Since the time of the ancient Greeks, a tool called the memory place has been utilized to assist people to store their memories for quick retrieval. In the days before computers, one had to store information in their mind if they wanted it at their fingertips. The memory palace approach involves transforming one’s memories into visuals and storing them in a familiar mental space. The concept is that one may mentally tour their palace while searching through their memories to retrieve them.
Particularly when the memories are vivid and floating around in one’s mind, it is quite difficult to recollect them. The good news is that one can add the missing context and order by giving their memories the necessary structure. I had to picture a location I am familiar with, list its distinguishing characteristics, and then designate each characteristic as a word in order to remember the word list. To help with my memory, I created an image of my home and assigned each standout feature or object a word from the word list.
As I walk up to my house, there is a wind vane on the roof, which I likened to an airplane. In the living room, there is a big conspicuous chair on the left of the room, similar to a king’s throne, and underneath it is cobwebs reminding me of a spider. Behind the chair is a fish tank, with tubes emptying water into it; I assigned the word river. Next to the fish tank is my younger brother’s mask, like a thief’s, and on the table on the right is a sewing set with a needle poking out. In front of the chair, on the other wall, is a television set, and the reporter is reading weather news. On the dining table to the left is a first aid kit which reminds me of the word doctor, and an old record player sits next to it playing jazz. Finally, I feel the smell of bread in the air from the kitchen.
Visualizing my home helped facilitate my memory for the word list because it was a familiar environment, one that I experienced daily. I was, therefore, able to assign a familiar object in our home a word from the word list. The most effective memory association combines physical locations with conceptual ideas. A memory palace is an effective memory tool and is fun to learn and use.