Memory Hacks

7/26/2019 Memory Hacks

1/28

Memory1) You dont have to be in the same exact situation to remember a related item in

another situation. You can use 1 memory anywhere regardless of your feelings.

Yes, you will definitely remember a little better, if youre wearing everything thesame, and youre in the same place. BUT its not necessary. They showed me the

definition of geocentric staffing; and I can tell it to you now: geocentric staffing

seeks the best people for key jobs throughout the organization, regardless ofnationality.one error I guess but nonetheless almost identical!...

2) the more techniques you use the more powerful your memory is3) try saying things from a super high voice to a super low voice.4) use colors whenever you can!!! super effective!

The Memory Trail

Where one is strongly tempted to just remember where they put data, but instead follows themost certain trail of memory.

8 Memory Hacks0. best memory technique is just plain doing your homework

Here are 8 ways to make information cement in your mind:

1. Acronyms

Ive used acronyms throughout my college and grad school career. Theyve helped me memorizeinformation for class presentations, and helped me memorize details for exams. An acronym issimply a word wherein each letter represents another word. For example: HOMES (The Great

Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)

2. AcrosticsAcrostics are sentences in which the first letter of each word helps you remember items in a

series. For example: Zoe Cooks Chowder In Pink Pots in Miami (The Essential Minerals: Zinc,Calcium, Chromium, Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus, Iodine, Magnesium).

3. Act it Out

Use your acting ability to make a connection with the material youre trying to learn. Forexample: reenact a dialog between two historic figuresor carry on a debate between two

different philosophers, politicians or literary critics.

4. CategoriesOrganize information into broad categories to help you remember information faster. Forexample: Types of Joints in the Body (Immovable, Slightly Movable, Freely Movable).


2/28

5. Peg WordsDevelop a chain of associations between whatever list you need to memorize and a peg word.

Peg words are associated with numbers (e.g. zero is hero; one is a bun; two is a shoe; three is a

tree; four is a door; five is a hive; six is sticks; seven is heaven; eight is a gate; nine is wine; andten is a hen). Heres how peg words work with the atomic numbers in a periodic table: (1)

Imagine a hydrogen hotdog on a bun; (2) Imagine a helium shoe balloon; (3) Imagine a lit tree onfire (lithium); (4) a door made of berries (beryllium); (5) a hive with bored bees (boron); and thelist can go on. The odd pairing helps you memorize information quickly.

6. RhymesMake up a silly rhyme or pun to help you memorize information. For example: Brown vs. Board

of Education ended public-school segregation.

7. RecordingsMake a recording of yourself giving a lecture about the subject youre studying. This is

especially helpful for foreign language classes or a vocabulary section on a standardized test.

8. VisualizationsTurn an abstract idea into an image of something that is as specific as possible. For example,visualize a scene from a historic period. Make it as real as possible in your mind. Use all your

senses and imagine what it must smell like, feel like, etc. The more specific you are, the more

youll remember.

more memory techniques are:

a. selecting a key word and memorizing the central idea behind it;Picturing details as well as a story about it.

b. when imagining, use all your senses

c. intend to remember

d. link the new information to old information

e. overlearn.

f. talk to yourself after studying material.

g. try studying note cards

h. repeat what you need to know


3/28

(1)www.Google.comhelps a lot!

(2) Forget about what youre friends give you. Friends do not knowhow to get the marks you get and if you copy their answers or listento them, you will have incongruence with your normal grade A work.

(3) Talk to the teachers! The teachers are the people that are givingyou the marks right? Well if you meet up with them enough youlllearn of their standards or even better, get on their good side. Anassignment that you normally hand in would probably look like a50% in their eyes. But now that they know you, it probably lookslike a 78%. Sweet!

(4) Attend class.

(5) Time your questions while you study. If you finish early, take a nap.Time the nap, and then when its over get back to studying. Rinse,wash, repeat! This is thee way to be an effective student.

(6) Baby Steps: always do questions slowly, never rush them. Theyrelike learning a bboy move. (at the same time dont waste time) Finda balance!!!

(7) A great way to study is to open up lecture slides for the chapter(and if youve been to class enough), then you can listen to thevoice of the teacher in your head as he or she reads the informationon the slides. (hint: imagine its as real as possible)

(8) wake your body up - I need to wake up while Im studying.Sometimes Im so sleepy like my face feels dead, it doesnt feelalive. It might be a good idea to exercise before you attack thehomework; HOWEVER if you have already begun the homework

finish it because you are just wasting time if you havent.TRYSHAKING YOUR FACE.

(9) If you cheat, cheat properly. Ok so for my law class, I wrote theanswers down in mnemonic format. And for Accounting this didnthelp at all: I wrote down the answers in light pencil on the back ofmy calculator so the teacher didnt see but nor did I. The technique
http://www.google.com/http://www.google.com/http://www.google.com/http://www.google.com/


4/28

was flawed because everytime Id look if anyone, ANYONE, sawmy eyes they would know Im looking at the cheat sheet. The bestthing to do of course is put a piece in your ear.

(10) Aside from cheating you could just become an EXCELLENTstudent.

(11) Do only what you have to when youre super tired. But do itwell.

(12) When studying questions for class/exam/test/whatever... if you have the time, putthe questions in your own words. That way you will not only remember the answer

(you put in your own words) BUT also the question.

(13) Dont Reward yourself, until the task is complete

(14) When youre getting it right, continue with your roll until youre finished yourhomework.

(15) Study ahead of class by studying a week ahead.

