Mastering Memory

by Brad Zupp

  This technique links the mundane and easily forgotten with something more memorable. There is always something happening nearby to bring our attention to, whether it’s the chirping of a bird outside our window, the weather, how we feel, or something on the radio or television. By bringing your awareness to the outside event and using your voice and a noise, you’ll trigger your mind to remember the moment and what else you did, like taking your medicine. Later, if you question yourself, you’ll immediately recall the words said and noises made to reassure yourself that you took your medicine.

  There are two issues here. One is remembering to take the medicine on a schedule, which I addressed earlier. The other is remembering whether you’ve done it this time. Both are easy to forget. Here’s how to use your mind to add an extra layer of protection to your medicine-taking routine.

  HOW TO DO IT

  1When you take your scheduled medicine from now on, tell yourself out loud that you’re doing it.

  2Add a comment that brings your attention to the moment. Things to note are the day and time, what is happening in or outside your home, the weather, and how you feel. For example, “I’m taking my morning medicine at 8 o’clock Tuesday. It’s raining, and I feel tired, but there is a beautiful cardinal at the bird feeder.”

  3Add a sound effect after you say it: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, whistle, click your tongue, or snap your fingers. Change these each time you take your medicine so you won’t confuse this time with another.

  This technique works for several reasons. First, you’re bringing your attention to taking the medicine and no longer doing it without thought. Second, speaking about what is going on around you makes you take note of the moment, assisting your natural memory. Third, adding a noise is another reminder. Now you’re noticing, making noise, and remembering.

  [ 10 ] Never Forget a Face

  MANY PEOPLE HAVE trouble remembering names but say, “I never forget a face!” There are some people, though, who have a harder time recognizing faces. In this case, their effort goes into remembering what people look like, then working to remember their names. This method will help you develop the habit of better noting people’s facial features.

  THE TECHNIQUE Facial Scan

  Faces have many common characteristics that you will start to note instead of just overlook. You’ll start a facial scan, considering the larger details and progressing to the smaller ones until you feel you can close your eyes and picture their face. The thought process and overall goal is, “How could I describe this person’s face so well that they’d be recognized by someone who has never met them?”

  HOW TO DO IT

  1When you meet a person you want to remember, scan their head and face while speaking with them. Mentally name the shapes you see.

  2Start with the shape of their head. Is it round—with the length and width about the same? Oval? Oblong—which is longer and narrower than oval? Or is the face square, with the width of their jawline and forehead nearly the same? Less common face shapes are diamond, heart, and pear, which can be harder to note; many people focus on the first four.

  3Notice their eyes next. Are they hooded? Set close together or far apart? Wide? Narrow? Deep set?

  4What type of nose do they have? Turned up? Fleshy (think of Albert Einstein) or bumpy? Roman, like you might see on an ancient sculpture? Wide or narrow? Bulbous or sharp?

  5Finally, what type of mouth or lips do they have? Are they thin or thick? Narrow or wide? Round or pointy? Heart shaped? Is one lip narrower (upper?) than the other?

  6Quickly scan the person’s face a second time while silently naming each part: “Round head, wide eyes, bumpy nose, narrow lips.”

  7Look for any other features that stand out, like freckles, a mole, or small or large ears.

  8Briefly note their hairstyle and color, any makeup, and piercings, but keep in mind that these can change over time.

  9As soon as you’re finished speaking with the person, mentally re-create their face while repeating to yourself the features you noted earlier.

  10Every night when you brush your teeth, review the faces of the people you met that day. Imagine them brushing their teeth next to you and see their faces in the bathroom mirror.

  At first it may be difficult to both notice and describe the features, but with practice, it will become second nature. You will automatically scan the faces of people, and their images will be easier to remember.

  TIP | THE TOOTHBRUSHING REVIEW

  Dentists recommend that we brush our teeth twice a day for about two minutes each time. This is the perfect time to review what you want to remember. Whether it’s the names of the people you met recently or the titles of books you read, take that time to review and remember.

  [ 11 ] Recall Flight Numbers and Times

  I WAS TRAVELING recently, and when I looked at the flight display board at the airport there were six flights scheduled going to my destination. Which was mine? Because I had used this technique to memorize my flight numbers, it was easy to find my flight, even with a change in the departure gate. Does remembering flight numbers, times, and gates sound difficult? It’s not, and it’s much easier than fumbling for a piece of paper or a smartphone to check the details every time.

  THE TECHNIQUE The MOST Method

  Numbers seem hard to recall because they rarely mean anything to us. The solution is to both decide to remember and make the numbers meaningful. Use the MOST Method to creatively convert the numbers into:

  •Money

  •Objects

  •Sport scores

  •Time

  HOW TO DO IT

  Your Flight 8631 to Miami leaves at 9:35 a.m. To make those numbers easy to remember, you must make them more interesting.

  1MONEY. Change the number into dollars and cents, and then think of what you could buy. What would you get if someone gave you an extra $86.31 or $8,631?

  2OBJECTS. Do the numbers remind you of any objects? Maybe you got your first car in 1986, and maybe you like Baskin-Robbins, which is famous for 31 flavors of ice cream.

