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  In fact, by using the journey, you could easily reverse the order of the items. Just reverse the journey. What was the last item? Think about it. Tank. Go back: mirror, goat, piano, book, and so on.

  So all three aspects of memory are working beautifully together. Imagination—you’re using plenty of that. You were associating the objects; you were thinking of them, exaggerating them, and putting them into locations, so all three qualities have worked together. That’s why you can use them to great effect.

  Obviously there are practical benefits to this process, but apart from anything else, it is a wonderful exercise for the whole of your brain. We’ll be looking at brain function in later chapters.

  I suggest you try an experiment: Write down a random list of 10 objects. You can get your family or friends to do this. Have them to call the objects out slowly, and see if you can memorize or just imagine each of them along a journey.

  Of course, speed comes with practice, and after a while, you will be amazed at how easy this is to do. You won’t be looking at 10 objects. You’ll be wanting to do 20, 30, 50, maybe 100. These are all benefits of the journey method.

  4

  Revision and Review

  You’re already getting the hang of this. Your imagination is working well for you. You’re successful in turning dull, unintelligible data into meaningful, colorful, memorable images, but now you’re asking, “How long will this stuff stay in my head?”

  Using imagery in this way is extremely powerful, but to consolidate a memory, to really set it in concrete for long-term storage, you must review those images. Revision and review are more or less the same thing.

  Back in 1878, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus worked out that the best way to revise was to return to the information at least 5 times. Depending on the type of information, here is how I would split that revision time: Whatever you learn, review it immediately. That’s the first review. Then look at it 24 hours later. Then, 1 week later; that’s the third review. Then review it 1 month later, and then anywhere between 3 and 6 months later. If you can do the review in that sort of spread, then you’ll pretty much have the information for life. That’s the minimum. Obviously the more times you review the material, the better.

  Another thing: take breaks. If the information is intense, try to take a short break every 20 minutes or so, but not for more than about 5 minutes. Do something completely different. Oddly enough, even though you’re taking a rest, your brain is still starting to organize and process the information you’ve just been absorbing.

  This phenomenon is called reminiscence. A memory steadily improves several minutes after we’ve learned something. The length varies depending on the type of information. To give you an example, your memory of a photograph is at its strongest about 1½ minutes after studying it. Memory of a manual skill, whether it’s being taught how to hold a golf club or ride a bike, is usually better 10 minutes after practicing it.

  Here’s the point: if you distribute the learning periods over, say, 20 to 45 minutes, you will increase the number of reminiscence periods. In other words, you’re going to learn more. Isn’t that nice to know? If you keep taking breaks, you’re going to learn more; even when you’re making a cup of tea, you’re still learning. I’ll bet they never taught you that at school.

  Experiment. Use all the devices available. Get your children onto this. Try it out with them. If you’re a student, this technique could mean the difference between two grades—between success and failure. Furthermore, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that if you double the rate at which you absorb knowledge, then you’re going to halve your study time.

  I mentioned earlier that the Greeks used this method to great effect. Later the Romans used it as well. Below is a passage from a text called Ad Herennium (To Herennius). It’s from the first century BC. It’s by an unknown author, who writes:

  If we wish to remember much material, we must equip ourselves with a large number of places. It is essential that he places should form a series and must be remembered in their order so that we can start in any locus in the series, and move either backwards or forwards.

  A locus is a place easily grasped by the memory, such as a house, an intercolumnar space, a corner, an arch, or the like. If we wish to remember, for instance, the genus of a horse, of a lion, of an eagle, we must place their images on definite loci.

  I thought I had invented a completely unique method, but I suppose I have at least revived it for the 21st century.

  5

  Combining the Linking and Journey Methods

  We’re now going to take things one step further. How can you use the journey method to gain knowledge fast? I’m going to get you now to memorize a list of the 10 largest oceans and seas.

  Pacific Ocean

  South China Sea

  Atlantic Ocean

  Caribbean Sea

  Indian Ocean

  Mediterranean Sea

  Arctic Ocean

  Bering Sea

  Arabian Sea

  Bay of Bengal

  If you cover this list, you’ll find you’ve forgotten it, haven’t you? Maybe you’ve remembered the first bit—the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian oceans—but to get them in order is pretty difficult.

  Remember earlier that I said to find a connection between two words? Just think of an immediate association. That’s what I want you to do. I want you to combine linking with the journey method.

  When I say Pacific, what’s the first thing that comes into your head? I think of a pack of cards: Pacific, pack. Atlantic makes me think of atlas. With Indian, I think of a Cherokee Indian. For Arctic Ocean, what do you think of? Maybe an arc or an arch.

