Anthony Metivier's Blog, page 22

Crystal And Fluid Intelligence: 5 Ways to Keep Them Sharp

Jane: “Did you hear Jonas’ speech? He spoke so well! Expressive and kept the audience enthralled. Very intelligent!” 

Amanda: “Yeah, he was great! Creative, definitely! But intelligent?”

Jane: “It’s the same. You don’t need to be a mathematician or scientist to be intelligent.”

And so the argument continues.

But what is intelligence, really? Do you have fluid intelligence or crystal intelligence?

In this post, I’ll delve into the two types of intelligence (Fluid Intelligence and Crystallized Intelligence), examine how they work together, and talk about which one is more important. You’ll also learn 5 magnetic ways to build razor-sharp intelligence.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is Intelligence? 
What is Fluid Intelligence?
What is Crystallized Intelligence?
Can Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence Work Together?
Is Fluid Intelligence More Important Than Crystallized?
5 Magnetic Ways to Keep Your Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence Sharp?

 

What is Intelligence?

It’s a tough question.

Many of the world’s most ‘intelligent’ scientists, researchers, and psychologists have been debating ad infinitum over a standard definition of intelligence.

For our understanding, intelligence is your ability to learn new information and use that knowledge to identify and solve problems. 

You are deemed intelligent (read: smart) if you can use logic, reasoning, quick thinking, and planning to conduct daily activities effectively. 

The good news?

You are not born with finite intelligence. You can boost your intelligence and thereby your social capital by using a proper memory method. (More about this later).

Are There Different Types of Intelligence?

Yes. Intelligence is subdivided into two distinct types — fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. They also go by the nicknames of gf and gc, where “g” stands for general intelligence.

The theory of fluid and crystal intelligence was first proposed by psychologist Raymond Cattell in 1963. He referred to the ability to reason as fluid intelligence, and the capacity to acquire knowledge as crystallized intelligence.

The concept was further developed by his student, John L. Horn, in the 1970s and 1980s. Their findings came to be known as the Cattell-Horn Theory of Intelligence. 

The natural intelligence displayed by humans is very different from artificial intelligence (AI), which is intelligence demonstrated by machines. Our intelligence also differs in its cognitive capabilities from that demonstrated by open-source intelligence, which uses information collected from publicly available data sources. That’s not to mention our intelligence for developing concentration and memory through meditation. 

A Fun Definition of Fluid Intelligence

Once, at a Paris hotel, my shower wasn’t working. I had checked in late at night, so there was no possibility of calling the plumber.

But I did manage to take a quick bath.

I used the Indian bucket bath method: where instead of a bucket and jug, I filled the drinking glass with water from the tap to pour over my body.

Genius, or what? 

It was my fluid intelligence hard at work to come up with a novel solution to a unique problem.

Fluid intelligence is your ability to analyze, reason, and think out-of-the-box to find original solutions to new problems.

Your fluid intelligence uses logic in new situations or tasks, recognizes patterns, and incorporates abstract reasoning towards problem-solving. 

Often, fluid intelligence is used when you solve math problems or jigsaw puzzles. You also use fluid intelligence when you start plucking on a guitar without prior training.

Your fluid intelligence does not depend on previously acquired knowledge. A person who is ‘street smart’ uses his fluid intelligence very effectively.

Fluid intelligence depends on your working memory, which is stored in the prefrontal cortex of your brain. It is governed by the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex — regions of the brain responsible for attention and short-term memory.

More Examples of Fluid Intelligence

You use your fluid intelligence when you:

Identify patterns in logical reasoning questions,
Assemble a complex jigsaw puzzle using a picture,
Develop strategies or a game plan to solve problems,
Think outside the box when solving problems, or
Eliminate unwanted information when you conduct research.

There is bad news, though.

Fluid intelligence starts to decline with age, sometimes even as early as your 20s or young adulthood. Therefore, cognitive functions in elderly people may be reduced.

However, there are ways to keep it sharper and stronger even as you age. (We’ll come to that soon!) 

Next, let’s look at crystal intelligence.

A Quick Definition of Crystal Intelligence

Crystal intelligence or crystallized intelligence is your ability to use knowledge and information previously learned over the years.

This type of intelligence is what you acquire through education and experience. Crystal intelligence gets cemented in the hippocampus, neocortex, and amygdala — parts of the brain that store and use long-term memories. 

You use crystal intelligence when you do long division, or learn a new language. These tasks also require focused attention.

Ultimately, these terms are measurable. You can literally test and measure it through your grasp of vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and your competence in quizzes and game shows.

Both internal and external factors impact the development of crystallized intelligence. 

Internal factors include your innate curiosity and motivation to learn new things. External factors are the surroundings that you grew up in — your family, educational institutions, and society in general.

Examples of Crystallized Intelligence

Crystal intellect is at work when you:

Answer questions related to history or geography in a quiz. (For example, when did Columbus first arrive in America?)
Learn and speak different languages.
Know the exact ingredients used to prepare your favorite dishes.
Learn new words in your native language.
Memorize new maths formulae or facts
Conduct a surgery on a patient.
Remember the demographic statistics of a country you’re reading about.

The good news is: since crystal intelligence relies on the accumulation of knowledge, it is usually maintained with age. It peaks and declines much later in life as compared to fluid intelligence.

Interestingly, research shows that elderly people are valuable as workers as they make up for a decline in fluid intelligence with crystallized intelligence.

Cautionary note: While stronger intelligence may give you a head start in life, it may not prevent you from being affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

You may wonder: do these two types of intelligence cooperate?

Can Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence Work Together?

Turns out, fluid and crystallized intelligence are great team players. 

Even though they are two distinct types of intelligence that cover different cognitive abilities of the brain, they work together more often than you might imagine. 

For example, when you DIY a table, you use the woodworking skills your dad taught you years ago. This is your crystal intelligence. You figure out which raw materials to use, which tools to use, and how to follow a detailed design.

You also use fluid intelligence to reason and find solutions to any hurdles you face — for example, maybe a certain tool is not available and you need to find a substitute.

This solution is then transferred to long-term memory and becomes part of your crystal intelligence. If you face the same problem in the distant future, the solution would be retrieved from your long term crystal memory.

Use of Fluid and Crystal Intelligence When Cooking

Here’s another example of the interwovenness of fluid and crystallized intelligence:

When you cook a meal, which actually provides a decent brain workout), you utilize your crystallized intelligence to understand and follow the recipe. However, if you modify the spices or find substitutes for some ingredients according to your tastes and dietary requirements, you are utilizing your fluid intelligence. 

These forms of intelligence seem quite different, but is one more important than the other?

Is Fluid Intelligence More Important Than Crystallized?

Not at all.

Both types of intelligence are equally important to function well in everyday life.

As I discussed earlier, fluid intelligence is directly related to being creative and innovative (i.e., your street smarts). Crystal intelligence, on the other hand, relies on being book smart.

However, today’s education system and our dependence on technology may deprive our brain of developing its natural aptitude for creative problem-solving. 

Educational institutes even resort to the Wechsler Intelligence Test or other IQ tests to determine the cognitive skills in students based only on crystal intelligence. Many cognitive training tasks also give more importance to developing crystallized intelligence.

However, I believe the goal should be to strengthen your overall intelligence — be it crystal or fluid.

Crystal intelligence is closely linked to long-term memories. Fluid intelligence is, however, associated with short-term memory or working memory.

Research says that if working memory is deficient, the ability to acquire knowledge and related skills will be limited. A study by Susan Gathercole and Tracy Alloway showed that “working memory functions as a bottleneck for learning in individual learning episodes required to improve knowledge.”

But what does that mean?

In simple terms: you need to develop your fluid intelligence to enable your crystal intelligence to work well!

Let’s look at how you can do just that.

5 Magnetic Ways to Sharpen Your Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence

Here are five great ways to improve both types of intelligence.

1. Create Memory Palaces

When you build memory palaces using the Magnetic Memory Method, you are using both fluid and crystal intelligence in ways that enable you to improve them.

The Magnetic Memory Method Memory Palace is a powerful way to train the brain regions that govern your fluid and crystal intelligence.

It’s also a better method for remembering and learning information than using other techniques like mind mapping on its own because you’re innovating and drawing upon existing mental content at the same time.

Plus, any time you can combine intelligence and memory strengthening, you get holistic improvement of all levels of memory. You can move short-term memory into long-term memory faster (and permanently) with a minimum amount of practice.

2. Get Creative 

It is believed that to be creative, you don’t have to come up with original ideas all the time. You’re creative just by finding new connections between existing ideas.

This could be as simple as finding a new route to go to work, starting new eating habits, or adding new ingredients to a pasta recipe you’ve stuck to for years. 

Or, if you’re an artist, simply abandon your tools for a while and wander outside or travel to a new place. Inspiration for your next masterpiece may strike you from unexpected places. 

And sometimes constraints fuel creativity, so set yourself time and space limits to complete a project.

3. Challenge Your Brain

Technology has made everyday life so easy for all of us — so switching off is a great way to challenge your brain. 

Remember the saying “use it or lose it” and unplug from your devices every once in a while. For instance, navigate to a new landmark in your city without a GPS.

Seeking new experiences, learning new skills, and staying busy with hobbies and people are great ways to keep your fluid and crystal intelligence sharp. 

You might also learn a new language, watch a new genre of movies, read on a topic that is alien to you, or just try using your non-dominant hand for a few everyday activities.

4. Meditate Regularly

Mindfulness meditation is a way to engage new neural pathways in your brain. Research has proven that this neurostimulation can transform your body and brain positively.

This form of active brain training can improve your focused attention, long term retention and recall, and your working memory capacity, which are all important aspects of your fluid and crystallized intelligence.

5. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Want to get a sharper memory? Get more sleep.

As counterintuitive as this may sound, sleep can sharpen your intellect. In fact, sleep is one of nature’s most ignored memory-boosters. 

If you’re well-rested, you stay alert and attentive throughout the day — which positively affects your ability to retain more and learn new things like riding a car or learning a new language.

Boost Your Intelligence, Magnetically

Memory science is important and worth reading, but you are the ultimate scientist in the laboratory of your own memory and intelligence.

Why not get cracking at a new intelligence-boosting experiment with me today? Register for my free course, and I’ll send you my free memory improvement worksheets and videos.

The post Crystal And Fluid Intelligence: 5 Ways to Keep Them Sharp appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

How to Memorize a Speech Fast (Without Sounding Like a Robot)

Imagine this: you’re standing up in front of an audience and giving an important speech. 

Now tell me, how do you feel? Are your hands sweaty or your knees shaky? Is your stomach tied up in knots and feeling a bit queasy?

If you’re anything like me during my undergraduate years, maybe you even have a phobia of public speaking. Yes, it’s true. I once had a terrible aversion to giving speeches, because I took a medication for manic-depression that made me shake really, really badly. 

Once, in a course on romantic poetry, I was supposed to give a speech. My hands shook, my papers rattled in my hands, and I couldn’t concentrate on my delivery of the speech… much less expressing my familiarity with the topic at hand! 

Instead, I ended up frustrated and embarrassed. It was one of the most horrible moments of my scholarly career to be shaking so badly and yet have so much to say. 

And to top it all off, the professor wouldn’t take me at my word — I had to go to the Behavioural Sciences Building to get a letter from the psychologist explaining that I could have an alternate assignment instead of being required to give the speech. This bad experience led to a fear and phobia of giving speeches that lasted for quite some time. 

But here’s the good news: even if you have a fear of public speaking – most people do – there’s still hope. With the help of memory and a few other tricks I’ll teach you today, you can overcome your fear. 

And I’ll let you in on a secret. Now, when I give a speech I really have a lot of fun!

So are you ready to kick your fear of public speaking to the curb and have fun with it instead? Let’s dive right in and take a look at how to memorize a speech — and how memorizing can help you overcome your public speaking fears.

Want to skip ahead to a particular section?

Memorizing a Speech Without Losing Your Place

How to Memorize a Speech: Tips and Techniques

Tip Number 1: Be Prepared

Tip Number 2: Relax, Relax, Relax

Tip Number 3: Don’t Make it a Big Deal

Tip Number 4: Know Your Body

Tip Number 5: Do Table Reads

Memory Palace Alternatives

The Best Way to Memorize a Speech: Create a Memory Palace

How to Memorize a Speech: Step by Step

Real-Life Examples of How to Remember a Speech

Recommended Reading for Memorizing a Speech

FAQs about Memorizing a Speech or Presentation

Have Fun Memorizing a Speech

 

You might be thinking… “but will your approach work for me?”

I can honestly say — yes! I’ve seen this method work not only for me, but also for clients of mine. Here’s one example:

Michael DeLeon wrote the other day and said:

“I’ve been training myself in the techniques of the Magnetic Memory Method. I’ve given two speeches that were, by far, the easiest for me to give because of the Magnetic Memory Method. I felt no pressure. I could relax and deliver the speech I wanted to give because there was never a fear of ‘I would lose my place.'” 

So are you ready to learn some tips for memorizing a speech? Let’s start with a common fear: losing your place.

