The Link Method

This is the first post on memory techniques that I personally have used as a student, I claim no ownership of any of the techniques, but have found them extremely useful and feel that they should be shared and known widely.

The Link Method

This is useful for remembering a list eg. Chores or a shopping list. By necessity, it’s ordered so it can be used to memorize lists which must be in a specific order. Presidents of the United States for example.

You may wish to memorize the last 5 Presidents of the United States in reverse order

• George Bush
• Bill Clinton
• George Bush Snr
• Ronald Reagan
• Jimmy Carter

What you do is create visual images that are easily memorable, the wackier the better. You also need a trigger which will help you know that you’re recalling the correect list.

I would personally use the American flag, being English, it’s less common to me and therefore more memorable.

Follow through the story to memorise the above list.

Picture a glorious waving American flag, but theres a small Bush fire and somebody uses the flag as a desperate attempt to put the fire out, waving frantically. He then realises, hilariously may I add, that the only thing he has lots of is Bills! So he starts throwing all his bills onto the fire: Gas, Rent, Electric. Lots of red-titled FINAL REMINDER letters . But the Bush fire spreads to more bushes, becoming larger and mysteriously growing a beard (Bush Snr)!

A fire engine comes in with a howling squeal and Ronald Mcdonald appears in familiar clothing and make up and puts the fire out with a hose. As his fireman coworkers drive off, Ronald is left alone with a sad look on his face (painted), he hops into a Formula 1 styled go-Cart (Jimmy Carter), and rides into the sunset.

Run through that story in your head a few times. Can you remember the trigger, the story, the list? If you can then well done, if not then you may need a little more help from the following list.

Keys to effective memorisation

• Be in a relaxed state of mind before you begin - It is hard to focus a noisy mind.
• Really get into the story - Laugh, get upset and outraged if you have to. Emotional involvement helps memory alot.
• If you wish to commit these stories to Long-term memory, I’d reccommend reviewing them at decreasingly regular intervals eg. in 2 days, 5 days. 2 weeks after that, 6 weeks after that. This will suit you if you’re taking a 3 year course at University but if you want to memorise just to pass an upcoming exam then you should use the same method, but over a shorter period of time (1 day, 3 days, 1 week…).
• Have a memorable trigger - What usually works well as a memory trigger is the first thing that comes to mind. This can be fun in its own, kind of like a word-association game. If you wanted to remember the order of the Zodiac for an exam, what first comes to mind? Use that. Let’s say that its the moon. In an exam, if the question “What comes after Aries in the Zodiac?” comes up, you immediately remember your trigger and the rest falls into place like proverbial dominoes.
• Its effective to pick links to the things you’re trying to memorise before you actually start creating a story as you may start a story and then realise that you have no picture for a certain item, or that you do but it doesn’t fit in with the rest of your story.

The most important step

Run through your mental stories, writing out the list regularly. I can’t tell you how important this stage is. As cliché as it sounds, memory IS like a muscle, you must work it regularly to reap the benefits. Also, eventually you will realise that the story isn’t necessary and the links have been made in your brain and its an automatic process, this feels great.

Limitations

This works well for ordered lists, but for longer lists, and lists that don’t have to necessarily be in order there are other more effective techniques. You can’t skip to a position and remember it either, you have to go through Bush, Clinton, and Bush to get to Ronald Mcdonald, whilst in other techniques you don’t.

It’s fun

You’ve got to admit, this is way more fun that rote memorisation, trying to pound information through your brain tissue. It’s a fun process! honestly, you have to become really creative. The worst that can happen is that its less effective than your current technique of memorisation, the best that can happen is that you have fun whilst revolutionising the way you look at memory. Do you feel lucky, punk?

http://richardshelmerdine.com/blog/2009/09/29/advanced-memory-the-link-method/