  We’re going to memorize that list of oceans and seas. In order to do that, you have to have another journey of 10 stages. I don’t want you to use the journey you’ve just formed around your house, because that method is so powerful that you still have those images in your head: the wallet, the snake, the screwdriver. This one has to be fresh. It could be a journey from your home to work, or it could be an old school trip that you used to take, or maybe a journey along a coastal resort.

  Stop reading and work out another journey of 10 stages. Use a different place, maybe an old school trip or the layout of your office, or maybe a trip around the town center.

  Once you have 10 stages of a very familiar journey, I’m going to try to ease those images into the background scenes.

  Go to the first stage of your journey. The first body of water is the Pacific Ocean. The idea here is to associate Pacific with something. Earlier I suggested a pack of cards, so let’s do that one together. Picture a pack of cards at that particular location. Maybe you’re on a beach or at your old school. Wherever you are, picture a pack of cards. Remember to use all the cortical skills: your senses, movement, exaggeration, humor.

  Leave the cards alone and go to the second stage. This time it’s Atlantic Ocean. What do you connect with Atlantic? Why not try atlas? Try to picture a huge atlas. Again, use logic. Why would the atlas be there? Maybe someone’s left it there, or they’ve dropped it, or maybe it’s to help you find your way along the journey.

  OK, leave the atlas alone. Go to the next stage: Indian Ocean. Imagine bumping into a Cherokee Indian. Use interaction here. What’s the Cherokee doing there?

  Move on. Next is Arctic Ocean. I would use an arch. Imagine walking through an archway. What’s it made of? Plastic? Don’t forget to use touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound. Imagine walking through the arch as you go to the next stage of your journey.

  This time, Arabian Sea. Maybe the first thing that comes into your mind is an Arabian knight—a nice, colorful character. Picture that.

  Now move on to the next stage: South China Sea. It sounds like China tea, so I imagine a cup of China tea—using taste this time.

  OK, move on. Caribbean Sea. Imagine a picture of a Caribbean island. Maybe it’s somewhere you wish you were now. Perhaps you’ve been there on vacation. What size is it? Actually fix it to the location. Is it hanging up on a wall? If there’s no wall, maybe you’re outside in the town; maybe it’s on the ground.

  Move on. We’re nearly there. Mediterranean Sea. Med—all you need is a little mental trigger. I imagine seeing a medal. That will help me remember Mediterranean, so medal. What sort of medal is it? Is it shiny? Fix that to the location.

  Next stage: Bering Sea. Bering. What do you associate the word Bering with? How about ball bearings? Maybe you walk on some ball bearings that you didn’t know were there, and you slipped up.

  Now go to the final stage, the Bay of Bengal. Are you thinking of a Bengal tiger? That’s a pretty colorful character.

  Great.

  Now all the work has been done by your imagination. You’ve used association, and hopefully the journey has preserved the order of the information that you’ve just visualized. If you’ve used those three ingredients, there’s a good chance that you can repeat the order of those oceans and seas. Let’s see.

  Don’t rush into this. Just go back to the first stage, and what do you see? I’ll help you a little bit. Remember I suggested using a pack of cards? What does that trigger? Pacific Ocean. Good.

  Go to the next stage. Now what do you see? An atlas? An atlas triggers Atlantic Ocean. Are you getting the hang of this now?

  Go to the third stage. What do you see there? You bumped into an Indian, a Cherokee, so it’s Indian Ocean.

  Next stage. Are you walking underneath something? What shape is it? An arch? So it’s Arctic Ocean. Good.

  Next stage. You meet an Arabian knight, so Arabian Sea. This time imagine that he has the number 5 attached to him. This is to help you remember that this is the fifth stage of the journey. Good; leave him alone.

  Next stage.
This is the clue: you’re tasting something. China tea: South China Sea.

  Next stage is a picture of an island. Whereabouts is it? It’s in the Caribbean Sea.

  Moving on. Something shiny. That’s it: a medal. Mediterranean Sea.

  Now move on to the next stage. Do you trip up here on some ball bearings? So it’s Bering Sea.

  Finally, there’s a big, colorful Bengal tiger, so Bengal Sea.

  Now if you go back again, you should be able to fly through those oceans and seas. As you do this, it’s like creating pathways which get wider and wider the more you walk through them. After a while, you’ll just be able to float through the list and go Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Arabian Sea, and so on. Now you can pinpoint any one of those objects. If I say, “What’s the fifth sea on that list?” You think back. Oh. yes, we attached the number 5, to the Arabian knight, didn’t we? Now you can tell me what the fourth item on the list is. Just go back one stage on the journey. It has to be the arch, which represents Arctic Ocean.

  What takes an age for me to describe can be worked out by your brain in seconds. Again, the more you practice this method, the faster you’ll get at it. Probably you’re already beginning to notice that you’re getting more creative. Maybe even it’s a bit of a strain on your brain. That’s a good sign. What’s the old saying? “If it’s not hurting, it’s not working.”