 

Memorizing a Speech Without Losing Your Place

When we talk about how to memorize a speech, one of the first things people often ask is what to do when you get lost. In this post, we’ll cover how to find your way quickly back, as well as a host of other issues that can arise during your speech.

We’ll also talk about Steal the Show: From Speeches, to Job Interviews, to Deal-Closing Pitches, How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation for all the Performances in Your Life, a great book by Michael Port that I’ve learned a lot from, as well as some tips I learned from my mentor about giving speeches.

The short answer is: a Memory Palace can help you be fearless, focused, and able to track back if you ever do lose your place. The longer answer? Keep reading!

To make the most of this post, take notes as you read, then start to carve a path forward to where you go out and give some kind of speech (even if it’s just to your friends and family).

We’ve got an action-packed post waiting for you, so let’s get started.

How to Memorize a Speech: Tips and Techniques

Before we talk through my top tips, let’s get one big question out of the way: what’s the point of learning to give (and memorize) a speech? Whether or not you’re using a memory technique, why do you want to learn how to do it?

Here are a few benefits to being a great public speaker:

It’s a highly marketable skill.

There are lots of companies that need someone to be able to present the value they offer – their expertise, unique selling proposition, value for the market, etc – and why customers should pick them. It’s the same for you — you want to be known as the person a company wants to hire, the one they want to promote, the one they want to give a raise.

Public speaking displays your expertise.

Your ability to speak coherently and clearly is a key indicator to both your employer and clients that you know your stuff. When you can speak from the top of your mind without hemming and hawing or stuttering, it lets your knowledge shine.

Stepping on stage develops courage.

Getting comfortable with public speaking takes practice — and getting out there and starting to give speeches (even if it’s just to a friend or two at first) will begin to build your courage muscle. It’s a win-win.

Speaking shows your personality.

As you practice giving speeches, you’ll begin to develop your own personal presentation style. And the more comfortable you get, the more your personality will shine.

Giving speeches helps build relationships.

Getting out into the community allows you to connect with people in both your personal and business networks. And if you’re still in school, it can help you build connections with your teachers and your fellow students.

Public speaking sets you up as an expert in your field.

When you’re the one up on stage, it’s clear to the audience that you know what you’re talking about. You can prepare the road ahead by being known as the expert who has the courage to get up on stage and share their knowledge. Just look at Sunil Khatri’s speech success story.

It helps you deliver results to other people.

Right now, your audience doesn’t have a particular set of knowledge. When you get up on stage, you’re able to give them that knowledge — and package it in a way that helps them quickly absorb it. Plus, you can do so in a way that encourages them to take action, because they’ve seen you demonstrate how valuable it is from the stage.

Speaking can help you build your memory as you learn.

Learning to memorize a speech will help you build your memory as you go. Even if you do need notes in the beginning, you can still improve your memory as you practice your speech.

Bonus: it’s fun!

It’s not only a valuable skill, but being able to jump up on stage and speak off the top of your mind is actually a lot of fun!

Now you know the benefits of memorizing a speech, let’s take a look at a few tips to help you along the way.

Tip Number 1: Be Prepared

The number one best technique of all is to be prepared.

This means: do your research and have the knowledge in your head that you’re presenting on. This might be obvious, but a lot of people think they can skip this step.

If you’re nervous or worried, that sense of fear often comes from the fact that you don’t know your topic well enough. At the end of the day, be prepared with solid research and actual knowledge about your subject… 

Because the number one memory tool you have — is to not have to use memory techniques.

You’re here to memorize a speech, but the best way to do that is to know what you’re talking about. It will help you avoid your fears about getting lost when you know your subject backwards and forwards.

Part of giving good speeches from memory is preparation — as you prepare, memorize the key information as you go along. There are a number of ways to do this:

Use a Mind Map

Mind mapping helps you prime your memory from the very beginning, by giving it structure in space. 

Imagine you’re creating a mind map — you have your central image, which primes your mind to dig deep into your memory and create a mental image around the core topic, by name. You can also use a key word that’s big, bold, and centered in your attention.

This example Mind Map was created for one of my live stream presentations. I usually juggle for a few minutes before giving a speech to get my creative juices flowing.

This allows you to think in imagery and images placed in space, and also the connections you can make by having multiple key words arranged in space.

You can also turn a mind map into a Memory Palace.

Consider Content Mapping

If you decide to memorize your speech verbatim, this is another kind of mapping that can help you with your beats. 

But what do we mean by beats? When you memorize verbatim, you may want to remember things like:

Where your pauses are,
Where on the stage you plan to turn and look at a particular part of the audience,
When you want to pull a prop from your pocket, or
Any other physical cues.

You might even plan to give a speech with another person and need to remember where their lines begin.

Hat tip to Steal the Show by Michael Port for this idea. 

Read Additional Books

Once you create your original mind map, then you might consider reading two or three additional books on the topic.

For example, I recently did a livestream on the topic of how to memorize a speech. As part of my preparation, I read not only Michael Port’s Steal the Show, but also the Rhetorica ad Herennium and other books on rhetoric and speaking by authors like Matthew Clark and Dan Kennedy.

Know Your Audience

One fun way to engage with your audience is to know and mention the names of your host and audience. When I give talks on memorizing names, I make it a point to memorize every name in the room — and then I address audience members by name as I give my speech.

But even more important is to tailor your presentation and speech to that particular audience. This may mean memorizing things about the audience, or things about the individuals who will be present, so you can respond on the fly.

You won’t initially have the kind of information you need to do this, but it’s easy to find. Reach out to the person who invited you to give the speech – or ask your teacher or professor – and ask them what considerations they would like included in your speech. 

It’s very powerful to tailor your speech to the audience and their specific interests or concerns.

Train Under Pressure

When you’re in the middle of a speech, you ideally want to keep moving forward — even if you make mistakes or something unexpected happens.

When you memorize your speech and train yourself to give it under any circumstances, it can help you find your place when the unexpected happens. You can then quickly find where you were and keep moving forward.

Now that you’re prepared, it’s time to let your hard work pay off.

Tip Number 2: Relax, Relax, Relax

The most important step of all is relaxation, and being willing to let go of your expectations.

When the light goes green and you’re live you can no longer control the outcome — but you can practice not being in control very early on. You do this through relaxation.

You will relax while you:

Prepare your research,
Memorize your speech,
Practice reciting what you’re going to say from memory,
Deliver your speech (by being relaxed ahead of time), and
Analyze how the speech went.

The more relaxed you are during each of these stages, the more you’ll be able to effectively analyze how your speaking engagement went. This gives you the chance to think through the results in a clinical fashion and improve, rather than judging yourself on your performance.

But how do you relax at each stage of preparation and memorization? There are a few techniques you can use.

Box Breathing

This is a breathing technique that’s widely attributed to a former Navy SEAL, who used the skill set to stay calm in combat situations.

To use this technique, think of a square and follow along with your breath. 

Inhale to a count of five, 
Hold the breath in for a count of five, 
Exhale to a count of five,
Hold the breath out for a count of five, and then
Repeat as necessary.

This technique is really good for activating your parasympathetic nervous system and giving you some space between you and your monkey mind. The more you’re able to relax, the more you can be present to what’s happening — instead of overthinking.

You might wonder: why does the monkey mind go on and on? 

Well, it’s worried what people are going to think about you! It’s worried about what happens if you make a mistake. It’s worried about what happens if people think you’re going to make a mistake.

Prepare to Make Mistakes

So here’s the deal… I guarantee you’re going to make some kind of mistake. But — it’s not really a mistake if you don’t pay attention to it. If you’re relaxed and you just move on, the audience is less likely to notice that you made a mistake than if you get flustered and lost.

Everyone stumbles over their tongue every once in a while, and the more you speak the more it will happen to you. The way you overcome mistakes is to be relaxed and just keep going.

Remember: it’s all about practice.

Meditate

I highly recommend meditation for anyone preparing to give a speech.

It really gives you distance between what’s going on, and quiets the monkey mind so you don’t get caught up in mental commentary as you’re speaking. It allows you to roll with the punches when the punches come.

Meditation is great to help you be aware of different self-criticism that may come up and to keep going anyway. It also helps you let go of the outcome, because you can’t control what’s going to happen. 

Technical situations that are out of your control? Venue issues that impede your flow? No problem — meditation helps you keep going.

Meditation also helps with the next tip on our list.

Tip Number 3: Don’t Make it a Big Deal

Whatever you do, don’t turn memorization into some sort of Holy Grail. 

As I learned from my speaking mentor (who coached me through getting better on camera), there’s more to giving a speech than just reciting from memory.

He told me: 

“Yeah, you can memorize this stuff, but it looks like you’re reciting from your mind. Nobody wants to watch this. Very few people are going to be impressed by being bored by your precision recall. It’s just not something that is entertaining or engaging.“

And when I did my first university lectures, using hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pages of lecture notes, I quickly understood that it was much more in the service of my students to deliver from memory and key words than to be reading out these long speeches. 

Soon, I abandoned my notes and spoke very freely — which made for much more interesting lectures and served my students better in the end.

It’s a process of practicing, refining, analyzing what you’re doing, getting feedback, and trying again.

And through this process of repetition, you begin to realize that giving a speech is neither the end of the world, nor the most important thing you’ll ever do. It’s simply a means to an end and can be a fun experience.

Another tip to help make your speaking experience pleasant is to “know thyself.”

Tip Number 4: Know Your Body

Your body is like any other machine: it needs to be properly maintained and cared for to achieve peak performance.

When it comes to preparing to give a speech, it’s beneficial to be hydrated and well-rested the day before your speaking engagement.

Some people might choose to fast the day before a speech to give them mental clarity, while others wouldn’t dream of fasting because it makes them weak.

Along those lines, observe how your dietary choices affect your body. If you eat or drink the wrong thing before giving a speech, it can be very draining, since your body is processing stuff that takes energy away from your mind or makes you feel terrible. This takes focus away from the task at hand.

(For more focus tips, I suggest Nir Eyal’s Indistractable.)

Avoid any foods that make you dull, tired, or irritated. Instead, choose foods that help you stay calm and clear. Pick your battles, and know how certain foods make you feel as you choose your pre-speech diet.

Finally, let’s look at a tip the pros use when preparing to memorize a speech.

Tip Number 5: Do Table Reads

There are a few ways you can approach a table read, but the most important elements are to read out loud whatever it is you’re going to deliver — and do it seated with others so you can really study your body in a seated position.

Practice giving a speech in front of friends before taking it to the stage.

Then, be sure to also practice it standing and mobile, like you will be when you deliver the speech, with an audience present.

You do this because your writing is very different than it sounds read out loud. Because of this, delivering your speech can be very strange if you haven’t written it specifically as a speech. The table read helps you correct what you’ve written so it sounds natural while you’re speaking out loud.

And if you can’t find other people to do a table read with you… do one by yourself!

You can practice on camera — this is a great way to hear your speech externally and objectively. If you work from key words or acronyms instead of a written script, you can also get the recording transcribed.

When I prepare for a speech, I almost always record my preparation and get it transcribed. Then, I can look at 1) how it reads, 2) what it sounds like, and 3) what to add or take away.

Recording yourself doesn’t need to be complicated. You can use your smartphone to record, and use a service like Rev.com to transcribe.

If you can, share your script or transcription with other people. Ask them what’s too much, and if there’s anything you should take away. You don’t have to take their opinion, but it can be helpful to get an outside viewpoint or two.

And, be sure to ask qualified people who will tell you the truth — and that their truth is coming from a place of expertise and proper context. 

Next, let’s look at a few alternatives to using a Memory Palace.

Memory Palace Alternatives

While I believe that using a Memory Palace is the best way to memorize a speech, there are other techniques and tools you can use instead.

Use Index Cards or Flashcards

As you prepare to deliver your speech, you can have all your points on index cards and memorize them by rote learning. 

Index cards are a great way of organizing your points before placing them in a Memory Palace.

Though I’ll be honest and say I’m not a fan of learning by rote memorization. It can work, but it will take a lot longer than necessary. 

In comparison, if you have a Memory Palace built out and you memorize point by point, you’ll use creative elaboration and get to “stickiness” much faster. 

Plus, you won’t go blank, because you’ll have at least some idea of where you encoded that information. If you get lost, you’ll be able to get back to where you were by referring to your magnetic imagery.

Create Number Rhymes

You can also memorize speeches by number rhyme.

What this means is having a system where “one is a bun, two is a shoe, three is a bee, four is a door, five is a hive, six is sticks,” etc. Then, your first point is associated with the first rhyme and so on. You would then go through your speech and make the mental connections.

For example, if your second point was about the Hindenburg, you would have the Hindenburg interacting somehow with a shoe.

This method is quite limited, but it can work depending on your existing expertise. I personally would cross-index this approach or work in conjunction with a Memory Palace. This means your “one is a bun” is in a specific place inside the Memory Palace.

Use a Pegword Method

Now, before I go into any kind of explanation for the pegword method, please note that I don’t recommend it. And I’ll tell you why in a moment.

The pegword method is a simple memory technique for remembering lists of information.

Each pegword system involves three stages:

Setting up and remembering the system, 
Encoding new information within the system, and 
Recalling the information by triggering the system.

