi (Lassi&Leevi) laiva
1 6 l p Luppakorva, Lupin III lippu
1 7 l t
1 8 l s Lassi(Lassi&Leevi) lasi
1 9 l h lihakirves
2 0 m n Minni Hiiri muna
2 1 m l maalari, maali
2 2 m m mämmi
2 3 m k Megaman miekka
2 4 m r Mario
2 5 m v muovipussi
2 6 m p moppi
2 7 m t matto
2 8 m s Masi
2 9 m h mehiläinen
3 0 k n Kain(FF4), Ganon(Zelda), Gnome(WoW) kana
3 1 k l Cloud(FF7), Killua(HxH) kello
3 2 k m kumi
3 3 k k Cid(FF7), Gogo(FF6) kakku
3 4 k r Kirby, Garnet(FF9) kirahvi
3 5 k v kivi, kiiwi
3 6 k p Goblin(WoW) koiperhonen
3 7 k t ketju
3 8 k s Quistis kissa
3 9 k h kehto
4 0 r n Raynor(SC2), Rinoa(FF8) rinkka
4 1 r l Relm(FF6) rullalauta
4 2 r m rumpu, ruumis
4 3 r k Orc(WoW) raketti
4 4 r r Roronoa Zoro ruori
4 5 r v ravirata
4 6 r p Roope Ankka rapu
4 7 r t Red XIII(FF7) ratti
4 8 r s Aeris(FF7) ruoska
4 9 r h raha, ruho
5 0 v n Vincent(FF7) vene
5 1 v l Wily(Megaman) viulu, viila
5 2 v m
5 3 v k Viiksi-Vallu(Looney Tunes) voikukka
5 4 v r Worgen, Warrick vuori
5 5 v v Vivi(FF9) viivain
5 6 v p vaippa
5 7 v t veitsi, viitta
5 8 v s vesi
5 9 v h vuohi
6 0 p n Punahilkka panssarivaunu
6 1 p l Blood Elf(WoW) pullo, pallo
6 2 p m puomi
6 3 p k Peach(Mario) paketti
6 4 p r Browser(Mario) pora
6 5 p v
6 6 p p Peppi
6 7 p t pitsa
6 8 p s Pasi passi
6 9 p h Puh Nalle puhelin
7 0 t n Tintti tonttu
7 1 t l teelusikka
7 2 t m Teemu, Timi tomaatti
7 3 t k Edgar(FF6), Duke Nukem teekuppi
7 4 t r Terra(FF6), Draenei(WoW), Tauren(WoW) trumpetti
7 5 t v Dwarf(WoW) toivomuskaivo
7 6 t p Tipi(Looney Tunes) toppi
7 7 t t Toad(Mario), Tidus(FF10) tutti
7 8 t s Daisuke(Hopeanuoli) tussi
7 9 t h tehdas
8 0 s n Sonic, Sanji(One Piece) sieni
8 1 s l Zelda, Sylvesteri(Looney Tunes) silakka
8 2 s m Samus(Metroid) sammakko
8 3 s k Sakura(Naruto), Squall(FF8) sukka
8 4 s r Zeratul(SC2) sormus, sarana
8 5 s v sauva
8 6 s p Sephiroth(FF7) saippua
8 7 s t Zidane(FF9), Setzer(FF6), Steiner(FF9) seitti
8 8 s s Sasuke(Naruto) susi
8 9 s h saha
9 0 h n Hannu Hanhi hunaja
9 1 h l Hilarius Hiiri hillo
9 2 h m Hemuli(Muumit) hame
9 3 h k hakaneula
9 4 h r Harry Potter haarukka
9 5 h v hevonen
9 6 h p hyppynaru
9 7 h t Hattivatti
9 8 h s Hessu Hopo housut
9 9 h h huhmar