(16) Study ahead of class reviewing slides carefully.

(17) Know more than the teacher.

(18) -sleep is the perfect break

(19) be smart - when you're doing statistic questions, don't actually write out all thenumbers, IT"S A WASTE OF TIME, when you get the exam do it .. but for now.. USE

THE FORMULAS. AND IFYOU HAVE EXTRA TIME THEN write out all thenumbers.

(20) Get good sleep

(21) Read instructions/assignments/questions carefully.

(22) Always do calculations with a calculator! (then check your calculations with yourmind)

(23) Use short forms AMAP


5/28

(24) Once you get homework assume the day its due is tomorrow.

(25) Sometimes making a windows xp folder with SQRWs inside HELPS A LOT.


6/28

you only use the first four knuckles. its easy each

knuckle is 31 days. the first one is 28. and the rest of the valleys are 30 days.

/*********** Test

jan. - 31

feb. - 28mar.- 31

apr.30

may31jun.30

jul.31

aug31sept30

oct.31

nov30

dec. -31

It works perfectly!!!

***********/

THE AMAZING MEMORY BOOK

3 keys to retaining interest and keeping focused: are setting ourselves goals, using ourimagination, and understanding the things we learn.

A - Aspire

I - ImagineUUnderstand

AIU

research has shown that we learn more effectively if we take in information at high speedthe

faster we read, the less opportunity for our brain to become distracted.


7/28

thirty days hath September,

april, june, and November

mnemonicdevices help memory. mnemonics are codes or strategies linking new or abstract

information with something more familiar, concrete, or interesting.

to remember the date 1492, would be to learn the phrase a ship witnessed it. the trick here is that

you count the number of letters in each word: 1,4,9,2. try using your trance words***

the trivia wizard.

similar to the one when remembering names and faces. by creating an image that sets each fact

in an associated mental backdrop. then you need to revise what you have stored, not once butregularly. I have memorized thousands of trivial pursuit questsions I have built in a trigger

mechanism between the question and the answer. Ex. What is the name for a young pigeon

answer: a squabI see pigeons SQUABbling for crumbs on my window ledge. Ex. 2 What dopsychicatrist call fear of crowds? AAnswer: demophobiaI see a mob DEMOnstrating inPalestine. What is a the collective name for a group of mules? answer a spanI see a line of

baggage mules on a swaying rope bridge spanning a ravine in mexico. What is the name of

Torontos main airport? answer: Pearson I see a girl standing on an airport runway inTORrential rain, washing her face with PEARS soap.

Golden Rule: if you review information five times, you will be able to recall it for life.

I suggest that you revise your question-and-answer associations a day or two after memorizing

them and run through them again every few months you will be a quiz whizz!

The Mapbook and the Deck

i. theyre supposed to work togetherj. 4 journeysk. 25 landmarks/stages eachl. switch journeys by turning mapbook over.m. if you get good at memorizing 25 objects move up to 50 and then 100by joining

the journey maps.

n. memory deck consists of 100 double-sided(objects, numbers) cardso. both sides of memory cards are intended to be used separately

How it works?

- ex. country side to the shore.- choose: objects or numbers (ex. objects)

- grab 25 objects from memory card deck

- stack on table so numbers are upper- most open journey out in front of you.


8/28

- turn up first card, match object to first stage of journey (ex. catapult in the farmhouse) use your

imagination to create a link between two. perhaps farmer is standing on farmhouse catapulting

horse manure at you. then do the same with 2nd card and 2nd stage, etc. etc. while workingthrough cards place cards in same order. Youll need to refer back to them. After memorizing

cards, look back at journey and go through it with a paper and pencil. it says to use the dominic

system to convert numbers into personalities then link personalities imaginatively with a stagealong the route.

The DOMINIC System

DOMINICDecipherment of Mnemonically Interpreted Numbers Into Characters.

-its for large numbers (10+ digits). I decided to turn figures into personalities by thinking of

them first as letters, then as the intials of peoples names. I eventually came up with a 10-letter

alphabet in which each letters stands for a digit from 0 to 9. by putting a 0 before each singledigit00, 01, and so onI made every number between 0 and 99 form a pair. When I converted

the pairs into letters, I had a series of initials, which represented names I could remember vividly

because they belonged to famous people or to friends or acquaintances. The most obviousnumber-letter system is A to I for 1 to 9, but I found that I associated some numbers more readilywith other letters. So, the letters I use in my own number-letter code are A,B,C,D,E (as1-5),

together with the letter O standing for 0. Then, S for 6 (because of the s sound) , G for 7 (after

G7 group of economic powers), H for 8 (because it is the 8 thletter of the alphabet,), and N for9(again because of the sound). with these 10 associations, I was able to turn the figures from 0 to

99 into a hundred characters. I then realized that, with long sequence of numbers, there was no

ndeed to add initial zeroes because the digits could be paired off. For example, you couldtransalate 236322287217 (12 digits) into the ix pairs of initials BC(23), SC(63, BB (22) ,

BH(28), GB(72) , AG (17). Let us say these intials suggested Bill Clinton, Sean Connery,

Benjamin Britten, Bob Hoskins, George Bush, Al Gore. You could then fix the number In your

mind by creating a sequential visualization around bill Clinton inviting sean connery to bringbenajamin britten and bob Hoskins to a reception organized for george bush by al gore. the

unlikelihood of gore organizing a reception for bush would make such a mnemonic device all the

more memorable. A good way to practice the dominic system is to memorize a list of dates. Saythat you wish to remember the birthdays of six relatives. Sam, Penny, Helen, Tom, Mary and

rob. arrange the dates by days then months, their birthday sfall on 13/02, 18/06, 22/10, 28/11

15/12. you translate these figures into the intial letters that identify people in your personalitylist: AC/OB (anton Chekhov and otto von Bismarck, AH/OS (Alfred Hitchcock and omar

sharif), BS/OH (bram stoker and oliver hardy) BB/AO (Bridgette Bardot and Aristotle onassis),

BH/AA (Bob Hope and Andre Agassi), AE/AB (Albert Einstein and Alexander Bell)

then to memorize each relatives birthday, imagine a scene taking place in-or outside their house.

