Anthony Metivier's Blog, page 30

Tansel Ali On How Gratitude Can Help You Remember Almost Anything

Tansel Ali is possibly the most positive memory champion on the planet.

Turns out there’s a solid reason why.

A few reasons, actually.

And in this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, I speak with 4x Australian Memory Champion Tansel Ali talks about memory improvement and positive thinking.

This may well be the most valuable hour you spend listening to a podcast about memory improvement.

Why?

For starters…

In addition to discussing the role of gratitude in coming up with effective visualizations when using mnemonics, Tansel discusses the importance of reading, memorizing cards with music on and focusing on the right things to maximize performance in your memory and life.

Plus, when you scroll up and click play above, you’ll soon discover…

* Why Tansel was originally skeptical about memory improvement and thought all TV memory trainers were fake.

* The factors responsible for making people suspicious of memory techniques because they seem like magic “tricks.”

* How Tansel wound up at his first memory competition and took second place.

* The other rewards memory improvement brings you, including mindset, job performance and fun.

* Tansel’s transition from memory competition to enhancing his own life and the lives of others through teaching memory.

* Why you need to continue challenging your memory almost like the physical training of the body to keep the mind in top shape.

* Exactly how participating in memory competitions help you develop preparation and developing positive self-talk.

* Why Tansel sometimes FORCES himself NOT to use memory techniques in order to challenge his brain.

* Tansel’s definition of consistency and the development of successful habits that you can use to challenge yourself.

* Why you should go without fear of making mistakes for the health of your brain and the development of effective discipline.

Tansel Ali book signing of The Yellow Elephant on Kindle for me in person.

* Tansel’s personal training regime and how he makes it count.

* How Tansel thinks about visualization as a kind of muscle and how he trains it for competition.

* A quick comparison of Alex Mullen’s training regime and Tansel’s focus on efficiency to improve the right skills and maximize performance.

* A discussion of aphantasia and why you don’t actually have to see pictures in your mind to use memory techniques.

* How Tansel uses feelings and thinking in words to create mnemonic imagery – and why feeling creates more impact.

* How to give the mnemonic imagery you create greater value through personalization.

* Practical reasons you should memorize cards. For one thing, they set you up to make creative decisions that goes beyond just remembering information. And here are 13 more reasons you should have a system for remembering cards.

* Tansel’s thoughts on music and memory and how he memorizes cards with music playing.

* The benefits of training your memory and where to start (also discussed in this video):

* The importance of making memory training fun and interesting, rather than a chore.

* Tansel’s history with apps for memory training and meditation and how to reduce stress.

* How Tansel changed from wallowing in negativity to living in positivity.

* Why you don’t have to use bizarre or violent imagery to remember information and positive options you can explore for creating and using mnemonics.

* Why we both approach shows like Breaking Bad with caution in order to maintain a positive mindset. Not that Breaking Bad can’t be useful for memory improvement, as you can see here:

* The role of gratitude in increasing the value of your imagination by focusing on specifics.

* Why “the law of attraction” is useless without taking action – and how you can use mindset to create the excitement needed to make sure you achieve your goals.

* Why Tansel wishes he had read more as a young person.

* Some of Tansel’s favorite memory books and why they changed his life, including books by Tony Buzan and Dominic O’Brien.

* Tansel’s take on Digital Amnesia and why he chooses to see the positive side of the debate about the so-called Google Effect.

* How Turkish is helping Tansel learn Japanese even without using Kevin Richardson’s Learn Japanese App (a.k.a. Memory Palace).

I want to thank Tansel for being on the show and thank you for listening. Please be sure to grab his books, visit his site and get connected on his various online platforms using the links below.

Further Resources

Yellow Elephant: Improve Your Memory And Learn More, Faster, Better by Tansel Ali

How to Learn Almost Anything in 48 Hours: Shortcuts And Brain Hacks For Learning New Skills Fast by Tansel Ali

Subscribe to Tansel Ali’s YouTube channel

Visit Tansel Ali’s website

Tansel Ali on Twitter

Tansel’s World Memory Stats 

The post Tansel Ali On How Gratitude Can Help You Remember Almost Anything appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

4.1 Painful Life Mistakes Burned Into My Memory And How To Avoid Them

We all make mistakes.

In fact, life mistakes are inevitable.

Heck, in many cases, they’re even desirable.

After all, we learn from our mistakes when picking up a language – including our native mother tongues.

But some life mistakes are probably avoidable.

Like the 4.1 I’m going to discuss in this post.

They are in no particular order of importance.

But I’ve stuck the one with a tutorial at the end. I believe if you pay that final point the most attention…

… and put its mini-lesson into action…

You will avoid SO much pain and suffering.

I wish I had known about that unique set of strategies anyone can use at least 21 years sooner!

So whether you’re 41 or any other age, let’s dive in with these mistakes life has burned into my memory and that I could have done without.

 

1. You Cannot Fulfill Anyone Else’s Dreams

(No Matter How Hard You Try)

 

Maybe it’s all the Romantic poetry I read.

Or maybe it’s just in my genes.

Whatever the reason, I have somehow wound up with a tendency to try and make others happy.

But it’s a trap!

Every time.

First off, “happy” is mostly meaningless.

There are too many possible definitions. Most of them are far from impressive, let alone correct.

I prefer the Greek term eudaimonia.

Some people translate it as happiness, but it actually refers to “flourishing.”

Already, that sounds better.

Concrete.

Something you can feel, see, embrace.

But even then, you cannot give flourishing to another human being.

The best you can do is reach out and try to connect.

Share with them some of what you know and the story of how you came to understand it.

Yes, there is “hard teaching.”

There is the do-this, do-that of the Memory Palace. Anyone can repeat the process, even if they’re a skeptic at first. (Especially if they’re skeptical.)

Likewise with brain exercises.

But getting people to complete the exercises?

That’s entirely on them.

The best you can do is offer inspiration and encouragement.

And if you love them, let them be.

Our siblings on this long-suffering earth can only do the things they are going to do.

And those of us who have traveled to a particular destination, can only show the way – the way we took, amongst many possible paths.

Though to reach some destinations, there really are only singular and definitive ways to reach the end.

Either way, if student and teacher are lucky enough to meet somewhere on the road, they can break bread.

Maybe sing a song or two together.

Or just hang out on a YouTube Live like this one we did for my birthday:

(If you’re not subscribed to my YouTube channel, you can take care of that here.)

But sooner or later, both will be off again on their individual journeys into the unknown.

And that’s a beautiful thing.

But when you try to tether ships together…

All too often, the ship bows start to knock.

And no two sails interpret the wind quite the same.

How could they?

Same wind.

Different sails.

If something you’ve taught them about sailing helps them correct course to wherever it is they’re trying to navigate, that’s great.

But they ultimately accomplished the task of navigation. From the deck of their own ship.

And there are lots of possible destinations.

We can’t all wind up on the same islands together.

Nor should we.

Anyhow, I’ve wasted a lot of time and energy trying to redirect some of the wind filling my sails to help others.

It never works.

 

Here’s What Guides You To Success Better

 

What does work is this:

Sharing the miracle of what one has learned about harnessing the wind’s power.

And respecting what the wind can do.

It sometimes makes sense to help a friend patch up one of their moth-bitten sails.

But you’ve got to make sure you don’t get stranded on their ship. Especially during a storm.

Keep yourself tied to your own mast.

That way you’ll always have a way back to your own ship.

And you reduce the danger that you may be the reason why the ship of your friend has started to go down.

Because the cruel reality is that help can be a hindrance.

Keep your awareness high of that potential problem and you’ll be better off and help save yourself and others from drowning under the weight of wisdom they may neither want nor need.

Is all that too abstract?

Perhaps.

But rest assured that the stories lurking behind these images are memories I could do without.

And I think that even without concrete examples, they could help you avoid many disasters too.

 

2. You Always Have All The Resources You Need

(Even If You Sometimes Fall For The Scarcity Illusion)

 

Actually, I don’t have any unusual nightmares lurking behind this life principle.

But I’ve seen many people not take action because they believed in scarcity, rather than abundance.

They didn’t have enough money.

They didn’t have enough energy.

They didn’t have enough time.

In every case, I could easily spot why these claims weren’t valid.

And when I opened my mouth about why I thought so… well… see point one above.

It’s very hard to make abundance visible to people convinced that they don’t have enough.

In fact, it may be impossible.

It seems like a universal rule that they have to figure it out for themselves.

I hate cliches – especially when they’re right – but I too have been the horse you could not force to drink.

Not often, but I get it.

I’ve just been blessed not to be duped by the lie of scarcity all that often in my short life.

But I’m aware of its potential for evil.

And the scarcity-mindset truly is evil.

 

The “Else” Exercise That Erases Scarcity From Your Brain

 

If you suffer from it, here’s a simple tip Jonathan and I talk about in Branding You Academy:

“Else.”

When you’re asking any of the famous “W” questions (What, Where, When, Who, Why) always add an “else.”

Like this:

What else?

Where else?

When else?

Who else?

Why else?

And of course:

How else?

