Mastering Memory Read online

  Copyright © 2019 by Althea Press, Emeryville, California

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Althea Press, 6005 Shellmound Street, Suite 175, Emeryville, CA 94608.

  Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The Publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the Publisher is not engaged in rendering medical, legal, or other professional advice or services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the Publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an individual, organization or website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the Publisher endorses the information the individual, organization or website may provide or recommendations they/it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

  For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (866) 744-2665, or outside the U.S. at (510) 253-0500.

  Althea Press publishes its books in a variety of electronic and print formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books, and vice versa.

  TRADEMARKS: Althea Press and the Althea Press logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Callisto Media Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Althea Press is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

  Interior Designer: Carol Angstadt

  Cover Designer: Michael Patti

  Art Producer: Sara Feinstein

  Editor: Melissa Valentine

  Production Editor: Ashley Polikoff

  Illustrations © istockphoto

  ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-286-1 | eBook 978-1- 64152-287-8

  Contents

  Introduction

  PART 1: Life

  [ 1 ] The Three Essential Memory Steps

  [ 2 ] A Better Memory Every Morning

  [ 3 ] Remember Where You Left Important Everyday Items

  [ 4 ] Remember If You Unplugged, Turned Off, Closed, and Locked

  [ 5 ] Remember Names

  [ 6 ] Teach People to Remember Your Name

  [ 7 ] Remember Where You Parked the Car

  [ 8 ] Exercise Your Memory with Your Shopping List

  [ 9 ] Remember Whether You Took Your Medicine

  [ 10 ] Never Forget a Face

  [ 11 ] Recall Flight Numbers and Times

  [ 12 ] Remember License Plates

  [ 13 ] Remember Numbers Using the Simple System

  [ 14 ] Memorize the Month of Important Dates

  [ 15 ] Remember Passport Numbers and Renewal Dates

  [ 16 ] Instantly Remember Travel Directions to the Locals’ Favorite Places

  [ 17 ] Remember Your PINs

  [ 18 ] Remember Credit Card Numbers with the Major System

  [ 19 ] Remember What Your Family Says

  [ 20 ] Remember People’s Details

  [ 21 ] Remember Birthdays

  [ 22 ] Learn Odd Words for Games

  [ 23 ] Remember to Remember

  [ 24 ] Easy Daily Memory Improvement

  [ 25 ] Short-Term Memory Success

  PART 2: School and Personal Growth

  [ 26 ] Remember by Hacking Your Motivation

  [ 27 ] Maximize Your Memory with Excellent Study Strategies

  [ 28 ] Retain More of What You Read

  [ 29 ] Remember Entire Books

  [ 30 ] Prepare Your Mind for Tests

  [ 31 ] Remember How to Spell Any Word

  [ 32 ] Keep Track of Commonly Mixed-Up Words

  [ 33 ] Learn to Speak Foreign Languages

  [ 34 ] Spell Words in Foreign Languages

  [ 35 ] Remember What You Hear or Think About While Busy

  [ 36 ] Remember a Series of Items Like the Bill of Rights

  [ 37 ] Remember the Five Phases of Mitosis

  [ 38 ] Remember the Digits of Pi

  [ 39 ] Remember Your Lock Combination

  [ 40 ] Learn the Periodic Table of Elements

  [ 41 ] Learn State and World Capitals

  [ 42 ] Memorize Faster for Deadlines

  [ 43 ] Prepare for Important Exams

  [ 44 ] Remember Formulas for Exams

  [ 45 ] Remember Your Class Schedule

  [ 46 ] Ace Anatomy and Physiology

  [ 47 ] Remember Any Recipe

  [ 48 ] Remember Your Lines for a Play

  [ 49 ] Remember Religious or Spiritual Passages

  [ 50 ] How to Be a Memory Athlete

  PART 3: Work

  [ 51 ] Surprising Memory Habits for Business & Sales Success

  [ 52 ] Remember Computer Shortcuts

  [ 53 ] Memorize Large Amounts of New Information Quickly

  [ 54 ] Vocabulary Improvement for Business Success

  [ 55 ] Remember Speeches & Presentations

  [ 56 ] Remember Unique Passwords for Online Security

  [ 57 ] Remember Instructions from a Manager or Boss

  [ 58 ] Master Due Dates of Assignments and Deadlines

  [ 59 ] The Next Level: Remember More Names for Business

  [ 60 ] Remember Names for Networking

  [ 61 ] Remember Details of Clients, Prospects, and Coworkers

  [ 62 ] Remember the Lunch or Coffee Order at Work

  [ 63 ] Remember Customers’ Favorite Orders & Preferences

  [ 64 ] Recognize Voices on the Phone

  [ 65 ] Fix “It’s on the Tip of My Tongue” Syndrome

  [ 66 ] Remember Emergency Procedures

  [ 67 ] Impress with Your Memory for Product and Service Prices

  [ 68 ] Remember What’s in Inventory

  [ 69 ] Remember Phone Numbers

  [ 70 ] Keep Track of What You’ve Assigned and When It’s Due

  [ 71 ] Advanced: Project Management

  [ 72 ] Advanced: Remember Your Entire Calendar

  [ 73 ] Manage Information Overload

  [ 74 ] Win More Clients and Referrals

  [ 75 ] Stay Sharp at Work at Any Age

  Mastering Memory

  Conclusion

  Further Reading

  References

  About the Author

  Introduction

  “I’m so bad at remembering.”

