How to Memorize Anything (41 page)

If the card is
6 of clubs
(C6) then it will be represented by the word
Cash
, where:

• C
  corresponds to
  clubs
  and
  
• sh
  corresponds to
  6 (according to the phonetic peg system).
  

Example 2:

Similarly,
2 of Diamonds
(D2) can be given the word
Den
, where:

• D
  corresponding to
  Diamonds
  and
  
• 2
  corresponding to
  n
  (phonetic peg system)
  

Example 3:

For
Hearts
, the first letter is
H
, so
H1
(Ace of Hearts)
can be assigned the word
Hat
.

Similarly
2 of Hearts
,
H2
corresponds to
Hen
and so on.

MEMORY PEGS FOR: JACKS

For all four Jacks, I visualize the original suits only.

• Jack of Clubs can be seen as a
  golf club
  ,
  
• Jack of Hearts can be seen as a
  heart
  ,
  
• Jack of Spade can be seen as a
  spade
  , and
  
• Jack of Diamonds can be seen as a
  diamond
  .
  

MEMORY PEGS FOR: KING AND QUEEN

For images of King and Queen, I use Bollywood stars from romantic films for the hearts suit, sport stars for clubs, politicians for spades, and rich individuals for diamonds.

It doesn’t really matter what image you are giving to a card. What matters is that you remember which image is for which card!

As long as you can give each playing card an identity, it becomes memorable.

Here’s a list of all the card words we use for all four suits.
(Although these are only suggestions and it’s recommended that you use your own images).

Memorize playing cards with these words and images:

Once you have successfully created images for the cards in your mind, you’ll be able to associate them to
anything
—to each other by the chain method (to remember a sequence), or to hiding places (to remember them in and out of order), or to anything else.

The important thing here is to get into the habit of seeing the image, not just knowing the word. When you see the 5 of Diamonds, you should almost immediately see a mental image of a
doll
. For the 6 of Spades, a
sage
. For the 2 of Clubs, a
cone
. It’s important to ‘see’ these mental images and not just be aware of the words.

There is no rhyme or reason as to where these pictures come from and it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you:

1. Create the images that make sense to YOU.
   
2. Spend time looking through a deck of cards over and over and over until you can recognize the image that goes with the card without hesitation.
   
3. Using chain or hide-and-seek method, memorize the whole sequence.
   

This practice of memorizing the sequence of 52 cards is beneficial in many ways:

1. It’s an amazing way to
   master your memory skills
   so that you can use it easily in your day-to-day life.
   
2. You can play some very interesting memory games and
   impress your friends
   .
   
3. One of the most important aspects of memory is actually focusing your attention on the subject matter, and this method
   forces you to focus.
   

The mental exercise your brain will be undergoing, creating all those fascinating mental images and scenarios, is absolutely invaluable. Learning how to memorize playing cards is one of the most challenging and most satisfying tests of mental agility that you could undertake.

Appendix I

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Q1. Will my memory decline with age?

Ans
. There is no reason that your memory will decline with age unless you’re suffering from some medical illness. In fact, your ability to learn and remember should get better as you get older. Different memory techniques use the information you already know to form new memories. The older you get, the more you know, the more experiences you will have, and the more you will be able to learn. Many people feel that their memory is becoming weak, but this is not because they are ageing. The actual reason is that they have stopped using it as much as they used to earlier. Another reason for the apparent decline in performance of memory as we grow older is that we become physically less active, and therefore our brain gets less oxygen than it used to.

Q2. Is it possible to improve my memory?

Ans
. Absolutely! The techniques of memory improvement have existed for thousands of years and are helping major firms today. These techniques have proven to be useful for people from all walks of life like scholars, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, students, housewives etc.

Q3. Is modern technology (computers, smartphones, tablets, PCs etc.) a good substitute for memory?

Ans
. Day-by-day, our dependency on gadgets and new technology is increasing. Though modern technology helps us access any information at our fingertips, the greatest drawback of increased use of these gadgets is that we have stopped using our own brains even for small things. Don’t you think that it would be better if you could tell the details of a project to a client directly instead of asking him to wait a minute till you check it on your smartphone. These gadgets are good as backups, but being totally dependent on them may have a harmful effect on the ability to use your brain.

Q4. Isn’t it easier to memorize material directly, instead of using these memory techniques?

Ans
. Memory systems may appear complex at first, but once you’re familiar with them, their time and energy saving value is more than apparent. In fact, these techniques can help you save time in revision and you will be able to recall quickly and retain information for a longer period of time easily. The tedious task of memorizing by rote requires you to repeat the material to yourself 8 to 10 times before anything starts to stick. And there’s no guarantee it will stay with you for a long period of time.

For example:
If you want to put anything in your cupboard, there are two ways to do it. One is to keep stacking all things one over the other and the second is to demarcate separate spaces for daily wear clothes, books, cosmetics, footwear, party dresses etc. Don’t you think it is easier to find a thing in the second case? Similarly, our brain is also like a cupboard. We will be able to access the things we have remembered much better if we put them in a systematic way.

Q5. I am not able to make ridiculous visualizations. Is it okay if I make simple associations without much detail?

Ans
. It’s absolutely okay if your visualizations are simple. It hardly matters what you visualize as far as it is helping you to remember. The reason I suggest you to make ridiculous visualizations is that it will stand out when you are trying to recall. For example, in your shopping list if you are trying to memorize tomatoes, you should imagine them as huge and bright red in colour. This way they will stand out and will immediately come to your mind. Initially you might find it a little difficult to make funny images but with time and practice you will certainly be able to do so.

Q6. Can memory systems help with corporate training?

Ans
. Now-a-days it has become a trend in big companies to make employees go through various forms of training just to score on employee satisfaction whereas it is quite evident that hardly any of these trainings help them in the long run. The reason is that after a period of time, most employees remember only that part of training they apply to their current job. The rest of it goes waste. Memory skills should be the first thing we all should learn so that whatever we learn afterwards stays with us for a long time. These techniques help you in all spheres of life—be it studies, work, or day-to-day activities.

Q7. Why do people today have such a bad memory?

Ans
. In the beginning of the book, I had mentioned that there is no such thing as bad memory. Your memory is either trained or untrained. Whenever we forget some basic information, we start doubting our memory. But it’s not that simple; there are various factors affecting our retention and recall powers. These factors have been discussed in details in the chapter ‘Techniques to Improve Concentration’. Generally speaking, our lifestyle is mainly responsible for this problem. We are much too dependent on the latest gadgets and techniques and don’t use our brain even for simple things. Physical activity is decreasing at an alarming rate with every generation. The same is the case with mental activity.