As a practitioner of the art of memory, I can tell you that I use creative methods in combination with logical ones. I call the process of using mnemonic devices and images “creative,” and “logical” refers to anything that requires analysis.
With that clarified, I’d say it depends on what you want to do. Sometimes you memorize a text where the meaning is self-evident, and other times you memorize something more abstract that requires analysis, and therefore takes more time. For me, memorizing dates or historical facts is simpler. If I tell you that Alexander the Great crossed the Hellespont River in 334 BC, thus beginning a campaign to conquer the Persian Empire, the meaning is clear. But if you have to talk about something more mathematical, like formulas, you’ll have to combine logic and creativity, learn the process and its variations through practical exercises, and memorize the formula (not memorize the solution process itself; that comes with practice). Also, memorizing concepts without understanding them isn’t a good practice. You should dedicate time to understanding the concept and then memorize it, so you can retrieve it when needed.
Analyzing a topic involves breaking it down and working through it piece by piece, understanding each part separately before putting it all together, like a jigsaw puzzle.
If you read a text, analyze it, extract keywords (or create your own), and memorize what you understand, you’ll need to conduct research to clarify the concept or topic.
I usually use the “statue method” described by Bruno in 30 Statues to understand a concept through metaphors and imagery.
The tricky thing about these creative methods is that there are so many of them. Eventually, you reach a level where you can improvise and make remembering easier. But it’s not just creativity you should exercise; logic is essential too. Logical memory can’t process information the same way as creative memory. Creative memory takes in much more information, while logical memory processes it in parts. For example, if you’re using a recipe guide, you have to go step by step. This is logical memory. It can be trained to capture or process more information, but it consumes more resources than creative memory in terms of performance, so it’s best to use them in combination.
Statues, for example, are figures that can signify and help us understand many things. For instance, a figure catches a fish, exchanges it for gold, its eyes shine with joy, and so on. Now, with that in mind, create a list of questions about a topic and describe it with images. This will greatly help you understand a complex concept. It’s also important to keep in mind that you should save the source or reference for the concept. If time passes and you have a certain visual logic there that you later don’t understand, because you’ll have, so to speak, other images that seem more logical. Without the reference, you won’t understand your own mental images, since you’ve changed your preferences or other images seem more logical at that moment. That’s why review is important when it comes to mnemonics.
I have 27 mnemonic methods that mostly cover the entire spectrum of techniques for creating mental images. Places are orders, and there are also many ways to organize them. For this, I use various methods depending on what I need to remember.
For example, for places, I can use a 3x3 grid, which is essentially a matrix. I place it in areas, that is, on walls within a space (a square room). I can use the squares to create loci for speed, which are different from loci for long-term information. I use these for memorizing temporary information on the spot. There should be many, but not too many; around 750 or 1,500 is enough. Long-term loci are many more places, and I can create them without stress since I search for them online and build the mental images little by little.
In short, each section has a theme. If it’s for speed memorization, I look for lists of themed images, like Dragon Ball, God of War, actors, etc., and I place iconic images in each section. For longer-term memorization, like information on a subject such as biology, I use figures like Hollywood actors or adult film stars, using their initials as an index. For arithmetic, it might be Anthony Robles, for example, and so on for other subjects. I differentiate by images and other means… it’s easier to remember than to forget. I also take notes, and I can recall the material more easily and with fewer reviews.
For a beginner, the methods will be easy; the problem is the limited knowledge of techniques and how to apply them in a logical and creative way.