Get out a big fat sheet of paper and let it all out.

Brain dump.

Mindmap.

C.R.E.A.T.E. the way I talk about in this YouTube Live:

Do whatever it takes to squeeze out every possible option.

Whatever it is you want to accomplish, you can find a way.

At the very least, you can find a way to get started.

And there will be magic in the movement.

Action is a special energy.

Without the woo-woo of “the Secret” or “the Law of Attraction,” I can explain why you will start to attract all the resources you will need if you just start moving – and keep moving:

It’s simple:

Because movement reveals hidden resources!

And it gives you what Gary Halbert calls a Fighter Pilot Attitude.

 

The Amazing Self-Help Secret Buried In A Fragment From Kafka

 

I also think of that story from Kafka.

You know the one (I’ll add a bit of my own flair, if you don’t mind):

The man who always takes the train to the next town for work misses his train.

So he borrows a bike.

When he gets to the next town, he asks an old man to watch over the bike as he goes to work.

Before he leaves, he tells the old man:

“I can’t believe how many more things I noticed about the landscape while riding the bike.”

The old man replies: “Just think how much more you’ll notice if you walk.”

Exactly the same thing will happen to you if you take action.

Instead of sitting on a speeding train of inactivity with your eyes blind to all your options, take another route.

And take that route another way.

You’ll start to notice a whole new world of detail – and possible avenues of action.

And you’ll talk to people you never noticed before.

People who will open you to even more perspectives.

Before you know it, you’ll be walking everywhere – the world will seem too abundant not to take your time and bask in everything it offers.

 

3. There Is No Such Thing As Free

 

The Internet is pretty cool. But I’ve been burned by it many times.

It’s like jacking the Gutenberg press directly into a vein.

The only problem is…

No one can consume all that content.

And even if any of us could…

They’d never be able to take action on even a small percentage of that knowledge.

And that’s a real problem.

Thanks to our genetic heritage, we are hunter-gatherers.

And the Internet triggers that ancient need to hunt and gather things that seem valuable to us.

We stock ‘em up and store them for the great famine.

Works great with berries and meat – if you know how to preserve them.

But with knowledge?

It’s horrible.

We’ve got a world full of people with all the knowledge they’ll ever need at their fingertips.

There’s NOTHING you cannot hoard into your coffers on the Internet for free.

And that’s a real problem for reasons that go far beyond file-sharing and lost revenue for content creators.

It’s a problem for all of humanity because discipline is slipping.

Completion rates are plummeting.

And those who escape the grip of Digital Amnesia and don’t fall prey to the attention span myth are getting fewer and fewer.

The consequence appears to be a growing elite of action-takers.

This elite wins more and more as an ever-increasing majority of people fall into the munching gears of the machines and algorithms that have turned human attention into a commodity.

People struggle to pay attention on digital devices.

And they’re not processing information the same way.

For this reason, information now costs far more than ever before.

Learning costs you more time and mental energy.

Why?

Because it takes longer to consume content when you’re endlessly flipping between 100 tabs and interrupted by dozens of notifications per minute.

And then you have to go over it again because the information is far too quickly – and easily – forgotten.

We’re still learning the lessons we need to learn, but the solution won’t change:

Invest in offline education at least as much as online education.

 

How To Complete The Quest For Balance Between

Online And Offline Knowledge

 

Find a balance between the two.

Get and read at least as many print books as digital books.

Attend at least as many live training events as the video courses you complete (assuming you can finish them in a world of digital distractions).

Invest in others by being with others.

That will help you invest in the future.

Sure, it’s grassroots.

Not always as International as the Internet seduces us into wanting.

But we know from basic brain chemistry that we need the chemicals that only being around others create.

And so much of the confidence and self-esteem issues, not to mention the vapid tribalism that seems to be getting worse and worse, is quite obviously tied to how much time we’re spending in online tribes instead of local ones.

That said…

 

4. There Is No Such Thing As Failure

 

The truth about failure is a hard and contradictory lesson to learn.

Especially when living at the top of your game technically requires you to fail a fair amount.

Or at least…

That’s the way it’s usually framed.

Here’s the truth, however:

No one likes failure and they’re right to try and avoid it.

Failure is painful!

And the typical way people advise us to “hack” failure is, to be frank, totally obnoxious:

“Fail fast. Fail often.”

 

Uhmmmmmm… No. And A Thousand Times No

 

I say this with certainty because the best antidote to failure is simple:

It’s success!

Now, I realize that I waxed messianic at the beginning of this post about the serious role mistakes play in our success. I have not forgotten that little speech.

But mistakes aren’t failures.

They’re sign posts that something needs to be changed.

And they are clues regarding what to change and often reveal precisely how to change things.

Especially if you use the “else” exercise I shared above.

But there’s also something else that leaves clues and shows us how to correct things that have gone wrong.

Again, it’s success.

So instead of failing and failing often, how about succeeding and succeeding often for a change.

And to do that, maybe you do have to put yourself in situations where you will “fail” from time to time.

But often enough, with just a bit of research and self-understanding, you can put yourself in contexts bound to give you more “quick victories” more often.

For example, if you know about your sensory preferences and the personal learning hierarchy I teach you how to discover in The Memory Connection, you can “engineer” learning situations in which you’d actually have to try hard to fail.

In brief, we all have at least 6+1 Magnetic Modes. The main 6 look like this:

The 7th is space itself.

The 7th is the Magnetic Mode we use to create and use Memory Palaces.

 

Do You Know Your Learning Hierarchy?

 

You Learning Hierarchy is based on knowing whether you are more visual, auditory or kinesthetic concerning a particular topic.

Oh yes, your Learning Hierarchy can change! (It’s sneaky that way!)

But self-understanding is the way you stack the chips in your favor.

Sadly, most people are stacking those chips against themselves.

I’ve done it to myself far too many times.

But here’s the cool thing about getting older and having been fortunate enough to stumble into the art and craft of self-observation:

I feel I’ve managed to get out of the major life ruts we humans tend to fall into…

… just in time to set the stage for a much more enjoyable passage into the next stage of life.

Speaking of self-observation, here’s what I really wish I’d discovered sooner:

 

4.1 Not Learning To Meditate Sooner Created

Years Of Unnecessary Suffering

 

Frankly, every minute spent in meditation is the best investment of time and energy in the world.

And I wish I’d taken it more seriously sooner.

I first learned about it in Grade 12 English.

Our teacher took us through a guided meditation out of the blue.

I’m not sure why he didn’t do it at the beginning of every class.

But it made sense to me then and although it would be many years yet before I got into it seriously, the practice made a mark.

However, I’m a skeptic at heart. And I need science that makes sense before I take action on certain things.

And I just didn’t know that a lot of science supports a number of the meditative practices I had dismissed. Like these reports on how to improve concentration and memory Buddha-style.

To be fair, a significant amount of the science I needed to discover wasn’t out there yet.

And the Internet, as dangerous as it can be for taking action, wasn’t around to make it discoverable.

Plus, I was in that deadly hunter-gatherer mode that leads us to “save data for later” in the form of books marks and other dangerous tools of forgetting.

 

Why There Truly Is Happiness Beyond Thought

 

And it wasn’t until a friend told me about Happiness Beyond Thought by Gary Weber that I ordered a print copy of the book and gobbled it down in a way that never happens online.

(Thanks to Ben at Project Monkey Mind for the wind I needed in my sails!)

At least for me, it was important to get the physical copy.

Reading it would never have happened online because it’s just too twitchy a space for me to get any reading done.

Anyhow, Weber gave some solid science.

And he explained how research reveals certain yoga moves are more likely to help men for some reason.

Yet, oddly enough, a number of those moves tend to be practiced more often by women.

Meanwhile, men lock themselves into poor results because they tend to be more attracted to the cerebral brain exercise-type meditation.

Lo and behold, I gave some of these more movement based meditations a try.

And before you know it, I was enjoying PNSEs like there’s no tomorrow (Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience).

At first, these experiences scared me.

 

How I Escaped My “Dark Night Of The Soul”

 

I guess you could say I had what some people call a “Dark Night Of The Soul.”

It lasted for almost a year.

Across this period of time, I mainly experienced the oneness that the non-dualist Advaita Vedanta-types talk about.

And frankly… I didn’t like it.

For awhile, I couldn’t even understand the point of being alive at all given the conclusions this experience raised in me.

But then…

With consistent, persistent practice…

The warm soft glow Gary Weber talks about started to emerge.

It wasn’t like other stories where it just suddenly happens.

It was a soft glowing ember.

I have to keep blowing on it.

But it gets warmer and warmer.

And the more I explore the techniques and add kindling to the ember, the warmer this glow grows.

I almost can’t believe how amazing it all is…

I never want it to end.

And I want the whole world to have this feeling.

So to conclude this long 41st birthday blog post, here’s basically what I’ve been doing to grow this ember.

I have a feeling it will work for you too, even if it takes a while.

 

How You Can Meditate For Focus, Concentration, Memory & An Incredible Sense Of Well-Being In Just 15 Minutes A Day

 

1. I start the day with some simple stretching and movement.

I learned a lot of these moves years ago from Scott Sonnen and later in Systema.