For example , visualizing your uncle sams house. picture anton chekhove towing a battle ship

which is otto von Bismarck associated prop, up the drive (nothat that here we combine the first

personality with the second personalits prop) next you take a trip to your cousin pennys hous,where you head for the shower room to freshen up, only to find Alfred Hitchcock playing a game

of bridge (omar sharifs favorite pastime) there. Over at your aunt helens house, you find bram

strer, dressed as Dracula, in the master bedroom acting the foolOliver hardys profession. atcousin toms house you seebridgitte bardot sunning herself on a yacht in the garden ( the yacht,


9/28

of course, is associated with Aristotle onassis). over to great-aunt marys house now where you

find bob hope playing tennis (andre agasss profession) in the entrance hall. and finallyat cousin

robs apartment there is albert Einstein on a cell phone (Alexander bell invented the telephone)

discussing the finer points of a brilliant new equation.

A frequent quick review of these locations will ensure that you never forget your relativesbirthdays again.

*it came with a pack of 100 cards (each with a different image on it); the cards were use to

exercise memory; but would be useful*

MAXIMISE YOUR MEMORY//

Memory Wishlist:- I could remember a girls/guys name, then recalling their name would be easy. NOT

REALLY DONE.

- I could remember the list of moves I want to do in my street show. DONE USINGFRAMEWORKS.

- Your body is continuously using some sort of memory- they are states in which anything is possible due to imagination- people think they dont really need a great memory- I want to be able to remember moves/ names/ important information- because most people think their minds get weaker when they get older; thats not the case

for some w/ memory tech.s

- no not when you use memory techniques- Oh they are tricks of the mind on yourself. Imagination is what you had when you were a

kid and what the best memorizers use.

When you try to memorize your brain has to be all over the familiar imagination.

brain is made of billions of neurons

4 types of memory are: episodic (how one remembers episodes), semantic(how we rememberthings that make sense), procedural (how we remember procedures), prospective(and how we

remember the past to predict the future; plans)

humans love using their visual memory. and it WORKS!

we tend to remember unusual things and things that are connected. I suggest connecting

unfamiliar things with familiar things. (AND DONT HIDE THEM when visualizing)

traumatic events cause us to remember things in long term.


10/28

information jugglingrepeating something over and over in order to remember

memory joggersnotes

memory posturesstates

knowing anything is possible

-shareshevsky thought of taking notes and burning them inorder to forget. (try to be like him)

-try transformations when remembering.

- cycle of successis what successful memorizers go through- frameworks are an easy way to memorize

pick any area youre VERY familiar w/ and highlight 10 areas/ frames it can be more!

works great if the path is linear

and if the objects you put in them are linked together (or just close) objects have to be placed

where they normally would be.

you remember what you repeat recently.

use all your senses to make images vivid

the number system

0=ball

1=pen

2=duck3=1handcuff

4=sailboat

5=hook6=cannon

7=lamp

8=snowman

9=ice cream + cone10=door

11=railway tracks

12=clock

create a story to remember anything u like.

you can link many pictures to the # system


11/28

think about rewards

think about ideal atmosphere

break down school material into images and then use them in frameworks

remembering directions is just putting left and right arrow images in a framework and u canremember shit fast ;)

you can also put many images in one frame :D

many languages are derived from: latin, gaelic, and English

HOW TO REMEMBER A PERSONS NAME

- bring to mind a picture that the name suggests

- exaggerate the picture- create some other link- connect the imagery with the other person

5 steps to delivering speeches from memory

1) decide what you want to say

2) pick out the key points3) design picture clues

4) decorate your memory framework.

5) add more detail (add picture clues to remind you of names, facts, and dates

try to think of images for each word

imagine your success

to remember the order of 52 cards use the 1 to 12 model, and for king just think of the type of the

card it is. hearts: caring, love, human body diamonds: riches, jewellery, craftsmanship, clubs:crime, weaponry, violence spades: digging, and work


12/28

all 52 cards are here make a story to connect all cards. practice rememberiung groups of 5 or 4.

try to remember imagination stories forward and backwards.

since you have to imagine with all senses; make sure your senses are sharp.

even if you forget, keep trying to remember.

memory relies on good sleep.

fit people have better memories than fat people.

memory foods: seadfood & fish, egg yolk, wheat, soya beans, dairy products (cheese, milk,

eggs), meats, rosemary, lemon blam

Tactics for recovering memories

1) go back to the event2) concentrate on details3) think about mental pictures in different order

4) change the perspective

combine logical thinking with imaginative thinking

special place: my hands imagine things u want to remember for sure in there!

feel free to get crazy with imagination


13/28

10 steps to make yourself memorable

1) help people remember your name2) speak with pictures3) organize your speech; provide a mental file card.

