I switched focus from speed memorization to trivia a few months back, using memory techniques to memorize information, and wanted to hear the community’s thoughts on the following example situation:
I used the Major system + story method to remember Oscar winners ('97: BiKe - A man on a BIKE with a camera crashed into a huge ship (James Cameron, best director; Titanic, best picture). On the ship is Jack Nicholson (As good as it gets), and a woman with a bow and arrow, entering into hell (Helen Hunt). This has been working quite well. (Note, I memorized the year the movie premiered, so I know it was actually awarded the Oscar in 1998)
I also use my objects from my PAO list to memorize years in office/years of reign of world leaders.
Are there any other simple two-digit methods of memorization that I can apply to do similar things? I feel like if I keep using “BiKe” to memorize, for example, Stanley cup winners, or Superbowl winners, years of James Bond movies, etc., then things will start to lose flavour or originiality, therefore memorability. Understandably, I could use different Major system words, but that won’t always work out (06 for me is hard to remember, for example)
Any other trivia-memorizers out there who have a solution?
It sounds like you’re on the right track! Although cliche, it is true that practice makes perfect and as you practice memorizing information, you’ll find new ways to do it, new process you havn’t tried before, and things which work well for others, but not so well for yourself. I would maybe take another look at using different major system words for your numbers. I know you say that it becomes difficult for numbers beginning with 0, but if you use phoneticmenomic.com to generate the words for you, you’ll never be short of ideas. I would also suggest recording all of your trivia mnemonics in a sheet. Write down the information you want to remember and a detailed description of the mnemonics you created. If you ever forget something, you can go back to this sheet and you won’t be starting from scratch. I have a file entitled the archive of mnemonics on my computer that has over 45 pages of mnemonics for information I’ve memorized over the years.
I don’t think you’ll have as hard a time remembering as you think! I guess a lot of it depends on HOW MUCH you plan to memorize. Take the world of the Academy Awards, for example. If you just memorize the Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Actor for 1997, I don’t think having them on a bike would be much of a problem. If you decide to also memorize the supporting actors, directors, cinematographers, best song, etc., also, it might start to be a problem.
Another approach would be to use separate memory palaces for each subject you plan to memorize. For example, have a memory palace for Best Picture, and then a different palace for Best Actor, then a different memory palace for Stanley Cup Winners, etc.