Archives: April 2006
28/04 24 & 25: The Phonetic Mental Filing System
Welcome to a double-edition of OtherSteve's Tidbits. The Tidbit you are about to read is extremely powerful, but like most powerful strategies, it takes some practice. Unlike some of the other Tidbits here, you may not be able to apply this one within anything sooner than a few days’ application. And while it may seem overly complicated, let me promise you that it actually is not. And once you have learned it, you will begin to file everything in your memory differently and much more effectively. It has the very real potential to change your life.Introduction and Preparation
Although the Advanced Loci Mnemonic and other memory systems detailed in previous Tidbits are extremely useful, there are three last particularly enticing uses of which the previous memory Tidbits are bereft: 1) Remembering numbers, 2) Being able to recall ordered list items by their number in line, and 3) Constructing an effective mental filing system suitable for daily reuse.
For instance, how many times have you been provided with a phone number that you soon after forgot? Wouldn’t you like to spend around fifteen seconds committing that number to memory and then refrain from worrying about the constant rehearsal leading up to whenever it’s convenient to write that number down? If you learn this system, the first thing you will be able to do is memorize numbers—even outrageously long ones—effectively and fairly easily. Can you imagine how useful this would be during activities where pen and paper are not handy—for instance, while you are driving?
As usual with memory, it’s all about creating a meaningful visualization in your mind that represents the particular number you need to memorize. Numbers are pretty much impossible to commit meaningfully to memory without advanced mnemonic approaches. Luckily for us, an extremely effective system already exists that actually is not that difficult to learn and apply (give it around 20 minutes of rehearsal and then try applying it to numbers around you for a bit of break-in practice).
Framework of The Phonetic Mnemonic
This system is called The Phonetic Mnemonic, and it has been discussed in several fantastic memory books and on various internet websites. It’s an ancient method that has improved over hundreds of years. Here’s the basis of how it works.
The reason it’s called the Phonetic Mnemonic is that it seeks to assign words to numerical values based solely on the phonetic properties of the words. It ignores vowels and most mild consonant sounds, but it focuses on the more distinct English consonant phonetics. The following table is a breakdown of the foundation you will need to familiarize yourself with in order to begin using the Phonetic Mnemonic system. You will find the same table and hints in many different places, as it is essentially public knowledge among mnemonists. Do not let yourself be intimidated by its seemingly complex nature; it’s actually much simpler and can be memorized much more quickly than it appears.
Number / Phonetic Sound / Mnemonic Hint
0 / s, z, soft-c / “z” is the first letter in “zero”
1 / t, d, th / “t” resembles the number “1”
2 / n / “n” has two downstrokes
3 / m / “m” has three downstrokes
4 / r / “fouR”
5 / l / Roman Numeral L = 50
6 / j, soft-g, ch, sh / Rotate “6” to become “g”
7 / k, hard-c, hard-g, q / 7’s pointed shape resembles the letter K
8 / f, v / The cursive letter “f” resembles an “8”
9 / p, b / Rotate or flip letters “p” or “b” to become “9”
Sounds such as “y”, “w”, and “h” have no phonetic association and thus can be used throughout words as an aid for more colorful and varied associative terms.
After just ten minutes of concentrated practice, you should be able to easily commit these ten associations to memory. Begin practicing them afterwards. You may find it helpful to take advantage of the Phonetic practice application this person has posted here (the entire site is helpful, though I disagree with some of his peg words—stick with my documentation here and I think you may find mine slightly more helpful).
Basic Application
Now, once you’ve tested yourself and made absolutely sure that you understand each phonetic association, try converting simple words into numerical form. For instance, here are some examples:
Book = 97 (B = 9, K = 7)
Imagine = 362 (M = 3, soft-G = 6, N = 2)
Railroad = 4541
Egyptian = 6962
Qualitative = 75118
Of course, it isn’t very helpful to convert words to numbers, but the idea is that once you become partially familiarized with this method, you will be able to perform the opposite conversion on the fly. At first, this will take a bit of practice (the conversions will go slower than you probably would like). But once you begin to pin down the process and almost subconsciously produce concrete terms with which to construct mental images, you will find that this system is one of the most useful things you have ever had at your disposal. It will amaze you (and everyone you know as well)!
Let’s take, for instance, three phone numbers that need to be committed to memory. These numbers are randomly chosen, so please don’t blame me if you decide to actually call them. ;-) They are:
1-800-426-6257
1-521-367-9152
1-888-133-5246
Obviously, it would be extremely difficult to memorize all of these numbers via conventional methods without reading through them for at least three or four minutes. But with the phonetic method, all can be committed to memory in less than a minute (with a bit of practice in its use, of course).
