Hey. I thought I’d do a training journal here, in order to keep track of my advancement in pi memorization. I hope it can help some of you, and I also hope I can get some feedback from you.
Since a few weeks, I’ve spent 30 minutes per day learning my 3-digit number system using flashcards, and I now know it almost entierly. I made quite a lot of changes in my number system since it’s completed, about 30 or 40, but now it’s almost set in stone. Learning it was really worth it, as now, when reading the numbers for the first time, I can see the 3 images per loci almost instantly 9 times out of 10. It’s a time-saver obviously, but it’s also very pleasant. I’m gonna continue to learn it even deeper, to get the flow going, but only 15 minutes on weekends.
So the time and mental effort I win by knowing my system well, I’m gonna spend on learning more digits. Going from 45 (5 loci) per day to 90. Still 5 days a week for now, to let me the time of longer recalls and rest on weekends. I’m pretty sure I can handle it. If I keep that pace of 450 digits per week, I’ll know about 13k digits by next pi day. But maybe I’m too optimistic, and the need to recall will be overwhelming as the digits I know increase. I’d like to know your experiences about that, can one continue to accelerate the pace, or even keep it, without losing or fading previously-made progress ?
I ate 342 digits today, out of boredom and personal challenge. Personal best. I also recalled all the digits I know, 3555 without a mistake. So now, my second mental palace is filled with images, and I’ll start to fill my third, the imaginary stadium, tommorow. I also started to create my 4th MP, which will be a walk through my hometown, including my former school, my home, a gymnasium, walk-ways, shops, parks, etc. It should be around a thousand loci once it’s all set up… can’t wait to fill it.
I also thought more about a 4-digit number system, and I’m pretty sure I won’t create nor use it in the end. I’m still not 100% convinced, maybe you guys can make me change my mind. But I feel like it’s too big of an investment. I guess it would take me around 1 year to create and learn it (but I don’t really know), so if I don’t learn pi digits while creating it, it will be worth it only 4 years later, even if then, the benefice is indefinite. So it means that it wil be worth it from ~100k digits onwards if I keep that pace of 450 per week, which is about enough to beat the official world record and meet the world’s bests. That is if I keep that uncertain pace of 450, moreover… In one word, it’s a huge bet on the future, and I’m not sure I wanna risk it. Not that performance is the only variable, I also feel like I’ll have more fun learning digits with a 4-digit system, than with a 3-digit system, than creating and learning the 4-digit system… so it’s kinda consistent. Anyways. What do you think about all this ?
Take care
i will keep reading your updates posted here but maybe I will give 4 digit system a try at some point if it works out well for you and you reccommend it. I read a post by ben pridmore where he said he thinks the best way to memorise Pi would be to use a 4 digit system and then make it up as you go along.