Memorization Made Easy: Three Tips for Easy Memorization
There is an old story about a man who, in ancient times, came to
the court of a King, boasting that he had invented an elixir of
memory. After hearing what the man had invented, the King
replied, "You haven't invented an elixir of memory--you've
invented an elixir of forgetfulness!" There is an element of
unfortunate truth to this. In today's world, we can write so
many things down, and look so many things up, that we just
haven't had the opportunity to practice the skill of committing
things to memory. So, when it becomes necessary to memorize a
set of things, it can be very difficult. We might try to go at
it with some sort of rote repetition, flash cards, or other
difficult and boring way of drilling the facts into our head.
With enough work and drudgery, this will do the trick. But
consider that, to be fluent in a language, one needs to know at
least 3,000 words of vocabulary (and considerably more if one
wishes to be well-spoken), it is evident that the old ways of
drudgery are insufficient. They get in the way of our ability to
accomplish all that we would like to. Fortunately, there are
easier, and better ways to commit substantial amounts of
information to memory. Rather than working against the mind (by
drilling the information in), we can work with our minds. When
we work with our minds, they will soak up the information like
sponges--making the whole experience faster, more effective and
more pleasant. While there are many effective techniques for
this, I find that these three are some of the easiest and most
effective.
1. Make your exposure to the information multi-sensory. We have
a number of ways to take in information, and as individuals, we
respond differently to stimuli from different senses. There is,
however, one universal truth: the more senses that are
stimulated, the more of an impression that stimulation leaves.
When you are reviewing the information, don't just look at it.
Say it, listen to it, and perhaps even find a way to feel it.
The more senses you engage, the more quickly and effectively
your mind will retain the information. 2. Engage the
subconscious mind with art or music. The subconscious mind is
stimulated by art and music, and it is also where your memories
are stored. By using art or music in your memorization
exercises, you can open the gateway to your subconscious and
dramatically increase your retention. Some ways to do this are:
create or listen to the music in song. For example, when I was
first learning ancient Greek, I had to learn a new alphabet. I
did this easily by finding and downloading the Greek Alphabet
Song. In order to learn vocabulary, I would often take a
vocabulary word, and write it down on a piece of paper, and
proceed to create designs and drawings all around the word,
having to do with the meaning of the word. I'd spend two or
three minutes with the word, and I'd remember it whenever I
needed to use it. 3. Review the information right before you go
to bed and again right after your get up. When you sleep, your
mind synthesizes information. By making sure you've reviewed it
right before you go to sleep, you're putting the information on
the forefront of the mind. When you sleep, your brain will be
more likely to file that information away into long term memory.
When you wake up, and review that information again, you will
refresh the memory. These are two powerful steps to getting that
information into your long-term memory.
In addition to these three tips, I encourage you to retain a
hypnotist or hypnotherapist and to learn self-hypnosis. Hypnosis
can be very effective in increasing your ability to learn and
retain information. A few simple sessions can drastically
improve your memory! There are many other methods for making
memorization easier, and I would encourage you to investigate
those methods and find what works for you. The most important
thing to remember when you're remembering is: work with your
brain, and not against it. Your subconscious is your greatest
ally, and boredom and annoyance will just shut your brain down.
Make it fun, and find innovative ways to engage your mind.
You'll find that memorizing can become fun and exciting, and I
am certain that you will enjoy the rewards you can reap by doing
this more efficiently and effectively.