4) attack your audiences emotions5) try to attack all their senses (have great >senses> SCS Home>> Self-Help>> Infosheets>> Improving Your

Memory>>

Improving Your MemoryMyth: Most people remember fewer than 10% of the names of people

that they meet.

Fact: We remember the face, but we have made no real connectionbetween the face and name.

Myth: Most people forget 99% of the phone numbers given to them.Fact: Most people dont really choose to remember most phone

numbers.Myth: Memory is supposed to decline rapidly with age.

Fact: Memory declines with age only if it is not used. It can

improve throughout your lifetime.

Myth: Most people confess to having a bad memory.Fact: Most people use the excuse of "only being human," because they


14/28

dont know how to improve their memory.

Our memories are far better than we give them credit!!

Most people have dreams of family, friends, places, and situations

that they may have not experienced in 10 to 30 years. Most ofthese images are perfectly clear with color and in great detail.

Everyone has had the experience of turning a corner and suddenlyrecalling events from the past. A single smell, touch, or soundmight at any time bring back a flood of memory.

A Russian journalist named Shereshevsky never took or made notes.

He could, however, listen to long speeches and recall line forline, word for word, what he had just heard. Scientists concluded

that he was not a freak and did not have anything more than an

average intelligence. Shereshevsky did use basic memory principles

in his everyday life.Professor Rosenweigs studies in the 1970s concluded that if our

brains were fed 10 new items of information every second for the

rest of our life, that we would never half fill our memorypotential.While working on a side project, the noted Professor Penfield

found that by electrically stimulating certain brain cells, his

patients were vividly recalling happenings from their past. Thememories included the smells, tastes, colors, noises, and

movements associated with the happening.

Professor Anokhin proved that memory is formed in small electricalpatterns among the interconnecting cells of the brain. We know

that the brain contains over a million million (1,000,000,000,000)

cells. The possibility of different combinations or connections of

memories between these cells is limitless.In near-death type happenings, most people confess to having "my

whole life flash before my eyes." We laugh and tell them they

probably just sorted through a few highlights. Studies show thatmost of these people are serious and that they even recalled

events totally forgotten for many years.

Studies show that if you are shown 1000 pictures at the rate ofone picture per second, that you could, with 99 percent accuracy,

pick those pictures out even if someone mixed in 100 new pictures

that you had not seen. We all border on the limits of having a

photographic memory.Memory techniques are not new and have been used since the time of

the ancient Greeks. Recent studies show, however, that if you can

master any one technique and score 9 out of 10 on a standard test,

that you will proportionally score 900 out of 1000 and so on.Memory techniques work across the board with different cultures

studying different type subjects.

Why don't we use our memory to its fullest potential?For some odd reason, we tag certain information and remember it


15/28

well. On the other hand, we poorly tag information that must be

remembered and are never able to recall it. The "GIGO" syndrome does

not work well for students at Texas A&M. Students who poorly tag or

attempt to put "Garbage In" will most certainly not be able toremember and will get "Garbage Out" at test time.

If you have habits of losing things like eye glasses and car keys,or forget everything you study for tests, you probably are passivelytagging these mental images. Things that are done and remembered as

everyday ordinary occurrences have not been tagged in your memory as

important. Memory that has not been tagged as important will in mostcases be stored as FYI and your mind does not see the need to

remember it with any authority.

Tagging input information in different way to make it memorable is

not a new concept. "Mnemonics," or memory enhancement techniqueshave been studied since the time of ancient Greeks and Romans. In

the following pages, we will discuss several simple techniques that

scholars and memory tricksters use to improve their memoryabilities.The Link System

The link system is the quickest and most simple to learn. It creates

a memory foundation that makes learning advanced systems easier. Thelink system is best used to positively tag information like shopping

lists or class test lists. By using principles like imagination,

symbolism, sight and touch we incorporate both left and right brainmemory strengths. The key to connecting any series in a list is to

tag each entry with as much information as possible. Making any list

something unusual or bizarre keeps it from being routinely stored

and easily forgotten.Example: Pick any list of items you wish to remember. It could be

a shopping list or a listing of answers for a particular test. For

my example, we will use a short shopping list. In most cases weforget to make or bring our shopping list. We then get home and

remember exactly what we forgot to buy. Heres our list.

Hair comb2 Glass tea pitchers

Grapes

1 Bar of hand-soap

EggsClothes detergent

Dental floss

Bread

The Link System: Now imagine yourself walking out the front door

with a large metal comb in your mouth. Feel the smoothness of the

metal and then the point of each tooth on the comb. Balanced on thatcomb are two large tea pitchers that glimmer in the afternoon sun.


16/28

Hear the tinkling of the glass as each of your steps makes the

pitchers bump together. You now hear a smushing sound and you stop.

From under your shoe you see a river of grape juice and seeds

flowing. The cuff of your jeans is now stained deep red. This alarmsyou and your first reaction is to step back. As you step back, you

find your self on a foaming bar of soap in the shape of asurf-board. Now see yourself surfing on a sea of grape juice leavinga trail of suds from your soap surf-board. Feel the soap as it

squishes up from between your toes. Smell the contrast of grape mist

and clean soap aromas. Suddenly you take a big spill and now yourclothes are all stained with grape juice. Youre now so nasty that

you have to return home.

Now youre really tired. It took you 8 hours and 12 boxes of

detergent to get that grape stain out of your favorite jeans. Tired,hungry, and out of detergent, you forge out to go shopping again.

Youre really getting good at balancing the tea pitchers on that

comb. So good that you will jump rope and balance the pitchers allthe way to the mall. Can you guess what the jump rope is made of? Ifyou guessed it was made of thousands of strands of dental floss, you

were correct. See and feel the rope in your own mind.