Let’s start with the first number: 1-800-426-6257. Quickly converting the number into concrete words, I create: TV (18), Zeus (00), Yarn (42), Judge (66), Nail (25), and Key (7). Quickly visualize each object in your mind as you think of it. Associate one object with the next via the Link system described in previous Tidbit. In other words, here’s how you’d do this one perhaps (you may find a better association for yourself personally—just be sure to colorfully envision this stuff as you read it!): You see a TV. Zeus strikes the TV with a massive bolt of lightning and it explodes into a gigantic ball of Yarn, which covers you and traps you. The giant Judge looks down on you, slams his huge mallet down, and sends hundreds of Nails flying toward you. All of them miss you, but then they turn around, fly above you, and rain down onto you in the form of cold metal keys, clinking and clanking the entire way.
This entire visualization, should you have produced it yourself, might have taken you something like fifteen seconds.
Now, the next number: 1-521-367-9152. My off-the-top-of-my-head picks are: Tail (15), Knot (21), Magic (367), Bat (91), Lion (52). Remember to VISUALIZE. See this happen in your mind. Feel it, and be a part of it. You have a Tail. You watch it tie itself into a Knot, and it hurts extremely badly as you stare at the huge Knot. So, you cast a Magic spell to unravel it, but the tail then turns into a gigantic Bat attached to you. An even larger Lion swiftly appears out of nowhere and rips the Bat to shreds, covering you in blood.
Finally, the last number: 1-888-133-5240. Taffy (18), Fife (88 — a fife is a small flute), Tomb (13), Mole (35), Weiners (240). VISUALIZE. An enormous vat of hot Taffy is poured on you, and you cannot breathe and can hardly move your arms and legs. You manage to pull out your Fife and play a tune that shrinks the taffy into a tiny ball and seals it in a nearby Tomb (which pops up directly between your legs—you can feel the concrete). A Mole emerges from the dirt beneath the tomb and soon after hundreds more moles follow him. The entire mass of moles is then crushed by an enormous rain of Wieners from the sky, which they attempt to eat as they fall (as do you) and eventually explode one by one.
Finally (and optionally), use your Loci method to associate each of the first items in the three lists with a location in your Loci path. For instance, I would associate TV with my front porch (my front porch is a gigantic TV and I am walking on the screen to the door), Tail with my foyer (The walls are squirming and wagging tails), and Taffy with my stairs (the stairs are made of taffy and as I ascend them, it sticks to my feet and makes it impossible to walk).
Did you visualize each of the scenes? Now, recite the phone numbers.
The Mental Filing System
The term mental filing system is often used my mnemonists to describe a dependable system where you have organized your thoughts so that you can quickly and easily retrieve any thought with amazing accuracy. The Loci method falls into this definition, but I use the term more strongly here, because it is the combination of the Loci method and the Phonetic Mnemonic that can truly produce amazing results for you.
Let’s say you wish to memorize the things you need to accomplish on a particular date; a To-Do list in your head, if you will. The absolute easiest way to do this is through the application of the Phonetic System. But not unlike the framework of this mnemonic, it requires considerable practice before it is second-nature. However, it is unbelievably powerful. I have incorporated this system into my everyday life, and after just two weeks of practice (and by “practice,” I mean using it with a “cheat sheet” handy), I was nearly perfect at applying it.
Here’s how it works: You memorize pre-chosen words, called peg words, to associate your daily tasks with. The typical method of organization is to designate ten peg words per day, to allow for easy storage of ten entirely unique tasks or reminders. That means you will need to memorize 70 peg words. But don’t be discouraged—this is not that hard if you break it down to ten per day.
Try it like this: On day one, spend a little time to familiarize yourself with the first ten words on this list. Once you’re done, move on and do the next ten (to get yourself started quickly). This should not take very long—perhaps just a few minutes of recitation will be needed throughout the day at various times. Here is the list of the first seventy suggested peg words (this is my personal list, and it differs slightly from most other lists floating around in that I have chosen at least a dozen different concrete words to use in place of less visualizable ones in other common peg word lists). If you find a word that you believe would be more effective to you personally, feel free to replace the one provided on my list and use your own instead.