  DO YOU OFTEN find yourself walking into rooms and forgetting why you’re there? Do you misplace your phone, glasses, or other important items? Do you forget what your friends and family tell you? Do you have difficulty remembering facts and figures? If so, you aren’t alone; I can relate. I have never had an exceptional memory; I have always had trouble remembering names and numbers. As I got older, my ability to remember things has gotten worse—until one day I had enough. “Can an ordinary guy actually improve his memory?” I wondered. I decided to find out.

  I
researched, read, and experimented with everything from meditation and exercise to taking vitamins and getting more sleep. Some strategies worked; others didn’t. But overall the result was that my memory improved! Surprisingly, learning memory strategies was fun. It wasn’t like the drudgery of schoolwork and rote memorization that I’d expected. I found tools and techniques that were not only easy but enjoyable to use.

  Being able to remember more information was so enjoyable that I started to dabble in memory competitions. Yes, there are people in the world who have made memorizing a competitive sport—and I became one of them! As in any sport or endeavor, the more I practiced, the better I got. Eventually I was competing at the international level.

  At one event I broke the record for the United States that year. The following year, I broke my own record. I could perfectly recall a list of numbers spoken at the rate of one per second for over two minutes. I could also memorize the order of a deck of shuffled playing cards in less than 60 seconds, the order of 1,200 binary digits in 30 minutes, 11.5 decks of playing cards in an hour, 117 names and faces in 15 minutes, and more. Of course, my day-to-day memory improved as well. I remembered more of what my wife said, I did better at work, and I could even remember the names of people I met. My memory was better and my life was, too.

  What I found more interesting than my success at these competitions was that almost everyone else I met at these events had a similar story to mine: They were concerned about their poor memories, decided to improve their minds, and . . . it worked! They were able to train themselves to remember more.

  As a memory athlete and coach for thousands of students, from as young as grade three to adults and senior citizens, I’ve proven again and again that these techniques work. If you follow the simple steps in this book your memory will improve, too. Each part of this book—Life, School and Personal Growth, and Work—has 25 practical memory hacks. I encourage you to read the book straight through to get the most out of it, because foundational techniques are included with many of the hacks. However, if you have a pressing need, feel free to go directly to that solution.

  The techniques are different from the type of rote memorization many of us have used in the past. They may even seem weird, time consuming, or unbelievable. It’s common to find a technique strange until you try it. So don’t just read this book. Pick a technique and put all your effort into practicing the hack—you might be surprised at how well it works for you! You can have a good memory. Using these techniques will help you work with your mind instead of against it. You can do this! Your memory will improve . . . and so will your life.

  These first 25 memory hacks lay the foundation for more complex methods and techniques to come. The techniques in this section are incredibly powerful and will help with many common situations where we struggle to remember. To begin with, as you read through this part, choose one or two hacks that interest you and put them into practice.

  [ 1 ] The Three Essential Memory Steps

  MOST PEOPLE THINK that remembering happens during a moment in time: We hear something and then we either remember it or we forget it. But memory is more complicated than that. Remembering anything requires these three essential steps (FAR):

  1Focus on the information.

  2Arrange the material in your mind.

  3Retrieve it when you need it.

  To go FAR with your efforts to improve your memory, you need to follow through on all three of these steps. If you skip one, you won’t be able to recall what you want to when you need to. The starting place for improving your memory is to identify which of these steps may be tripping you up. Once you have identified your problem area, you will know where you need to concentrate your effort as you work through this book.

  THE TECHNIQUE Identify Problem Areas

  For this hack, you’ll need to spend a few minutes considering your memory. Grab a pen and paper. You don’t need a fancy journal—the back of an envelope or a piece of scrap paper is fine. When you analyze your recent memory problems in writing, you can pinpoint which of the steps is your biggest concern. In my experience, many memory issues are the result of skipping step 1, not focusing on the information. We often do so many things at once that our attention is scattered and our natural memory can’t function properly. That’s not always the case, though, so let’s look at your situation.

  HOW TO DO IT

  Take a moment to think about a recent memory issue. What did you forget? On your scrap paper, jot down a word or two that summarizes the event or problem. For example, “Forgot anniversary,” “Blanked out on big test,” or “Forgot deadline at work.”