2. I do some journaling.

Often I use The Freedom Journal. But I also use a number of different journals at the same time. It helps keep thoughts organized.

The point is to reserve some of your journaling for gratitude and another part for describing what I call the “Perfect Present.”

Basically, you just write out the way you want things to be.

And test your description for honesty by doing it multiple times.

3. I do three kinds of stretches I discovered in Happiness Beyond Thought.

The first just involves touching your toes.

The second is a kind of cow-tow thingy.

The third is like a sun dog yoga stretch

4. Breathing routines

I usually start by breathing in for a count of five, holding for a count of five and then exhaling for a count of five.

I do this until I feel centered.

Then I do this:

Next, I do breath withholding.

This involves breathing in for a count of 5, holding for a count of 16 (or four rounds of Sa Ta Na Ma), then breathing out for a count of eight.

I usually do this twice.

Finally, I will do the same count as before, but this time hold for sixteen with the lungs empty.

5. Number-Skipping with breathing

Next, I practice number-skipping.

I will inhale to the count of one, then breath in but suppress the thought of two, followed by counting the third breath.

This practice amounts in some ways to the “don’t think of a red cat” game. The very question practically forces you to think of a red cat.

And yet… strangely enough, it is possible to “skip” counting numbers by replacing them with the awareness that you are deliberately not counting the number.

So the number is there and it isn’t there.

This exercise is excellent for developing focus, concentrate and presence.

6. Language learning and memory training

We know that language learning helps develop white and grey matter in the brain.

That’s not the reason I do it, but I believe that spending at least a little bit of time every on language learning using memory techniques is part of the sense of well-being I experience.

It’s effortless to do. I talk a lot about it in this live discussion of using The Freedom Journal in combination with the Magnetic Memory Method:

7. Juggling

I don’t practice juggling every day, but I find the benefits incredible for developing focus and a feeling of well-being.

And check back here soon. I’m collecting footage for a little documentary about learning to juggle and recite the alphabet backwards. It’s kind of like juggling balls and thoughts at the same time.

And anyone can do it.

 

Anyone Can Experience Bliss

 

Well, that’s basically what I’ve done each and every day of my fortieth year.

It’s basically what I plan to do each and every day of my forty-first year too.

I wish I’d been doing it all along.

And I’m not going to fall prey to all of that “no regrets” nonsense.

No, I don’t really regret it…

But by the same token, I really do.

The past really could have been a lot better had I known to do these things sooner.

And if any of these suggestions make sense to you, I suggest taking action on them.

The sooner the better so that you can see what works and dismiss what doesn’t.

Failure to take action and try things is not to know.

Ignorance is most certainly not bliss.

Avoid it like the devil.

The post 4.1 Painful Life Mistakes Burned Into My Memory And How To Avoid Them appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - How to Memorize With A Memory Palace.

5 Memory Improvement Exercises That Don’t Require Another Annoying App

[image error]It’s annoying, isn’t it?

Your smartphone is supposed to be smart.

But instead, it’s packed full of junk you never use.

And if you’re like most people, you’ve downloaded a few brain trainers, some of which included memory improvement exercises.

Don’t worry. I’ve been there. And the good news is …

Memory Improvement Exercises Make Everything Better

It’s true. It’s not just about improving your memory. It’s also about bringing a higher level of fitness to your mind.

But the truth is that the science just doesn’t stand in favor of apps for exercising your memory.

Far from it.

Worse, companies have even been punished for some of the claims they make about the memory improvement an app can make possible.

Stop wasting your time on memory improvement apps.

Mind you …

I have discovered one that I think is worth your time and I’ll be talking about it later this year after I gather some more experience with it.

But for now – and even if you take up the app I’m using now in the future – you never need memory improvement apps in order to complete the best memory improvement exercises in the world.

Let’s dive in to my Top 5 faves.

5. The Gary Small Memory Improvement Exercise

It’s been awhile since I interviewed Dr. Gary Small, author of  the excellent book, 2 Weeks To A Younger Brain.

My favorite exercise from the book involves a simple exercise that will amaze you. You not only feel your memory improving over time, but you get a clarity boost too.

All you have to do is pay attention to people in the world.

Pick one of them.

Notice four details.

Then, later in the day, recall that person and the four details you noticed.

For example, the other day I chose a man I saw on the way to the gym. He wore a red scarf, black jacket, held his key in his hands and had scuffed brown shoes.

Don’t Try To Memorize!

This is important: I didn’t try to memorize these details.

Instead, I just noticed them and asked my brain to pay attention.

Then, on my way home from the gym and once again later in the day, I recalled those four details.

It’s such a simple exercise. Better than all the memory improvement vitamins in the world.

And it feels so good.

I’ve played a lot of memory improvement games and not a single one of them created nearly as much pleasure.

Best part:

You don’t have to stop with just one person. You can do this memory exercise all day long and really stretch yourself.

For example, when I got to the gym, I made it a point to notice four things about the woman at the desk who took my card and gave me my wristband.

I noticed the grooming of her eyebrows and the colors of her sweater, jogging pants and shoes.

And that made me more present.

Something we all need to be practicing. We know that meditation is good for the brain, and this exercise, although not a form of meditation, relates to the practice because of how it keeps you aware of your surroundings. Instead of being lost in thought, you’re actively paying attention to the world and the things you encounter in it.

4. Memorize Information From A Book

But not just any information.

Information that matters. Information that enhances the experience or even helps you make the world a better place.

For example, some of us are sloppy readers. Because character names are repeated so often, we never bother to memorize them. That, or the authors focus our attention on the in order to ensure that we instantly remember them.

But what if we made it our goal to actively practice our memory by making some memory improvement exercises from the characters?

For example, you can modify the Gary Small memory improvement game. Even if the author doesn’t provide visual details for you to practice remembering …

You Can Simply Make Them Up!

I do this all the time when reading. For example, the novel I’m reading now has a character named Stone Luckman. For obvious reasons, that name is instantly memorizable, especially since you can see the character getting stones thrown at him.

(Congrats to the novelist Matt Eaton of Blank for building an amazing mnemonic into this character’s name!)

But I add details. Like that he’s bald, has a scar on his cheek, wears a vest and knee-high military boots.

Disrespectful to the author?

Perhaps, but as Stephen King points out in On Writing, he tends to scrimp on physical details in his writing because he knows readers go ahead and paint their own portraits of the characters anyway.

The only question is …

Do Readers Remember Those Details?

Probably most don’t. But you most certainly can.

To let this exercise show you how to improve concentration and memory, give yourself a simple test with the next character you encounter in the novel you’re reading.

You are reading a novel, aren’t you? If not, no worries – the same exercise applies to non-fiction as well.

For example, I just finished reading No Limit: The Rise And Fall Of Bob Stupak And Las Vegas’ Stratosphere by John L. Smith. (Nothing like a book about buildings that can be used as Memory Palaces, right?

The Real Meaning Of Names And Your Memory: Why You Find It Hard To Remember Proper Names

[image error]Annoying, isn’t it?

You’re an attentive person and you care about people.

But no matter what, the names you encounter completely slip your mind.

And it happens in a flash. In one ear and out the other. Zap!

It’s not just the names of people either.

We’re talking about the names of:

Pets
People
Places
Months
Days
Holidays
Historical periods
Wars
Books
Vehicles
Events
Institutions

… and even adjectives derived from proper names.

 

The List Goes On And On!

 

The question is …

Why is information like this so darned difficult to remember?

Well, you’re in luck. Although some of the reasons may shock you, today you’re going to learn everything you need to know about exactly why proper names of all kinds of thing challenge your memory.

And as we go along, we’ll solve the problem so that names become much easier for you to remember.

 

Why The Meaning Of Names Fuels The Fire In Your Brain

 

At the most basic level, some names are easier to remember simply because they mean something as opposed to meaning nothing.

For example, The Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall are less challenging to remember than Ostkreuz and Shun Yi for most people because the names themselves come soaked in meaning.

But if you hit a name cold with no base line of familiarity … It slides out of your grip like sand.

Certain names also enter your memory at a younger age than others. Bugs Bunny, Marvin the Martian and Donald Duck all hold special favor in my memory because I’ve been encountering them for years.

But in the John Grisham novel I’m reading right now, I needed to deliberately go out of my way to remember the names of the characters. Names like Troy and Nate are so bland, there’s little for the mind to grab onto. Mnemonics to the rescue.

 

How Authors Trick Your Brain

Into Remembering Characters

 

Other novelists are good at making remember character names easy, however. I’m also reading Blank at the moment.

Author Matt Eaton uses names like Luckman. This naming strategy deliberately attaches meaning to the hero by reducing abstraction to a concrete signal that says this man has a relationship to luck. It tells your brain to look out for signs that confirm or disprove this, making the name instantly more memorable.

On the other hand, the meaning of names spikes in value when Maxine is subtly shifted to Max. This technique asks the reader to think about her name as an object and wonder if she abbreviates it because she’s fun and funky or to give her a masculine edge.