In the first stage, you learn a standard set of “peg” words — number rhyme pairs or letters of the alphabet. Then, you can use a rhyming, meaning, alphabet, or look-alike method.

The alphabet list is very similar to the number rhyme: your first point is linked with an apple, because the letter A is an apple in your system.

You can use a free-floating 00 to 99 PAO. So if your first image is the sad tragedy mask, as mine is for 01, then you would have your first point linked to a tragedy mask. If your second image is the sun, your second point would be linked to the sun, and so on.

You could also just use free-floating linking. Just randomly come up with images and have them linked together, without a memory palace.

I don’t recommend any of those things, because, as we saw in our opening comment from Michael, he says he was using the Magnetic Memory Method to deliver the speech he wanted to give, and it was successful because “there was never a fear of ‘I would lose my place.’”

You may be wondering, “So, Anthony. If you don’t recommend these techniques, what do you recommend?” 

Well, let me tell you.

The Best Way to Memorize a Speech

If I’m totally honest, the best way to memorize a speech is – hands down – to use a Memory Palace.

Yes, I also recommend using Memory Palaces for most memorization — but I do that because they work!

Let’s take a look at why creating a Memory Palace is best, and how to do it.

Top Technique to Help You Memorize a Speech: Create a Memory Palace

The memory palace is king when it comes to memorizing a speech.

Why? Because it enables you to use space in the world to memorize exactly what you want to deliver… in the order you want to deliver it. As you move through your Memory Palace, you’re just ticking off boxes, spatially speaking.

You know when you’ve finished a specific section of your speech, and you know exactly where you are in space. This is why it’s easier to find your place if you momentarily get lost.

And did you know that Memory Palaces have been around for a *really* long time?

Is There a Roman Orator Hiding in Your Memory Palace?

Historically, Memory Palaces had an important place. The term “in the first place” comes from the great tradition of using memory techniques.

In fact, when Roman orators would begin their speeches, they would say, “In the first place, we need to talk about the great famine and how we’re going to tackle it.” And they would be literally referring to the “first place” in their Memory Palace.

Now perhaps they used images of wheat being eaten by insects to remind them that famine was part of the first station in their Memory Palace, and maybe they had all sorts of other images to help them walk through the rooms and stations.

Whatever the case, the technique they used, “in the first place,” and “in the second place,” is very powerful — and it’s something that’s still being used today!

Let’s look at a specific example of how a real person uses this technique: Jonathan Levi and his TED Talk “What if Schools Taught us How to Learn?“

The Memory Palace Jonathan used in this speech is one I helped him create. In this TED Talk, he shared not only that he was using a Memory Palace, but you can also see it up on the screen during his talk:

Jonathan Levi’s Memory Palace for his TEDx, a speech he memorized verbatim.

You can see how much he had to cover in his speech, and how the Memory Palace was helpful as he mentally walked through it while giving the talk.

Now you’ve seen a Memory Palace in action during a speech, let’s take a look at what kinds of things you might choose to memorize.

What to Memorize Using Your Mind Palace

While this technique can be used to memorize a speech verbatim, I don’t recommend it. In my opinion, it’s not the best way to give a speech, because reciting from memory often ends up sounding… well, like you’re reciting from memory.

Instead, memorize the following key pieces of your speech.

1. Key Words and Acronyms

Instead of memorizing verbatim and sounding like you’re reciting from memory, try to memorize key words and phrases out of your speech.

When you prepare in this way, you can use your Memory Palace to memorize key words or acronyms that will allow you to unlock your speech as you go. You can also use it for data you don’t want to look at from your slides.

2. Specific Details

Your Memory Palace is a great place to store things like names, dates, and specific terminology. 

It’s much more interesting for your audience to watch you look at them and pull dates out of your head, rather than needing to look at the PowerPoint or your notes. Instead, you can easily remember the names of people you’re referring to, any dates associated with them, and other details you need to keep in your head.

3. Quotes

Instead of getting your little laser pointer out and reading a quote, being able to recite it from memory is also very powerful!

Next, let’s look at a couple of tips to make memorizing with a Memory Palace easier. 

Tips for Memorizing a Speech

Here’s something to consider: you don’t want to visit your Memory Palace and just recite what you find there.

Instead, you want to have access to those facts, names, dates, terminology, and quotes — and then you want to be able to recite from memory. Similarly, you want to deliver your speech with the assistance of your Memory Palace, rather than drawing your words straight out of the stations in your mind. 

Memory Palaces are best used to get information into your long-term memory. This means you don’t need them to deliver the speech, but they are there as a safety net in case you need to retrieve them.

One last reminder before we dive into the step-by-step of how to remember a speech: think about why you want to memorize it.

Why You Shouldn’t Memorize a Speech

It may seem paradoxical… here I am writing a post about how to memorize a speech, and I’m telling you NOT to memorize your speech. What gives?

Truthfully, I never actually memorize speeches, because the delivery sounds very stilted.

Quoting is one thing (and it’s sometimes nice to be able to quote things), but it’s not that interesting to listen to a fully-memorized speech.

When I give a speech, I structure it very differently, using the process we’re talking about today.

I have some key words to talk about.
I have acronyms built into place to guide my delivery, and then
I practice a couple of times in front of the camera.

Ideally, when you give your speech, you’re just speaking very loosely, openly, and warmly. This way, it sounds like you’re talking from one person to another.

Framing how you use memorized material can be helpful as well, so people know memorized material is headed their way — and you can be fluid in your presentation style.

Now that you have some history under your belt – and considerations around how you’ll use the material you’re getting ready to memorize – let’s take the memorization process one step at a time.

How to Memorize a Speech: Step by Step

Now that you know all of the parts and pieces that go into the process, let’s break things down one step at a time.

1. Get Prepared

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: preparation is everything.

While you prepare and write out your speech, start memorizing information as you go. I would recommend using a mind map during this stage, so you can start with a solid grasp of your spatial orientation.

This early stage will give you a suggestion of how to organize things later, when you’re putting it all into your Memory Palace. You might even think of the mind map as a first draft of your Memory Palace.

In particular, start to memorize any key words, facts, dates, names, or quotes you want to bring in.

Next, you’ll begin to actually write out what you want to say.

2. Write Your Speech

Remember, even though I write out my speeches, I very rarely deliver anything verbatim.

My mentor once told me, “You can memorize verbatim, but you look like you’re accessing from memory. Be more free.” The way I took his advice was to write the speech and then organize it into key words and acronyms.

Using a mind map in this step is really helpful — but even without it, organizing your speech into acronyms is very powerful.

Next, you’ll begin to memorize those pieces.

3. Memorize Your Key Words

You’ll take the key words and acronyms from your speech and start to memorize them at the stations in your Memory Palace.

If you don’t know how to create a Memory Palace, you can pick up your free memory kit.

Or, at least make sure you’re using the masterclass – if you have it – to deeply understand what to do with your Memory Palaces.

Then, you’ll use repetition.

4. Use the “Big Five”

Once you’ve memorized your key words and acronyms, then it’s time to use the Big Five at least five times. 

What does that mean?

Write out what you’ve memorized, from memory.
Speak it out loud, either to yourself or someone else.
Record yourself speaking and then listen to the recording.
Get your recording transcribed and read it over.
And practice, practice, practice!

Finally, you’ll practice some more.

5. Practice

This may feel like I’m overstating, but the importance of practicing your speech is paramount!

Practice your speech in front of the camera or in front of friends. Use the relaxation tips I shared earlier in the post. And get as comfortable as you possibly can before you jump up on that stage.

Finally, let’s take a look at a couple of real-life examples, so you can see how this methodology works in practice.

Real-Life Examples of How to Remember a Speech

In this section, we’ll talk about how to memorize a speech quickly, the way I do it.

There are a couple of speeches I give regularly. Both the NAME and FREE speech are very fluid and packaged, and I do them entirely from memory (from acronyms).

Let’s look at both speeches, starting with… 

The NAME Speech

When I give this speech, I talk about how to memorize names.

I follow the acronym “NAME.”

Noticing,
Making Associations,
Using Memory Palaces, and
Managing Expectations.

Within 20 minutes I’m done and everyone in that room can memorize any name they want!

Does that mean my speech is a little bit different every time? Of course, but this method is super simple to follow, very structured, and gives me the chance to just talk about the topic.

Next, let’s look at… 

The FREE Speech

The same thing goes for this particular speech. When I give this speech, I run through the acronym:

Frequency,
Relevance,
Edutainment, and 
Engagement.

What I find fun about using acronyms to memorize your speech is that you can also use them backward. Sometimes I’ll write out “FREE” on the board, and then proceed to work up from the bottom. It’s a great way to catch the audience’s attention.

Finally, let’s take a look at a couple of other mini-speeches.

SIP and DOC Mini Speeches

For SIP, we talk about taking things “one sip at a time.”

Study the memory techniques thoroughly and consistently,
Implement what you learn from your study, and then
Practice with the information that improves your life.

This is a very simple mini-speech that’s powerful and easy to follow — and it drops easily into just about any topic you’re talking about.

Likewise with the DOC speech:

Doing is the Origin of Confidence,
Doing is the Origin of Consistency,
Doing is the Origin of Clarity,
Doing is the Origin of Creativity, and
Doing is the Origin of Control over your mind.

It has a nice rhetorical effect because you have this rhythm with a bit of repetition. And you can drop this into any old speech you want.

Of course, you will create your own acronyms that apply to your topic of expertise, because it’s much more interesting and effective. 

So if you want to give a speech this way, break it down into four key words that make an acronym, and then put them into a Memory Palace. And if you know how to use the Pillar technique or you have Memory Palace networks, you can have multiple acronyms.

Hopefully, by this point, your interest has been piqued. And maybe you even want to learn more about how to give a great speech.

Recommended Reading for Memorizing a Speech

If so, I would highly recommend that anybody who’s interested in giving speeches read Michael Port’s book Steal the Show: From Speeches, to Job Interviews, to Deal-Closing Pitches, How to Guarantee a Standing Ovation for all the Performances in Your Life.

It’s a very good book, and will give you many more ideas than we’ve talked about today. I learned the proper way to table read from this book, and use the technique every time I prepare to give a speech. 

Finally, these are the questions I get a lot about speech memorization.

FAQs about Memorizing a Speech or Presentation

If you’ve ever wondered about the best way to memorize a speech, let’s get your questions answered.

Q: How long does it take to memorize a speech?

A: It depends on the length of your speech.

If you have solid compression, you should be able to memorize 100 words a day. And if you’re talking about memorizing a speech verbatim, this typically involves a lot of skill and will take a bit longer. 

Q: How do you memorize a speech without notes?

A: It’s a multi-step process.

Mind Map your speech based on one big idea.
Place the individual ideas on index cards so you can shift them around in order of importance. (Kind of like how screenwriters organize scenes in a movie as they’re working out the plot.)
Create a Memory Palace for memorizing the key points of the speech.
If possible, organize the points into an acronym key word. (Like SIP/DOC, etc).
With or without an acronym key word, memorize the key points – or verbatim sentences or quotes – using the Memory Palace. (Because both a speech and a Memory Palace journey are linear, it makes it easy to hit points and quotes in the right order).
Practice the speech as many times as possible. Here’s how to create a routine that works.

And remember: the script of a movie is invisible and yet, like the rails of a rollercoaster, absolutely essential to the ride. The same goes for speeches. No one needs to see the structure, but they will feel the same force of focus and guidance as you move from point to point because the structure is in place.

Q: How do you remember what to say in a presentation?

A: Let’s be honest; a presentation and a speech are basically the same thing. The biggest difference is that a presentation usually involves slides, and a speech may or may not.

Your slides are there for the audience, not for you. It helps you to structure your presentation and helps the audience stay focused. Slides should not be your memory aid!

So if you’re giving a presentation, follow the same procedure outlined in this post, and pay close attention to how you build your Memory Palace to include slide transitions.

Q: How can you memorize a speech in one night?

A: If you’re memorizing a 20-minute speech, you should be able to memorize the entire thing by the following day.

Use key words for speeches of 100 or 200 words. Know yourself and the best time to work for you — memorize your speech during the time of day when you have the most energy.

Q: Do you recommend Toastmasters?

A: I neither recommend nor not recommend Toastmasters.

It depends on what your goal is. What do you want to get out of Toastmasters? If participating can get you to that goal, then it’s worth a try.

One way to think about this is: how can you find a way to be around people who are already very good at giving speeches? It’s better (and faster) to learn from being around excellent speakers. So if your local Toastmasters has a bunch of excellent speakers, that could be a good fit.

Now you know how to remember a speech, it’s time to get out there and start practicing!

Have Fun Memorizing a Speech

Think back to how giving speeches used to make you feel.

Sweaty. Queasy. Shaking just thinking about stepping up on stage.

Now, think about how confident and powerful you can feel standing up on stage as you deliver your expertise to a rapt audience.

This second scenario isn’t just possible… it’s probable. All you have to do is follow the tips and techniques in this post, and before you know it you’ll be a cool and confident public speaker.

But maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t know how to get started — how can I give my first speech?” I would recommend to everybody, if you haven’t given a speech in your life, make an occasion to go out and give a speech, and give it in different ways. 

Give a number of speeches, even if it’s just to a small audience or a close group of friends. This simple practice will help develop both your crystal and fluid intelligence – both needed for developing the skill of speaking. And try different formats: recite from a piece of paper, do partial recall from memory, speak verbatim from memory, or any way you prefer.

And whatever you do, have fun with it! Giving speeches is a great way to play a giant, satisfying brain game — as well as delivering value to others and setting yourself up as an expert in your field.

If you’re still feeling uncertain, there’s a mini-course in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass about memorizing speeches that goes deeper into this topic. 

I suggest you start with the free course first and if you’re interested in speeches, and then dive into this part of the Masterclass after completing the core training. Sign up for the free course and make your memory magnetic.

The post How to Memorize a Speech Fast (Without Sounding Like a Robot) appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Simon Luisi On Expanding The Major System In Your Memory Castle

Val Valentino, better known as the Masked Magician became a household name with the television series Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed after a longtime stint as a casino show performer in Las Vegas.

In the four-part special, and subsequent series Valentino exposed the techniques behind everything from levitation, to pulling a rabbit out of a hat, to the death-defying buried alive tricks.

He faced a wave of backlash and even lawsuits from small-circuit magicians who were forced to retire their no longer mysterious tricks, but Valentino defended his actions that revealing these secrets would encourage children to learn magic themselves, that the “magic” in the trick was more in showmanship than the trick itself.

Memory competitors are a lot like magicians, aren’t they? It seems like their stunts are something out of an illusionist’s handbook. Memorizing 130 random words in a minute? 1170 binary digits memorized in five minutes? It seems impossible.

But unlike secrecy in the world of magic, memory competitors are eager to share their techniques. These traditions that they utilize for honing their skills are thousands of years old and begging to be shared.

In this interview, I sit down to chat with Simon Luisi, founder and chairperson of the Canadian Memory Championships. He is a keynote speaker on memory and inventor of the directional memory method for card memorization. He is also a Gold Award winner for Toastmasters and a chess enthusiast.

Pictured above, you’ll see James Gerwing who won the 2019 competition. Simon is behind him to the right. (James took the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass and you can hear us discussing his win on this episode.)

Simon and I discuss the skills necessary for memory competition, how they can improve your day-to-day as a lifelong learner, and why a personal memory training routine is necessary for any kind of personal development in memory arts.

If you know that a one-size-fits-all practice isn’t for you…if you’ve tried other techniques and failed because they were too rigid…or you just didn’t know where to begin…

If you want to break into the world of memory competitions, but believed those athletes to be “way out of your league”…

Or you just want to understand the hype and what the Major Method’s all about…

This podcast is for you.

All you have to do is press play down below to listen in on:

Why Simon prefers the term Memory Castle to Memory Palace, what’s the difference, and which one you should use
What’s required (or not) to participate in memory competitions (it’s easier than you may have been led to believe!)
Which memory disciplines to devote daily practice to to become a champion of memory…even if you don’t ever compete
The reason a distraction-free study zone isn’t ideal for optimal memory training, especially if you study tough subjects
How memory competitions can be revamped in order to give a real challenge
Simon’s tweak to the Major System that revolutionized his practice (and it can do the same for you and might be interesting, even if you’re using the Dominic System!)
Why customization and self-leadership in memory systems is important
The reason to be a self-learner if you truly want to improve your memory
How photography and film exposure relates to memory training and time (well-spent) in practice

Further Resources on the Web, this podcast, and the MMM Blog:

Simon’s official home on the web

The Canadian Memory Championships

Simon Luisi’s Twitter

Memory Athlete Braden Adams On The Benefits Of Memory Competition

Katie Kermode On Memory Competition and Casual, Everyday Mnemonics

The post Simon Luisi On Expanding The Major System In Your Memory Castle appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

How to Memorize a Textbook: A 10-Step Cheatsheet

Post updated 12/30/19

Picture this:

Exams loom on the horizon and you’re staring at a stack of unread textbooks so large it would make any sane student shake in their boots.

Maybe you got behind in your reading over the course of the semester…

Or maybe your professor assigned additional reading you haven’t gotten around to yet…

Whatever the case, you have a ton of information to memorize before your exams roll around, and you’re feeling the pressure.

Well, guess what?

You are not alone! In fact, almost every student ends up feeling like this as the end of the semester approaches. And hardly a week goes by that I’m not asked about how to memorize a textbook and textbook memorization.

The good news is: memorizing a textbook is not as difficult as it may seem. 

At the end of the day, it’s not just about memorizing — that would be an utter waste of time!

Instead, the real goal is to understand the books you read. And more than just understanding the content, you want to use the textbooks you place in memory to create new knowledge.

In this post, you’ll learn how to:

Correctly set your expectations of what the book will contain
Understand why you need to read the book (or if you actually need to!)
Quickly determine how much of the book you really need to read
Make a dedicated Memory Palace system to memorize the parts you really need
Learn how to take notes from a textbook onto index cards or flashcards, and 
Determine how much time you’ll need to practice the information you’ve memorized

If you want to jump to a particular section, you can do that here:

How to Memorize a Textbook vs a Book

Do You Really Need to Memorize a Book Verbatim?

Set Yourself Up For Success

How to Memorize a Textbook (Realistically)

Examine the book
Make an equation
Get index cards
Find the big points and jot them down
Make use of your Memory Palace
Create crazy imagery to help you recall the info
Stick each crazy image onto a Memory Palace station for recall
Test yourself before the teacher does
Let the info grow into knowledge
Bonus! Save your knowledge for later

Example: How to Memorize Verbatim

Bonus Example: How to Memorize a Formula

How to Study a Textbook for Maximum Retention

Want this post in infographic form?

So are you ready to learn how to memorize a textbook, the right way?

Let’s get started.

The Question That Inspired This Post

So you may be wondering: Hey Anthony, if people have been asking you about this topic for so long, what finally made you decide to write about it?

Well, the truth is, I’ve written about textbook (and book) memorization before, just never in the context of memorizing an entire textbook. 

You can check out my post about how to memorize a chapter out of a textbook. And you might also be interested in another post I wrote, about how students with dyslexia can still ace their exams.

In the end, the reason is simple: I decided to write this post and record a podcast to help out one of my audience members.

Here’s what this struggling student wrote:

“Hi Anthony. I want to memorize some physics, chemistry, and math formulas, and also some texts that I have to memorize verbatim, but it needs a lot of Memory Palaces and too much time. Plus, I don’t know how to memorize formulas. 

For instance, memorizing sin(A+B)=AcosB+cos . 

Do I need just one Loci, and how do I memorize this? Of course, this is a very simple formula, but exams are coming! I need your help.”

Now that we know why this student needs help, let’s quickly talk about the differences between a textbook and other kinds of books.

How to Memorize a Textbook vs a Book

For the purposes of this post, we’ll use the words “book” and “textbook” interchangeably. 

When it comes right down to it, the only real difference is that someone has called a textbook a textbook. Other than that, they’re remarkably similar — pages stuck between two covers with a spine.

Very little else differentiates them, except for some signature that has been applied to them by the author or publisher. Mind you, textbooks often come out in multiple editions, and a quick win is to be aware of how recently the edition you’re reading appeared on the market. You can sometimes find a nearly identical (and much cheaper) version from the year before.

But overall, a book is a book, by any other name.

And whether it’s a book or a textbook (even boring books), the first question you should always ask is: do I actually have to memorize this entire textbook verbatim?

Do You Really Need to Memorize a Book Verbatim?

One of the things I always ask people when they come to me with this question is: why?

Why do you need to memorize the textbook verbatim? Are you certain you need to memorize the whole thing – or even long passages – verbatim? What will memorizing the whole textbook get you?

If it’s just speed that you’re after, think again about how to study fast with this guide to high volume learning at speed.

There are certainly ways to memorize long passages of text word-for-word that are 100% effective. There are people who are known to have done it. 

But, if you don’t absolutely have to put in the time and effort to memorize verbatim, why would you?

Instead, what if you could learn something deeply enough to be able to discuss it, to connect it, and to frame it in a certain context?

Chances are, memorizing in this way will not only be easier, but also more effective. Memorizing verbatim is rarely necessary and the mind will fill in the blanks if you structure your approach correctly.

So in this post, what I really want to teach you is the power of memorizing select material from a textbook.

Your first step, as with any task that’s worth doing, is to lay a strong foundation.

Set Yourself Up For Success

Now, let’s be honest for a minute. If your exams are coming up tomorrow or the next day, this approach probably isn’t going to work for you.

In an ideal situation, you would take the time to dig your wells before you’re thirsty. What that means in this context is that you want to know what Memory Palaces are, and have yours set up and comfortable before you start to study for your exams.

You could build a ladder to the moon with all the different memorization techniques out there, but I teach a very particular approach called the Magnetic Memory Method. You may have heard of it, especially if you’re a regular reader.

And because I teach this specific approach, I would recommend that you get yourself set up before crunch time — before exams are staring you down, making your palms sweaty and giving you nightmares!

My approach uses location-based memorization strategies, all based around Memory Palaces. You’ll need more than one Memory Palace, and you’ll need to do some self-exploration. But the good news is… it’s super simple to do, and the process is a lot of fun!

The first step in the process is to have a carefully defined Memory Palace.

Before you ever pick up a book, even if it’s scriptural, you’ll determine how much material you want to memorize from it. And then you’ll create a Memory Palace in advance so you can recall that information with ease when you need it.

But what if you’re new here, and you’ve never created a Memory Palace before? I’ve got you covered — grab my free 4-video memory course below, and the series will get you up to speed.

We’ll talk more about how to use your Memory Palaces later in this post. 

Second, you will get in the right mindset for studying.

Setting a good mental attitude is key, before you even pick up the book. This allows you to mentally take away the most essential information. 

And part of getting into the proper mindset has to do with relaxation. Before diving into any memory technique, I always take a moment to chill out and relax. Chillax, if you prefer. I do this by using traditional meditation techniques. 

Now, some people have a very specific vision of meditation and what it means, but for our purposes, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Meditation, in my mind, is as simple as sitting with your back and neck straight, imagining there’s a hook in the top of your head attached to a string that’s pulling you straight up. Then, you just sit there and breathe.

Some people believe that meditation is about emptying your mind — here are two of my favorite metaphors:

You’re sitting on the bank of a river. Your thoughts are the river, and you just watch them go by. Then, any time you find yourself being sucked away by the river you just bring yourself back to the shore and watch the river again.
Imagine an elephant that’s tied to a chain on the ground. The elephant – your mind – is romping around like crazy. You tie it to the ground with a stake, and then a couple of seconds later, you have to go get it and tie it down again. And with enough training, you can get the elephant to sit down and go to sleep.

That second metaphor – the mind as an elephant – is a bit more appropriate for memory techniques. 

Alan Watts said that meditation should have no goal whatsoever — it should be sitting just to sit. And in this Tim Ferriss podcast, Sam Harris says, “all you’re doing is paying exquisitely close and non-judgmental attention to whatever you’re experiencing.”

So even if you can’t get your metaphorical elephant to stop running off, still take a moment to sit and breathe. Take the time to chillax before you start memorizing.

This allows you to approach memorization with the right attitude: still, gentle, not fighting for or clamoring after anything. You’re just being… and absorbing information. You might even think about it like this: you are a being, and the information is also like a being. You get to absorb that other being into you, something you can bring into yourself!

And if meditation isn’t your thing, you can also do some progressive muscle relaxation exercises or pendulum breathing — this combines physical processes with a particular way of breathing. Or maybe you can listen to some music to get you ready to study.

Now that you’re relaxed and ready to become a metaphorical knowledge sponge, let’s break down the memorization process step by step.

How to Memorize a Textbook (Realistically)

When I was studying for my doctoral exams – and later for my dissertation defense – I needed to read a total of 500 books to be able to sit for the exams and write my dissertation.

500 books. No exaggeration and I’m not kidding. 

(In fact, if you read my post about how to memorize a chapter in a textbook, you’ll see photographic evidence of me carrying a stack of 20 or 30 of those books. I carried many, many piles like that from the library stacks to the private office I had access to in the Robarts Library in Toronto.)

The good news for you is that you get to learn from my extensive studying experience — how I operate when I’m conducting research or want to memorize the contents of a book. (You can also use this same method to memorize a novel, if you’re reading between the lines…)

Quick note: looking back at the question from our intrepid reader, you’ll notice that they use the word “loci.” I don’t use that word myself, because the Magnetic Memory Method is much more specific. 

There are operational factors in the 10-step method I teach that may not seem to involve memorization. But trust me, each step is essential to the Magnetic Memory Method of textbook memorization.

Remember: before you do anything else, have a carefully defined Memory Palace that involves a location you’re intimately familiar with. I usually chart out at least 10 – but sometimes up to 50 – stations. Sometimes I even use an entire room or spots within a room.

Let’s call that step zero: create your Memory Palace.