Now that you see how the Link System works, finish this story sothat you can incorporate the last two items on our shopping

listbread and eggs.

The Number-Shape SystemMost of us are fairly familiar with the numbers 1 through 10. For

each number, all of us can come up with an image or shape that

(maps) reminds us of that number. For example, I can see a curved

swans head and neck matching the curved top section of the number2. Some people use a boat or sailboat for the number 4 because it

looks like a boats sail. The key point is to associate a word that

represents a specific number for you and only you.Examples:

1. = Paintbrush

2. = Swan3. = Heart

4. = Boat

5. = Hook

6. = Elephants Trunk7. = Cliff

8. = Hourglass/Time

9. = Stick & Balloon

10. = Bat & Ball

The Number-Shape System: Lets say you wanted to memorize this short

list of items. This might be a grocery list or a list of possibleanswers for a major test.


17/28

Symphony

Prayer

Watermelon

VolcanoMotorcycle

SunshineApple PieBlossoms

Spaceship

Field of WheatWe would then construct this Number-Shape System:

1. (Paintbrush) The Symphony painted a good melody.

2. (Swan) He bowed his head in prayer like a swan.

3. (Heart) He loved Watermelon.4. (Sailboat) We sailed away from the harbor as the Volcano erupted.

5. (Hook) He became hooked on Motorcycles.

6. (Elephants Trunk) Dumbo lifted his trunk towards the Sunshine.7. (Cliff) Id jump off a cliff for Moms Apple Pie.8. (Hourglass) It took time for the Blossoms to bloom.

9. (Stick & Balloon) The Spaceship floated like a childs balloon.

10.(Ball & Bat) Our old baseball field has been converted into aField Of Wheat.

These are, of course, the examples I would use. You must personalizeyour Number-Shape System to fit your own style. Your own system and

images will tag the information you wish to remember in a much more

efficient manner.

The Number-Rhyme SystemThe Number-Rhyme System works much like the Number-Shape System

except we substitute sounds for images associated with the numbers 1

through 10.Examples:

1. = sounds like bun or sun.

2. = sounds like shoe or pew.3. = sounds like tree or flea.

4. = sounds like door or poor.

5. = sounds like dive or drive.

6. = sounds like sticks or bricks.7. = sounds like heaven or eleven (7-Eleven).

8. = sounds like skate or gate.

9. = sounds like line or wine.

10. = sounds like pen or men.

The Number-Rhyme System: Lets say you wanted to memorize this short

list of items. Again, this could be anything from a shopping list toa list of possible answers for a test.


18/28

1. Atom

2. Tree

3. Stethoscope

4. Sofa5. Alley

6. Tile7. Windscreen8. Honey

9. Brush

10. Toothpaste

We would then construct this Number-Rhyme System:

1. (Sun) The Atom blast glared brighter than the sun.

2. (Shoe) Not everyone owns a shoe Tree.3. (Tree) The tree-doctor put a Stethoscope around the trunk.

4. (Door) We moved the Sofa near the door.

5. (Drive) We had to drive in the Alley.6. (Bricks) The western house had bricks arranged like Tile on thefloor.

7. (Eleven) The car drove through the Windscreen at the 7-Eleven.

8. (Bait) We used Honey as bait for the flies.9. (Line) The artist used a fine Brush to paint the line.

10. (Men) The shipwrecked men had not used Toothpaste in 2 years.

This is again, an example I would use. The more vivid and/or

ridiculous the rhymes are made will have a greater impact on how

well your memory attempts to tag this information. Remember to

personalize this system so that it fits your imagination andlearning style.

The Major System: How to remember Phone Numbers and Dates in History

The Major System is the ultimate memory enhancement tool. It has

been used, studied, and improved upon for nearly 400 years. This

versatile system will allow you to memorize limitless lists offacts, dates and series of numbers. It also enables you to organize

lists in a variety of orders, so that memorization is customized to

best fit your learning style. The basic structure of the Major

System is to designate consonant letter codes for the numbers 0through 9.

Example: 0 = s,z = s & z are the first sounds of the word "zero."

1 = d,t = d & t have one pen downstroke.

2 = n = n has two pen downstrokes.3 = m = m has three pen downstrokes.

4 = r = r is the last letter in the word "four."

5 = l = the top of the number 5 is an "L."6 = j,sh = j is the mirror image of the number "6."


19/28

7 = k,ch = k is shaped like two "7s."

8 = f,v = f, when handwritten, has two loops like an "8."

9 = b,p = b & p are mirror images of the number "9."

Examples: The Major System for Phone Numbers

Your Tennis Partner640-7336= (7336/c,m,m,sh)= Can MakeMasterful SHotsLocal Theatre869-9521= (9521/p,l,n,t)= Produce Laughter -N-

Tears

Favorite Restaurant354-6350= (m,l,r, - ch,m,l,s)= My LocalRestaurant CHarges Moderate Lunch Specials

Examples: The Major System for Appointments

10:00 am- Dentist fill cavity.= (10:00/d,s,s,s)= DentalSurgeon Saves Smile

9:20 pm- Movie with friend.= (9:20/p,n,c)= Preview New Cinema

Examples: The Major System for Historical Dates.1666= Great fire of London= (666/sh,sh,sh= aSHes,aSHes,aSHes

1454= First Printing Press= (454/r,l,r)= RoLloR

1789= French Revolution= (789,k,f,p)= King Fights People

The more you practice the Major System, the more powerful your

memory will become. This system will strengthen both the short andlong term memory. Increasing any memory will help you recall more

data for tests.

