Fundamental Concept: Repetition
Now that you have a basic understanding of the fundamentals, let’s talk about the mechanics of memory.
REPETITION
The typical way to memorize something, as learned in schools, is to repeat it to death. You say it over and over and over until it literally becomes a programmed response to a stimulus. Two times two is…? See, you don’t even have to think about the meaning, or even what is happening. You don't do the math. You don't even think about the numbers themselves. It is nothing more than a reflex. Two times two is four. Period.
The problem with rote memorization is that it is boring and time consuming.
These mnemonic techniques allow you to hack the process so that much less repetition is needed. For rote work, you pretty much need to repeat something more than 1000 times over several days. Often more than once. With mnemonics, you need to repeat it about five to ten times over the course of a week to a month, depending on whether you need to hold it in short-term memory (a phone number or grocery list you’ll need later today or tomorrow) or long-term memory (something you’ll need to know for a final exam in three to six months). [I’ll explain Short Term and Long Term memory in more depth below, if you’re interested]
Mnemonics let you memorize something instantly. In order to hold on to it indefinitely, here’s the repetition schedule you need to follow:
Memorize the material. Review immediately.
Review again after 1hour.
Review again at the end of the day.
Review the next day
Review after 2-3 days
Review after a week
Review monthly
That’s really about it. You review the associations immediately after you’ve formed them. Then after an hour has passed. And then keep reviewing with progressively longer gaps between the reviews.
MNEMONICS VS. ROTE
Let’s compare quickly. With rote, you need to isolate the core facts you need to recall, and then repeat those facts over and over (homework, flash cards, etc, are all really just rote in disguise) upwards of 1000 times to make them stick.
With mnemonics, you memorize the material as you encounter it, and review it 3-4 times in the first week, 7 times over the course of a month and a half… perhaps 20 times over the course of a year if you need to hang onto it for that long. But, if you are using the information during that same period for work in class, at work or whatever, you’ll find that you rely on the associations less and less, and you just KNOW the material.
Mnemonics act as a halfway point between short-term and long-term memory that makes both more powerful and easier to manage. In the next lesson I'll show you how to quickly and easily USE the information WHILE you are reviewing it, making the transition to long-term storage in the process.
Extra Credit: Two Kinds of Memory
There isn’t just “memory.” You actually have a short-term memory and a long-term memory. And when most people talk about memory, what they actually mean is recall. Almost everything that comes through your senses is stored in your brain. Cognitive research suggests that hypnosis can sometimes uncover memories going almost all the way back to birth.
However, to enable you to process information quickly and actually get stuff done, the brain has two recall filters to keep everything from popping up at once and overloading the circuits. The first is long-term memory. If something is likely to be important, the brain tags it for easier recall. The problem is, what is important to the brain is a function of evolution: Food, sex, shelter, protection, danger, the unknown. THAT is how your brain prioritizes the information that it picks up. And it’s completely subconscious.
The second is short-term memory. This lets us hold onto information briefly while we are working with it. It is an imprint of the most recent information we have received.
Mnemonics are like steroids for the short term memory. According to numerous studies, the human brain can generally only hold onto 7 items in short term memory reliably for more than 20 minutes. A phone number, for instance. Or a short list of groceries.
Using mnemonic techniques allows you to link items in your long-term memory to items in your short-term memory. Essentially, you are borrowing long-term memory to strengthen your short term memory.
Hacking Long Term Memory: ROTE
There is a way to hack long-term memory: repetition. If you repeat something enough times, the brain figures out “hey, this must be important, we better tag this for recall.” This is what rote memorization does. You repeated your times tables over and over and over and over, and now “2 times 2 is 4” is literally a reflex. A programmed response you hardwired into your long-term memory.
The problem is, rote is boring and time-consuming. It takes a lot of repetition over a long period of time to work. And it’s boring. The repetition actually builds neural tracts in the brain dedicated solely to this one fact. Like I said, literally a reflex. Enter stimulus; get response. Plus, it’s boring.
Hacking Long Term Memory: Mnemonics.
When you use mnemonics to hack your short-term memory, you actually make long term memory easier. Because the information is already linked to something in long-term memory, it doesn’t require nearly as much repetition or nearly as much time-- the review for a typical 2-hour lecture takes about 3-5 minutes. And all you are doing is reviewing the absurd associations you made… so it’s much less boring. In fact, because you are using your imagination and creating crazy, absurd images, it’s often pretty darn entertaining.