Building Memory Systems That Actually Stick

Memory Training Journals
1

Hello all! Long time lurker, first time poster.

I have finally decided to quit procrastinating and start a memory journal instead of just liking and saving posts for later when I have time.

A Little About Me:

My relationship with mnemonics has been pretty inconsistent—it’s more theoretical than practical, and I’ve only really used the skills when I have had the time, but with no real consistency.

I have read Memory Craft, The Memory Code, Moonwalking with Einstein, and some of Dominic O’Brien’s books, among others. I have loved pretty much all of them. I have also used some of the MemoryOS app (that was part of the free plan) and have unlocked almost all of the locus in the app over time.

I don’t think that I have a particularly bad memory, but I just want to be better. I don’t want to have to rely on my phone, notebook, computer, AI, or anything else all the time to figure things out or remember what I should know anyway.

A lot of things are changing in my life between my living situation to my career to my relationships with people, but I have found that the older I get there will always be something happening and you just have to make do. So, better to start now even if I’m busy and can’t always do anything. I can go slowly.

So, I will just jump right into this and stop procrastinating improving my memory.

What I am learning:

  • I am switching careers, so I will likely be doing a lot of studying and memorizing code and concepts related to that Data analysis and data in general as well as concepts and other things. So, career. I will go into more detail once I have a better idea how I will actually be doing that…. Will be taking a lot of inspo and notes from @beau2am and his journey.

  • I am learning Dutch because I am moving to The Netherlands. I am not sure I will be doing too much about language as I have already learned other languages to relative fluency (at one point, I know that I need a refresher in most of them), so I don’t know how much I will be using MP’s but maybe more mnemonics and I have wanted to put some of the concepts and styles that I have seen on this forum to the test like @gavino , @PauloPalma , @lima987 , and others.

  • I want to just have a better long term memory for the things in my life. I feel like the main thing that will help me right now is getting a PAO sorted, or at least a PA system to start with. Then I want to encode and have all of my personal info stored long term just to make things like that easier, get better at names & faces, speed numbers maybe?, and then of course be able to take concepts and store for long term. @meepster was my main inspiration to do this thread because she applied it to the everyday things that were important to her as well as figuring out what worked and didn’t.

If you haven’t read her journal, go and do it.

Basically I want to build a solid foundation in the beginning of storing long term but with a good amount of time and higher accuracy, then I can go and focus on the speed stuff.

What I have done so far:

A little more than a year ago I made a PAO that was based off of @Mayarra ‘s category system and I had it all figured out, but when I went to use it it wasn’t as smooth as I thought it should be. I loved the idea of it more than practically using it.
Then I was playing with the MemoryOS app and started to figure out that the Major system stuck in my mind so much better than I thought it would. Then I thought I should get into that.

A year later, I am.

So far, I only have the Person’s figured out, and that was hard.

I do have a few memory palaces that I am working on but at the moment I would say that I have around 3-4 MPs that I like, and I am restructuring my MP that I had set aside and used for my other PAO.

My goal is to have at least 10 working ones in the next week or so. I also don’t suffer from not having enough places to turn into palaces because of the amount of travelling and house sitting that I have done, I suffer from laziness and just procrastinating given them their loci and organizing them.

Questions:

  • When it comes to memory palaces and orientating your loci in them, what do you do for multiple directions? Do you always go clockwise through the room? and if so how do you handle things that are closer together but not so much that you can leave them as one locus.

For example :

You are going through your kitchen and you have a Nespresso machine on the counter in the corner, to the right is a window above the sink with a distinct loci, the sink below it , the garbage under the sink, the dishwasher next to the sink/garbage cabinet on the right.

How do you move through these or find that you store things there? Or do you just turn it all into one big locus because that’s too complicated? I would do it in the order that I listed them but am curious to hear thoughts about this.

  • Do you use doors as locus? I know that Lynne Kelly says she tries to make every 5th locus a door or window, but I find that in some places the doors are memorable and in others I can’t seem to link to the door at all just the things on either side of the door. What do you guys do?

Thank you if you took the time to read my psychotic ramblings. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

~Cosmo

5 Likes
2

Committing is the hardest thing here. But after committing, the rest is a piece of cake.
Enjoy your journey pal…

3 Likes
3

Sounds like you’re really on the way!

As for your questions, I mostly go through my palaces clockwise, but it can change based on the natural flow. Like if it makes more sense to walk in the other direction because the path is easier or because I usually walk that way, then I change it. I haven’t had any problems with remembering which way to go. Sometimes I even zig-zag through.