Other Tips for Memory

The best system is one you customize and create yourself.When reading to remember, scan graphs, side-notes, margins, intro,

and summary paragraphs.

When Highlighting: Highlight areas you are not comfortable with.

Single words or sentences that "define" headings.

Skip explanations and extra examples.Also highlight your notes when possible.

Understanding what the concept is saying or explaining helps

increase long-term memory.

When trying to remember words, its always helpful to see the partsor construction of the word rather than the whole word.

Memorization is as easy as teaching yourself to "cue" and "review."

The Roman Room System

The Romans were great advocates of mnemonic systems. In their time,they created a system popularly called the Roman Room. Each Roman

would detail a permanent vision of their own home within their mind.

The home is a familiar place that each person generally visitsseveral times a day. To this permanent vision they would attach


20/28

items they wished to remember.

Try to picture your present homes front door in your mind. See the

trim and fixtures like a Roman would see the stone entry-way andmarble pillars of the olden Roman home. If you cant visualize your

own home, create a vision of what you might imagine as any Romans

doorway might look like. Remember to always see your door and trimlike the Romans pillars and stone archway.The Roman might, for example, have constructed his mental image of

the entrance and front room with two gigantic pillars at either side

of the front door, a carved lions head as the doorknob, and anexquisite Greek statue on the immediate left as he walked in. Next

to the statue might be a large sofa with the fur of one of the

animals the Roman had hunted.

The Roman would then start a typical day by arranging a shortenedlist of things he/she wished to do and remember for that day. Lets

say that the Roman wanted to remember to buy a new pair of sandals,

to get his sword sharpened, to buy a new house maid, and to finishthe weeding in his grape vineyard. He would simply imagine the firstpillar outside his doorway arranged with thousands of sandals, the

leather polished and glistening in the sun, with the smell of fresh

leather filling the air. He would imagine sharpening the sword onthe second pillar, hearing the scraping with each stroke, feeling

the edge as it gets sharper and sharper. The Roman would then pull

on the ornate doorknob, revealing the front room, and looking to seeif the new house maid had arrived yet. She would be there, sitting

on the lion skin sofa, which would materialize into a raging lion

that gave the servant a galloping ride over to the only statue in

the room. The servant would then pluck a withered, discolored grapefrom the dense matting of vines that encrypt the statue. The servant

would then say, "Sorry I cannot offer you better fruit, but the

weeds have been so bad this year that the grapes will not grow anybetter than this!"

Once you construct your Roman Room for each group of things you wish

to remember, always mentally walk around that room a second time tofamiliarize yourself with the sequence, placing and positioning of

all the items you place in that room.

The Roman Room System eliminates all boundaries on your imagination

and allows you to remember as many items as you wish. Many peoplefind this to be their favorite memory system, and will make lists

hundreds of items long to put in their gigantic Roman Room.

Remembering People's Names

One of the most important things we use our memory for is to recallpeoples names. Although its important, most of us put ourselves in

embarrassing situations where we can and do remember the face, but

cannot remember the name. Our recent ancestors were lucky enough notto have this problem. It was common knowledge that people who baked


21/28

bread were named "Baker." The same is true for "Blacksmiths,"

"Carpenters" and "Tailors."

Today the name game is a little more complicated. In college, we

meet people in large group settings and it is extremely difficult toremember just a few of the names for any real length of time.

Thankfully, there are two systems that can help us remember andconnect the face to the name. Used correctly, each system builds andstrengthens the other. The first system derives from the early

colonial rules of social etiquette, and the second is taken from the

Mnemonic Methods we have learned about earlier in this handout.The first or Social Etiquette System follows a series of steps that

progress to the goal of remembering names for social interaction

purposes. Whether for social or professional purposes, the steps

will set an easily learned pattern that can help you startassociating a particular name with the corresponding face.

Dont "know" that your memory is terrible and not attempt to

really "hear" how each persons name is pronounced.Greet people by looking them straight in the face. Look for onedistinguishing feature such as hair, eyes, lips, nose, forehead,

wrinkles or facial hair. Find something that makes this person

unique.Listen to "how" this persons name is pronounced.

Always ask to repeat the name. "Did you say Joe Smith?"

If the name still puzzles you, ask for the correct spelling. Ifyou were panicked by introducing yourself, this is a good way to

hear the name again without being totally obvious

Find closure with steps #4 and #5. Make sure that you can spell or

say their name.Exchange business cards if you can. You then have a hard copy for

review.

Repeat that persons name in conversation as much as possible."John, do you know Joe Smith? Joe is a business major from

Houston."

During any pauses in the conversation, internally repeat thatpersons name to yourself.

During longer breaks, step back and recite each persons name along

with the facial characteristic that helps you to remember them.

When the group breaks up or you leave, use that persons name inyour farewell. "Well Mr. Smith, it was a pleasure to meet you."

After you leave the scene, write down peoples names and the

facial characteristics that set them apart from others.

Set your goals slowly. If you have not tried to remember names inthe past, you wont be an expert right away. Make a goal of

remembering 5 peoples names each time you get into a group

setting. When this becomes easy, push your goal up to 6 or 7. Youwill find that once you get the 5 goal down that increasing the


22/28

limit is extremely easy.