A Memory Palace is a mental construct, based on a real location. You use different spots inside the Memory Palace to store information along a very well-constructed journey. Those spots are called “stations” — an entire room is a macro station, and a spot within that room is a micro station (like a bed, desk, or chair). You can leave associative imagery in those locations, so you can then go back along the journey in your mental construct, decode the images, and recall the information you left there.

Now that you have step “zero” behind you, let’s dive in to the 10 steps to help you memorize a textbook.

1. Examine the book

Now we get to the good stuff! Take your textbook, and take a good look at it:

Look at the front cover. 
Look at the back cover. 
Look over the introduction.
Read the conclusion, and
Be sure to scan through the index, if your book has one. 

And read the colophon page — that’s the place where they include information about the book’s publication, like the place of publication, the publisher, and the publication date. If you didn’t know what a colophon page is, look it up. It’s fascinating. I also find the table of contents of a book to be very interesting.

These parts of the book are what Gerard Genette called the “paratext.” This means the text beside the text. This step takes about five minutes and effectively trains your brain to understand the scope and the dimension of the book with respect to the topic.

Not included in that five-minute estimate is the time it takes to read the conclusion, which could be a much longer process. So why should you take the extra time to read the conclusion?

Partially, so you can judge whether or not the author’s conclusion about their subject was profound enough to warrant reading the book in the first place! Sometimes when you read a conclusion, you’ll realize that the author hasn’t arrived at any conclusion that makes it worth reading the process or the argument that substantiates what the author concluded.

Okay. So maybe that’s a little judgmental. It’s certainly not a foolproof way to decide what to read. But, when you have 500 books on your plate it’s worth taking the time to determine whether or not the book warrants all that reading. You only have so many hours before your exam, after all.

The conclusion (and introduction) will also give you clues as to where the information is in the book — or at least the important information. And this location data is often included in the context of the concluding remarks, which can be quite helpful.

For example, the author might say, “In chapter one I do this, in chapter two I talk about this, and in chapter three I cover that.”

Next, you’ll make some foundational decisions.

2. Make an equation

When I take a look at a textbook, I decide in advance how many pieces of information I want to retain from it.

This is what the Magnetic Memory Method calls the “principle of predetermination.” It’s not an arbitrary or random decision. Instead, you will consider the length of the book and the purpose of your studying. Is this for an oral exam or an essay?

Using this method creates an understanding of what your goal is, and what the outcome would be. It creates a border or frame of sorts, to keep you focused. 

Usually, 3 to 5 pieces of information per chapter is enough. And for today’s post, we’ll use 3 pieces of information per chapter as our number.

Before we move along to the next step, let’s examine two reasons why choosing a specific number is important.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

It might sound a bit cliché, but it’s true — especially when it comes to structured reading. When you’re reading for a particular purpose, then it’s vital to plan how you’re going to read. Books are filled with details, pages full of information, and you can easily become overwhelmed if you don’t plan appropriately.

You can avoid getting overwhelmed

When you predetermine how to approach a book and structure your reading process, you prevent overwhelm. You end up denying it from existing in the first place, because you know you are only going to memorize three pieces of information from each chapter.

Of course, you can always add information later if necessary, but containing and maintaining the information before you even get to it is a good strategy.

Plus, less is always more. Focusing on just a few key points will allow a lot of the surrounding information to stick to your specifically memorized points. Go ahead and try it!

Next, you’ll take out a stack of index cards and start organizing.

3. Get index cards

For regular readers here at Magnetic Memory Method, you might want to sit down for what I’m about to say.

I know that I’m usually scowling and calling for the death of index cards… but in this case, they have a different value, other than rote learning. (As you may or may not know yet, rote learning is a no-no in the Magnetic Memory Method.)

However! When we’re talking about how to memorize a textbook, we do have a certain mania for index cards. In fact, it’s part of what I call “Magnetic Bibliomancy.”

To join in the fun, grab an index card and let’s get started. 

First, write down the name of the author, the title of the book, and the bibliographic information. 

Please note: there is certain bibliographical (or paratextual) information that doesn’t need to take up space in your Memory Palace. And if you regularly use memory techniques, you’ll find yourself absorbing that information anyway. But I don’t tend to offer Memory Palace space to it, since index cards are something you can hold onto.

Now you’ll have one index card that has all the bibliographic information of the book. Number this card in the top left corner — number 1. (I always label my index cards in the top left corner.)

Next, you’ll begin to fill out your other index cards.

4. Find the big points and jot them down

Now that you’re all organized and have your plan, it’s time to get down to business. 

Because you read the introduction, paratextual materials, and the conclusion, you should already have an idea which chapters you want to read first. You don’t have to start with the first chapter! There’s a high likelihood that your mind already decided how to prioritize your reading efforts.

Remember, for the purposes of this blog post, we’re looking for three primary pieces of information out of each chapter. So, there are 3 pieces of information you’re going to walk away with from whichever chapter you read first. 

You have your index cards ready to go, and you’re ready to start writing down the key pieces of information on each card, numbering them the same way (in the top left corner).

You will want to have some sort of indication on each card about where you are in the book. This has to do with what I call the “ownership mindset” for textbook memorization. You’ve already adopted the attitude that you’re going to succeed. You literally want to feel like you own the key information in your textbook.

One way you can take on this mindset is to pretend you’re a talk show host on a popular show or podcast, and later this evening you get to interview the author of the textbook. Millions of people will be watching or listening, so you really need to know your stuff. And you need to be able to read the book fast.

When you use this mindset, it allows you to ask questions while you’re reading. You get really curious about the topic, and instead of passively reading you end up engaging with the text. There’s pressure: time pressure, the fact that you’re going to interview the author. You could even imagine that the author is sitting there with you as you read, and pretend like you can read their mind about the answers to your questions.

Studying is a numbers game. I’ve touched on this, but I want you to categorize everything using a kind of numbers game. So when you come across a gem of a detail, write it down on your index card along with the page number where you found the information, and sometimes the chapter name or number. 

This kind of information always goes in the bottom right corner. And if you have secondary ideas, you can use the back of the index card to jot them down. I always do this regardless of whether I’ve copied down a quote from a book or just a note or observation. 

Here’s why I diligently complete this step: if I ever need the information again, I’ll know where to find it. 

At this point, you’re not doing any kind of memorizing whatsoever. Instead, you’re:

Familiarizing yourself with the material, 
Connecting details with already-known information, 
Learning new information, and
Gathering new facts and details. 

That’s it — but memorization is not ready yet. You aren’t memorizing the book as you go along, but rather focusing on the book and marinating yourself in it.

Next, you’ll take the information from your index cards and transfer it into your Memory Palace.

5. Make use of your Memory Palace

Once you’ve finished reading the book and filling out your index cards, it’s time to place the information into the correct spot in your Memory Palace.

Let’s pretend for a moment that our example textbook had ten chapters. Since we wrote down three pieces of information per chapter, we now have 30 index cards. And because we prepared our Memory Palace ahead of time, we have 30 stations ready to go.

Now it’s time to memorize, magnetically.

In the next step, you’ll make your information visually appealing.

6. Create crazy imagery to help you recall the info

Take each index card and think of an image that relates to the information on your card. Make the images bright, zany, and exploding with action.

I’ll walk you through a few examples so you can see this step in action.

Example 1: Imagery based on the author’s appearance

Let’s take Gerard Genette, the author of Paratext, as an example. If I wanted to memorize material from the book Paratext, I would use Gerard as a lexical bridge or Magnetic Bridging Figure, helping me move from station to station.

Genette reminds me of Gillette razor blades. Not exactly a one-to-one correlation, but I can nonetheless see him shaving in that first room, if I needed to memorize that he was the author of Paratext. He would be shaving away a beard with wild ends growing out of his face. For the context of “Paratext” I could picture a pear bouncing up and down on a textbook, or a can or Para Paint splashing over a book.

Example 2: Imagery based on concepts from the index card

In this example, index card 2 says, “A text does not exist outside of the text itself.”

It may sound pretty obvious, but we don’t often think about the fact that until someone comes along and reads the book, it essentially doesn’t do anything. There are millions of books standing unread on bookshelves around the world that only exist when someone is reading them or talking about them. 

So our minds are kind of texts, and when we read, the two texts intermingle. The second station will feature the book Paratext itself, and words are trying to escape from the pages. And poor Genette is standing there, trying to beat the words back in — because according to him there is no text outside the text itself.

Example 3: Imagery of the author throughout the Memory Palace

To get some of the other concepts in Genette’s thinking, I might see him giving up the battle and then opening up a lid in his head, which is also filled with words. I could use Genette for each and every station, doing something related to the key phrase on the index card.

I’ve done this with Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics. I’ve done it with Plato’s The Republic. I’ve done it with novels. Done it with all kinds of things. Once you get used to it, it’s very easy. 

And when using this approach for Ulysses by James Joyce it’s very easy to see Joyce moving through my Memory Palace, not through Dublin, as he does in the novel.

If I knew Dublin, then I might be able to use Dublin, but I don’t. So I was able to use a Memory Palace based on a familiar location and I see Joyce going from place to place so I can remember the different things that are happening in the plot in order to recall them later.

Now you’ve seen three different examples of how you might use wildly exaggerated information to help you populate your Memory Palace stations. Remember, these images should always be big, bright, colorful, and filled with lots of action.

Next, you’ll assign each crazy image to its own station.

7. Stick each crazy image onto a Memory Palace station for recall

This step is the most straightforward of the ten.

You will begin with card number 1, and memorize the biographical information at station number one in the Memory Palace. Then continue on with index card two and station two, index card three and station three… you get the idea.

If you already know the author and title by heart, you might not need to use that first station for biographical information. Use your judgment, so you don’t waste valuable memory real estate.

Since it only takes a second or two to create a really action-packed image for each station, be sure to take the time to really see them in your mind’s eye.

Next, you’ll test your recall.

8. Test yourself before the teacher does

This is the step many people won’t take: practice recalling the info by going from station to station.

After you’ve gone through and used your Memory Palace to put every bit of information on those 30 cards into the proper station, you can make sure the information sticks. Pretend like you’re testing yourself in a real test situation.

Take the details, facts, concepts, and plot points that you memorized, and write a summary from memory. Your index cards should be somewhere else during this exercise — in a box, on a shelf, or somewhere else you can’t cheat. And you can’t look back and forth the whole time to make sure you get things right as you go along. 

Then, check your summary against the index cards. Did you remember all the points from your cards? Did you remember things in the correct order?

Finally, it’s time to let the information grow into something bigger.

9. Let the info grow into knowledge

One of the most important stages of this process is to turn the information you memorized into knowledge that you can use over and over — not just for this single test or exam.

This is one place where the related information that wasn’t on your index cards will come out to shine, as well. You get to see which pieces of information are “magnetic” and stick to your brain. And you can start to apply the things you learned in other situations, perhaps even bringing some of the information into everyday conversations.

Plus, once you make the switch from information and data points into knowledge, you’re much more likely to pass every exam with flying colors!

And speaking of transforming information into knowledge, you can also pull that knowledge out of your brain banks down the line. Let’s take a look at the 10th and final (bonus) step in your memorization process.

10. Bonus! Save your knowledge for later

When you’re done with your index cards, don’t throw them away!

Once you don’t need the information for your exam anymore, you also don’t need to hold the information in your Memory Palace. You can empty out and reuse your Memory Palace for something else, and let the index cards hold the information for a rainy day.

For example, let’s say you memorized the James Joyce novel Ulysses for a literature class. Once you took your exam, you didn’t need the information rattling around in your brain, so you put the index cards in a box and shelved them away for later.

Five years later, you’re asked to give a talk about the novel. You can simply find the box with your index cards, reconstruct your Memory Palace, and save time in putting together and memorizing your talk. 

There’s a high likelihood some of the information will still be in your brain, tucked away in a corner somewhere. And maybe it’s there in the form of paleness, or there are some ghosts or fossils of other information you’ve stored in the Memory Palace since then. But anything that’s still in your memory will become doubly magnetic after working with it again.

One of my university supervisors required me to submit summaries to prove I was reading the books on my reading list. This is what got me into the habit of writing out summaries, and I learned very quickly that writing summaries out of Memory Palaces was just golden. This is material that – if you use it – will change your ability to study and your understanding of how to take notes from a textbook.

You can also use your summaries again later. Save them, and you might find a way to use them for essays, pieces of a publication, or even a Ph.D. dissertation. By using your recall abilities, you’re becoming an expert on your subject matter. 

You put stuff in your mind, filter it, and then reproduce it — all without the benefit of looking back and forth at your textbooks or index cards. And through the process, you become a master of information.

Now, I know I said you may not need to memorize your textbooks verbatim, but what about the situations where you do actually need to remember things word-for-word? Before we wrap up, let’s take a look at a couple of examples of how to do just that.

Example: How to Memorize Verbatim

We’ll use the first line of Homer’s epic poem The Iliad for this example.

Now imagine this — I used to work (more like play) at Hadey Windey’s school in Burnaby, Vancouver. It was called ELIT or English Language Intensive Training.

She’s got a vibrant, brilliant set of students who come to this after-school program for extra training so they can be superstar students, and I was able to develop a lot of teaching around memory skills for them. I also taught the students other things like interpretative abilities and essay writing skills, all of which are connected to memory. 

