[dropcap size=small]I[/dropcap]f you’re a Sherlock fan or watch any other psych TV Shows like The Mentalist, you’d know what a memory palace is, and at some point, you might have wanted to have one for yourself. [highlight ]For starters, a memory palace is an aid for remembering stuff. It is a place or a series of places that you have in your mind where you can store information and retrieve when needed.[/highlight] Since this technique associates places and things you know well with memories, with time and practice, it can help you become a memory master!
So, let’s see how to create one for yourself-
[divider]1. Design your Memory Palace[/divider]
The first step in creating your memory palace is to build one. [highlight ]Your memory palace could be anything.[/highlight] It could be your house, your bedroom or even your school. You can start out with a small palace and then expand your palace as you gain experience.
[divider]2. Define a Path of Travel[/divider]
This isn’t essential if you don’t need to remember things in an order. [highlight ]Just create a path in which you’ll be travelling in your memory palace. This also helps in retaining memories well.[/highlight] Travel through the path and keep associating objects with the things you find in your path.
[divider]3. Locate Objects and Storage Locations[/divider]
In a memory palace, you remember stuff by associating different things with different objects you find in the palace. So, you need to have objects and storage places in your palace, where you can store stuff. [highlight ]This could be a painting, a shelf, a guitar or even a door.[/highlight] Care should be taken not to have identical objects so that you don’t confuse between parts of your palace.
[divider]4. Memorise Your Palace[/divider]
You need to know your palace perfectly in order for you to use it effectively. Associate pictures and other famous stuff with different objects in your palace to remember them well. [highlight ]Drawing a rough sketch of your palace also helps remember it easily.[/highlight]
[divider]5. Start Associating Things with Objects in your Palace[/divider]
Once you have your memory palace set, you can start placing things inside it. Don’t put too much information in a single place. [highlight ]Distribute information evenly in your palace so that information doesn’t get crammed.[/highlight] Too much information to an object makes retrieving difficult. If you need to remember things in an order, associate objects as you see them in the path you are travelling.
[divider]6. Get Creative[/divider]
Strings of words can be compressed into symbols or other images. [highlight ]Weirder the image, the better you’ll remember it.[/highlight] If one of my objects is a Bee Hive and I have an image of an astronaut in my palace, I can associate the two of them by imagining the astronaut wearing a bee hive as a helmet. If you need to remember numbers, try adding objects of significance to your numbers.
[divider]7. Mnemonics, use them![/divider]
Mnemonics serve as good aids in memory retention. [highlight ]You can increase their effectiveness by several folds by pairing them with a memory palace.[/highlight] For example, if you want to remember the 8 planets (sorry, Pluto) of our Solar System in order, you can use the mnemonic: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles. To remember this easily, you can picture your mother wearing a graduation day hat and serving you pizzas with her 10 hands, with one hand feeding herself.
[divider]8. Feel Free to Explore Your Palace[/divider]
To remember your palace better, keep roaming around in your palace and exploring new rooms and corners.[highlight ]To remember your palace better, keep roaming around in your palace and exploring new rooms and corners.[/highlight] You are your own Columbus and Marco Polo here! You can expand your palace, add more objects and do whatever you want with it.
[divider]9. Build More Palaces[/divider]
Once you are thorough with your existing palace, you can start building new palaces. [highlight ]You can use each palace for storing specific type of information.[/highlight] The more palaces and places you have, the more the amount of information you can store.
[divider]10. Practice, Practice and Practice[/divider]
Any good memory master or a person with a good memory didn’t become so over night. Like anything else, this takes practice too. [highlight ]Keep practicing. Start out with small lists and then slowly increase the number of objects. Do not rush. Be persistent.[/highlight] If you need a quick way to remember things, better use a pen and a paper; but if you really want to improve, invest time in learning and practicing the method.
[alert type=red ]All The Best![/alert]