Happy Good Friday and welcome to Memory Week. This week I will dedicate to helping you improve your memory. This is a 5 step process spanning until Friday 10th of April (Today). The 5 steps are -
- Memory Week Day 1: How Does Memory Work?
- Memory Week Day 2: The Linking System
- Memory Week Day 3: The Peg System
- Memory Week Day 4: The Loci System
- Memory Week Day 5: The Ultimate Memory (Current)
The aim of this post is to introduce you to the ultimate memory system. If you've followed the previous posts above you'll realise that the ultimate system is in fact the combination of the link, peg and loci system into one big bundle of memory love.
A recap of the main principles of the Linking System
The linking system is based on visualisation and your ability to visualise different objects in certain ways while linking them with the next item on the list. The obvious downside to this system is that if you forget one of the links, you are unlikely to remember what comes after it. If you forget link 5 for example, you'd forget 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 and so on.
The main aim of the linking system is to teach you visualisation and how it aids your memory, here's a recap of the main points of visualisation and how to perform it with complete efficiency -
Rules -
- Your mental picture with linking the two objects must be ridiculous and as illogical as possible
- You must see the image of the item linked in your mind's eye
- Each visualisation must be seen for the smallest amount of time.
Extra Rules to help -
- Picture your items out of proportion
- Picture your items in action whenever possible. We remember violent and embarrassing things better
- Exaggerate the amount of items
- Substitute your items. I.e. smoking a nail instead of a cigarette.
A recap of the main principles of the Peg System
The peg system is a fantastic system which used the phonetic alphabet to transform numbers into objects and with the help of visualisation it can transform those numbers, into objects and then into complete lists of various information, such as phone numbers.
The main downside of the peg system is knowing where it starts. Since the starting point isn't completely obvious you may have problems remembering the starting digit or object of the sequence, which may lead you to forget the rest. The main aim of the peg system is to remember number form information or object lists in order, to recap these main rules -
Rules -
- The sound for #1 will always be-T or D. The letter T has one down stroke.
- The sound for #2 will always be-N. Typewritten n has two down strokes.
- The sound for #3 will always be-M. Typewritten m has three down strokes.
- The sound for #4 will always be-R. Final sound of the word, "four" is R.
- The sound for #5 will always be-L. Roman numeral for 50 is L.
- The sound for #6 will always be-j, ch, sh, soft g, etc. The letter g turned around is almost like the number 6.
- The sound for #7 will always be-K, hard c, hard g. The number 7 can be used to form a K. One seven right side up, and the other upside down.
- The sound for #8 will always be-F or V. Written f and figure 8 both have two loops, one above the other.
- The sound for #9 will always be-P or B. The number 9 turned around is P.
- The sound for 0 (zero) will always be-S or Z. First sound of the word, "zero."
Extra Rules -
- Letters are not important, only the sounds
- TeN MoRe LoGiC FiBS
- Vowels are not included in the peg system
- WHY is not included in the peg system.
A recap of the main principles of the Loci System
The loci system is one of my favourite ways to memorise information since it uses familiar locations to store information. You can remember lists by associating that list with a room in your home and selecting key elements within that room to represent the objects on the list through visualisation. The main drawback of the loci system is that it's very space limited. You can quite easily run out of space when you start mounting up great deals of information. The main aim of the loci system is to memorise lists in and out of order, to recap -
Rules -
- Have a list of items you want to remember
- Select the same amount of items within your location to symbolise your list
- Start linking your list to various items in your location (I'd recommend going clockwise)
- Rehearse your list an hour after you've constructed it, then the next day to make sure it becomes permanent.
If you've read the recap of the 3 systems and you are happy to move on and start combining the system together then proceed, if not or you're not sure of finer details of the different systems I recommend you read -
- The Linking System
- The Peg System
- The Loci System
Combining the 3 systems to create a masterpiece of memory ability
If you understand the 3 systems and have practised them earlier this week when they were introduced I'm sure you already know how I'm going to combine them. Firstly I'll go over the main disadvantages that each system holds again so I can elaborate on how combining the systems allow them to handle each other's faults.
