Dylan Callens's Blog: The Silent Guardian, page 7

The Joyful Project

Let's Start Here

I started thinking about the joyful project a little over a year ago. The idea began while teaching a philosophy class. The thought of re-reading Camus’ Myth of Sysyphus cast gloom across my horizon. I knew I needed something else, something more uplifting.

Jump to the Table of Contents

After poking around for a while, I...

How to Memorize a Deck of Cards

Introduction

The following is a simple system to memorize a deck of cards. Don’t let the word “simple” fool you, though. This technique is effective. With practice, you can store and recall an entire deck in under five minutes.

Not only is it a fun trick to show other people, but it is also great practice. I always found it fascinating that I could see the improvement in my memory daily. When we w...

Spaced Repetition Helps Build Memory

Any memory that you want to stick around requires reinforcement. Spaced repetition helps build memory and is the reinforcement that your brain needs.

The inner workings of memory are incredibly complex, and there is still much to be discovered about how it works. Some things, though, are known.

New information can get jumbled up, resulting in weak connections within the brain. The jumbled links are worsened when new i...

How to Memorize Poetry, Plays, and Literature

Introduction

Have you ever been told to memorize poetry, plays, and literature quotes from a book you studied in class? I remember being told to do it, but I couldn’t recall the reading selections. It was torturous. 

The strange thing about being told to memorize poetry, plays, and literature in class was that the teacher di...

Memory Journey

Introduction

Memory journeys are similar to memory palaces. The difference is that while memory palaces are tied to buildings, journeys can take place anywhere.

Like memory palaces, the key is selecting familiar locations and routes. We layer new information on top of our chosen spots to recall information as we mentally tak...

How to Memorize a Speech

Introduction

When I first started public speaking, I did what most new speakers do: memorize a speech verbatim. Sometimes that worked well. It was great if I could remember each word while not sounding robotic.

But slipping up was awful. It took a moment to get back on track and back into the groove of the speech. By then, I had sometimes lost my audience’s confidence. After a few similar experien...

How to Memorize Vocabulary Words

Introduction

Like everything else in school, I wish I knew there was an easy way to memorize vocabulary words. I can see my teacher giving us a list of words to remember and me looking at the list like it was written in Greek.

The funny thing is that you can use the link method to remember new vocabulary words or new languag...

How to Remember Dates in History

Introduction

This trick for remembering historical dates sure would have been handy when I was in high school. I loved hearing about wars and gladiators but struggled with dates and anything specific.

In this section, we are concerned only with years. Other sections will cover how to remember days and months. Basic information about the event that coincides with the date will be encoded together.

L...

How to Memorize a Phone Number

Introduction

You might ask yourself, is there still a need to remember a telephone number? Our phones can store an entire phonebook of numbers, so what’s the point?

Generally, I would agree. Storing most numbers in a phone and letting technology do the work for you is easier. However, I was in a car accident once, and my phone broke. Someone came down the road and had the courtesy to offer me thei...

How to Remember a Phone Number

Introduction

You might ask yourself, is there still a need to remember a telephone number? Our phones can store an entire phonebook of numbers, so what’s the point?

Generally, I would agree. Storing most numbers in a phone and letting technology do the work for you is easier. However, I was in a car accident once, and my phone broke. Someone came down the road and had the courtesy to offer me thei...