As for your question about things close, I find that the zoom method works well. So in your example, you can see the Nespresso machine, the window, the sink, the garbage, and the dishwasher. What you do is you look at the Nespresso machine and imagine yourself seeing it from the perspective of being 2 inches tall and standing on the counter. You’re looking up at the machine and you can clearly see the cup, the handle, the controls, etc. Then you put your image there. You can even put multiple images if you need to. Then you zoom out and look at the window. Zoom in to place something there. For the sink you imagine yourself standing on the sink drain looking up at high sink walls. Put your image there.

Hope this helps!

3 Likes
4

My advice,

Start applying it and figure out what works for you. There’s a lot of great minds here but we all have slight variations in what we do.

You’l figure out the answers to questions like directions. Myself, I have no set direction, it’s just a path that makes linear sense, maybe some are different. You do you. Less thinking more applying.

6 Likes
6

Week 2

Well, it has not been as productive a week as I had planned.. that annoys the hell out of me but it will have to be the fuel for the rest of the week and on to the next. I have been moving though and there has been a lot of other things come up with housing and visas and crap that just had to be done and I just simply haven’t been sleeping well. All a bad mix for the consistency that I am going for.

Anyway, enough of the excuses.

Progress

I haven’t made a lot of progress except in creating a few more memory palaces and cleaning up the palace that I am going to use for my PAO. I had put my previous category based one there, but there doesn’t seem to be any overlap or ‘ghosts’ sticking to the locations now that I am placing the new characters there.

Which leads into the next thing. PAO. I have mostly figured out the People but there are a few that I am not certain and I am trying to actively change but can’t find any good characters or celebrities for some reason. I also have a couple of duplicates that I didn’t realize when I was creating it for. The main one being 13 and 38 which I had as ToM cruise and MaVerick… Need to find a new person for one of them… Ah well.

I have also struggled with 16. It’s an odd one. I had Dwayne Johnson there (I know, blasphemy to the Major System for using a Dominic style!), but then it was like someone said in another thread. Mixing systems just confuses you. I have settled on Dash from the Incredibles for the moment.

I have stored 00-19 my MP, but I just need to figure out if Tom cruise will be staying there.

Unfortunately when it comes to pretty much anything else aside from using a palace earlier today to remember the grocery list for my signature cake recipe, I haven’t really done any other memorizing.

If you want the recipe just let me know.

I did have a thought of creating a recipe memory palace because of how much i love to cook and how I constantly have to look at my phone when I am cooking.

Thoughts

That other thread about how technology and writing and AI are really degrading our mental abilities has stuck with me a lot this week, but there hasn’t been the time to organize my thoughts about it only that it certainly feels true. Ever since I got access to a smartphone and laptop my mental faculties have deteriorated (not that they were anything too special to begin with).

I am hoping that once all of this moving and immigrating crap is done I will have more time to write and study and update but for the moment this is it.

Hope everyone is doing well and thank you again for reading my ramblings. I also apologize for any misspellings and grammar mistakes, its late where I am.

~Cosmo

1 Like
7

Thank you for your comment! Don’t I know it. It is always rough starting out.

8

Thank you for your thoughtful reply! I know about the zoom method, but haven’t used until earlier today and that does help. I haven’t been the best about interacting with those bigger/smaller objects as if I myself am also that size. That puts it in a different perspective. I’ll give it a try and let you know how it goes.

9

Wow, thank you so much for commenting! I was just listening to you on the Craft of memory podcast!

I figured that was my dilemma. I just need to do it and stop overthinking about it. That is probably why it has taken me so long to actually start learning and applying these techniques.

So far I know that I like the clockwise around the room, but am sticking to just making everything spaced out or else they get jumbled.

Appreciate your help and input and loved you on the podcast!

2 Likes
10

It was probably me that cautioned on mixing systems haha. It can work ok for some people, but you see how it can totally destroy your flow sometimes.

Remember the actual word that is read doesn’t HAVE to be a name. It could just be a word that triggers a very distinct connection to a specific unique person. 13 could be DuMb (jim carrey), DooM (grim reaper maybe?), DeM (short for democrat like Barack Obama?) or any ToM, TiM, TaMMy, DoM…

Don’t know if you’re a Star Wars fan, but my current 38 is MoFF tarkin.

16 could just be a DJ. Some unique ones like Marshmello or Skrillex could work. Or it could be “TeaCH” if you have a favorite memorable unique teacher that your could use. (edward TeaCH is also the name of the pirate Blackbeard.)

But like Don advised, try not to overthink. Try stuff. Sometimes a few more reps is all it takes to make an association finally stick or you’ll get a EUREKA moment and a new really great one will click into place.

