I was reading the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and after several chapters, while taking notes and creating links to help me remember ( reading and digesting deeply the book) , I came across the following question: why should I put this knowledge into a memory palace, given that it will be very laborious and might not yield results that compensate for the effort made?
However, I was considering using real locations to save energy. Overall, I feel confused about how to approach this subject.
Memory palaces really look amazing and powerful, but I can’t see the benefit in contrast to a calm and meditative reading, supported by well-made handwritten notes.
How I like to think about it: memory palaces resemble a heavy and powerful battleship that demands a huge effort to move and operate.
I would like your opinions on my thoughts about it…
*Note: I have never read a text about the technique; I only read a lot on the forum, to the point that I think I’ve gone through most of the topics and pages there, at least in my opinion.
*Note: I used to create imaginary palaces, and I know that they require more effort to build. This might be one reason that makes me think this way.
Update 12/30/25 : I was thinking about it and realized, as another person said here on the forum, that certain types of books are not worth memorizing using the loci technique. That was my case, although the technique itself is very useful.
i remember a lincoln quote where he said: “If i have to cut down a tree i will spend 4 hours sharpening my axe and 2 cutting the tree”. Or something along those lines.
For me it’s kinda the same, this is a tecnique that can be used for everyday life things as well. I will admit there are things that i still struggle with, but overall i would say that i remember the things that i memorize with palaces better than just taking notes and reading ( i’m not at school anymore though so i guess my case is different)
This quote from Lincoln is fantastic, but in my country (Brazil), a great philosopher once said something that is really true: we don’t need to remember everything at every moment, only when we need it. Because of this thought, I believe that the knowledge from a book will either be remembered naturally, or I can simply look at my notes to refresh the subject in my mind. In this context, the memory palace seems a little redundant.
And the notes I take are not just simple copies of what I read, but summaries and links that help me recall the knowledge more easily.
On the other hand, the same philosopher also pointed out that our mind only works with the content already stored in memory. Therefore, having knowledge well integrated can be very useful. However, the benefits of different approaches need to be carefully weighed.
ah yeah, i am definetly not one of those that uses a memory palace to remember every single thing. There are other methods to remember things and simply put, not everything that you have to learn is that important to be remembered forever. Because if i don’t remember something very important when i need it it’s not said that i will have the opportunity to refresh my knowledge.
It really depends on the book for me, like if i am reading a piece of fiction it’s whatever, i will just use my normal memory for it. If it’s something that i absolutely have to remember i will do a mix of personal notes, palaces, anki, and trying to explain it to myself out loud, which for me is a pretty good way to learn as i love sounds in general and doing + listening makes me remember thing smuch better
Constructing a memory palace does not invalidate taking notes, and taking notes does not invalidate using a memory palace. Using both together is coherent and consistent. In fact, a memory palace should be built from the notes themselves.
The strongest advantage of a memory palace is that it allows the knowledge to be inside you. It supports genuine internalisation and the formation of propositional knowledge, rather than leaving understanding externalised.
Without a memory palace, the notes still exist—but is the knowledge actually ready to hand in your mind when you need it? Or does it remain something you must always look up?
Notes are excellent for careful reading, reflection, and structure. Memory palaces are for availability, recall, and integration. They serve different functions, and when combined, they reinforce rather than compete with each other.
I would suggest that you are evaluating a tool for a job that doesn’t really suit it – in the same way that while you can use a spoon to dig a railway tunnel. A spoon is not the correct tool for that task, but this doesn’t mean a spoon is a poor tool.
Memory palaces are a tool for memorising complex, abstract or repetitive information, like numeric constants, sequences, atomic facts, steps in a checklist, etc etc. Not, in my opinion, for generally approaching a topic and learning about it. Of course, you can use memory palaces (or Lorayne-style linking, which is my preferred method over memory palaces) to “memorise” text at the lowest level. But this is a completely different task to understanding and even learning the concepts from a book.
Calm and meditative reading, supported (optionally) by notes in whatever form suits you, going for a walk and pondering the ideas after each reading session, talking about what you’ve learned so far with friends, applying that knowledge to create something etc… those are appropriate tools for what you’re trying to achieve.
Hi. I dont use palace but I would like. I thought the same way before. That are difficult. But now ive seem they are powerful. That is what because greeks and romans used that. The hadnt books. But happens that toda y we have to memorize enormous books. That a what a person of that times studied in all the life.
Anyway I think the palace is Just a system and there are others like link peg etc. That fit more for me. The palace is useful to enormous amount of disconected information.
Reading and taking notes is very good to study. But the memory systems are useful To remember the notes. More if its are very difficult and big
The point of the philosopher is good. But depends the material you are studying. For really difficult things law medicine engineer etc the information is so big you cant memorize only Reading. You can memory a book only Reading. Not 100. I suffered a lot at university. I understood a lot but I didnt know how to memorize. Without mnenonics is very difficult.
In normal life you could use softer systems like notes link peg etc.
Thinking deeply about it, I realized that the problem is not the technique nor my use of it, but the fact that, even though the book is excellent, its value is not high enough to justify memorizing it.