 

The Name-Letter Effect And Your

Brain’s Endless Name Meaning Search

 

The truth is that names usually have no meaning. And in the real world, there is no author in the sky using literary tricks to help you or find meaning in them.

But that doesn’t stop your brain from seeking the meaning of names when you encounter them.

For example, Jozef Nuttin has demonstrated your brain finds the alphabet letters in your name more attractive than others. Now called the , Nuttin’s discovery sheds light on why some people do better in school, gravitate towards certain cities and remember some names better than others.

In the main study, Nuttin presented students ranging from elementary school to university with letter pairs. Some were given random letters. Other subjects were given lists that more closely matched the letters in their names.

In either case, when asked to select the letters they preferred, all subjects showed a preference for letters that were in their own names. Although memory studies don’t all agree, it is possible that the Name-Letter Effect also explains why we remember some names better than others.

 

And It Seems To Appear In Just About Any Language!

 

Note that this effect does not appear to be language-specific. It has been tested in Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish. Other experimenters have tried it with other alphabets like cyrillic and done experiments to see if the effect persists into adulthood when people learn a foreign language that uses a different alphabet or character-set.

Also note that the Name Letter Effect might apply to numbers as well. Although I use the Major Method, I tend to find 2 and 7 easier than other numbers, and that advantage may reflect the fact that my birthday is overloaded with both of them.

 

Sound Has Its Own Sex And Success Appeal

 

There’s no doubt about it. Some names sound nicer than others.

And that appears to have a psychological effect. For example, if your name “sounds” like it belongs to a successful person, you may be motivated to fulfill the prophecy.

So one cool trick for remembering names a lot better you can explore is to always associate new information with successful people. This is why the Magnetic Memory Method teaches you to create lists of celebrities.

When you do this, you’re not just equipped with a “crib” of associations ready to go. You also have the success effect working in your favor.

 

How To Cut Through The Noise

And Remember Names Properly

 

One huge barrier to remembering names is noise. Sound can be crippling when it comes to remembering names. If you can’t hear it, you can’t guess how it’s spelled or properly pronounce it. And that means your brain can’t create proper pathways in the brain for remembering it.

In order to hear names better, you need to practice listening. You also need to monitor yourself for laziness and shyness.

For example, I have often made the fatal mistake of remembering names I didn’t hear correctly and then using memory techniques.

In combination with the Recency Effect, the Magnetic Memory Method is so powerful that the mistake can be impossible to shake. You wind up calling that person by the wrong name for the rest of the night.

The solution?

Ask people if you’ve got the pronunciation right. And then use your correct pronunciation to remember the name.

There’s no shame in asking and it buys you time to overcome some of the other things that make remembering names difficult.

But the ultimate barrier we all face is the lack of inherent meaning in most names.

 

Why Your Brain Always Drops The Ball Like A Bad Juggler

 

When you meet a new person, you’re not just meeting a name. You have the room around you, a face and all kinds body language and unconscious communication.

Plus, names rarely tell you what a person does. Someone being named “Baker,” for example, does not mean that they work as a baker. And if someone says they are named “Glirkzifal Mershkevork” and work as an architect, your brain is going to seize upon what it understands and skip over the information it has never encountered before.

Plus, your brain needs to store the name in a different area than it does the information about the Glirkzifal being an architect. The filtering happens due to something called “plausible phonology.” Even though you likely have never heard the name Mershkevork, your brain accomodates the idea that such a name exists.

(On the other hand, if someone says that they’re a mershkeverker, your brain will do a backflip trying to figure out if such an occupation exists.)

Given the split-processes and the fact that most names have no meaning, you’re in trouble. Unless you’re using memory techniques, you’re bound to drop the ball on the harder to remember information.

 

3 Language Features That Make

Names Easier To Remember

 

Luckily, there are some features and conventions of names and naming that make the meaning of names irrelevant. Understanding these will make a huge difference for your success.

1. Names are both acoustic and physiological.

In almost all cases, you have the opportunity to experience names both in your ears and using the muscles of your mouth. You can also see many names represented in writing on paper.

By simply taking time to notice the different perceptions you go through when encountering names, you’ll improve how you remember them.

2. Some names have “logogens.”

For example, I might say the name Jon.

As a listener of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you might immediately think that I’m talking about Jonathan Levi. (His , if you’re interested.)

The reason his name would come to mind is because Jon is a logogen within a context you understand.

But I could have said “John” and meant “John Wayne.”

The point is that most names have some kind of logogen in them. To take our friend “Glirkzifal Mershkevork” again, “ifal” and “kevork” are deliberately implanted logogens for real names like Percival and Kevorkian.

No matter what names you encounter, and no matter how difficult they may seem, you can always look for the logogens within them to help you make memorable associations.

3. Phonetic Symbolism.

The meaning of names is often found in sound. For example, approximately half of words that begin with “gl” words are visual in nature: glance, glitter, gleam, glow, glower, glimpse.

Likewise, many “fl” words are associated with light, such as flash, flare and flicker.

In fact, a 1929 study by Edward Sapir showed that there is some relationship between vowels and the meaning of words related to size, speed, brightness, pleasantness and disgust.

For example, listen to how the vowel /u/ helps convey meaning in these words: dull, blunder, clumsy, mucky, muddled, bunged up and bungled.

Many authors have noted the relationship between meaning and sound in naming characters, particularly Charles Dickens and the marketing departments of many companies. And, of course, any time you meet a person, you can use memory techniques to inject your own meaning into any sound. You just need to pay attention to how names sound in the first place.

 

Never Be Satisfied With Your Memory

 

The takeaways from all this doom and gloom about your memory?

You have options, even if the meaning of names is never apparent to you.

One of the biggest option is to simply start paying more attention to language, both sound and physiology. Take time to expose yourself to interesting names and words.

Be disciplined about this practice and extend it to looking at visual representations of names. There are entire branches of art devoted to representing words. For example, check out the Visual Poetry section at Ubu. You’ll find amazing pieces like this by b.p. nichol:

[image error]

But It’s Always Okay To Make Mistakes

 

But even though we should never be satisfied with our memory, it’s important to understand that you never make errors with your memory. You only learn lessons about how it works and how to make it better.

But you need to take risks. And when you forget things, simply explain to people that you’re working on your memory. And tell them that’s it’s not just about your memory.

It’s about the health of your brain.

And that means it’s also about the quality of your life.

You do want a good life, don’t you?

The post appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - Memory Improvement Made Easy With Anthony Metivier.

Digital Amnesia: 5 Ways To Stop Google From Ruining Your Memory

[image error]Annoying, isn’t it?

You say to yourself, “I’ll just Google it.”

Then you do. Get the goods. Move on.

Only problem is …

Next time you need the info …

Thanks To digital amnesia …

 

It’s Gone!

 

Honestly, this condition called “digital amnesia” or Google Amnesia”  … stinks.

Not only do you have a fine brain humming along in your skull. There are also a gazillion good reasons why you should be using it properly.

Yes, properly. Even if you really can just look stuff up online.

The good news is that 2017 is the best year ever to use your memory at the highest possible level.

And this is the year you’re going to make it happen.

Here’s how:

 

You Can’t Annihilate A Problem You Haven’t Defined

 

It’s fun to throw around cool terms like “The Google Effect” and “Digital Dependence.”

But until you’ve spent some time defining the monster, you’ll have a hard time setting it on fire. Or at least using your torches to herd it out of the village.

So what exactly is “Digital Amnesia”?

Back in 2015, the Internet security company Kaspersky lab put out an interesting report on the matter. You really should read it.

To condense the report for you, digital amnesia occurs whenever your mind draws a blank on information you’ve stored on a device you trust.

And as the report suggests, this outcome isn’t always a bad thing. For example, do you really need to remember the thousands of website addresses you’ve bookedmarked (and never visited again)?

 

Heavens No!

 

But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Also included is information like the phone numbers of family members and friends.

And the reality is that by not remembering them anymore, we’re endangering lives as we weaken our brains.

Seriously.

Without knowing the numbers of your loved ones, what would you do in an emergency if your phone wasn’t working? Ask a good Samaritan if he remembers your spouse’s number?

No way, Jose. That’s your job. And you’ve got all the tools you need to get all kinds of simple number strings done when you use the Major Method.

 

How To Suck The Life Out Of Half Your Brain

 

Ever heard of “deskilling”? It basically means that you become less capable over time because you’re no longer using certain skills.

And that can only lead to bad outcomes:

* A destroyed brain

* Crappy employment

* No employment

So how exactly does having Google and your devices remember everything for you destroy your brain?

Simple.

When you develop dependence on technology, the areas of your brain responsible for memory start to decay. Just like the muscles in your body would do if you stopped walking.

 

The Truth About Deskilling Your Brain

 

No, deskilling the muscles of your memory won’t necessarily happen to you overnight.

But one day you’ll wake up and …

Bam! You Can Barely Remember A Thing!

And it gets worse.

Because memory has a sibling.

Concentration.

And as long as you have the Internet at your fingertips, you don’t even bother using your concentration to try and access things you might actually have in your memory.