Try your best not to get discouraged. This is like learning to play an instrument or learning to shoot a basketball. It will take time and will be frustrating for a bit. Keep at it and don’t worry if other things come up that you need to prioritize l. Its ok to take breaks and pause and rethink and adjust.

2 Likes
12

It was definitely you that I read but didn’t want to call you out. haha

I took your advice and left things with Dwayne Johnson because it fits in my brain better.

I appreciate the advice!

13

Wow!! I can’t believe that it has been over a month since I posted or updated. I do tend to have a terrible time with consistency. That is the main reason that I started this journal after all.

Oh well, some life stuff has gotten in the way but it happens.

Progress

I haven’t actually been practicing as much as I should have been.

I have been using memory techniques, just not really improving them too much.

I have mainly been using the memory palace for groceries funnily enough and it has worked wonderfully!
When I first started using MP’s for gorceries I was forgetting the last thing in the list because I was so focused on everything up to the end that I would just ignore because I figured that it was there. I would just forget to get that thing ironically.

I have also put up to 39 into my special memory palace that I have set aside specifically for PAO. I seem to be doing alright with the full PAO once I have gotten into the flow of using them.

I know that there are quite a few objects that I am going to change because they don’t work too well for some reason.

Other than that, not too much progress I am ashamed to admit.

Goals

Well my goals going forward are pretty much the same.

  • Finish PAO and store it in a memory palace
  • Create 10 Memory palaces that I am comfortable with
  • Create A-Z peg system

That is it for the moment.

Thoughts

I read this substack article the other day and it has really stuck with me. Not because I had no idea about what the Japanese term for Kaizen meant, but more because I hadn’t stopped to take the time to think about how I could use it in my life.

I am certainly always falling victim to the idea that I am running out of time or I have to get this thing or that thing done as soon as possible so that I can improve my life.

Usually this affects my learning or hobbies. I become too passionate about them and try to do too much all at once because I enjoy and want to improve quickly.

But there is also something to be said for the slow progress of daily/regular execution.

Life doesn’t always have to be edge of the seat, pedal to the metal, nose to the grindstone studying or action or accomplishments. Sometimes it can be relaxed and slow growing progress. It is harder to see and feel that this works in the moment, but once you have been doing it for a while you can look back and see how much you have grown.

Anyway that is enough of my philosophical drivel.

~Cosmo

1 Like
14

Oof. Looking back on my previous posts it’s shameful how long it’s been since an update…

But life happens and it is what it is. I moved, changed jobs a couple times, etc.

Updates

I skimmed my previous goals and funnily enough most of my goals are the same.

I have made some progress in every day life when it comes to using some of ideas of Memory palaces and mnemonics in general.

I also did a 20 day challenge (that I failed 4 times after 5 days) of dual n-back with this app.

I would say the challenge of dual n-back is excruciating and humiliating, but it definitely does work. I made sure to not use memory palaces or mnemonics of any sort because I wanted to try and improve my base rote memory and mental flexibility. I did see effects pretty quickly with just feeling like my brain RAM was much better in general. Especially attention and focus.

I am taking a break from practicing N-back (with that app) as I want to focus on memory palaces and techniques for the moment.

I have the same 4-ish memory palaces that I made last year still ingrained in my brain.

I only have the 2 main ones that I use with any regularity though.

One of them is my sort of white board for memorizing random lists or things that I need to remember throughout the day.

The other is a 100 locus palace that I store my PAO in. I have gone through and redone my PAO with almost entirely Major system characters, but the actions and objects are all related to the characters.

I will update with the full thing when I feel like I like it as it is.

When it comes to using my PAO i know I have some work to do. I have all of the numbers in Anki and I would say I know 00-50 well, but when it comes to doing numbers on ML I still have to go through my MP to find most of them. They aren’t automatic yet but have only practiced 2-3 times due to time constraints. Especially when trying to find the actions or some of the objects.

Progress

I have made a body memory palace after thinking about it for some time.

I notice a common issue with myself is overthinking too much about structure and trying to future proof memory problems or systems before ive actually encountered any. So now my go to method is sprinting.

I struggled with planning out my body MP that I want to be my replacement “whiteboard” MP but in the end copied Lynne Kelly’s from memory craft with only 1 addition. So far it is working alright but haven’t memorized anything long.

I also have added 1 memory palace from a recent stay which overall I think brings me to 6 MPs including ones that are a bit dusty.

I have also been organizing my stuff so I can memorize my personal information and card numbers etc.

I know not a lot of progress, but I am getting back in the saddle.

Goals

- Get my PAO familiarized where I don’t have to think when using it

- Memorize and store personal information like passport, card numbers, my families phone numbers, etc.

- 2 more MPs in the next week.

As always thank you for reading.

~Cosmo