The second system in "remembering peoples names," is the Mnemonic

System we have learned about in the earlier sections off this

handout. By using simple association and imagination, we canmentally flag information that we choose to make interesting enough

to remember. A combination of this and the Etiquette System worksbest for long term retention of memory.Make sure you are clear about the correct way of spelling and

pronouncing that persons name.

Make sure you mentally repeat the persons name at least twice inyour mind.

Look for that one obvious head or facial characteristic.

Mentally reconstruct that persons face. Use your wildest

creativity to exaggerate the head or facial characteristic muchlike a cartoonist would.

Repeat that persons name while imagining the intensified feature

you made up. It sometimes helps to rhyme or spoof the personsname. You might remember John Pane by thinking "John Wayne" Pane.

Improving Your Memory.txt (Students Perspective)

PVCC LSC Study SkillsThis is G o o g l e's cache ofhttp://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/lsc/Services/Improvingmemory.htm.

G o o g l e's cache is the snapshot that we took of the page as we

crawled the web.

The page may have changed since that time. Click here for the

current page without highlighting.To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url:

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:uikquYEmlYMJ:www.pvc.maricopa.edu/lsc/Services/I

mprovingmemory.htm+how+to+use+your+memory+&hl=en

Google is not affiliated with the authors of this page nor

responsible for its content.

These search terms have been highlighted: use your memory

Learning Support Center

Paradise Valley Community College18401 North 32nd Street Phoenix, AZ 85032

Voice: 602.787.7180 FAX: 602.787.7820


23/28

Improving Your Memory

Concentrate> Comprehend> Remember

You must get something before you can forget it. Often, when we say "Iforgot," what we really mean is "I didn't pay attention and understand

it." Good students do not necessarily study more than poor students;they use their time more effectively. Top students use the strategies ofeffective learning: concentrating, comprehending, and remembering.

CONCENTRATE

By concentration we mean sustained attention, focused in one direction,with no distractions. When you complain that you "can't concentrate,"

you usually mean you can't keep your attention on your studies. You're

probably concentrating, but on other things such as what to eat, how to

pay the rent, where to go tonight, and such. To overcome distractionsthat inter-fere with study, identify the distraction and apply a

technique to alleviate or overcome it.

Cope with internal distractionsInternal distractions include daydreams andthoughts like "I have to remember to call the plumber," and "this isboring." Many people find themselves "reading" a paragraph and discovering

they are really thinking about how hungry they are or the question they

need to ask their professor next week. Some ways of coping with theseinternal distractions include:

Keep a notepad on your study table and jot down a brief reminder of the

idea or problem. Then let it go from your mind.Turn the distraction, especially hunger or sleep, into a reward - once

you master this idea, reward yourself with a snack or nap.

To counteract boredom or lack of interest, try to identify the cause:

lack of background knowledge, lack of purpose for the assignment,difficult reading material, or personal problems. If it is a textbook

problem, try using the SQ3R approach. If the problem is personal,

consider talking with a counselor.If these don't work to release your mind to concentrate, take a break

and take care of the distraction.

Eliminate external distractions External distractions are related to the

physical environment of your study area. These are often easier to deal

with once you've identified them.

The best way to combat most external distractions, whether it's thetelevision, the telephone, family members demanding attention, or the

smell of dinner cooking, is to get away from them.

Form the habit of studying in the same place at the same time every day.

Make this place, whether at home or school, just for study. Pay your billsand read your magazines somewhere else - don't mix personal work, school

work, and leisure activities.

Select a study area with good lighting, adequate ventilation, and quietsurroundings.


24/28

When it is time to study, apply yourself totally with your full attention.

If you feel you are not getting as much as you should from your study and

you cannot alleviate the distraction, take a short break and try again.

The bottom line: you must learn to concentrate.COMPREHEND

Comprehending means your ability to translate information into meaningfulideas you understand.How well you learn some-thing, not how fast you learn it, is a critical

factor in comprehensionFive basic principles of good comprehension

include:Something that doesn't make sense to you is hard to learn. The more

meaningful you make it, the easier it is to learn.

The more you know about a subject, the easier it is to understand new

information about it.The more interested you are in a subject, the easier it is to

comprehend.

Your ability to distinguish main points from details and tell thedifference between significant details and unimportant details is themost important skill.

Learning - understanding ideas - means you must fit each new piece of

information into the subject's "big picture," not just memorize bits ofdetails.

REMEMBERImproving your memory, like improving any other skill, is hard work. These

tips and techniques will not necessarily make remembering easier; they

just make it more efficient.

Remembering is a skill"I have a poor memory" is just a convenient excuseto use when you haven't had the time to "learn" something. Being able to

remember something usually depends on how thoroughly you learned it in the

first place. Fortunately, you can improve your memory - it just takes timeand work

You remember only what you intend to remember. Do you forget your best

friend's name or phone number? Do you forget how to drive?Realize you can't and don't need to remember everything. Trying to

remember every detail you read and hear is probably impossible. Therefore,

your ability to identify important ideas and details in the study/learning

process is critical to effective recall of information - remembering whatyou want or need to remember.

How you put information into your memory affects how easily you can access

it In many ways your memory is like an office filing system.

Your sensory memory (momentary and very limited) is like a pink "whileyou were out" message that you deal with and forget.

Your short-term memory (30-45 seconds with limited capacity) is like the

"in-basket" where you sort out important from unimportant information.Your long-term memory (relatively permanent and unlimited in capacity)


25/28

is like large file cabinets for storing important information.