  3SPORTS SCORES. Does the number inspire a comparison to a sport you enjoy? Could you run an 86:31 half marathon? Could you bench press 86 pounds? How would you feel if your favorite team won by a score of 86 to 31?

  4TIME. Flight 8631 doesn’t relate to the time on a clock, but it can relate to the passage of time. Who do you know that’s around 86 years old and 31 years old? Picture them interacting.

  VARIATION FOR FLIGHT TIME

  You can use the MOST Method for the time your flight leaves as well, or you might want to switch it up a little and use the Meals and Money Method. Here’s how:

  1What meal is the departure time closest to? If your flight is leaving at 9:35 a.m., it’s closest to breakfast.

  2Now change the time to a dollar amount: “My flight is at 9:45 a.m., so I’ll eat at the airport. I wonder what I can buy there for $9.45.”

  TIP | GO TO THE RIGHT DEPARTURE GATE

  How do you remember the letter/number combination of your departure gate? Easy: 1) Change the letter into a food starting with that gate letter: Gate A (apple), Gate B (banana), Gate C (cookie). 2) Imagine the gate number is the amount of food you have or how much it costs. For example, Gate A4: juggle four apples as you run to catch your flight. Gate C18? Imagine paying $18 for an airport cookie.

  [ 12 ] Remember License Plates

  DO YOU KNOW the license plate number on your car? Do you need to? One day you just might, and you’ll want to avoid running outside to the driveway to check. Hotels often request your license plate number when you are checking in, and you’ll need it in case your car is towed. And what about remembering the license plate number of the car that just caused an accident but left the scene of the crime? Luckily, committing license plate numbers to memory is easier than you might think.

  THE TECHNIQUE The Alphabet Image System

  Remember the letters in a license plate by changing them into interesting images using th
e Alphabet Image System. Alphabet images are made by connecting each letter of the alphabet to an item you can easily picture. I prefer food: apple, banana, cookie, donut, egg, French fries, etc. You’re not limited to food, of course—use animals, people, or anything else you find memorable. Customize your list so you can easily picture each letter listed on the license plate. Then, you’ll combine this technique with the MOST Method.

  HOW TO DO IT

  1Using the Alphabet Image System, convert each letter in your license plate to an image.

  2Make each of the numbers memorable using the MOST Method to change the numbers into money, objects, sports scores, or time.

  3Use your creativity to create a story about the plate number. Be sure to include action, exaggerate the size, and add color and texture to make the story as interesting as it can be. Here are a few examples:

  •3D1979: Imagine three (3) Donuts that have been sitting around since 1979. Think of something specific that happened that year and how the donuts look after all this time.

  •EJU7909: Eggs with Jam and Urchin costs $79.09.

  •756WBR: At almost 8 o’clock (756), a Watermelon fell off a Bridge onto a box of Raisins.

  •6TRJ244: Imagine six (6) TRucks covered in Jam racing. The first two (2) are 4x4s (44).

  TIP | ENTERTAIN A “BORED CHILD”

  Sometimes it’s difficult to be creative. To get in touch with your creativity, imagine that there is a very bored child sitting in front of you and it’s up to you to entertain them—or suffer the consequences of a meltdown. Make up a silly story that gets the child to laugh.

  [ 13 ] Remember Numbers Using the Simple System

  THE MOST METHOD for remembering numbers has its limitations. Sometimes it can be difficult to convert numbers into images using money, objects, sports, or time. Since numbers make up so much of what people struggle to remember, we need another go-to method when MOST doesn’t fit the bill. The Simple System is so easy that I recommend learning it yourself and then teaching it to your friends and family. Practice while shopping to get good at this system quickly.

  There are two other number systems coming up, so don’t dwell on any one too much until you read all four. Then you can decide which one is best for you.

  THE TECHNIQUE The Simple System

  Unlike the MOST Method, the Simple System has predefined images already assigned to each number. Each number from 0 to 9 represents an image based on what it looks like or reminds you of. Here’s an example, but you can customize the images to suit your imagination:

  0 Donut or soccer ball

  1 Baseball bat or candle

  2 Pair of shoes

  3 Tricycle

  4 Stool with four legs or anything golf related (“Fore!”)

  5 Looks like a fishhook so picture a hook, fish, or bobber

  6 Ant (six legs)

  7 Looks like a boomerang

  8 Octopus

  9 Cat (nine lives)

  For larger numbers, the images are combined. 98 could be a cat snatching an octopus out of an aquarium, for example. The system could be expanded, depending only on your creativity. Some are easy to fill in. For example:

  10 A model who is a “perfect 10”

  11 A speaker that “goes to 11”

  16 First car

  18 Tractor trailer (18 wheels)

  21 Blackjack

  64 The Beatles (“When I’m 64”)

  HOW TO DO IT

  1Create a list numbered 0 to 9. Then, using the examples as a guide, create your list of images.

  2To start using this system, practice with license plates as you drive or use any numbers you see throughout the day. The more you practice, the more second nature this will become and the more numbers you will remember. You can also do this at the store. For example:

  Cookies cost $2.89. Imagine storing the cookies inside your shoes (2) as you go to the aquarium to feed the octopus (8). See the cat (9) on the edge of the aquarium hoping for a chance to grab the octopus.

