The memory palace method.

- Part 1 : Your tools -

First tool - Your Notebook.

Have a notebook devoted for registering every memory palace that you are building with all the
pegs they include.

The notebook must also include the sequences of all your memory palaces which are joined
together.

Add photos of your pegs to the notebook. This practice will further strengthen your memory
palace and most importantly your memory walks.

The more subjects you are studying, the more memory palaces you need, therefore, it is quite
important to continuously strengthen your memory palaces using your notebook.

Second tool - Your resources for virtual memory palaces.

You can make memory palaces out of movies, arts, books, computer games and programs.
For games use games offering the first person point of view and a linear worlds.
For books stories use the narrative which includes scenery, places, people, and objects as your
pegs and journey.
For pieces of art, use elements and locations within individual images as pegs. You can later on
create a museum of images linking them in sequences.
For architecture apps, be engaged in the development of your edifice and know it inside out.
Programs you can use : SketchUp, Minecraft, ArchiCAD, Chief Architect, Punch Software etc.
Be sure to have plenty of rooms, each with a particular characteristic. Colors are a good
characteristic, not just the color of the walls but all objects of the room could be in that particular
color.
For Google Maps, Google Earth and Google streetview, they are great for preparing and
remembering your memory walks or journeys. Save your journeys on your Google Account.
Notice every single shop, cafe, and restaurant that exists in the neighborhood.

Third : Possibilities, the projects of the author :

He believes memory palaces are great for storing general knowledge informatiom.
He is working on constructing a virtual memory palace with ten floors, one hundred rooms for
each floor and about ten pegs for each room. For a total of 10000 pegs. This memory palace
will be designed for information that he wants to store long term, including history, art and art
history, history of science, literature, philosophy, medicine, chemistry, etc. Classical, general
knowledge that most people forget about as soon as they leave school.
Beside this project he currently has 12 memory palaces based on houses and buildings, and
another 18 based on walks. 10 of the memory palaces based on houses are used for specific,
long term knowledge that he wants to store permanently. Two of the houses, and 18 of the
walks, are used for “on the spot” memorizing.
This means that he simply leaves them open to remember day to day things, like an article that
he reads, a book, etc.
He has placed these 20 memory palaces used for on thespot memorizing in a sequence.

- Part 2 : The method -

Section 1. Definition : What is memory palace?

Memory palace is a method at the heart of traditional memory techniques called mnemonics.
Usually most people memorize information by repetition.
After doing so difficutly the information is still not everytime at one’s fingertips.

Memory palace makes you remember by using your natural process of seeing and visualization.
With this you can memorize as many objects as you want, in sequence, just by looking at each
entry once. No limits.
One of the major advantages of the technique is that once you’ve linked objects and
information, you can simply ignore them and move on.

A memory palace is a place you know well, that you can easily visualize. Typically it is an edifice
with rooms that contain fixed objects that serve you as pegs for information.
Any type and form of information can be stored in a memory palace with the right techniques.
The better is information that needs to be remembered in a certain sequence.

In order to create a memory palace public or private buildings may be used. For example :
Schools you have gone to, or other public buildings you remember well. Places you used to
work. Parks etc., shopping centers.
Houses from the present: Friends houses, houses of family and relatives.
Public buildings you know well, schools, universities, train stations, hospitals, airports, concert
halls, etc. Your workplace. Public parks or gardens that you visit often. Shopping malls/shopping
centers etc.

Section 2. Basic linking technique, or chaining.

The basic linking technique, or chaining is a technique used to link objects together into a list by
using creative images.
A list, in mnemonics, is a chain of creative images or scenes.

- How does chaining work ?

First- Take a list of objects.

Example : a Fish - a Carpet - a cigarette.

The first word of the list is fish and the second word is carpet. Come up with a creative image or
a short, animated scene that links these two objects together.
The creative image could be a carpet that is made of fish, sewn together into a whole carpet.

The second word is carpet and the third is cigarette. Apply the same process for these two
objects.
The creative image could be you lighting up a big, rolled-up carpet instead of a cigarette.

And you apply the same process for every object following each other within your list.

Second- Try to recall the first creative image then the second etc... until you reach the end of
your list. You will notice that now you remember the whole list but you di not proceed by
repetition, you proceeded by visualization.

Third - Always apply these basic rules when making creative images :
Creative images must be either vivid, absurd, violent or sexually explicit in order to stick in your
mind.

Always attempt to place yourself in the scenes whenever it feels natural and be active. See the
scene from a “point of view” perspective and use all your senses, not just sight, but hearing,
feeling, tasting and smelling, too.

Always attempt to make up a scene that is rich in details and be specific in order to stick in your
mind.
Example : Inspect what kind of apple is it? A dark red, sweet apple? A green, tart one? Take a
bite and “feel” how it feels. Smell it, touch it.

Always attempt to make an animation it is better than still-images.

Remember if you can’t recall one of the objects, it’s because you didn’t “see” the image, or
because the picture wasn’t absurd or vivid enough.

Section 3 - Building a memory palace.

First part : Making the first impression.