Everything in long-term storage must first be identified through sensory

and/or short-term memory as important, then organized by some system and

filed in the cabinet so it can be found easily.The same principles apply to your memory. You must identify meaningful and

important information, organize it, and then study it (file it) so you canretrieve it from your memory.Experiment with many memory techniques to see which ones work best for

youOnce you have identified important information, there are several

techniques that can help you organize and recall it. There is not,however, one best method for remembering everything.

Associate. Relate new information to something you already know. An

isolated idea or fact is hard to remember; if you associate it with

information that already makes sense to you, it will be more meaningfuland thus easier to organize and remember.

Visualize. Organize information into a vivid, clear mental picture. For

example, to remember the necessary elements of a novel, form a picturewith all the important characters dressed in the style of the period,doing something representative of the character.

Mnemonic Aids. For information that defies association or visualization,

adapt a memory technique. Some mnemonic devices include:Acronyms - form a word from the first letter of each word in a series.

For example, "HOMES" for recalling the Great Lakes: Huron, Onterio,

Michigan, Erie, Superior.Acrostics - make a nonsense phrase so that the first letter of each word

is the information. For example, "Every Good Boy Does Fine" for the E,

G, B, D, F lines of the treble music staff.

Word-Part Clues - remember whether the denotative or connotative meaningof a word is the dictionary meaning by denotative and dictionary both

beginning with "d."

Poems & Rhymes - make up short, catchy sayings that include theessential information. For example, "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean

blue.

Review and use informationRegular review and use of information will

significantly improve retention and recall. So, rather than a single

marathon session, plan frequent short study sessions. Always include a

review of previously learned information (yes, even if you've already hadthat test) as well as learning new information.

1991 JL McGrath Paradise Valley Community College

LSC Improving Memory Page2000 MCCCD. Last Modified:

Questions and Comments to Diana Mitchell: [email protected]

URL: http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/~lsc


26/28

Improve Your Memory.txt

There are many things you can do to improve your memory, among them

the use ofcertain mental techniques, as well as special care with nutrition andmedicines.

To stimulate memory. Use your memory to the utmost. Challenge anovelty. Learnnew skills. If you work in an office, learn to dance. If you are a dancer, learnto deal with a computer; if you work with sales, learn to play chess; if youarea programmer, learn to paint. This could stimulate your brain's neuralcircuitsto grow.Pay attention. Don't try to memorize all the facts that happen, but focusyourattention and concentrate in what you consider more important, avoiding allother thoughts. Exercise: take any object, as a pen, and concentrate on it.Think on its various characteristics: its material, its function, its color, itsanatomy, etc. Don't allow any other thought to occupy your mind while youare

concentrating on that pen.Relax. It is impossible to pay attention if you are tense or nervous.Exercise:hold your breath for ten seconds, then release it slowly.

Associate facts to images. Learn mnemonic techniques. They are a veryefficientway to memorize large quantities of information.Visualize images. See figures with the "eyes of your mind". Exercise: Closeyoureyes and imagine a big and juicy steak. Smell its aroma and feel thesoftness ofits meat. Imagine yourself cutting it with a knife and fork, then tasting it. Ifyour mouth filled with saliva while you visualized this scene, then you havedone a good work! Do these exercises with other objects, like a bowl ofsoup, an


27/28

ice-cream cup, a chocolate pie, anywhere, as a dental office, anexaminationroom, etc.Foods. Some vitamins are essential for the proper working of memory:tiamin,folic acid, and B12 vitamin. They are found in bread and cereal, vegetableandfruits. Some experts say that synthesized vitamins improve memory, butothershave doubts about this, arguing that the studies have not confirmed thesenutrients do work.Water. Water help maintain the memory systems working, specially in olderpersons. According to Dr. Trukington, lack of water in the body has animmediate

and deep effect on memory; dehydration can generate confusion and otherthoughtdifficulties.Sleep. To be able to have a good memory, it is essential that we allow thebrainto have enough sleep and rest. While sleeping, the brain disconnects fromthesenses, and proceeds to revising and storing memory. Insomnia wouldproduce achronic fatigue and would impair the ability of concentration and the storingofinformation.Medication. Some medicines can cause loss of memory: tranquilizers,muscularrelaxants, sleep pills, and anti-anxiety drugs, particularly thebenzoadiazepinics that include the diazepan (valium) and the lorazepan.Somemedicines for the control of high blood pressure (hypertension) may causememory

problems and depression.Alcohol. The alcoholism is one of the most serious candidates to affectmemory.

Alcohol interferes specially with short-term memory, which impairs theabilityof retaining new informations. Studies have shown that even the ingestionof low


28/28

quantities of alcoholic beverage during one whole week will interfere withtheability of remembering.Smoking. It is already well known that smoking lower the amount of oxygenarriving in the brain, and this fact many times affect memory. Studies haveshown that, when compared with non-smokers, individuals smokers of oneor morepacks of cigarettes a day had difficulties of remembering people's facesandnames in a test of visual and verbal memory (Turkington, 1996).Caffeine. Coffee and tea have a very positive effect to maintain attentionandto end sleepiness, but the excitation promoted by these drinks mayinterfere

with the memory function.Other tips (such as take notes, get organized, use a diary, keep fit, regularhealth checks, memory aids, etc).Contd. Human Memory: What it is and How to Improve ItBy: Silvia Helena Cardoso, PhDIn: Brain & MIndCenter for Biomedical InformaticsState University of Campinas, BrazilSilvia Helena Cardoso, PhDCopyright 1997 State University of Campinas

Memory Hacks

Documents

Transcript of Memory Hacks