Linking System disadvantages
- Only has the ability to memorise items or object
- Can only memorise in one way (i.e. you may find it difficult to recall linked lists backwards)
- If you forget one of the links, you may forget the entire linking sequence.
Peg System disadvantages
- If you forget what each peg word is, you will have trouble recalling the memorised information within them
- You may forget which peg word starts the sequence.
Loci System disadvantages
- Can run out of space needed for objects
- Can be hard to visualise different locations if you constantly move around.
The linking system is the most basic of the memory systems so you can understand why it may have the most disadvantages. The best way to cure its disadvantages is to combine it with the peg system which eliminates all 3 of its disadvantages.
Know we've created a raving loving relationship between the linking system and the peg system we can again step in and notice the remaining disadvantages brought about by Mr. Peg System. The way we can cure the peg systems drawbacks is to bring about a loving threesome by introducing the Loci system.
The loci-peg-link system or the ultimate memory system as I like to call it, now has limited disadvantages. The only disadvantage that could be left standing is if you move around a lot and have trouble visualising a specific location, but I'm sure most of us will never have that issue. Meaning the ultimate memory system really does hold its ground as the best way to memorise anything.
How do you use the ultimate memory system
We've taken 3 single systems and created a mutual bond between them so we could utilise all they're asserts and advantages. When I first created the combination I knew immediately what I'd like to test it on, this led me to my superb but damaged mobile phone.
Ever since I dropped my mobile into a toilet (don't ask), I've had no back light function, meaning I really couldn't see the screen unless I carried a torch with me everywhere I go. I would like to buy a new phone and replace my reliable, yet blind electronic companion, but I'm much too tight to give my hard earned university grants away for the ability to not look like a torch wielding weirdo in a club. However, since I'm a very resourceful young fellow, I decided I'd use my bountiful mind of information to begin remembering all the phone numbers in my mobile.
Remembering the entire phone number collection wasn't the biggest issue for me because the ultimate memory system could clearly handle such nonsense; the biggest issue was the choice of whose number I'd like permanently embedded into my head.
After an hour or 2 of deciding which people I really wouldn't ever contact, I created a list of 20 names and numbers of which I'd like to remember. The next step was to start integrating the numbers into my ultimate memory system by choosing a location, or using the loci system if you will. The location I decided to choose was the garden of my house back in Wales since I have a clear visualised memory of the layout and features available.
The next step was to pick 20 objects within my visualised garden that would stick out and remind me vividly when I visually walk around my garden. I'm only going to give an example of the first 5 numbers I memorised so bear with me as I describe 5 of my chosen delights that inhabit my visualised garden. The objects I went with were firstly my garden gate, a rather fetching bush in the front of my garden, bay windows at the front of my house, my old and reluctant tree which resides at the side of my house and finally a trampoline. With my location and objects chosen it's now time to use the peg and linking system to create visualised sequences to represent the lucky people's numbers who I had chosen.
I'm going to give you the 5 numbers but bear in mind that I have changed the last few digits encase any rampant lunatics decide to make rather awkward silent phone calls. The numbers are -
- Mine - 07936720909
- My girlfriend, Gemma - 07964699558
- My girlfriend's parents - 01663 479246
- My cousin, Ceiran - 07534985604
- My Friend, James - 07726936449
Some of you may be surprised that I didn't know my own number until I entered it into my memory system, well... yea. I found that even though I knew a fair bit of knowledge regarding memory systems, I used to tend not use it. But anyway, back to the marvellous-phone-number-remembering-feat.
To remember my number I'd break it down into its peg words, please note that I may mention a few peg words that you are not familiar with and were not present on the list I gave you in memory week day 3 with the peg system, that is because I've altered a few to have a better personal visualisation experience and you are more than welcome to do the same to your own peg words as long as they follow the phonetic alphabet rules.