- See before your inner eye the house or building. You do not need to come up with any
element that is not there.
The most natural thing to do for you is to start with the front door.
Ask yourself what does the front door looks like? What’s its color? Texture? Is it made of wood
or metal?
You will use the same process for all the elenents building.
- Enter the house through the front door, and imagine walking around the various rooms as they
appear naturally when you use to go through the building.
- Go through the whole of your house, room by room, object by object.
Your primary job in this part is to note details like furniture, art, and any object like lamps, TV
sets, vases, bookshelves, etc.
- You have now reconstructed in your memory the building.

Second part : Creating the journey.

- See before your inner eye the house or building and enter it.
- Go through each room in the building one by one.
Scan the rooms this time from left to right, clockwise.
By setting the direction, you will be able to memorize things in a sequence just as you do
mentally for numbers. Ex : the sofa is placed before the lamp, and then you get to the TV set
and then the bookshelf.
- Now for each room of your house, you decide on which objects/furniture you will use as pegs.
Focus on big objects that are permanently placed in the room and separate in space.
- Each of these pegs will become like a station, and as you mentally walk through the rooms of
your house, you will always walk around in the same sequence. It makes the journey through
your house sequential.
- The rooms order and the items within them is the route you will always “walk through” your
memory palace.
- Pegs also include typical locations like corners, the floor, the center of the floor, the ceiling, the
windowsill, etc.
Note that you may also use outdoor spaces in connection to your house, like a garage, a
garden, backyard, verandas, a chimney etc.
- Finally, write down the layout of your palace and the pegs in the following manner to use as a
reference later :
Peg 1. Front door. Peg 2. Poster with character.
You do not need to memorize the the numbers only the sequences.

Third part : How to use the palace.

- Everytime that you want to memorize something, find or create a keyword about this thing.
Then translate the keyword into a easily imaginable images in ccordance with the rules that you
later on attach to your pegs. It is called a substitute image once you attach it to your peg they
become a scene.
This scene will trigger the information you want to memorize.
Example : The keyword is horse. You form the substitute image of they horse then you “place"
or create a connection of your horse image with a piece of furniture inside your memory palace.
Simply see this connection for a few seconds there, and then let go. And that’s all you must do
in order to remember your piece of infornation
- When it comes now to remembering lists of information just connect each substitute image to
your pegs along a walk-through of a particular room or house.
- Whenever you need to retrieve a information or a list of information, simply “visit” your palace
in your mind's eye.
- It is important for you to have few memory palaces devoted to permanent informations and to
keep some memory palaces free for “on the spot” memorization.

Section 4 - About memory areas, memory walks, and memory journeys.

Memory walks or simply called walks, are a alternative form of memory journey instead of using
buildings. Memory walks also include travels in cars if you can have a clear image of the road
and create possible pegs along the road.

How do you build memory walks ?

Start taking a few walks in your neighborhood and get some references to use as pegs.
Walk from one end of the street to the other. Record visually and with your audio recorder all
major pegs on the way. Major pegs also include regular stationary people. Make sure to take
photos.

The best pegs for you to use, in the case, of memory walks are places of interest along the
route like houses, buildings, cities, etc.
Shops usually have logos, often bright colors, particular associations according to what type of
shops they are.

Apply the same process for many streets.

Later on you can stitch all these walks you built together into one long walk in one unbroken
sequence.
When doing so understand that it doesn’t matter that one walk is in one town on a continent and
that the other walk is 13000 kilometers away. Distance is no problem for our memory.

Memory areas, are a building used as a memory palace which is surrounded by memory walks
all bound together.

What the author recommends, and what we will work on later, is that you construct at least
around two to five memory palaces based on houses, and six to eight memory palaces based
on walks or journeys that you know. Some of these palaces you can use for long-term
information, the rest you can keep free for things that you need to memorize “on the spot.”

Section 5 - From keywords to images.

While some words are completely impossible to make into images without deconstructing them,
others just need a little help. Names are a typical example. In talking about names, you may use
images of people that you know with the same name. So if you need to visualize a “John,” you
could see before your mind’s eye someone you know called John. If necessary make sure to
make a mental note of the fact that you are thinking about the surname and not the first name of
the substitute or vice versa.
What you think and note determinate the memory.

Whenever you have a keyword that is not easily visualized, come up with any substitute image
that is mildly connected, and in most cases, this will work well.

Try to make as best as possible a story out of your substitute images which are pegged in the
palace that plays out like a film. The story-element helps bind the objects together, and brings
some sort of logic to it.

Section 6 - How to joining together your memory palaces.

To string together, join, palaces. You simply decide to list your palaces in a certain sequence so
that if you need more pegs than your first house offers, it’s just a question of you mentally
jumping to the next memory palace in your sequence.

Section 7 - The P.A.O method :

Important note :
For memorizing cards sequences, you must use memory palaces that are devoted to “on the
spot” memorizing.

Memorizing playing cards sequences teaches us about the P.A.O system.