 

How To Put A Barrier Between Need And Action

 

Instead of instantly searching for information you already know, pause for a second.

Give your memory a bit of space. Ask and you might just receive.

But when you push it away and go straight to the search engines, you’re deskilling your memory every time.

And that means you’re also damaging your concentration.

The good news is that you can improve focus fast with these tips, but there will be more work to be done.

 

Starve The Brain To Rebuild The Brain

 

Yes, I’m talking about destroying digital amnesia by going on an information diet.

But wait! you protest. I don’t want to miss out on –

Miss out on what? More fake news of the impending apocalypse?

Come close, my friend. I’ll show you exactly how to take a powerful, memory-boosting digital detox so you can seriously improve your entire life in the process.

 

Stop Letting The Internet Push You Around

 

Here’s a little secret for you:

I have never once “allowed push notifications.”

So far, I don’t think I’ve missed out on anything of any interest. I could be horribly wrong about that, but I recommend you never accept notifications of any kind in your life that you don’t control.

By being in control of when you’re disrupted, you automatically improve your ability to concentrate.

 

Fight Digital Amnesia Like A Magnetic Jedi

 

For a real Jedi Mind Trick memory exercise, try setting a notification with a positive message for 12:03 p.m. every day.

Then work on remembering and reminding yourself that the notification comes at that time. It’s tough, but doable. Your mind really can track time and remind itself to remember.

(For more cool Mind Tricks like these, check out my post on brain exercises.)

 

Put Your Devices In The Dog House

 

Virginia Woolf famously wrote that writers need their own rooms to create in without disruption.

Well, all humans need their own place to sleep without their machines. Problem is, so many people use their devices as alarm clocks. This sad fact means that they’re checking their notifications and messages before even stepping out of bed.

That’s no way to build a better brain.

Instead, put your laptops and smartphones out in a hallway closet, kitchen or completely other room.

If you need something to wake you up, use an old fashioned analog clock or one of those fancy lamps that slowly turns on over time. That gives you the effect of waking up with the sun and gives you a great dose of light that will contribute great things to your health.

 

Use Airplane Mode Without Fear

 

It’s no secret that I write almost every episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast on my iPhone.

But people ask me all the time, How on earth do you do it?

There’s actually a long answer coming out in a new training I’m putting out, but the fast and dirty response is: Airplane mode.

I concentrate like there’s no tomorrow when writing because Airplane Mode prevents anything and everything from contacting my iPhone. And since all Push Notifications have been disabled, it’s just me, my words and the music.

Same things go for when I’m using The Big Five Of Language Learning in combination with my Pimsleur Memory Technique:

There’s nothing to interrupt me as I exercise my memory. And that means that my concentration muscles grow at the same time.

Remember this simple equation:

 

Exercising Your Memory =

Improving Your Concentration

 

However, don’t make the mistake in thinking that it works the other way around. Concentration is a tool that helps you remember more based on paying better attention. But it’s not a sure-fire guarantee.

That’s why it pays to learn how to use memory techniques. (You are subscribed to this blog and have taken my free video course, right? If not, just scroll up and tell me where to send it.)

 

Cut The Umbilical Cord At Least Once A Week

 

Don’t worry, it’ll grow back.

I’m serious:

The ultimate way to help your brain is simple:

Take entire blocks of time away from the digital onslaughts to which we subject ourselves.

When you start, start small.

Vow to not check your device and stay off all computers for an hour.

Just one hour.

Doable, right?

You bet it is.

Then see if you can’t extend it to an entire 24 hours.

And listen, you’re not getting this advice from a wanker who doesn’t walk his talk.

Hard as it sometimes, week after week, I perform at least one digital fast.

 

What To Do During Your Digital Fast

 

Personally, I like to have options.

But if I were to boil things down to one portrait, here’s one of my fave “digital detox walkabouts.”

First, I pop a blank page notebook into my backpack along with a bunch of colored pens.

Then I pack in my Chinese character book and a deck of playing cards.

Next comes a bottle of water, usually my Soul Bottle.

All that done, I head out the door.

No podcasts, no music, no communications technology.

And when you do this, it’ll be great because it’ll be …

 

Nothing But You And Your Memory!

 

If you’re still with me, let’s play do-as-I-do.

Picture yourself walking from your home to your favorite park or cafe.

Depending on the weather, you go outside some place where you can soak in the sun.

Heck, you might even do some of these exercises just standing on the side of the street:

Or, if you’re doing a coffee and memory experiment or it’s unpleasant outside, you head for your favorite cafe.

While walking, you think about all the buildings you’re passing. You enter the odd shop you’ve never been in and consume it into your memory for use as a Memory Palace.

You notice a street you’ve never walked down before and take it.

Then, when you’ve reached your destination, you get out your supplies.

Since you’re the author of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, you’ll start with a …

 

MMBD (Mind Map Brain Dump)

 

Or you’ll use your blank notebook to do something else memory-related you’re not telling anyone about … yet.

The 5 Biggest Reasons Entrepreneurs Need Memory Techniques

[image error]Entrepreneurs need a ton of skills to achieve their goals.

And let’s face it:

The amount of material entrepreneurs need to learn can be downright discouraging. Just to stand a chance of “making it” requires so much know-how that a lot of people give up.

Here’s the good news:

You don’t have to give up on your entrepreneurial dreams.

You can learn and remember everything you need to know.

And you can recall it all with ease.

But as they say in the entrepreneurial world, a lot of success comes from first knowing your “why.” That’s why in this post I’m going to talk about the 5 biggest reasons entrepreneurs need memory techniques.

 

Don’t Discount Any Of These!

 

Each is important, and you’ll find that the Magnetic Memory Method covers each. If you haven’t already taken the free course I’ve got for you, grab the memory kit and get ready for an amazing memory boost that will impressive the pants off you and everyone you know.

 

1. Not Being Able To Remember Numbers

May Be Causing More Lost Revenue

Than You Can Imagine

 

Numbers overload the average life lived in business:

Conversion rates

Tax percentages

Statistical formulas

Phone numbers

Identification codes

Dates and times

… and many, many more.

A huge part of the success of any entrepreneurial enterprise links directly with how well you can manage numbers like these. You can’t wring more profit out of numbers you haven’t remembered, after all. And you can’t even begin to understand math concepts you haven’t committed to memory.

To get better at memorizing numbers, it’s important that you learn the Major Method (sometimes called The Major System).

 

What Is The Major Method?

 

It’s a way of quickly memorizing numbers by turning them into images.

There are different ways of using the Major Method, but to get started, associate each number from 0-9 with a sound. Here’s what I use based on a standard approach popular around the world:

0 = soft c, s, z

1 = d or t

2 = n

3 = m

4 = r

5 = l

6 = ch, j, sh

7 = g, k

8 = f, v

9 = b, p

But right now, you’re probably wondering …

 

How On Earth Am I Supposed

To Remember All Of That?!?

 

It’s pretty easy – if you’re willing to experiment. I won’t give you an example for each number, but to get you started:

For zero, you could see a giant snake hissing as it eats its own tail. The shape of a snake in a circle resembles the digit 0. The sound of hissing reminds you of the ’s’ and soft ‘c’ sound options.

For nine, look closely: From one perspective, it’s like a ‘b’ standing on its head. From another perspective, it’s a golf club facing the wrong direction and driven down into the ground.

Check out five. If you hold out your left hand and stick out your thumb, you’ll notice that you have five digits. The pointer finger and thumb make an L-shape.

 

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

 

Let’s put it all together.

If you wanted to remember a number like 905, the Major Method gives you several options with these letter-sounds. You’d just need to pop in a few vowels so you can make a word.

For example, 905 could be:

Basel (the herb) or Brazil (the country on a map or the Terry Gilliam movie).

509 could be an image of yourself speaking with a lisp.

590 could be Jennifer Lopez. Make her leaping to compound the 5 and 9 and it’ll be even easier to remember.

This Is Just The Beginning Of Remembering Numbers With Ease

Give this memory technique a try. You’ll find that it does wonders for your memory improvement.

And it’s fun to give your friends challenges, like Jonathan Levi and I have done. Even just a short run of numbers like the serial numbers on a dollar bill makes for great memory exercise in a restaurant.

Just make sure that you’re not totally exhausted – and even then the techniques can still work wonders. Here’s the full story:

I can’t stress how important the ability to remember numbers is for an entrepreneur so please get busy and let me know how you fare.

 

2. A Simple Way To Remember Names That Works

Even In The Noisiest Convention Halls And Business Meetings

 

As an entrepreneur, you meet a lot of people.

And there’s nothing worse than forgetting someone’s name.

It’s embarrassing. It’s crude. It’s unnecessary.

To learn how to remember names, check out this Magnetic Memory Method Podcast and the accompanying illustrations. You’ll find it useful.

In brief, all you need for getting started with remembering names is the ability to make associations. You can create your Magnetic associations in advance or on the fly.

Let’s look at both options. I will ultimately suggest that you learn both … you’ll need them!

 

The Magnetic Memory Method Name Crib 

 

Some people who use memory techniques create databanks of celebrities in their minds. That way, whenever they meet someone new, they can make instant associations.