Sunday
- head
- honey
- ham
- hair
- whale
- jaw
- key
- hoof
- pie
- dice
Monday
- dad
- tin
- thumb
- tire
- tail
- dish
- duck
- TV
- tape
- nose
Tuesday
- net
- onion
- gnome
- winner
- nail
- wench
- neck
- knife
- knob
- mouse
Wednesday
- meadow
- moon
- mom
- hammer
- mole
- match
- hammock
- Mafiaf
- mop
- rose
Thursday
- heart
- yarn
- ram
- warrior
- railway
- roach
- rack
- roof
- rapper
- lasso
Friday
- lady
- lion
- lamb
- lawyer
- lolly
- lodge
- lake
- wolf
- lobby
- cheese
Saturday
- jet
- chain
- gym
- chair
- jewel
- judge
- Sheik (from Zelda)
- shave
- ship
- kiss
Try setting a time to sweep your list as well. Maybe you’ll do it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or maybe in-between each and every class. There are plenty of ways to make it work for you, but the important part is to actually use it. I promise all of you that if you master this method, your life will be better forever. You will be come to known as one of the most mentally organized and solid individuals amongst your friends, and people will actually start to come to you for advice or help with situations as they perceive you to be more capable (somehow!) than themselves. It is amazing the amount of respect an organized individual can subconsciously gather.
Hope you enjoyed this massive double-edition of OtherSteve's Tidbits!
~os
28/04 #23: Remember Names and Faces
Hello everyone, and welcome back for another Tidbit! This is the third in a series of four memory-related Tidbits.By now, you've probably realized the value of detailed visual associations with respect to recall memory. Thanks to the design of our brains, visual memory is much more prominent than verbal memory. The Loci method, which you have seen discussed at length in two separate Tidbits to date, harnesses the power of this advantage of visual memory, along with the immeasurable dependency of locational memory (hence the name Loci... in fact, here's a fun little morsel of info: the phrase "In the first place" was developed thanks to people in ancient times using the Loci mnemonic to aid their recall!).
But how can you apply the basics of mnemonic methods to help you to remember names and faces?
You meet new people all of the time; possibly even several times a day. And if you're anything like the rest of us, you're terrible at "remembering" their names. There are a number of reasons why this problem exists. First, however, you must realize that memory of names and faces is not so much a recognition issue as it is a recall issue. You probably recognize plenty of people whom you cannot place. This is the result of your subconscious recognizing the person but being unable to successfully associate a name with the person's face. Oftentimes, you'll be speaking with someone, you will exchange names, and only a moment later you'll already have "forgotten" the name of the person with whom you are speaking.
The first mistake? Most people don't get the name to begin with. They never got it, so they never actually forgot it. In fact, a huge percentage of people never even really pay attention to the introduction of their conversational partner, mostly because people are so self-important by nature. Research has shown, for instance, that the more self-conscious you are, the worse you are at remembering the names of people you meet. The main reason why is that during the introduction sequence, you are almost entirely focused on what you should say to look good, and when you will get to say your own name. As a result, you never even pay attention to what the other person is saying.
So, needless to say, the first thing you need to do is 1) Pay close attention to the other person as they speak their name to you. Spell it out in your mind. If you have trouble spelling it, ask them how to spell it. If you think you may have misheard the name, ask them to repeat it. Try to say their name again a couple of times during the conversation (people love when you say their name anyway--it's the sweetest sound in the world to them). None of this stuff is rude--it's just extremely helpful to your memory.
But the second problem is that names are verbal in nature, and they're also frequently arbitrary. In other words, it's difficult to associate a concrete image with a name. However, by taking advantage of the keyword mnemonic that you read about in Tidbit #22, you can find a word or person that is closely associated with the name and develop a mental image of the name in your mind. So, the second step is 2) Develop a concrete image in your mind of the name. This could be a phonetic association (Mike = Microphone), an existing mental relationship (Carey = John Kerry), or a homonymic association (Baker = Bread). As you can see, relationships can be made not only with first names, but also with last names--the latter just takes some practice. At least with regard to first names, a mental association of some sort should only take you a matter of seconds. This mental association, once you've got it, if your first visual component to the memory.
Next, you'll have to 3) Find some defining characteristic of the person. This doesn't have to be physical (and, in fact, often it's better if it isn't). For instance, it sometimes helps to do something you are generally told never to do: judge them. For instance, perhaps the person looks like a bully. Your mental picture, then, could be a bully being a jerk to a kid. The reason why you don't want create associations based on mild physical variations is that most people have loads of trouble trying to recreate an accurate description of the person in their mind based solely on their physical deviations. However, if the person is extremely fat or has a huge nose, you might want to take that and run with it. This is the most difficult part of the entire process, but with practice, it's not that hard at all. A good tip would be to go with the first vivid association that comes to you, as this is likely the first thing that you will remember during the recall phase. This mental picture of a defining characteristic is your second visual component to the memory.