  Now, think about the time surrounding the memory issue. What led up to it, what happened when you tried to recall the information, and what happened after? Answer the following questions:

  1Did you not focus closely enough for the information to settle into your mind when you heard, read, or saw the information? In other words, did you fail to pay attention?

  2Did the information settle into your mind but then got jumbled along with other information you had stored?

  3Did you have the information stored in your mind, but when it came time to recall it you “blanked out”?

  Beneath the word(s) that summarize the event, jot down which of the three steps tripped you up: 1) Focusing on the information; 2) Arranging the material in the mind; or 3) Retrieving it when you need it. Now, repeat this activity for at least two more times when you had memory problems. Then add the possible reasons for each. Here’s an example:

  Forgot anniversary (step 2)—Knew date but didn’t have it on my mind because I was thinking about other things.

  Blanked out on big test (step 3)—Knew information but forgot the material under pressure.

  Forgot deadline at work (step 1)—Didn’t remember that boss changed deadline.

  In this example there are three areas to work on. Your list may reveal that you need to work on all three areas, too. Maybe there’s a pattern of having information go “in one ear and out the other” (step 1), having so much going on in your mind that you have trouble remembering (step 2), or finding that you are stressed and unable to access information at the moment you need it (step 3). Whatever the case may be for you, knowing which area(s) need your attention will help you as you begin your memory improvement journey!

  [ 2 ] A Better Memory Every Morning

  WE HAVE SO many things to remember each day, including the names of people we meet, upcoming deadlines, daily tasks, conversations with the people in our lives, and much more. It can seem overwhelming, especially if we already struggle to remember well. Waking up each morning may even bring a sense of dread: “How will I embarrass myself today with my bad memory?” Instead of living in fear or concern, you can immediately improve your memory and see growth every day. You just need to make a few small changes in your habits and attitudes to begin growing your memory abilities.

  THE TECHNIQUE Take Care of Your Body and Mind

  You may be sabotaging your memory without knowing it. A few simple life changes will make all the difference. Taking care of your body and mind yields huge memory results with minimal effort. We often get so busy or stressed out that we stop doing what we know is good for us. Taking care of your body and mind will give your natural memory what it needs to work for you again. While this may seem easier said than done, read these suggestions with an eye toward what you could do to make positive changes in your life.

  HOW TO DO IT

  Review the following list of five factors that help support a healthy mind and memory. Choose one or two new habits to incorporate into your routine. Then get to it by taking a few small steps today and tomorrow to start a healthy habit. You’re worth it, and your memory will thank you.

  1GET MORE SLEEP. Our minds know how to save information and recall it later. We naturally do it all the time. When we get less sleep than we need, however, our minds struggle. Prioritize getting to sleep earlier and sleeping better. Limit screen time, stress,
and mental activity before bedtime. This is the number one way many people improve their ability to remember.

  2DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. Being dehydrated can impair memory. How much water is right for you? Consult your physician, but a general guideline is six to eight glasses a day.

  3GET AND STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. Mental fitness benefits greatly from physical fitness. There is a direct correlation between cardiovascular exercise and a good memory. Consult your physician first, and then walk or do other forms of exercise that are appropriate for your age and physical abilities.

  4EAT WELL. We know that we need to eat well for our physical health. Our brain health also relies on getting enough omega-3 fatty acids (try walnuts, salmon, or chia seeds) and antioxidant-rich foods like spinach, almonds, sunflower seeds, blueberries, kale, pecans, strawberries, oranges, and beans. Surely there are a few items here that you enjoy, right? Consult a physician for help choosing the foods that are best for your personal health.

  Keep in mind that you may not have to create all new menus. What meals do you eat regularly that you could easily add one of these foods to? I like to add a sprinkle of chia seeds to my oatmeal or into a glass or water. Could you sneak some chopped kale or spinach into your lasagna without noticing?

  5REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVEL. Stress is one of the biggest enemies of memory. Do your mind a favor: Figure out healthy ways to reduce stress, then practice them on a daily basis. Schedule them into your calendar. Some that work for me and my coaching clients include a bath before bed; a slow, relaxing walk before breakfast or after dinner; or a nightly call with a friend who will listen and support you while you do the same for them. (Listening to another’s trials and tribulations often makes our problems seem more manageable.)

  [ 3 ] Remember Where You Left Important Everyday Items

  ARE YOU FRUSTRATED by constantly losing your glasses, keys, purse, wallet, phone, or other small items? Do you wander the house looking for things, cursing your bad memory? This is one of the biggest complaints I hear from people both young and old. Many can remember important things like names but constantly lose their glasses. Students can be diligent in doing homework but then don’t turn it in because they forget where they put it. If you find yourself misplacing items, this technique is for you.