By practicing memorizing cards you learn more about :
- Keywords.
- The working of the technique of association.
- The multiple uses of your memory palace pegs.
- A trick that automatically boost your memory palaces by 300%.
- If you can memorize cards sequences, you can memorize anything.
- How fast you can use the memory palace system determinates how useful it can be for you.
- There are other ways you can use the P.A.O people, action, object system, it’s useful to
master it.

PAO means people, action, and object.

Generally famous people are good keywords to use because they are easy to remember + they
can do things + they can carry objects.

How do you apply the P.A.O system to memorize cards sequences it work ?

First. You must choose some famous people alive or dead as substitute images for the playing
cards. In order to do so use the system as follow.
For the suits.
1 suit of cards = 1 category of people.
Hearts are People you like.
Diamonds are Super rich people.
Spades are Funny and crazy people.
Clubs are Tough people.

Now for the ranks.

1 rank = 1 subcategory of people.
Aces are sports men.
2s are sports women.
3s are male actors.
4s are female actors.
5s are controversial men.
6s are controversial women.
7s are famous male physics.
8s are famous female physics.
9s are powerful men.
10s are powerful women.
Jacks are religious people by character.
Queens and kings are Celebrity couples.

Second. For each one of the famous people that you have picked you must now choose one
object they carry that characterizes them and choose one action they perform that characterizes
them as well.

Third. Memorize for each card the famous people + its action + its object for life.

Fourth. Realize that you now have three substitute images or symbols for every playing card.
(The people, the action, the object).

Fifth. When memorizing a sequence of cards in a memory palace 1 peg = 3 cards. Meaning
that you attach to one peg 3 different symbols from 3 different cards.

Example :
If your king of hearts is Michael Jackson + object a diamond glove + action moonwalking.
If your queen of hearts is Janet Jackson + object a microphone + action flashing a boob.
If your Six of Spades is Einstein + a piece of chalk + writing on a blackboard.
In order to remember the following sequence of 3 cards :
King of Hearts, Six of Spades, Queen of Hearts
you first create a scene with 1 charactering symbol from each card then you tag the 3 different
symbols to the peg : Michael Jackson, with one boob out, writing on a blackboard, at the front
of your front door.

In order to memorize the sequence of one full deck of cards using the P.A.O system you need a
palace with only 18 pegs.
If your sequence exceed one deck of cards and you don't have enough pegs in your palace feel
free to join several memory palaces together.

Section 8 - A method for memorizing speeches.

First understand that the structure of a speech is linear so it is similar to a list.

The aim here is not to remember the speech word by word but to remember keywords that
trigger the thoughts you had when researching and writing the speech. Once the keywords are
triggered then you find a way to communicate the thoughts they contain right then and there.

How does the method for memorizing speeches work ?

First - Have some thought process beforehand then note down keywords for each parts of the
speech.
Second - Devote a entire memory palace and link the keywords to pegs as if the speech parts
happened on a timeline.
Third - Visualize when you need it the memory palace and you have now your speech.

Section 9 - A method for memorizing stories and chronological events.

First understand that the structure of a story or a chronological event is linear so it is similar to a
list.

How does the method work ?

First - Get a textbook that condenses the events or make a summary of the events yourself.
Second - Have some thought process beforehand then note down keywords for each parts of
the story or the chronological events.
Second - Devote a entire memory palace and link the keywords to pegs as if these events
happened on the timeline.
Third - Visualize when you need it the memory palace and you have now your speech.

Section 10 - A method for memorizing text books :

First understand that the structure of a book is linear so it is similar to a list.

You can use memory palaces for text books even if there is another method better suited for it
called the memory map.
You can potentially store chapters upon chapters in your mind, book after book in a sequential
way. The essential thing is finding the good keywords.

How does the method for memorizing text books work ?

First - Have some thought process beforehand then note down keywords for each parts of the
book.
To do so you need to read and study the chapters carefully several times with focused attention
for the keywords to give you the right triggers.
You must focus on understanding the content and finding the right keywords.
Then you must make some notes of the principal keywords.
Second - Devote a entire memory palace and link the keywords to pegs in your memory palace
as these parts happened on a timeline.

Apply the chaining technique from chapter 1 (several keywords tied to each other).
1 peg = 1 chapter.
1 chapter = all keywords from this chapter chained together.
Third - Visualize the memory palace when you need it and you have now your book.
If you have studied these books a little in depth, these keywords you formec will prompt you with
just the information you need to recall each chapter. And thanks to the memory palace, you
have a way of remembering the exact sequence of keyword for each chapter, and the exact
sequence of chapters per book.

Section 11 - A method for memorizing anything which is not a list.

The key to memorizing is triggering the memory. The same principle applies for phone numbers,
credit card, bank account numbers, and a host of other, typical information that one wishes to
memorize.
If you want to remember the telephone number of a friend of yours, you do not need to put him
into a memory palace of telephone numbers. Make a scene with your friend, so that the memory
of your friend triggers the scene where you place the telephone number. It’s as simple as that.
Do you want to remember the number of your credit cards? Come up with a substitute image for
all your credit cards, this could be the image of a bank building, and then the number. You come
up with substitute images for numbers, and make absurd scenes that are linked to triggering
images.