Howto remember things

Howto remember things: AKA mnemonics

by Matthew Craig.

1. It is easier to not remember, you have to contiously chose to remember something.

Most of the time when you "forget" something you never actually decided to remember it. For example if you continually forget where your keys are, next time you set them down, decided to remember where you put them as you set them down, it makes a big difference.

2. Make an association:

What that means is associate information you need to learn or remember with information you are already familiar with or know.  There are many different types of association, each one is apropriate in specific conditions

  • Natural and Artificial Associations:

Natural Associations are ones that link to things you already know and do not require any extra imagination to associate, for example if you are studying Biology and you are already familiar with the subject the term invertebret may logically mean to you animals that have no spine and this might make sense to you since vertebret are spinal bones.

Artificial Associations are ones that you have to force because you don't have natrual ones to make for example if you need to remember invertebret, you might think of an "inverted Brett" where Brett is being held upside down by a bully (ie Brett is spinless). 

  • Logical Associations

Logial Associations are associations that fit in with your way of thinking already, they just seem to make sense. You don't have to deeply consider it, it just fits in nicely.

  • Images or symbols

Images or symbols represent concepts, terms or ideas as something tangable. When you are up against ideas or concepts that are hard to make associations with sometims an image is the best way to create an association.

 3. Make a mental picture, and say it to your self;

Think of your associations, and visualize it in your mind.  I will give examples here in a bit, but think of your assciations in vivid color think of the details, make it real in your mind. Then if you are an audio learner say it to your self. This will help solidify it in your mind.

 

4. Wait a bit (a few min) and then refresh your image try to remember the details and what they ment. (Review)

 

 5. Map your information. In your mind create a logical or structural map of the information, catagorize it (like a flow chart or an organizational over view chart) think of the relationships of the information you have learned. This is closely linked (in my mind) to mind maps, hyarchial diagrams of thought processes or information. Establishing relationships between peices of information. I hope to have a page up on mind maps in the future, it will make much more sense at that point, but for now just try to visualize or draw a diagram showing the relationship of the data you have learned.

 

Tips:

  • The more bizar or rediculous your associations are the more likely you are to remember them.
  • Try to link you associations together in stories (it helps with large ammounts of data)

 

Remembering numbers:

There are many  ways to remember numbers several books recomend nmemonic devices, this is the best I have found so far (as I learn I may add more)

  1. O
  2. L
  3. N
  4. M
  5. T
  6. S
  7. C
  8. F
  9. B
  10. g

 1 looks like a lower case L, 2, rotated 90 counter clockwise looks like an N, 3 rotated 90 degress counter clockwise looks like an M, if you eleminate the stand of 4 it looks like a t, 5 looks like an S, 6 (missing the inside conneciton) looks like a C, 7 looks like a capital cursive F, 8 lookslike a B, 9 looksl ike a lower case G. 

In reality, it doesn't matter what letter/scheme you use, the object is to create one, and then use it like this.

75687612

FSCBFCLN =Florida State Circus Beat Flying Chairs by Licking Nipples

Then I can remember that sentance or phrase, and then extract the numbers.  Agian use any letter scheme you like, just be consistent. And remember visualize the image, and the more bizar your association the more likely you are to remember it.

 

Remembering Lists or consecutive information:

There is a technique used for lists of data that can come in handy but first you must remember a series of "keys". Make a list of numbers, and associate it with objects.  There is a common list out there that is as follows:

  1. Gun
  2. Shoe
  3. Bee
  4. Door
  5. Hive
  6. Sticks
  7. Heaven
  8. Gate
  9. Line
  10. Hen
  11. Lever
  12. Elf
  13. Thisting
  14. Forking
  15. Fixing
  16. Sitting
  17. Serving
  18. Aiding
  19. knighting
  20. twinning

Again you can make ANY keys you like... but you must always remember them. Once you have memorized your keys you start to associate.  For example say you have a recipe that calls for the food in a specific order

  1. flour
  2. rice
  3. cat fur
  4. eye of newt
  5. rum

Use your keys like this - Imagine this really visualize it make a picture in your minds eye.

  1. A gun that shoots flowers... (it kills flowers... and only flowers)
  2. Using a shoe to measure your rice (are you thinking size 4 or 15? convers or loafers?)
  3. A bee covered in cat fur (Calico or black? possibly polkadot?)
  4. A door covered with newt eyes (visualize it)
  5. A hive of bees with the captan morgan pirate hats and one foot on a chest of honey ... (captan morgan reminds me of rum.. but imght not for you..)

Thenk you can recall the informaiton you need in order. Make the images personal to your experience and thoughts

 

Remembering pairs of data

If you need to remember pairs of information (or even more than 2 pieces that are joined together here is a handy way to do it:

Form an image for each piece of data and then link them together

Term Image Term To Associate
 Image Combine
Vincint Van Gogh Van Covered with goo (Specifically a Pink VW Microbus...) Starry Starry Night Fuzzy Stars 60's Micro bus covered with goo, and furry stars pasted all over it.
Leonardo Da Vinchi Leonoardo (the Mutant Ninja turtle) Mona Lisa Moaning Lisa (Simplson) Leonardo cutting Lisa's hair off and smiling. (and Lisa Moaning)

Ok, those were just some quick examples but you an do this with more than 2 terms or ideas but you get the idea make an image of the data you want to associate and then link them together in a way that is easy for you to remember. If you have to remember a group of things like this try to link them to gether in a story it helps group it together.  For example I could imagin that Micro bus covered with goo with the furry stars carrying the Ninja turtles who were coming to defeat the evil Lisa Simpsons hair, and then Leonardo having an epic fight and then destroying the offending hair with a smile... making Lisa moan.   But I'm sure you get the idea.

 

I'll post more up as I get time there are many other handy ways to remember information.  Hopefully this will help someone out.