Memory underpins all cognitive function in human life. We grow and learn to live in this world by layering experiences and concepts on top of one another. When faced with new data, a person automatically cross-references the material with information already understood. Therefore, the ability to recall the most pertinent data to any situation is a quality that enhances performance in all areas. A great memory is something that can, in fact, be developed by training the brain's recall system. Practicing the following exercises will sharpen your senses' recall and observation, increasing the power of your memory dramatically.
Association
All memory works through association. Everything recalled is connected to something already known. Normally this happens unconsciously--a sound, smell, sight, taste or feeling reminds you of an experience previously joined with that sensation. However, you can develop your memory to a great degree by actively utilizing this principle in training.
Link System
Create a list of 10 or so random words. For an example, let's use fish, telephone, shoe, hand, cat, book, table, water, tire and shelf. Start with the first word, fish, and conceptualize that object in your mind. Next, imagine it biting a hook and a fisherman pulling it up to the shore. When he lifts the fish out off the water, it starts to ring. Confused, the fisherman puts it to his ear and answers. After telling the other end that it's a wrong number, he walks back to his car, which just happens to be a large shoe on wheels. Just as the car starts off, a giant hand from the sky plucks it from the ground...and so on. Fill each scene with sensory material, meaning smell the fish as it exits the lake, hear the person speak out loud and paint the image with rich, vibrant colors. Don't concern yourself with the sensibility of these connections. The key is to make it as ridiculous as possible. We never forget things that are truly outrageous, because they hold a distinctive reference point within our minds. With this method, memorizing 10 words is quite an easy task. The point is to train your mind to make quick associations between entirely different things.
Once you complete the entire list in this way, look away and start with the first image, fish. Notice now how the next idea seems to connect seamlessly. After running it forward a few times, start with the last word and go backwards. When you can completely run it through both ways, you've got it. Move on to 20 words, 30 and so on.
Peg Method
The peg system is excellent for remembering long number sequences. Again, we're going to use images, sounds, feelings, tastes and smells to anchor ideas in the mind. Take the numbers zero through nine, and assign each one a sound. A standard key is 0=S (a Snake biting its tail), 1=T (elongate the top part of a one), 2=N (a two turned on its side), 3=M (same as the two), 4=R (looks similar), 5=L (straighten the curve part of five, and flip it upside down), 6 is a J, soft G, Ch or SH sound (flip a 6 backwards and it looks like a J), 7=K, hard C or hard G (place a straight vertical line down the corner end of a 7 and flip it around), 8=F or V (lower-case cursive F looks like an 8) and 9=P or B (9 turned around is P).
Now you can take any list of random numbers, say 78295116, and memorize them. You peg numbers in groups of two. So 78 (KF) can be a calf, or a baby cow. Let's say 29 (NP) is nap, so you see the little cow sleeping, snoring loudly; 51 (LT) is late--a giant alarm clock goes off, sending the calf into fear of missing the school bus; 16 (TSH) can be trash, so as a little hoof swings to turn off the clock, it's knocked into the waste basket beside the bed.
Practice this by taking any number you see--phone numbers, street addresses and so on--and turning them into words. After a while, doing this will become second nature and will happen almost automatically. Once that happens, running for scrap paper while repeating digits out loud in a panic will be a thing of the past.
Remembering Conversations
This simple technique is one that will take you "beyond the words" of any conversation, allowing you to recall, in detail, what has occurred almost verbatim. The trick is to mentally place yourself into the story being described. Enter as if you and the others involved are narrating a fable, with yourself as the main character. Conceptualize yourself as experiencing everything described. By doing this, you will transcend speech and develop an amazing sense of recall and understanding.
References
- "How to Develop a Super Power Memory"; Harry Lorayne; 1989
- How to Develop Memory
- Memory Training Used by the Military (Free Ebook)