And I also was able to build, from this place, an amazing Memory Palace. I never really thought of using it as a Memory Palace until I was training Hadey in using mnemonic techniques and Memory Palaces, and she really didn’t believe it was possible. 

I just happened to have an old translation of The Iliad in my iPhone as we were sitting in a park. And I was explaining Memory Palaces to her, and drawing a map of ELIT, showing her how she could use a Memory Palace based on the school.

I said, “Here’s the kitchen, and the office that I have, and here is classroom number 3, and the computer room,” and other things, and I showed how you could make a linear mental journey through this area. Starting in the kitchen, I said, “Imagine I’m limping, and I kick a pail from the kitchen to the door where the Statue of Liberty is standing. In response, she digs with her shovel into the ground and throws the dirt at my office door where I’m standing, writing numbers, and then rubbing the numbers away while I’m coughing.”

Well, the first thing I want to point out is that all of these images are laid out along a journey. It starts in the kitchen and then goes to the door of the kitchen. Then an action goes through the hallway to the door of my office. And other parts carry on through classroom number 3 and the computer lab and so forth. But I’m limping, which reminds me of Achilles, because of Achilles’ heel. I kick a pail. Moving on to the pail, Achilles’ father is Peleus. Now, I don’t need to have the whole Peleus, just pail is enough to remind me of Peleus.

So, “Of Peleus’ son, Achilles,” the pail is now kicked at the Statue of Liberty. “Sing, O Muse.” Now that’s personal to me. The Statue of Liberty means muse to me. It’s just because it’s a woman in a gown, I guess — it works for me. 

The hardest thing to teach about Memory Palaces and associative imagery is that you need to use what works for you. You need to draw from your own personal pool of images based on other things that you know. You’re creating associations. So it might not make sense to you, but, to me, it makes a great deal of sense. 

“Of Peleus’ son, Achilles, sing, O Muse.” Me, limping, kicking a pail at the Statue of Liberty, that brings back “Of Peleus’ son, Achilles, sing, O Muse. The vengeance, deep and deadly” which is the next line — so the Statue of Liberty is really angry about this, but instead of attacking back at me, she digs into the earth with vengeance — “The vengeance, deep and deadly; whence to Greece unnumbered ills arose.” 

So she’s throwing this dirt at my office door, and I didn’t really need to think about the fact that it was taking place in Greece. Any time that you don’t need to memorize something, don’t worry about putting it in the verbatim, because verbatim is a weird thing. Basically, if you don’t need it and it comes back naturally, don’t create an image for it.

So, “Whence to Greece unnumbered ills arose,” well, what am I doing as this dirt comes at me? I’m writing numbers, and then I’m wiping them away. Unnumbered. And I’m coughing, I’m sick — ills. “Whence to Greece unnumbered ills arose.”

That’s a very simple example. I created a vignette since it’s not really a single image or a set of images. And I did this on and on and on for as much of The Iliad as I wanted to memorize to create this example for Hadey. And she was blown away.

After that, she came back two days later and had memorized 100 words of English vocabulary. (English is not her first language.) She was really skeptical at first, but that’s how I finally convinced her to give this a try. Now she’s part of Toastmasters, and she’s giving speeches left, right, and center, right from her mind, directly from using the Magnetic Memory Method.

Now, it’s important to remember that this example was how to memorize a poem verbatim, and you may not need to memorize your entire textbook word-for-word.

And in additional good news, you can use this method for anything you want to remember — it doesn’t matter whether it’s a formula, poetry, a quote, phrase in a foreign language, or a textbook. 

Memorization is memorization, when you get right down to it.

The reality is that you can take a spoon or a bucket — the ocean of information doesn’t care. The memory techniques and your brain treat all information equally well. It’s only the ego that sees a difference, and lack of preparation with the memory tools makes it more difficult. 

And finally, since our intrepid reader asked specifically about how to memorize a formula, I’m adding a bonus example to help anyone who needs to memorize them.

Bonus Example: How to Memorize a Formula

Let’s also break down an example of how verbatim memorization works when you need to remember a formula. We’ll use the example our reader asked about:

sin(A+B)=AcosB+cos

As always, we want to start with a well-formed Memory Palace first. 

I think of my friend Shannon because her name starts with ‘S’. I was only in her apartment once to watch a James Bond movie, but that’s all I need to get a good Memory Palace rolling. 

Next, I start creating Magnetic Imagery to encode the first part of the formula. Since the devil is the boss of “sin,” I put him on Shannon’s couch (a micro-station). To memorize the character “(“ I make it a bulldozer. It drives over an Apple computer, which draws upon another technique entirely, called the pegword method .

From this A for Apple computer, an arm emerges and tosses a crucifix at Batman. Why? Because a crucifix is a good memory tool for remember, and Batman helps me remember “b.” 

Now all I have to do is have Batman raise his shield — thus closing this part of the formula with the “)” symbol. But this shield is special because it has two guns to represent the = sign. Then Al Pacino “accosts” Batman throwing a crucifix at Cookie monster wearing Batman “cosplay.”

I know that this process might sound like a lot if you’re a beginner, but you’ll pick it up quickly. And you should — it’s powerful!

So there you have it. Your 10-step cheat sheet for how to memorize a textbook or formula… or any other book you want to remember.

How to Study a Textbook for Maximum Retention

Remember that scenario at the beginning of the post? The one where exams were on the horizon, and you were feeling woefully unprepared?

Now you know how to determine how much reading you actually need to do, how much memorization is on your plate, and the best way to memorize your textbooks so you retain as much information as possible.

Most importantly, you understand that memorizing a textbook isn’t as hard as it might seem!

You’re on the right track to ace your exams and create a whole new set of knowledge that you can use now and into the future.

And if you feel like you could use a little bit more of a memory boost before your exams, check out my free memory improvement kit.

 

Supplementary Viewing

The post How to Memorize a Textbook: A 10-Step Cheatsheet appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

What Are Cognitive Maps & Do They Work With Memory Palaces?

When James called me this morning from the cafe, I was able to give him exact directions to my pad.

I did not have to think about the route. I did not have to look it up on Google Maps.

The path from my favorite cafe to my apartment is laid out clearly in my brain. Every turn, every lane is distinctly mapped in my memory.

How can I do this?

It is my superpower. Voila!

Okay, that’s not correct. It’s not my superpower. We all have this superpower. 

We all use cognitive maps or mental maps every day to navigate unfamiliar territory, give directions, learn or recall information.

In this post, I’ll explain what are cognitive maps, how do they work and how to use them in memory strengthening exercises like memory palaces.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

What are Cognitive Maps?
Importance of Cognitive Maps
How do Cognitive Maps Work?
Are Cognitive Maps Accurate? 
Are Cognitive Maps Different from a Mind Map?
How to Build Memory Palaces with Cognitive Maps?

 

What are Cognitive Maps? 

Cognitive maps are mental representations or images of the layout of one’s physical environment. That spatial representation can include the exact specifics of a location and the general area of a location. 

As we interact with our surroundings, we interpret and encode them into mental maps or nodes of knowledge. We then use these mental maps or spatial information to travel to our favourite restaurant, nearest hospital or just get to the office.

We can also use mental maps to form powerful memory palaces and memorize anything. I’ll tell you more about this later.

Edward Tolman coined the term “cognitive maps” in 1948.

Coined in the 1940s by American psychologist Edward Tolman, cognitive maps are an internal spatial representation or mental model of the landscape in which we travel.

The term and the concept were introduced by Tolman in an article in the journal Psychological Review in 1948. 

Cognitive maps are also known as mental maps, mind maps, schemata, and frames of reference. They are a small part of a person’s spatial cognition. 

The branch of cognitive psychology that studies how you gain and utilize knowledge about your environment to identify where you are, how to obtain resources, and how to find your way home is known as spatial cognition.

According to D.R. Montello, in the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001: 

“The cognitive (or mental) map includes knowledge of landmarks, route connections, and distance and direction relations; nonspatial attributes and emotional associations are stored as well.

However, in many ways, the cognitive map is not like a cartographic ‘map in the head.’ It is not a unitary integrated representation, but consists of stored discrete pieces including landmarks, route segments, and regions. The separate pieces are partially linked or associated frequently so as to represent hierarchies such as the location of a place inside of a larger region.” 

Importance of Cognitive Maps  

Cognitive mapping has a definite function. It is an essential skill for many living organisms, and it is the reason we do not get lost in places we have been in before.

Tolman believed cognitive mapping to be a type of latent learning where individuals acquire large numbers of signals or cues from the environment and use these to build a mental image of their environment or a cognitive map.

The fun part?

When you drive or walk the same route every day, you learn the locations of various objects and buildings and build mental models of these routes. The cognitive processes take place automatically. You are usually not cognizant of this latent learning.

Now when you need to find a building or object on that particular route, your cognitive mapping of that route comes into play. Your cognitive processes use existing knowledge of the environment to generate new knowledge or pathways to find the building or object.

You usually do not have a problem locating a familiar place, even if you have access to a wide range of mental models. 

Cognitive Maps & Mazes

Edward Tolman’s experiments involving rats and mazes was how he was able to visualize the importance of cognitive mapping in the human brain.

Tolman placed a rat in a cross-shaped maze and allowed it to explore the maze. 

After the rat had explored the maze for a bit, it was placed at one arm of the cross, and food was kept at the next arm to the immediate right. 

Since the rat was familiar with the layout, it learned to turn right at the intersection to get to the food. 

Next, the rat was placed at a different arm of the cross maze. Tolman was interested to see if there was a change in behavior.

Did it get lost?

No, the rat was still able to move in the direction of the food no matter where in the maze it was placed. Differences in the position of the rat did not matter. Tolman stated that this was because of the initial cognitive map it had created of the maze. 

Tolman’s experiments with rats ingrained the idea of the cognitive map in cognitive psychology.

How do Cognitive Maps Work? 

What is the process to design cognitive maps in your brain?

Your brain creates a cognitive map using a number of sources. It uses visual stimulus and other cues like olfaction and hearing to deduce your location within an environment as you move through it.

Using these cues, a vector is created that represents your position and direction within an environment. The vector is then passed to the hippocampal place cells where it is interpreted, and the brain gets more information about the environment and your relative locations within the context of the cognitive map.

The entire activity may seem complex, but it happens almost automatically.

The Hippocampus As A Cognitive Map

Interestingly, both birds and mammals form cognitive maps using the brain’s hippocampus. 

In The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map (1978), neuroscientist John O’Keefe and neuropsychologist Lynn Nadel, say that neurons in the hippocampus form a memory of the animal’s environment. Then when the animal goes to that particular place, these neurons are reminded of that place, as if they were reading from a map. 

The book provided a more allocentric interpretation of the cognitive map.

Other studies by Torkel Hafting and Marianne Fyhn – part of a team headed by Edvard and May-Britt Moser at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology – discovered the existence of grid cells in the brain. They used techniques mastered by O’Keefe to study inputs to the hippocampus. 

The researchers found a new type of spatial cells in the entorhinal cortex. The entorhinal cortex is the part of the brain that sends more information to the hippocampus than almost anywhere else. Surprisingly, the researchers found that these cells fired only when the rat went into specific places in the environment and that they fired in many places. 

More interesting still, these cells formed a hexagonal pattern in which each firing place was the same distance from all its neighbouring ones. 

The study led researchers to the discovery that metric information is inherent in the brain, wired into the grid cells, regardless of its prior experience. 

The discovery proved to be both surprising and dramatic discovery. Scientists drew an important inference. They now understood that the hippocampus is both a map and a memory system.

Does Cognitive Mapping Use Memory?

Cognitive mapping uses spatial memory, but it is more than that. 

Spatial memory records information about one’s environment and spatial orientation.

Now, here’s the most important point to understand:

The fact that you can retain the sequence of streets in the directions to your house is spatial memory.

However, when you see these streets in your “mind’s eye” as you give directions – that is cognitive mapping. 

Are Cognitive Maps Accurate? 

Cognitive maps are not completely accurate.

When you create a cognitive map, your brain will omit information that is irrelevant to the task at hand. 

For example, you and your colleague, who lives in the same apartment block, take the same route to drive home daily. However, while you are in the driving seat, your colleague has a driver. 

So, while you may be able to describe the route from the office to home accurately, your colleague may have a more basic idea of the road and objects en route.

Why?

Because he does not have to concentrate on the road during the drive, whereas you must. 

Therefore, both of you sketch maps of the same route differently. The example also shows that travel modes can impact cognitive mapping.

The way people travel has a huge impact on your cognitive mapping – especially if they regularly use neurobics.

Understanding how the brain processes and sketches cognitive maps has important implications for transportation planners and accessibility planning in cities.

What this also means is that a cognitive map can be different from the actual environment that a person is mapping due to the relationships of an individual with the environmental stimuli. 

Furthermore, the way spatial knowledge is represented in your mind leads to certain patterns of distortions. Spatial knowledge in the human brain is not as well modeled as the Euclidean geometry of high school math. For example, people often think the distance to go from A to B is different than from B to A. 