For example, I have Tom Cruise as my instant go-to name when I meet a new person named Tom. When I meet someone named Lars, I whip out Lars Ulrich, the drummer from Metallica. New people I meet named Sarah are instantly paired with Linda Hamilton, who played Sarah Connor in The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

The great thing about having predetermined celebrities and fictional characters is that the associations require zero thought. You meet the new person and then – BAM! – you can instantly see your new pal Tom in a fistfight with Tom Cruise.

The Martial Art Of Remembering Names Method

 

But what happens when you meet someone with a name from another culture? It’s not that the name “Gangador Dianand” is unusual – it’s just not one you’d expect to come across every day.

Yet, it is a real name and if you’re serious about memory techniques, you’re going to want the ability to memorize it as quickly as you can memorize a name like Tom.

In this case, you need to be able to chop the name into pieces and use Magnetic Memory Method Word Division. This mnemonic tool helps with associating images to just the “gang” part of “Gangador” and another image with the “ador” part.

[image error]

Also super-easy. All you need is to see something like a gang bursting through a door. If the gang “adores” the door they’re banging through, all the better. Just think about how you can make that “adoration” visual in your mind’s eye.

What about “Dianand”?

Also not a problem.

Remember Princess Diana? I sure do. And I also know what an ampersand is.

[image error]

All that’s needed after that is a way of getting Diana and the ampersand interacting in a strange way.

And when you put it all together, you can make a little story:

A gang who adores a door bust through and catch Princess Diana smooching with an ampersand.

 

But Wait! I’m Not That Creative!

 

I hear this excuse often.

Here’s the thing:

You don’t have to be creative to get started.

As Benny Lewis points out in Fluent in 3 Months, using these techniques makes you more creative. And the more you practice creating associations, the easier and faster it gets.

Just give it a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how practicing memory techniques rewires your mind and memory for entrepreneurial success at many levels.

 

3. Join The Elite Crew Of Entrepreneurs

Who Can Quote The Facts Right Every Time

 

There’s nothing more impressive than an entrepreneur who has a handle on the facts.

Let’s face it. Consumers are more skeptical than ever. If you haven’t got your details in order and wind up stumbling all over the place to communicate your business knowledge, you have no reason to expect anyone will take you seriously.

The only question is … how do you remember facts?

You’ve got options, but the number one technique to learn is how to create and use a Memory Palace.

 

What’s A Memory Palace?

 

A Memory Palace is a mental construct based on a real building. It can also be an imaginary, “Virtual Memory Palace,” but for beginners, taking something simple like your childhood home works the best.

Remember how we were just talking about Jennifer Lopez and 590?

Well, the way a Memory Palace works is that you would place an image of her leaping all over the place on the desk in your study. Or you would have her leaping in the clothes washer.

You can place images like Jennifer Lopez anywhere you like, but it’s best to have a strategic way of creating your Memory Palace so that you’re not just placing her any old place and hoping and praying you’ll find your way back to her. Make sure you’ve taken my free course to ensure that you know the best ways to create a Memory Palace and avoid all problems.

Then, when you have some facts you want to memorize, create images that help trigger those facts back to you. For example, a few weeks back, I memorized some information about Canada’s second-ever Prime Minister.

You can model this approach for any facts that you’d like to memorize. It’s easy, fun and will rapidly increase your expertise.

 

4. The Ability To Remember Quotes That

Will Get Everyone Talking About You

 

If there’s one thing that binds entrepreneurs together, it’s the love of quotes.

You’ve probably heard this famous line from Zig Ziglar, to take one example:

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

As cool as Ziglar’s quote is, it really means nothing if you can’t remember and pull it out at the right time. Entrepreneurs equipped with memory techniques have no problems, however. They can simply use the tools of the Magnetic Memory Method and zip any motivational quote they want into memory and recall it with ease.

The Memory Palace is also the go-to technique in this case. Once you know how to use it, you just need to prepare and organize the quotes you want to memorize. When you hear a good one, you can also memorize it on the fly with ease so long as you have a solid understanding of how to use the ground beneath your feet as a Memory Palace.

 

Wisdom Is Just One Vertical (Or Horizontal) Pillar Away

 

When memorizing poetry using a Memory Palace, the temptation is to work horizontally.

Nothing wrong with that. It works gangbusters.

But for shorter pieces of information, like quotes, the entrepreneur can also try memorizing the words in vertical pillars.

I recommend starting from the top corner of a room and then working your way down.

For example, if you want to memorize the Ziglar quote, you can try seeing Pippi Longstocking in the ceiling corner attacking a jury with a vicious motive. “Pippi” basically sounds like “people” and her having a motive for the attack will help recall the notion of “motivation.”

Beneath that, you can see her bathing in a huge bathtub full of calendars. That will help you remember the core idea of bathing and the calendars will help you remembering that bathing, like motivation, is something entrepreneurs require daily.

Heck, everybody could use a dose of both daily hygiene and continually renewing impetus … don’t you think?

 

5. The Ability To Conceive Of And

See Large Systems Full Of Moving Parts

 

At the meta-level, perhaps the most powerful reason entrepreneurs would do well to use memory techniques is how they get you working with macroscopic and microscopic pieces of information at the same time.

Think about it:

If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you’ve got to have a handle on multiple processes all at the same time. And you’ve got to be able to see them in your mind at a glance.

What better way to prepare the mind for this need than working with a system of Memory Palaces and information that will make you a better entrepreneur?

Memory techniques not only help you with the skill of seeing the big picture and the granular details at the same time. Having a strong memory distinguishes you as a professional.

If you aren’t already using memory techniques, I strongly encourage you to get on board with them. They will not only change your life, but help you do much bigger things for the people you serve in your business.

That’s the desire that drives you every day and the next level is right around the corner. All you need to get started is a bit of training. Subscribe for my free Magnetic Memory Method training using the “Start Here” registration form above.

The post The 5 Biggest Reasons Entrepreneurs Need Memory Techniques appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - Memory Improvement Made Easy With Anthony Metivier.

The 2016 MMM State Of Your Memory Address

[image error]Was 2016 as amazing for you as it was for me?

If you did anything to experience memory improvement, I’ll bet it was great.

Probably even Magnetic.

My top highlight?

Getting interviewed on my own show by none other than SuperLearner Jonathan Levi.

So even there though’s a lot of groovy things to read on this page and year end links to explore …

Scroll up and hit that play button. Jonathan helps me dig deep into the Mind of a Memorizer.

And it’s all kind of fascinating, because when you think about it …

 

Who Knew You Could Still Improve

The Ancient Art Of Memory Improvement?

 

Hard to believe, but totally true.

And you can do it even if you were a “delinquent youth,” which is just one of the topics we touch upon in the interview.

We also talk about dealing with Manic Depression without medication …

The nature of truth and memory …

And my top book and movie recommendations, including:

Books

The Republic

The Nichomachean Ethics

Better Never To Have Been: The Harm Of Coming Into Existence

Movies

Lost Highway (best memory quote in cinema history)

eXistenZ

The Matrix

And while you’re jamming your way through those great movies, I have to say that my all time favorite video course from 2016 has been SuperLearner 2.0:

[image error]

 

Thanks to my friendship with Jonathan, you can now take a free trial of the SuperLearner Academy. Thanks for that, Jonathan!

An Easy Way To Learn Chinese That Works For People Bored By Mindless Repetition

Except for the threats, the sirens and the guys with guns … last night was amazing for my memory.

First, April got invited to make dumplings to celebrate the last day of Autumn and the first day of Winter on the Chinese calendar.

I love the Magnetic Memory Method because I was able to remember those words in Chinese …

秋天 qiūtiān (Autumn)

冬天 dōngtiān (Winter)

Crazy thing is … I’d only heard them once in my life and used an impromptu Memory Palace to memorize them.

Months later …

 

Still Intact

 

Sure, I had a bit of a pronunciation problem, but that’s muscle memory. It’s understandable that words you don’t use for months that you only heard once don’t exactly snap into place.

But what a GREAT feeling to be able to remember them! And all by doing something I really love:

Using my memory.

After that, we were shooting video and getting into more of the particulars about how all this works.

 

We Got Lost!

 

We wound up getting a bit lost and keeping warm inside the bank machine area of a building.

And that’s when the threats and guns appeared.

Turns out, that a guy didn’t like me having the camera on while April was teaching me how to say, “I’m lost” in Chinese.

Good thing the Magnetic Memory Method teaches relaxation as part of the memory technique …

You certainly need to be calm when a stranger starts telling you what you can and cannot do.

It’s hard managing your defensive instincts and memory at the same time.

(You’ll laugh when you see my reaction in the video and the guns that were there to keep us safe all along).

So yes, April and I survived.

 

Perfect Recall … Even Under Duress

 

And the coolest thing is that I was still able to memorize “I am lost” in Chinese.

I can still remember exactly how to say it this morning.

Not to mention a couple of other words and phrases.

Like, “Smells good!”

And “garbage can.”

 

Instantly Memorized!

 

No sweat.