Once you've got your two visual components, then all you've got to do is 4) Associate the two visual components into one picture. For instance, a bully and "Baker" might be a jerk beating up on a loaf of bread in an oven. Try to picture the person you are placing as the bully, although you do not have to. Finally, 5) Rehearse this visual association, in detail, in your head every so often for a couple of seconds. It doesn't take long, and it'll eventually become very easy to recall. It helps to rehearse at least once after the conversation has finished as well. Make sure to say the name in your mind as you rehearse the mental image.
Once you've completed this, the next time you meet the person, you will see the mental picture you concocted, and your logical memory will then lead you to recall their name. Even if this doesn't work 100% of the time, your chances of remembering names are exponentially better if you aid your memory in this fashion. And while it takes some practice, believe me when I tell you that it works.
Here's the process once more in summation:
- Pay close attention to the other person as they speak their name to you.
- Develop a concrete image in your mind of the name.
- Find some defining characteristic of the person.
- Associate the two visual components (the name image and the image representing the characteristic) into one picture.
- Rehearse this visual association.
~os
18/04 #22: More Memory - Advanced Loci Techniques
All right, let's dive in deeper. Everyone who has tried the methods detailed in my #9 Tidbit, The Method of Loci, has been impressed with the amazing results of the approach. If you're among those who have applied this technique to your daily life, perhaps you can now see how working with an unaided memory is like keeping track of hundreds of papers without a filing cabinet. If you haven't yet tried them, it only takes five minutes to arrange a set of Loci for yourself and begin committing things to long-term memory more quickly and effectively than you ever thought possible -- do it now, before you read any further.The Loci method could theoretically work with something like 100 different items, but then you'd have to remember 100 different explicit locations or elements in the locations to effectively apply the method. Actually, however, there's a way you can commit, say, 100 items to memory for every 20 Loci. That would mean that if you memorized 100 locations or elements, you could memorize something like 500 items. Even better, you can extend this memory past simple concrete nouns and objects; you can make it work for nearly anything, from ideas and concepts, to names, and more. Here's how.
The first thing we'll need to talk about is another well-known mnemonic method: The Link/Story system. It's easy, especially if you've already learned the Loci method. Let's say you've got a list of four items: Ball, Doctor, Rose, and Gasoline. Using the Link system, you'd mentally (and visually) associate Ball and Doctor, then Doctor and Rose, and then Rose and Gasoline. That's it. So, using our guidelines from the previous post for effective visualizations (Interaction, Vividness, and Bizarreness), it might go something like this:
Imagine a doctor rolled up into a ball. Then the doctor quickly reverts to normal form while holding a dozen roses and throwing them at you. However, the roses are covered with, and smell like, gasoline, which burns your skin and stings your nasal passages and eyes.
That's the Link Method, coupled a bit with the Story method, which suggests that you link the items logically through a story. It's easy to come up with these wacky ideas, and that makes lists easy to remember in this fashion, although it helps to have a reference point should you forget for some reason one of the associations.
This is where the Loci Method comes in. For the first Loci (say it is your front porch), you might visualize the porch steps as giant balls that are very difficult to walk on, although you try. Then, envision the doctor in the shape of the ball, and perform the Link association with the next three or four items. Next, proceed to your foyer or whatever is next in your personal Loci path. Using this method, you can easily memorize literally hundreds of objects or items. It's absolutely amazing.
But what about concepts, ideas, names, phrases, quotes, or sentences? Anything else can be remembered in this fashion as well by simply using what mnemonists call a keyword association. This keyword is a concrete noun or easy-to-visualize activity or adjective, and it corresponds phonetically to a core of the concept, name, or what have you that you are committing to memory. For instance, if I wanted to memorize a class of students with the Loci/Link hybrid method, I could start at the first row and proceed down it through each student, associating his or her name with a concrete noun or picturable concept. Steve might be steeple, Mike might be microphone, Jerry might be the mouse from Tom & Jerry, etc. Concepts work in a very similar fashion: hunger might be represented by a horrifically skinny person, death might be represented by the grim reaper, Communism might be represented by Karl Marx, and sorrow might be represented by a cold sore rowing a boat. You can easily remember your daily schedule in this manner as well: Going to the dentist would be represented by the visual image of the dentist, while getting your oil changed might be depicted by a spilled barrel of oil. Each of these pictures is then associated with either the element of Loci, or with the next and previous item in the Link list. Honestly, the possibilities are endless, and with a bit of practice, it becomes nearly second-nature.