Moreover, cognitive maps generally get distorted by simplifying assumptions, beliefs and preconceptions. For instance, in your cognitive maps, all roads may join at right angles or straight lines even if they do not do so in the real-world. 

Are Cognitive Maps Different From a Mind Map?

When it comes to the real of ideas, mind maps do relate. You can think of them as the most simplistic and straightforward type of cognitive maps. 

They are quick to create and have a clear hierarchy and structure. A mind map is akin to a tree with branches, where the bark represents a central topic, and the branches denote the subtopics. 

A quick Mind Map for learning German vocabulary related to cooking (hence the fish).

In mind-mapping, the map represents information and ideas that are connected to each other. Such connections enable you to retain and learn new things quickly and easily. 

Mind map “links” are usually “dynamically passive” – they don’t represent anything more than connectivity used for creativity and enhanced memory. To get really good, I suggest you check out Tony Buzan’s Mind Map Mastery.

In cognitive mapping, a model of the world is created using links as well as concepts. Moreover, cognitive mapping also uses links more actively than mind mapping. But the larger point involves strategy, which is what we’ll cover next. 

How to Build Memory Palaces with Cognitive Maps?

Can cognitive maps enable you to find and build memory palaces?

Absolutely!

Here’s how:

As you form new cognitive maps of places you visit or recall your childhood home, college dormitory, a beloved first apartment, or your current residence, try to use them as multiple Memory Palaces.

Seen a new movie or read a new novel?

Use the layout of the fictional character’s home or environment to create your own mind palace.

Think the tiny home of Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings or Monica’s iconic New York apartment on Friends.

In sum:

Just use your natural ability to form mental maps to build strong memory palaces and you can remember anything that you want.

Ready to get started? If not, let me know your questions and let’s get you more clarity so you can!

The post What Are Cognitive Maps & Do They Work With Memory Palaces? appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Nir Eyal On Creating An Indistractable Life And Techno Panic-Free Focus

Writer and philosopher Paul Virilio famously said “The invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck.”

In this day and age, how true, how fitting…

With every success comes unforeseen consequences.

Just look at Facebook.

Once touted as a revolutionary social networking giant, and undoubtedly the forerunner of modern digital communication, it is now more famous for its “scandals” in the 2016 US Presidential election and data breeches (i.e. selling your private data).

Do you think Mark Zuckerberg could ever have imagined this level of influence and power could be his when he dreamed up the platform in his dorm room? Or the consequences and downfall that comes with it?

And that’s just the “big stuff.” What about the role of tech and social media in our everyday lives?

Don’t we enjoy a rush of adrenaline or a bit of a dopamine spike when our device lights up and sounds that familiar ping, or we see our phone buzz on our desk?

We are, without a doubt, under a spell.

And it’s not just Facebook. I’m looking at you Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Tiktok (and whatever the hot new app is coming down the pipeline next).

The notifications call.

We answer.

And just like the Titanic, we unwittingly are steering our ship towards an iceberg, all due to distraction.

But what if our lives weren’t ruled by the hefty priced device in our pocket?

Today I sit down with bestselling writer, Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

Nir is a former Stanford Graduate School professor and accomplished and successful angel investor, consultant, and teacher. We discuss Indistractable and how you can break the cycle of “ding, glance (or in reality 30 minutes later), return to task/conversation/work/sleep, repeat.”

You don’t have to live as a slave to technology. You are not a slave of your own making. You are the captain of your ship.

Curious and want to know more? All you have to do is press play (above) now and you’ll discover:

Why “indistractable” is a noun, and not an adjective
How a moniker can set you up for success
The reason we can look to religion as an example of healthy habits…even if we’re “nonbelievers”
The benefit of teaching to form one’s own identity
The tactful way you can encourage those around you to be indistractable
How we define social antibodies, and how they can help culture, as a whole
Why we should lead by example where technology dependence is concerned… but, at the same time, need to push back on the techno panics (I agree to large extent with Nir on this point, but still feel Digital Amnesia is a pressing issue and we’re too early in the game to say much either way)
Where blame really lies for technology addiction (and it’s not what you think)
Why detoxes, “30 day plans,” and other extremist responses aren’t the solution to calm a distracted mind and life
The reason distraction doesn’t always look like what we think (it’s not all Instagram and Candy Crush folks!)
The real cause of our distraction and the greatest source of distraction (hint: it’s not an outside source and Evernote is probably okay to use)
Why a five year plan approach isn’t the most effective measure of your values…and what is
The three key areas to consider when dividing and prioritizing your time

Do I Recommend Indistractable?

As a matter of fact, I do.

Even though I’m goofing around in this photo, the fact is that without the techniques Nir shares, I’d be a nutcase. I’d never be able to keep up the pace of a nearly-weekly podcast with YouTube videos, blog posts and new memory training products, and read books like his quickly if I couldn’t make myself indistractable.

I learned new concepts from this book and, very importantly, reinforced old ones.

Even if you think you’ve heard it all before, I promise you this book will give you some surprises, compelling new research findings and unexpected help. To wit, you even get a precious analog device that could be worth millions to you one day. (No exaggeration.)

And if you are that rare cat who really has heard it all before, then you already know the wisdom of reinforcement. You have already used the speed of implementation rule to order your copy. Congrats!

In case you don’t know that rule, watch this:

Further Resources on the Web, this podcast, and the MMM Blog:

Nir And Far (Nir’s official website)

Special link for ordering Indistractable

Nir’s scheduling tool

Nir’s distraction guide

Nir’s article on habits vs. routines

Nir on Twitter

Nir Eyal’s Morning Routine on Business Insider

Indistractable’s feature on Forbes.com

Timothy Moser Talks About Memory Skills and Productivity (MMM Podcast)

3 Shocking Ways Smartphone Addiction Erodes Your Brain and Memory

The post Nir Eyal On Creating An Indistractable Life And Techno Panic-Free Focus appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Nir Eyal On Creating Indistractable Focus And Techno Panic-Free Focus

Writer and philosopher Paul Virilio famously said “The invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck.”

In this day and age, how true, how fitting…

With every success comes unforeseen consequences.

Just look at Facebook.

Once touted as a revolutionary social networking giant, and undoubtedly the forerunner of modern digital communication, it is now more famous for its “scandals” in the 2016 US Presidential election and data breeches (i.e. selling your private data).

Do you think Mark Zuckerberg could ever have imagined this level of influence and power could be his when he dreamed up the platform in his dorm room? Or the consequences and downfall that comes with it?

And that’s just the “big stuff.” What about the role of tech and social media in our everyday lives?

Don’t we enjoy a rush of adrenaline or a bit of a dopamine spike when our device lights up and sounds that familiar ping, or we see our phone buzz on our desk?

We are, without a doubt, under a spell.

And it’s not just Facebook. I’m looking at you Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Tiktok (and whatever the hot new app is coming down the pipeline next).

The notifications call.

We answer.

And just like the Titanic, we unwittingly are steering our ship towards an iceberg, all due to distraction.

But what if our lives weren’t ruled by the hefty priced device in our pocket?

Today I sit down with bestselling writer, Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

Nir is a former Stanford Graduate School professor and accomplished and successful angel investor, consultant, and teacher. We discuss Indistractable and how you can break the cycle of “ding, glance (or in reality 30 minutes later), return to task/conversation/work/sleep, repeat.”

You don’t have to live as a slave to technology. You are not a slave of your own making. You are the captain of your ship.

Curious and want to know more? All you have to do is press play (above) now and you’ll discover:

Why “indistractable” is a noun, and not an adjective
How a moniker can set you up for success
The reason we can look to religion as an example of healthy habits…even if we’re “nonbelievers”
The benefit of teaching to form one’s own identity
The tactful way you can encourage those around you to be indistractable
How we define social antibodies, and how they can help culture, as a whole
Why we should lead by example where technology dependence is concerned… but, at the same time, need to push back on the techno panics (I agree to large extent with Nir on this point, but still feel Digital Amnesia is a pressing issue and we’re too early in the game to say much either way)
Where blame really lies for technology addiction (and it’s not what you think)
Why detoxes, “30 day plans,” and other extremist responses aren’t the solution to calm a distracted mind and life
The reason distraction doesn’t always look like what we think (it’s not all Instagram and Candy Crush folks!)
The real cause of our distraction and the greatest source of distraction (hint: it’s not an outside source and Evernote is probably okay to use)
Why a five year plan approach isn’t the most effective measure of your values…and what is
The three key areas to consider when dividing and prioritizing your time

Do I Recommend Indistractable?

As a matter of fact, I do.

Even though I’m goofing around in this photo, the fact is that without the techniques Nir shares, I’d be a nutcase. I’d never be able to keep up the pace of a nearly-weekly podcast with YouTube videos, blog posts and new memory training products if I couldn’t make myself indistractable.

I learned new concepts from this book and, very importantly, reinforced old ones.

Even if you think you’ve heard it all before, I promise you this book will give you some surprises, compelling new research findings and unexpected help. To wit, you even get a precious analog device that could be worth millions to you one day. (No exaggeration.)

And if you are that rare cat who really has heard it all before, then you already know the wisdom of reinforcement. You have already used the speed of implementation rule to order your copy. Congrats!

In case you don’t know that rule, watch this:

Further Resources on the Web, this podcast, and the MMM Blog:

Nir And Far (Nir’s official website)

Special link for ordering Indistractable

Nir’s scheduling tool

Nir’s distraction guide

Nir’s article on habits vs. routines

Nir on Twitter

Nir Eyal’s Morning Routine on Business Insider

Indistractable’s feature on Forbes.com

Timothy Moser Talks About Memory Skills and Productivity (MMM Podcast)

3 Shocking Ways Smartphone Addiction Erodes Your Brain and Memory

The post Nir Eyal On Creating Indistractable Focus And Techno Panic-Free Focus appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Memory Athlete Braden Adams On The Benefits Of Memory Competition

Memory competition is one way to train your brain and keep your mind sharp.

And who best to talk about how the benefits you can expect from joining a competition than one of the most disciplined students and trainees of memory?

My guest today is fellow Canadian Braden Adams from Chilliwack, BC.

Braden is the cofounder and board member of the Canadian Mind Sports Association on top of being an accomplished memory athlete himself.

He is a three time BC Memory Champion, 2018’s CMSA’s National Memory Champion and the 2018 IAM Canadian Memory Champion.

On this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, he shares his personal memory journey, beginning purely by chance, and evolving into an absolute passion for mental athleticism.

Braden shares his tips and secrets to his success that just may have you interested in going toe to toe with one of the world’s premiere memory athletes.

Just press play now and you’ll learn all about:

The (perhaps unintended) introduction to memory techniques that (probably) 80 to 90 percent of memory athletes in the last decade share
Which book may be the most polarizing in the memory world
Why memory competitions aren’t as intimidating as you may think
How to prepare for “real life” memory challenges in environments that are less than ideal
The two-fold benefit to competing in memory sports
How memory techniques can help even those with a naturally good memory
Why memory training is not so different from drinking water or hitting the gym
The way to maximize your time to get the most out of memory exercise
How a beloved TV sitcom can help you to remember more than you thought possible
The reason magicians make great memory competitors (hint: it’s in an unassuming prop)
Why we cannot place limits on our memory

Further Resources on the Web, this podcast, and the MMM Blog:

Braden Adams on Twitter

Braden’s interview with CTV News

Braden’s The Star interview from 2018

“Memorable Victory” on CBC News

2019 Canadian Memory Champion Reveals His Memory Secrets (James Gerwing’s interview referenced in this podcast)

Ready to enter a competition? Read more about the Canadian Mind Sports Association’s 2019 National Memory Championship or check out Art of Memory’s current memory competitions list

The post Memory Athlete Braden Adams On The Benefits Of Memory Competition appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Focused Attention: 5 Fun Ways To Experience It And Boost Your Memory

Focused attention is…look a squirrel!

Aren’t they the cutest?

Gotta get to the laundry.

Now, wait a minute…where was I?

Right! I was writing about focused attention.

It is usually the squirrel’s fault, but often deliberate use of focused attention is needed to do the task at hand or to know what’s happening around you.

So what is focused attention? 

In this post, I’ll explain all about it plus give you five magnetic ways to improve your concentration abilities.

Here’s what I’ll cover on this page:

What is Focused Attention? 
A Few Risky Examples Of Focused Attention
Different Types of Attention 
What Happens if Your Focused Attention is Damaged? 
The Link Between Focused Attention and Stronger Memory 
5 Ways to Strengthen Your Focused Attention (Once you have it)

What is Focused Attention?

Focused attention is the ability of your brain to concentrate on one activity for a specified period of time. 

When you use focused attention, your brain allocates cognitive processing resources that allow you to choose and concentrate on one task at a time.

It is an essential skill that enables you to carry out different tasks in your daily lives with a high level of efficiency. 

However, you need to understand that to pay attention to one stimulus or action, your brain, by default, ignores all other stimuli.

If every stimulus had to be perceived, we would go crazy.

For example, you are at a loud, crowded party, looking for your friend. You look for her blue sequined dress, and you concentrate on hearing her voice over the music. Your brain is continuously, moment by moment, ignoring the voices of other people to focus its attention on finding the voice of your friend.