No tears.

No index cards.

No software.

But as I was editing the video this morning … it occurred to me that not everyone learning Chinese has access to native speakers.

And in the video I was talking about some solutions. They’re all part of The Big Five of Language Learning.

But then I remembered something really special I’ve been following for awhile.

It’s a website called MandarinHQ.

And when they released a course on real spoken Chinese, I jumped at the chance yesterday to grab access to it.

It’s called The Real Spoken Chinese Vault.

Yes, I laid down some cash even though I have a Chinese native speaker in my family.

 

Why?

 

Partly because I like to support awesome people out on the Internet who do good work.

But also because I do memory research.

Lots of it.

And I also want to support  because what I’m about to tell you helps solve a huge problem for people learning Chinese.

It’s the “Can you please repeat that?” problem.

 

Chinese Native Speakers On Demand

 

Imagine having a video course where you get access to vocabulary and short phrases that lets you …

Instantly click a button …

… and then instantly hear that phrase again.

That would be cool, wouldn’t it?

Well, The Real Spoken Chinese Vault isn’t just about audio.

 

You Can Hear Them And See Them

 

The Real Spoken Chinese Vault also has video.

And you get strategically placed buttons so that you can see and hear 4-5 different native speakers repeat key phrases you’ll need to learn.

It’s the kind of button I wish I had in real life when learning a language.

 

For When You Can’t Put Life On Pause

 

Because, yes, I can memorize information in real time.

But sometimes it’s nice to be able to slow the world down and repeat things so I’m sure I’ve heard it right.

In fact, most of my memorization errors from real-time memory work come from now having heard it right.

What you’re about to learn about solves that problem.

Again, you get to SEE and HEAR native Chinese speakers.

 

A Lot In The Form Of Important

Questions And Answers

 

Just like you’ll need to know in every day speech.

But there’s more.

Not much more, but just enough more to make this powerful package a no-brainer:

Because the program really wants to help you learn Chinese without overwhelming you …

Imagine a progression of exposure to the language in each lesson.

You start with seeing and hearing the speaker.

 

Progressive Exposure

Reduces Cognitive Overwhelm

 

You can repeat each one delivering the phrase as many times as you like.

Then, when you’re ready, you can see the pinyin.

Same principle applies.

Click that magic repeat button all that you like as you watch and listen.

And then move on to the next stage.

 

When You’re Ready …

 

Then, and only then will you see the Chinese characters on the screen.

Your magic repeat button is right there, ready for use.

This program truly is one of the only times I will support hard-repetition. It’s very smartly done.

It’s not boring.

It’s not painful.

And you learn in a way that doesn’t waste your language learning time.

I also like that each module ends in a quiz.

 

You Get To Test Yourself

 

So far, I’ve done really well and LOVE this program.

And you can get lifetime access now at a HUGE discount (time is running out, though!)

So let me introduce you to my friend Angel to explain her “listening framework” in detail.

If you want to join me in the course, before the deadline …

I’m going to do you even one better:

I’m going to make you a short video course of what I’m doing to memorize the material I need from the course using the Magnetic Memory Method.

But here’s the thing:

This bonus is only for people who take Angel’s course and keep it.

She’s being VERY generous with this discount for early adopters on LIFETIME ACCESS.

And I only want to reward people who take it for 30-days along with me.

So that means I’ll be sending you your access to the MMM Chinese Vault Supplemental 30-days after you grab The Real Spoken Chinese Vault before the deadline.

Just click here right now to check out The Real Spoken Chinese Vault now.

Can’t wait to share more of my Chinese memory journey with you soon!

Sincerely,

Anthony

P.S. Remember: This amazing opportunity for LIFETIME access to Angel’s The Real Chinese Vault with its unique listening and viewing framework closes soon. You should at least look it over.

P.P.S. You’re right. One bonus from me isn’t enough.

I’m also going to throw in a video I’ve already made about how that I quickly memorize Chinese poetry.

The poems are usually only 4 lines long, but I only need to hear them once. Recall is so strong that I am delighted by the response of native Chinese speakers.

Just check out this email I received after dinner the other night:

“Dear Anthony,

It was definitely happy time having dinner with you.

Especially, I checked out your website, that’s amazing. Those techniques, please forgive me that I call them techniques, help people memorize things. Actually, I was shocked that day, with your Mandarin.

As you know, not even all of real Chinese people speak 100% correct mandarin. And the way you were trying to memorize the few Chinese poems is cool. When I was trying to memorize the same poem at very young age, I don’t know what those words/characters mean. I just repeat it again and again. Those are ancient/classical Chinese words and very different from nowadays.”

​If you’d like to get emails like that yourself from native Chinese speakers, don’t miss out on my bonus. Scroll and click that link for The Real Chinese Vault now.

P.P.P.S. Oh, okay, yes after 30-days in The Real Chinese Vault, you can also get access to my Secret Chinese Vocabulary Facebook Group.

Unlike some of the other FB groups I run, this one isn’t free and the fun for language learners who use memory techniques is only getting started …​​​​

Scroll up, click the link and check out The Real Spoken Chinese Vault now.

The post An Easy Way To Learn Chinese That Works For People Bored By Mindless Repetition appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - Memory Improvement Made Easy With Anthony Metivier.

Memory Palace Science: Proof That This Memory Technique Works

[image error]In the modern world of omnipresent information access, memorization is almost a thing of the past.

And this shift has occurred very quickly. Little more than a decade ago, it wasn’t uncommon that a person had to memorize a sizable list of phone numbers belonging to partners, siblings, parents and close friends.

Now Many Of Us Forget Our Own Cell Phone Numbers!

 

Despite this, there are situations in the modern day that still require memorization. Perhaps phone numbers and historical facts are better left to Google, but not everything can and should be searched via a computer.

A notable example which is becoming conversant is “language” – which requires that you memorize a huge amount of vocabulary and grammar.  Until now, there isn’t a technology effective enough to replace human ability to learn and master a language.

In the past, having to memorize information was not optional because information wasn’t easily accessible. Up until the 19th century, paper was expensive, especially for quantities required to make a book.  To add to it was that not many people could read and write so the ability and need to memorize and recall information was critical.

 

Why The Greeks Adored Memory Palace Science

 

That’s why a powerful memorization method was adored by the ancient Greeks. This technique is used even as at today by memory experts to commit huge amounts of information to mind.

One such memory expert, used it to memorize Pi to over 100,000 digits. This memorization technique is called the Method of Loci, or more commonly the “Memory Palace”. It is a memorization method that not only has held the test of time, but has been shown to be effective through modern-day studies.

You may even have heard of the Memory Palace technique without realizing it because it has been featured in multiple books and media.

 

The Silence Of The Memory Palace

In Fiction And Movies

 

For example, the technique was employed by the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the novel series “Hannibal” written by an American author Thomas Harris. In several passages of the novel, Lecter was described as mentally walking through an elaborate memory palace to remember facts. That’s the basics of the Memory Palace technique.

Although relatively unknown, this method can be a game-changing technique for people who want to improve their ability to retain large amounts of information. You might be a student trying to master information for an exam, or an aspiring polyglot trying to learn Italian. You might be aging and finding it more difficult to recall routine information.

Whatever memorization challenge you face, the Memory Palace technique is a proficient way to finally help you achieve your goals.

 

How the Memory Palace Technique Evolved

 

The origin of the Memory Palace technique was traced to ancient Greece. As mentioned earlier, in the olden days, people had higher incentives to create effective methods of retaining information. Writing and writing materials were difficult to access.

The Memory Palace technique was introduced to the ancient Romans and the world via Greek rhetorical treatises.

The Roman Cicero described the Memory Palace technique in his writings on rhetoric, called De Oratore.

In De Oratore, Circero claims that the method originated from the Greek poet Simonides. Simonides was commissioned to recite a poem praising a group of nobles at a banquet. After the recitation, Simonides left the hall and shortly after the edifice collapsed and killed all the people in the banquet.

The bodies were so badly mangled that not even close relatives could identify the corpses of their own people. However, Simonides was able to identify each of the corpses by name based on their location. Based on this experience, Simonides devised the Memory Palace technique (Bower 1970).

Whether this story is reality or myth, it illustrates the basic idea behind the Memory Palace technique. Luckily, you don’t have to attend a tragic banquet to master the technique and start using it to improve your information retention.

For a true story that will rivet you from beginning to end, check out The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci.

 

How to Create a Memory Palace

 

The basic idea behind the Memory Palace Technique is to associate pieces of information with a location that you are very familiar with. A prime example would be of your home.

If you close your eyes right now, you can probably picture your home with a high degree of detail. You know where the furniture is found, what colors the walls are, and even where small objects are placed.

The Memory Palace technique has to do with associating information with specific areas of that familiar location. As you walk through that location, you place pieces of information that you wish to memorize in specific areas. When you want to recall the information, you go through that mental route, and the information will be easily accessible.

The technique is made more effective when you add surprising or out-of-the normal features to the information.

For example, assuming you would like to memorize this sequence of words:

hero
drill
spacecraft
music

You could imagine yourself at your front door, with a hero standing next to you. Here you’ve made an association between your door and a hero.

