Card memory - PAO vs Adj/Noun?

General Memory Chat
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I’ve just started trying to learn to memorize a deck of cards, I’ve (admittedly briefly) looked at a few different methods:

  • encoding each card using major system & memorizing effectively one random word per card
  • using PAO but I found that memorizing/even just creating the table is quite daunting
  • encoding each card using major system but for each card having both an adjective and a noun, and then pairing cards and using the first as an adjective and the second as a noun ← this already has shown me the most success because i think i find it easier to memorize like this? is this approximately as effective as PAO or is it worth making the full table?

it’s probably worth noting i have aphantasia so i find memory palaces to be significantly more difficult to use (but still doable)

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Hi there,

I have been looking into a “simpler” card memory system:

Ex.
Ace of Hearts = AH = 1H
Two of Spades = 2S = NS
9 of Diamonds = 9D = P/B D
Queen of Clubs = 7C = KC

I think for people w/Aphantasia, simplifying and having the visual queues are best.

The Major system and using the first letter of the suit seems to be the easiest way but like anything, practice with a timer is needed.

Stefos

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If it works for you, go for it. You can use an incomplete system (like having only 52 out of 99 images) and you can always expand later if you wish.

Your system doesn’t have to be perfect to work. And if you use it a long time, I guarantee that it’s going to evolve a bit (or a lot!) anyway.

As an aside, we are all talking about “PAO” because it’s simpler to use the same name for “all systems that allow to remember numbers (or other abstract things) by associating them with concrete things” but a lot of people don’t have the combination people-object-action.

For example, I never have used fixed actions because I dislike it, and occasionally use other categories than person and object, but I still speak about “PAO” because talking about my PO or POLHS system would just be confusing. But the principle is the same. Feel free to choose the categories that feel the best for you.