And there she is! Calling out your name, which your mind was able to hear over the general uproar due to its use of focused attention.

A Few Risky Examples of Focused Attention

Imagine watching TV while cooking. 

You are doing two things, but if your focus wanders away from the pot, you may burn your sauce or over boil the pasta.

On the other hand, when you are concentrating on cooking, you may miss the next Kardashian scandal. 

In effect: 

Your brain uses focused attention to do one task at a time.

If you try to multitask, your performance levels would be low for each task. For instance, it is not possible to try to study while watching TV and retaining the information presented by the book as well as the TV show accurately.

Hanging out in a coffee shop after an intense learning session in Brisbane

However, there is something called selective attention that you use when working from a noisy environment like a coffee shop.

How does that work?

A coffee shop is not a quiet place. There are customers ordering lattes, people exchanging gossip or speaking loudly on the phone. However, these levels of background noise are low enough for the mind to concentrate on the work at hand.  

You use focused attention every single day, from when you clean up the table after dinner to when you pick up something that fell off the desk.

Before we move on, let’s take a brief deep dive into other types of attention.

What Are the Different Types of Attention?

The American philosopher and psychologist William James defines attention as “the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others…” (The Principles of Psychology, 1890).

Attention is not a simple process. It is the beginning of other cognitive functions. You need to pay attention before you can comprehend something.

The Sohlberg and Mateer Hierarchical Model breaks attention into five sub-components. 

The model was initially used to test the recovery and development of attentional function in long-term coma patients (after they were awake, of course). However, it was soon found to be useful in determining attentional skills in other people – including students, making this a popular model for the study of “attention”.

The sub-components of the Sohlberg and Mateer Hierarchical Model are:

Focalized (Focused) Attention: This refers to your ability to focus attention on one stimulus. For example, when you are writing an exam and need to concentrate entirely on your answers.
Sustained Attention: This is your ability to attend to an activity or stimulus over prolonged periods of time. For instance, when you are playing a video game.
Selective Attention: This refers to your ability to focus on a specific stimulus in the presence of other distracting stimuli. For example, in a classroom, this would be a student’s ability to maintain focus on the lesson while his peers chatter or pass notes.
Alternating Attention: Commonly known as multitasking. This is your ability to change focus attention between stimuli that need different cognitive functions. For example, reading a recipe while preparing a meal.
Divided Attention: This refers to your brain’s ability to attend to different stimuli at the same time. For example, when you are driving a car while talking to a passenger.

Even thinking and listening at the same time can divide our attention.

As the cognitive science of attention evolved, it emerged that your ability to pay attention depends on various factors: 

It is easier to process a task correctly when you’re motivated and alert than sad or tired, or if the stimulus is monotonous. Anxiety also affects your ability to focus on a job.
If a task is complex, your brain finds it more difficult to sustain focused attention on that particular task. It can get distracted easily.
Your brain takes less effort to complete a routine task, but if the work is new or unfamiliar more effort is required. 

Your cognitive abilities are affected by your levels of mindfulness when doing a task.

Knowledge of the cognitive science of attention improves our learning of the nuances that affect “attention”. It enables us to understand what processes are needed to function efficiently in our everyday environments and how to eliminate distractions that damage our attention capacities.

What Happens if Your Focused Attention is Damaged? 

Getting distracted is common.

And losing focus or awareness of your surroundings when you are distracted is also usual.

However, if you get easily distracted or have trouble paying attention when conducting everyday tasks like reading a book, listening, writing, or even watching TV, it may be cause for concern.

Your focused attention can get damaged due to disease, disorder, or damage to some parts of the brain.

Hemispatial neglect or heminegligence is a common disorder that can cause loss of focused attention. Hemispatial neglect is a neuropsychological condition caused by damage to one hemisphere of the brain due to stroke or injury. 

ADD Vs. ADHD And How They Degrade Attention

Another known disorder is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which majorly affects the attention of the individual, making it difficult for them to detect the target stimuli. 

Usually, a continuous performance test (CPT) detects Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). However, researchers are now conducting studies to validate the usefulness of a continuous performance test in diagnosing ADHD in children.

Some kids with autism spectrum disorders (including Asperger’s syndrome) also show symptoms which are similar to learning and attention disorders. However, these two conditions are different and need different treatment.

Other disorders that affect focused attention include dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia. But the good news is that memory training helps, such as one of students found when suffering yet another issue: PTSD. 

The Link Between Focused Attention and Stronger Memory

Have you ever noticed how, when something is interesting, your focused attention is absolute?

For example, you can focus better when watching the World Cup as opposed to when you have to compile the 10-page sales report. 

However, if your boss is waiting for the 10-page sales report, you would work on it despite all distractions to get it ready on time.

So you see, your attention span or focus can change depending on whether the stimulus is exciting (football match) or if the stakes are high (work deadline).

Which also brings to focus the fact that you can train yourself to do everyday tasks with a higher level of focused attention.

And as we all know… 

Concentration or focus is the key to better memory recall. 

Focused attention is essential to well-formed memories and useful recall of information. A lack of attention, on the other hand, leads to difficulty remembering crucial pieces of information.

By becoming more deliberate and paying attention to the task at hand, you can do it with far more efficiency.

What’s even better?

Everything you do to improve your focus will also improve your memory and awareness of your environment.

How can you improve your focused attention?

Let’s find out.

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Focused Attention 

Focus is to memory, what a key is to a lock.

While you can force a lock, if you don’t have the key, it is always easier to open the door with the right set of keys.

By making a few simple changes in the way you work, you can dramatically improve your levels of focus and thereby your ability to remember information fast.

Here are five ways you can strengthen your focused attention:

1. Create Memory Palaces Regularly

Creating Memory Palaces using the Magnetic Memory Method way can quickly improve your attention span.

The Magnetic Memory Method Memory Palace approach teaches you how to pay focused attention when you come across new information. 

When combined with Magnetic Recall Rehearsal, this holistic process lets you move information from your working memory into your long-term memory faster and with better permanence.

Memory Palaces also enhance your mindfulness and awareness, which are essential in improving focus.

This video gives you some great hacks to extend your attention span quickly. 

 

2. Meditate 

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years to improve focus and concentration.

It is a powerful and scientifically proven method.

What’s more?

Meditation can be practiced anywhere without the need for fancy equipment or extensive training. 

Walking meditation works too!

Moreover, you don’t need to meditate for many months before you can start noticing the benefits of your practice. Within a week of consistent mindfulness meditation, you can experience improved concentration.

Need more motivation? 

Meditation doesn’t just improve focused attention. It also improves your memory, including semantic memory. I memorize lots of Sanskrit in my personal practice to help ensure that.

In an age of endless distractions and heightened stress, incorporating meditation to improve concentration, eliminate emotional problems, and refocus your mind is crucial. 

Meditation has two categories – focused attention meditation and open monitoring meditation. 

During focused attention meditation, you pay attention to a single object like a mantra, a candle, or your breathing. 

When you practice open monitoring meditation, your attention is open. You remain aware of everything that is happening, including your thoughts, feelings, emotions, sounds, and bodily sensations.

Here’s a simple, step­-by­-step guide you can use every day to meditate.

Choose a time. Morning, noon, evening, it doesn’t matter. 
Select a place to meditate. It could be your backyard garden or bedroom floor.
Set a timer (This is optional). Initially, set the timer for five minutes and when it rings, turn it off and then sit a little longer. 
Sit and do nothing else. Focus on a specific emotion or general thoughts and feelings. You can even concentrate on your breathing.
When you finally arrive, enjoy, and observe.

Practice this simple form of mindfulness meditation for just five minutes a day, four times a week, and you’ll see improvements in many aspects of your life, including memory and focus. 

Check out The Five-Fold Path To Memory Improvement, if you are keen on a more advanced approach to meditation (the one I use most often).

3. Exercise 

Working out is an excellent way to improve focus.

Apart from improving your happiness quotient and keeping you fit, regular exercise can boost your levels of attention and concentration. 

Deadlifting helps improve my focused attention and memory. Do you go to the gym?

One study observed that the attention spans of Dutch school pupils improved when 20-minute bouts of aerobics-style exercise interspersed their lessons. 

In another study, a large randomized controlled trial in the US looked at the effects of daily after-school sports activities on the fitness levels of children. Predictably, the study found that the students got healthier. 

What was more interesting was that the students also became more adept at ignoring distractions and multitasking.

The takeaway:

If you’re still thinking about going for a run, get on with it. Take action now to improve your focus and memory. 

4. Rest 

Resting to improve focus may seem a bit odd.

But it’s true.

Silicon Valley futurist Alex Soojung-Kim Pang in his book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, says successful people throughout history who displayed high levels of focus and concentration took a lot of “deliberate rest”.

From Charles Darwin to Ernest Hemingway to Stephen King, every one of these creative and highly accomplished people took “brain breaks” for extended periods of time to relax and rejuvenate.



When our brain is in resting mode, it switches to the highly active Default Mode Network (DMN). When you focus attention on the outside world, you suppress this default mode of neural processing. 

These brain breaks allow you to update information and gain access to deeper aspects of yourselves, thereby enhancing your resilience, creativity, and decision-making capabilities.

Once you are back from your rest, you can focus better on the tasks at hand.

5. Practice Single-tasking 

Focusing on one task at a time is your brain’s natural way of doing things.

When you avoid multitasking, you make fewer errors. Fewer errors also mean less stress, and that can enable you to concentrate better. 

Single-tasking also helps to stabilize your mood and improve your memory since you pay more attention to one singular activity.

Give Tasks the Attention They Need

When driving, focus on the road. When eating breakfast, focus on your cereal or avocado-toast. When writing a report, focus on the specific task, and you’ll see how fast and efficiently you’ll get it done.

Giving each task the attention it needs improves your overall efficiency while enabling your mind to transfer information into your working memory. 

Deliberate attention, in turn, improves retention and recall.

Need more ways to improve memory?

Why not get started with the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass? 

The post Focused Attention: 5 Fun Ways To Experience It And Boost Your Memory appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

Lev Goldentouch On The Ultimate Key To Study Results Without Strain

How many books have you read this year?

What about time spent reading news articles, magazines, or journals?

The numbers are shockingly low.

24 percent of adults surveyed hadn’t even read part of a book last year.

Even more surprising, in 2017, people in the U.S. over age 15 only spent, on average, 16.8 minutes a day reading for pleasure, or not required for work or school.

It seems a bit surreal doesn’t it?

Before television, radio, and, most recently, the smartphone, reading was one’s primary source of both entertainment and a source of news.

If you wanted to stay up to date on current events you picked up a newspaper. If you were looking for a way to escape the day to day humdrum of life you picked up you searched out your favorite author’s newest work of fiction.

It’s astounding to me that reading as a whole has declined so much. It’s no secret that reading is a great method of mental stimulation, stress reducer, and obvious knowledge booster and vocabulary expander. 

The benefits to reading expand far beyond these named few and even boast a benefit that may surprise you…the simple act of reading can improve your memory.

Well, don’t fret. Because…

Lev Goldentouch Has The “Key To Study” That Helps People Read More… Faster!

My guest today is Lev Goldentouch.

He is an author, machine learning and information expert, as well as a lifehacker and technology guru. Through his blog, Key to Study, Lev teaches eager students his methods for improving their reading speed, retention, and therefore, their memory.

I know his skills in a more personal way too. We even share a cafe Memory Palace!

Dr. Lev Goldentouch and Dr. Anthony Metivier in Tel Aviv

So here’s why this interview is so important for you to hear:

If you want to remember more of what you read with less effort…

If you’ve tried other methods to improve your memory, relying too much on apps programs, and are looking for a change…

If you have a desire to transform your life by picking up a good book…

You’ve come to the right place. This podcast is a real page turner.

It’s as simple as clicking the play button above to discover:

The difference between a memory expert, a speed reading expert, and a machine learning expert
The overlooked way that people can forget things they would have liked to have remembered (Note: developing some dual-handedness skills can help too)
How to compare and contrast the different kinds of reading
Why actually having an interest in a subject is an important prerequisite to reading
The secret to becoming both more creative and spontaneous (it may surprise you)
How visualization is a universal tool, even for those blind since birth
Why your goals should meet certain criteria in order for you to be able to achieve them
The reason to copy a teacher and not a god or fictional character
The power of dancing to improve your memory
How it is possible to shape your future and to overcome bad fortune
What style of teaching makes a teacher the most effective

I hope you enjoy this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast and please consider investing in Lev’s complete training course. If you struggle with getting through learning materials, here’s how to complete a memory course rapidly.

Further Resources on the Web, this podcast, and the MMM Blog:

Lev Goldentouch’s Key to Study Premium Training Course

Lev Goldentouch on Amazon

Lev Goldentouch on Twitter

The Simple Reading Technique That Prepares Your Memory For Anything (MMM Blog)

How to Study Fast: A Guide to High-Volume Learning At Speed

11 Reasons You Should Re-read At Least One Book Every Month

The post Lev Goldentouch On The Ultimate Key To Study Results Without Strain appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.