You can increase your ability to memorize and retain this by making the memory more distinctive or unusual. For example, you could imagine the hero opening the door for you, or banging on it before you enter.

You then walk down your hall, and before your feet is a drill. To increase the power of this imagery, imagine that it is turned on and you have to leap to avoid being hurt.

You then turn the corner and see a spacecraft flying out of the window leaving behind itself a trail of glitter.

Finally, you sat down on the couch, and as your bottom touches the cushion, your favorite song starts playing. You might even imagine the word “music” written on the cushion before you sit.

As you can see, the technique takes a vivid visual imagination. However, when done correctly, you can memorize a very large amount of information relatively quickly.

You can use any home or location with which you are familiar. You can even use small areas, such as the inside of a broom closet. You can even use your own body, attaching information to different limbs.

If any of this seems odd, continue reading to be convinced of how seriously well the Memory Palace technique works.

 

The Science behind the Memory Palace Technique

 

Many studies have been conducted to analyze the effectiveness of the Memory Palace technique.

In a study conducted by J. Ross and K. A. Lawrence in 1968, the Memory Palace technique was tested on a group of 40 students. The students were asked to memorize a list of 40 items. They were given only a few minutes to do so, yet were able to recall an average of 38 out of 40 items upon immediate recall.

The next day, the average recall rate dropped to 34 out of 40 items – still very impressive!

Nature Magazine did an investigation of so-called superior memorizers (SM) in a 2002 paper (Maguire et al). They studied a group of 10 champions who had competed in the World Memory Championships.

The researchers first wanted to know if these SMs had some special natural advantages that other people do not have, such as a higher IQ.

They first found out that SMs did not have exceptional cognitive abilities. In fact, they did not even show superior performance on visual memory tasks (for example, the recall of faces).

The paper further investigated the brain structure of these SMs, and found out that their brains were not significantly different from average brains (Maguire et al 2002).

The scientists also performed functional MRI scans to see if the SMs brains were activated differently when actively memorizing. Here the SMs brains differed from normal brains – SM’s brains activated particularly when memorizing (Maguire et al 2002).

Significantly, scientists found out that SMs all used mnemonic techniques to aid in their memorization. Nine out of ten of these subjects were specifically using the Memory Palace technique (Maguire et al 2002).

The different activation patterns observed were associated to the fact that SMs used mnemonic techniques, namely the Memory Palace technique, to memorize information (Maguire et al 2002).

 

No Need For A Huge IQ To Use A Memory Palace!

 

It’s not that SMs are smarter or have bigger brains than the rest of us. It’s that they use mnemonics, and specifically the Memory Palace technique to memorize information. That is the secret behind their impressive abilities. And because these SMs had been practicing the technique for a little over 11 years on average, they were really good (Maguire et al 2002).

This suggests that anyone with average abilities can use this technique to improve his/her memory.

Even if you are not seeking to learn large amounts of information, the Memory Palace technique still has something to offer. There is evidence that the Memory Palace technique can help maintain a healthy brain during old age.

 

Benefits of the Memory Palace

Technique for the Aging Brain

 

As we age, our memories become weaker. In elderly people, this might lead to a frustrating situation where they are struggling to recall routine information.

There has been much study on age-related memory loss, but so far not many effective solutions to this problem.

Happily, the Memory Palace technique holds promise in aiding the enhancement of memory in the aging brain.

One study conducted in Norway in 2010 employed expert instructors, who taught the Memory Palace technique to 23 volunteers. The average age of these volunteers was 61 (Engvig et al 2010).

After training, these volunteers were able to memorize a list of 30 words in sequential order in under 10 minutes – impressive!

A control group, a set of volunteers of the same average age, sex and education was included in the study. They were not trained in the Memory Palace technique, and were instructed to memorize the list as well (Engvig et al 2010).

Afterwards, both groups were released into the world to live normally for eight weeks.

When they returned to the study, researchers challenged both groups to a recall task.

They first flashed a list of 15 unrelated words, each for only a second. The volunteers were then instructed to recall the words in order.

Researchers then showed them a list of 30 words. Half of these words had been displayed in the initial 15 word list while the other half was completely new.

The volunteers were asked to pick out words that had previously appeared and also identify their correct position in the first list (Engvig et al 2010).

Volunteers trained in the Memory Palace technique outperformed the non-trained volunteers for recognizing the position of the words (Engvig et al 2010).

The study also measured the amount of brain thinning that occurred in the trained versus untrained groups of volunteers. Normal age causes the brain to shrink. The brain of the individuals showed thickening in areas of the brain which were key for visual abstract memory (Engvig et al 2010).

 

Why The Memory Palace Technique Is Not Snake Oil

 

This research and others like it have shown that the Memory Palace technique is not snake oil.

Sadly, most adults in the modern world are not encouraged to use their imagination. It might therefore be slightly challenging for someone newly using the technique to really get into it.

However, after practice, many find out that the technique is not only effective in memorization, but is also very engaging. Certainly more engaging than the traditional rote memorization technique.

With some practice, you’ll be impressing all of your friends and family with how good your memorization has gotten in no time.

 

References & Further Resources

 

Limited time only: Magnetic Memory Method Bonuses for Michael Hyatt’s Best Year Ever 

Bower, G. H., “Analysis of a Mnemonic Device: Modern psychology uncovers the powerful components of an ancient system for improving memory” American Scientist, Vol. 58, No. 5, pp. 496-510, September–October 1970 Web. 21 Jan. 2016..

Engvig, Andreas, Anders M. Fjell, Lars T. Westlye, Torgeir Moberget, Øyvind Sundseth, Vivi Agnete Larsen, and Kristine B. Walhovd. “Effects of Memory Training on Cortical Thickness in the Elderly.” NeuroImage 52.4 (2010): 1667-676. 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.

Fan, Shelley. “Can a Mnemonic Slow Memory Loss with Age?” Scientific American Blog Network. 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.

Maguire, Eleanor A., Elizabeth R. Valentine, John M. Wilding, and Narinder Kapur. “Routes to Remembering: The Brains behind Superior Memory.” Nature Neuroscience Nat Neurosci 6.1 (2002): 90-95. Web. 22 Jan. 2016.

The post Memory Palace Science: Proof That This Memory Technique Works appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - Memory Improvement Made Easy With Anthony Metivier.

How To Combine Mind Mapping And Memory Palaces With Phil Chambers

[image error]You’ve heard about Mind Mapping and Memory Palaces, right?

Well, if you’re anything like the hundreds of people who have emailed me about it, you’ve probably wondered …

“Can I bring Mind Mapping and the Memory Palace together?”

To help me answer the question, I asked the reigning World Mind Mapping champion Phil Chambers to talk about Mind Mapping and how to bring this creativity, memory and learning tool together with a Memory Palace.

Turns out that we had a lot more than just that to talk about. Tune in to this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast and learn all about.

How To Combine Mind Mapping And

Memory Palaces With Phil Chambers

⊕ The techniques Phil uses in his personal daily memory practice.

⊕ How to capture and store ideas using memory techniques – even when you’re driving.

⊕ The number-rhyme technique to take action on to-do list items. (Not to be mistaken for the Major Method/Major System.)

⊕ The perfect Mind Mapping definition and where to learn more about mind mapping techniques

⊕ Why there are always new things to explore in the world of memory techniques. Once you start using them, you will never cap out on new angles to explore and increase your skills.

⊕ The difference between semantic memory and episode memory and how using the journey method capitalizes on the power of both. This is the most “natural” way to use your memory.

[image error]

Hanging out with Phil Chambers and Tony Buzan

⊕ The reasons why memory competition skills translate directly into every day memory needs we all face.

⊕ Why the principles behind Mind Mapping never changes, but Mind Mapping software continues bring new enhancements to the art and craft of this thinking, learning and planning tool.

⊕ Details on how to bring Mind Mapping together with the Memory Palace technique.

⊕ Why and how Mind Mapping uses all of the classic memory techniques.

⊕ The major criticism about memory techniques as regurgitation of knowledge and not learning – and why it’s misguided.

⊕ Why Phil’s title as a World Mind Mapping champion is up for grabs and exactly how to take his title.

⊕ The exact criteria by which world class Mind Mapping is judged.

⊕ Why you should never worry about your artistic ability when creating Mind Maps.

⊕ Phil’s Mind Mapping examples of how to schedule your week and get more done.

⊕ How Mind Mapping your daily schedule gives you many more details than a to-do list. Not only that, but you’ll often be able to double your efforts in ways you wouldn’t have otherwise seen on a page with linear notes.

Further Resources

 

101 Top Tips For Better Mind Maps By Phil Chambers for Kindle

Phil Chamber’s website (where you can subscribe to his newsletter!)

Phil Chambers on Twitter

Phil Chambers on YouTube

Phil Chambers Talks About The Outer Limits Of Memory Skills

The post How To Combine Mind Mapping And Memory Palaces With Phil Chambers appeared first on Magnetic Memory Method - Memory Improvement Made Easy With Anthony Metivier.