To break my number into pegs I got rid of the beginning 07 of every number since all mobiles start with 07. This leaves me with 936720909 of which I have to break down. I'd separate the 9 digits into groups of 2 which will leave 1 digit at the end. Breaking down would leave the number as -
93 67 20 90 9
To assign the peg words I'd need to recall which peg words are involved and start translating. I can clearly remember all the peg words and I'm sure if you've gone through the peg system post you should be able to see which peg words I'll be using, if not I suggest you read or reread The Peg System. The peg word's I'll use are -
Bum (93), Chalk (67), Nose (20), Bus (90) and Bee (9)
Now that I've got myself a list of peg words to make a colourful story with I can begin integrating them into my location. Firstly I'll start my location by entering my front gate, which was a location object I chose above. I'll visualise the gate to be a mobile phone instead of a gate, so I'll be opening a phone shaped car that rings as I move it. Visualising the phone gate will remind me that the garden is where I've memorised all my phone numbers. Next I'll link myself to the phone gate (you should find yourself easy to visualise, hopefully). I've now linked my garden gate to a phone which links to me, I can now begin creating a story involved with me which will incorporate the peg words for my number.
The story I have is rather strange, so don't be too afraid. Firstly I'll need to link Bum (93) to me, so I imagine my perfectly shaped behind getting inflated so it becomes bigger and bigger and bigger but luckily there's a piece of Chalk (67) nearby where I can puncture my behind and stop it from inflating, as I puncture my bum I'm struck with a rather awful smell that burns my Nose (20) and causes me to throw the chalk away in disgust, unluckily it collides with a nearby Bus (90) full of Bees (9) who were not very happy and decide to viciously attack me but I single handily beat them all, the end.
Hopefully you can see from my ridiculously created story that I've used all the needed peg words to remember my number, so every time I need to remember my number all I need to do is visually enter my garden. As I enter, I use the gate, which links me to phone, which links me to me, which links me to bum, to chalk, to nose, to bus and finally to bee. It'll only take a few seconds to replay the story in my mind and correctly remember all the needed elements of my phone number. To remember a person associated with a particular item you'll need to choose something that links to them, for example I visualise my girlfriend as the Queen of Diamonds since she's female and her name is Gemma, which can be Gem. I won't bore you with the stories I've created for the other 4 numbers I'll just break them down and give you the peg words for you to have a go yourself.
Gemma - 07964699558
- Would be 96 36 99 66 2 which translates to beach, roach, pipe, lily and ivy. Have a practice making a story of that sequence. In my garden I link her to my front of the house bush (completely non-sexual in nature).
Ceiran - 07534985604
- Would be 53 49 85 60 4, remember no 07 since all mobiles have it and you don't need to remember that. I link Ceiran to my tree. Have a go at correctly assigning the peg words for his number. Recap the Peg System to have a look at the list or to remember the phonetic rules.
James - 07726936449
- Have a try breaking down his number, assigning the peg words and creating your story. If you're interested, James is assigned to the trampoline in my garden.
Step By Step for the Ultimate Memory System
- Firstly you need to select what you'd like to remember
- Select a location in which you'd like to remember your information using the loci system
- Select however many location objects as you need to memorise your chosen information
- Decide whether you need to use the peg system (if numbers are involved) or the simple linking system
- If the peg system is involved begin to break down your information into groups of 2 numbers and assign each group their peg word. If your information is using the linking system, skip to step 6
- Begin visualising your story using either your linking objects or your peg words
- Rehearse your location and its linked information a few hours after you've created it
- Rehearse your location and its linked information a day or 2 after you've created it. After the 2 reviews, the information will remain permanent
- Enjoy your new gained ultimate memory that'll enable you to kill fewer trees with your note writing.
When you've got the ultimate system under your belt you can guarantee you will get some envious looks as you effortlessly recall any information you wish. If you want to become a fully fledged grand master of memory and teach those envious busy-bodies how to use the ultimate memory system I recommend you read Derren Brown's book titled Tricks of the Mind
It has an exceptional memory section just waiting to expand your eager mind.
This is the end of Day 5 of Memory Week and indeed the end of the memory week. I'm sure my aim of this week was fulfilled by allowing you to improve your memory through either one of the 3 systems or use of the ultimate memory system described in this post. Come back next week where I'll be returning to my normal posting schedule to deliver arousal inducing blogging of the highest degree. Until then, have a great Easter and celebrate the many, many deaths of Cadbury's cream egg.
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 Craig is a 22-year-old student currently studying psychology at Bournemouth University. He runs a self improvement blog and community filled with useful advice. His main aim is to help people exceed their expectations and reach their true potential.
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