#memory palaces

What a memory palace is:

A memory palace is an memorisation technique which “enhances” your memory by taking advantage of one’s spacial memory.

Through the process of evolution and natural selection, the human brain has adapted for the memorisation of physical locations rather than the rote memorisation of arbitrary symbols - including alphabets, numbers, dates, codes, et cetera.

As I like to think of it, a basic palace is fundamentally comprised of three components: the location, the matters required to be recalled, and the encoding.

Getting started:

Location:

First, it is imperative that the location is easy to recall whilst still being structurally unique. I would recommend starting with a familiar building such as a school or a house. However, if it seems intimidating to recall an entire building then I would suggest starting off by using your bedroom as the location.

Items:

After you have chosen an adequate location, you need to find a matter or list to remember. Here is a "random" list of things for you to remember. The objects are: highlighter, pen, watch, mobile phone, notebook, calculator, and a laptop. You need to remember this in order. [However, do feel free to use another list such as the Presidents of the United States or Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom if you so desire.

Encoding:

Now that you have both chosen a location and the relevant matter, you need to “encode" the objects you need to remember into graphic images - the use of gore, sex, and violence at this time is strongly encouraged. Please do not fear to let lose - this is all in your head remember? So, for example, the highlighter can be a caricature of a lighter who is high, perhaps. The notebook could be a huge leather-bound pad of paper. You can make the rest up.

Appropriate allocation:

Now, you need to assign the images to various places, or pegs, around your chosen location. Note that I said location and not room as the palace can be anything from a room to a building or even the route taken during the journey between two places.Images in my bedroom are placed on the two bedside tables, in the corners of the room, three in the cupboard (although one is preferred at this stage), one on the bed, and one in the door way. You may need to get creative with the locations of the pegs if you have too many objects to memorise. The inside of drawers is also an option.

Formation of routes:

Finally, you need to create a route. It is imperative that you always take the same route. One of the many beauties of a memory palace is that it aids the memorisation of the order of events as well. I do not know the layout of your bedroom so I cannot help you here but I will say that you cannot cross any paths that you have previously walked over as this leads to major confusion - it is a good habit to get into.

Now, you should walk through your “palace” several times, with the images in place - checking the list above whenever you feel like it. After you are comfortable, you can rest for a few minutes. Then test yourself. You will be amazed at how much you can remember - provided your images were graphic enough.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading and I hope this has helped. It is now up to you to practice. As with anything, this process will become natural and automatic over time.

Chongqing Zhongshuge Bookstore in Chongqing City, China (x)