  Why Bother Remembering Numbers?

  This is the perfect time to address the big question: Why? Why bother to remember how much the cookies cost or the license plate numbers of random cars on the street or any other seemingly insignificant number? Here are a few reasons that it makes sense to learn and practice a system or method to remember numbers:

  •It’s an easy, amusing way to exercise our minds.

  •It improves focus.

  •Remembering inconsequential items prepares you to remember well when you need it.

  •It may help your mind stay young and sharp.

  •It develops creativity.

  •Remembering numbers impresses people!

  [ 14 ] Memorize the Month of Important Dates

  PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS appreciative when their special days are remembered—even more so if you know it’s coming before being reminded by social media or that relative who’s always keeping track of things! In this memory hack, you’ll learn how to imagine each month so you’ll be able to make people feel good by remembering them on their important dates. Keep in mind, you’ll still need to link it to the actual date, so this is just prep work.

  THE TECHNIQUE The Month Memorization System

  The Month Memorization System relies on associating each month with an image to help you better remember the months of important dates. These images will be used in techniques further ahead in this book to remember events, dates, and deadlines.

  Although I’ll include an example, you’ll be considering what each month reminds you of, often a holiday or an event that happens during that month. Use whatever comes to mind first as it will probably be the first idea that comes to mind next time, too. This makes remembering the system even easier.

  HOW TO DO IT

  1Think of each month of the year for a few moments. What holiday or image comes to mind? (Remember that not every month from November to April can be “snow” or “ice”!) Decide on a creative mental image for each month using my suggestions or your own ideas.

  2Add details to each image using CAST—a combination of Color, Action, exaggerated Size, and Texture to make the images instantly come to mind later. When you think of a month from now on, the image should jump forward the same way you remember the icon of your favorite app or software program.

  3As you are brushing your teeth tonight, mentally review the months to confirm you have a solid image for each. If you can’t instantly think of the month’s image, create one and add a lot of CAST details to make it stick.

  Here’s an example:

  Month Holiday or Event Other Ideas

  January New Year’s Eve (Baby New Year or Father Time) Icicles

  February Valentine’s Day (Cupid, hearts, love) Spouse, best friend

  March St. Patrick’s Day (leprechaun) Spring flowers (crocus)

  April April Fool’s Day (fool) or Earth Day (planet) Rain or umbrella

  May Cinco de Mayo (Mexican flag) or Mother’s Day (Mom) Mayflower (old-fashioned boat)

  June Father’s Day (Dad) Fireflies

  July Independence Day (fireworks or Uncle Sam) Croquet

  August Summer (swimming pool) Mosquitoes

  September Labor Day (barbecue) Back to school (school bus)

  October Halloween (jack-o’-lantern) “Oct”ave (piano)

  November Thanksgiving (turkey) NO! (two-year-old child)

  December Christmas (Santa Claus) Hanukkah (menorah) Snowman

  [ 15 ] Remember Passport Numbers and Renewal Dates

  PARTWAY THROUGH INTERNATIONAL flights, we’re asked to fill out a customs and immigration form that includes our flight details (which we’ll easily remember from the technique here) and passport number. By knowing two different number memory techniques, you can memorize your passport number quickly, too.

  With the Story Method, you’ll never have to disturb your seatmates by digging through your carry-on bag to find your passport. As a bonus, people will think you’re super smart because you can rememb
er a nine-digit number!

  THE TECHNIQUE The Story Method

  Most United States passports are nine digits. The technique for memorizing your passport number is to create a memorable story using the numbers. Give each number an image, using whatever idea jumps out at you first, such as a sports score or a dollar amount from the MOST Method, an idea from the Simple System, or something else that makes sense to you. You’re creating a memorable story, so make it as real as any television show or movie you watched recently.

  HOW TO DO IT

  1Find your passport (remembering where it is might be the hardest part of this technique!).

  2Change the numbers into images using the Simple System or the MOST Method.

  3Create an amusing story using the images from the number system.

  4Add the passport image or idea, so when you think of the passport you’ll think of the rest of the images in the story.

  5Close your eyes and re-create the story or mental movie three times, adding more CAST details (Color, Exaggerated Sizes, Action, Texture) each time.

  6Replay the movie or story tonight and tomorrow morning as you brush your teeth. The spaced repetition review will create an unforgettable memory.

  7Go above and beyond by learning the expiration month and year by adding to the original story. Convert the expiration month into an image using the Month Memorization System and connect it to the story along with the last two digits of the year, which you translate into images. Review these details to make sure they’re vivid.

  Here’s an example:

  Passport No. 477746628, Exp. June 2027

  Imagine your basketball team losing 47–77 or your baseball team having a 47–77 record partway through the season. You sit on a stool (4), dejected, while two ants (6, 6) crawl up the legs before getting smashed by your shoes (2). You need a snack, so you pick them off the floor and eat (“ate”/8) them. Finally, you grab your passport to go visit your father (June, Father’s Day) even though it’s below freezing there—only 27 degrees.