The memory palace is a memory technique whereby a familiar building such as your home is pictured in your mind. You then picture placing objects around your home. For example, objects such as human anatomy bones which you'll then remember later when taking your human anatomy exam.
So let's begin by picturing our memory palace and we'll choose our home for this (the easiest way I picture things is by looking down and closing my eyes). Picture your front door, walking over the threshold and straight on or turning left or right into a room. Picture the room that you've turned into as your lounge. Okay, now we're ready to picture the objects that need to be placed in the lounge. An object is any piece of information. For example a fitness exercise such as 'hip rotations' or a grocery item. Numbers can also be placed, but firstly you need to create your 'numbers system' and this will be introduced in a separate article.
It's time to picture the objects, so let's picture the following items from a basic grocery list which is without numbers for quantities and weights:
- carton of milk
- banana
- loaf of brown bread
- teabags
- toilet rolls
- washing powder
- dog biscuits
- margarine
Before we place the objects in our memory palace, let's picture the eight locations of where each one will be placed. We're stood at the door to the lounge and going from left to right the first location is immediately next to the door at the bottom left hand corner of the lounge. Walking into the lounge and keeping left, the second location is at the next bottom left hand corner. This is followed with the third location by walking across the lounge to the bottom right hand corner and then to the fourth which is at the other bottom right hand corner. The remaining four locations follow suit but are now in the top left and right hand corners close to the ceiling.
Now it's time to place the objects, starting with the carton of milk. Imagine placing the carton of milk at the first bottom left hand corner of the lounge and so on with the rest of the objects.
Before going to the grocery store, picture the objects you have placed. Whereabouts on the sofa did you place the banana? Was it on an armrest or against a cushion?
By memorising your grocery list, not only will you be shopping more efficiently (because you won't need to hold and look at your list) but you'll be creating new brain cells too. By picturing things in your mind you'll tap into an area of your brain which isn't used so actively. The more you tap into it the more imaginative and creative you'll become. This in turn strengthens your brain by producing new brain cells, giving a healthier brain.
The next time you need to buy groceries, try using the memory palace technique and let me know in the comments how you got on.
The above is Level 1 for using the Memory Palace. For more information and Level 2 please contact us.
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