I use these methods daily. It's unbelievable how much easier this makes my life. I can remember entire grocery lists where the number of items is no object. I can recall things on my to-do list without even having it present. I can even remember food orders when I go out to get stuff for my co-workers or friends by combining this method with a slightly more complex memory method involving numbers. Learn these simple techniques, and you, too, will change your life. People will respect you and be in awe of your memory abilities.
And finally, TEST YOURSELF:
Here is a list of 35 items I want you to commit to memory through the Advanced Loci Method. Try spending around 10 - 15 seconds on each one (that's it)! Remember to VIVIDLY, INTERACTIVELY, or BIZARRELY imagine each of the associations clearly in your mind before moving on. Type the list as a reply to this post so you can share your results to encourage others to try this. If you have trouble getting started, there are a few visualization suggestions below the list to help you get on your feet. So, without further ado:
Christmas Tree
Calculator
Bear
Telephone
Flower
Wine
Bulldozer
Phone Book
Tiger
Computer Mouse
Milk
Basketball
Semi Truck
Radio
Mickey Mouse
Post-It Note
Lawnmower
Stapler
Super Mario
Lunchable
Newspaper
Bread
Paperclips
Birthday Card
Dog
Bananas
Jet Plane
Black Hole
T-Shirt
Cardboard Box
Ninja
Space Ship
Twinkie
Grass
Here are a few suggestions to get you started if you are having trouble. Don't forget the guidelines to making memorable visualizations:
1) (First LOCI association) Imagine your porch (if that is your first Loci) made of Christmas trees, the tops of which you are walking on. You're trying to avoid stepping on glass, breakable ornaments.
2) (Now onto the LINK associations for the first Loci) Imagine calculators hanging from the Christmas tree. They all work, and they all have different numbers on them, which is weird.
3) Imagine a bear knocking over the tree and eating the calculators on it. He loves the taste of calculators!
4) Imagine the bear's phone cell phone ringing and so he has to stop eating the calculators to take the call.
5) When he answers the phone, however, hundreds of colorful flowers shoot out of it into his ear and his head explodes into a giant mass of beautiful foliage.
After the first five, you'd start on the next Loci association, and so forth. After just seven, you're done. EASY!
Spend a few minutes committing these objects to memory with a well-defined Loci and Link hybrid system. Try using three to five items per loci (I recommend five, it's still very easy). That means you'll only need seven Loci locations to get it to work... and you may be amazed at the results. Feel free to post them here once you finish!
Hope you enjoyed this edition of OtherSteve's Tidbits!
~os
13/04 #21: Memorize the Entire Calendar
This Tidbit's really less of an educational morsel and more of a straight-up tip, but I had to include it, because it's just so darn useful (and impressive to your friends, to boot)! How cool would it be if this exchange took place:Your Friend: Hmm... that'll be on July 23rd.
You: Ah. [Thinking for a few seconds] That's a Sunday.
Your Friend: :O
It's actually very easy. Try this fairly widespread mnemonic technique that will allow you to memorize any full year by just committing a single 12-digit number to memory.
First, know your months. The old children's rhyme to help remember which months have how many days is as follows:
30 days has September
April, June, and November
All the rest have 31
Except February, which stands alone
Well, okay, so it isn't much of a rhyme. But it works. As for the 12-digit number, let's try 2006.
The 12-digit number for 2006 is: 155-274-263-153
Commit that to memory; here's what it means: Each digit is the date of the first Sunday in every month of the year. For instance, in January it's the 1st, in March it's the 5th, and in November it's the 5th. Now, whenever someone presents you with a date, you simply refer to this number and count by sevens until you reach the closest Sunday to the target date. Then, just count backward or forward to figure out the correct day of the week. July 23rd, as detailed above, would be processed as follows mentally: July = 7th month = 155-274-263-153; 2 + 7 = 9 + 7 = 16 + 7 = 23. So the 23rd is a Sunday. Or, if the date was the 26th, you'd just count up 24, 25, 26 = Wednesday. Easy!
In the same way, you can also answer questions such as how many Tuesdays are in a month (in July, start at 2 again, then count 3, 4 = Tuesday, then count by sevens, incrementing in your head: 11, 18, 25 -- so four Tuesdays in July). Try this tomorrow at work or school and see if you don't impress your friends! (And by the way, if you enjoyed this Tidbit, don't miss Tidbit #9, The Method of Loci!)
Thanks to various websites and books for this Tidbit.
~os