  On the practical side, just think what you could do with this method. You could memorize anything: a grocery list, a list of names, things you have to do throughout the day. It’s endless, and the more you practice this technique, the better you’ll get at it.

  Play around with the journey method. It’s your challenge to your friends and your family. Just see how far you can take it.

  In the next chapter, I’m going to give you the solution to the number one memory complaint: how to remember names and faces. With this technique, which is really powerful, you’ll never forget a name again.

  6

  Never Forget Another Name or Face

  Once, at a dinner party in London’s fashionable Mayfair district, I was once asked to recall the names of everybody present. There were 100 people at this party, and the hostess asked me to memorize the first name and the surname of each guest. She said, “Look, I’m not going to say who you are. I just want you to go around and memorize everybody.” I had never met any of them before.

  A wealthy businessman to my right, who didn’t know I was a memory man, thought this was impossible. He said, “If you can do that, I’ll give you £50,000 to gamble with in Las Vegas.”

  So I went around, discreetly got hold of one person from each table, and asked, “Could you just feed me the first name and surname of each person at this table?” They did. I managed to do this in about 20 or 25 minutes.

  I got back to the table, and the businessman said, “Do you have that?”

  “Yes, I think so,” I said.

  Rather nervously, he said, “Right. Well, you’d better start recording everybody before you forget them.”

  “No,” I said, “I’m feeling a bit hungry. I’ll wait until they’re on their coffee.” Sure enough, when the coffee came around, I stood up and named everybody perfectly, much to the surprise of the hostess and to the dismay of the businessman (which reminds me: we’ve still yet to fix a date to go to Las Vegas).

  Before I trained my memory, I could never have done this. A few years ago, memorizing 100 people at a party would have been impossible. Like most people, I used to have a lot of difficulty remembering names and faces.

  People regularly come up to me and say, “I’m very good at remembering faces, but I just can’t remember the names.” Why is it so difficult to remember names? I think one difficulty is that we’re meeting more and more people. There’s a wider name base. We have to confront new, alien names. We’re living in a cosmopolitan society, so we get exotic, unusual sounds, like Boutros Boutros-Ghali (the late secretary general of the United Nations). They’re very difficult and tricky to cope with.

  Back in the old days, things were a lot easier. We had names like Smith, Baker, Butcher, so we identified somebody or connected them with their trade: Sawyer, Cooper. We’d have things like Harry the Baker, Tom the Fletcher. We knew by direct association. There was a link between the name and the profession.

  Now when we meet somebody, there’s no direct link to go on. What is a Ted, a Bob, a Julia, Carol supposed to look like in the first place? I mean, I no more look like Dominic than you look like your name, so don’t feel guilty that you can’t remember names easily. There is no name or face recollection system in the brain.

  ALWAYS GIVE A FACE A PLACE

  If there’s no obvious link, then we have to create one. The English author Sir Thomas Browne said, “It is the common wonder of all men how amongst so many millions there should be none alike.” Of so many millions of faces, not one is alike. We are all unique, and that’s something we can use.

  Just to recap: we used a journey to remember a shopping list of 10 items. We used association, location, and imagination. These are the three common denominators right throughout this course.

  To remember a face, the phrase I have is, always give a face a place. I’m not going to bother about techniques when trying to remember a face. We’re naturally very good at that. We’ve had to be over the centuries. We need to know at first judgment if somebody’s going to be a friend or a foe. We can remember faces, but it’s just getting the name to them. So, give a face a place.

  Somebody comes up to you in the street and says, “Oh, hi, Donnie. How are you doing?” You know that face so well, but you can’t remember who that person is. What are you trying to do? You’re trying to place that person. Once you have that place, then all the information concerning that person will come back to you. “Hi. Don’t you remember me? It’s George. We met at that convention in London.”

  Ah, so now you have the place. “Yes, you’re the guy that sells that crazy diet. How is the book coming along?” Once you know the label of the file, you know where to go and look it up.

  Now I’m going to give you four techniques to help you remember names to help you give a face a place.

  YOU REMIND ME OF SOMEONE

  Here’s technique number one, and it’s called, “You Remind Me of Someone.” Look at a face and think if they resemble anybody, even vaguely, like a friend or a musician. Maybe they look like somebody royal, a sportsperson, or a politician. Try to make the connection fairly immediate.

  Say you meet somebody; maybe she has a strange mannerism. She reminds you of your aunt. Now you have a first vital link. Your aunt gives you a location—your aunt’s house—so this is the chain of associations. This is exactly how memory works. We’re looking for something to grab hold of. That person reminds you of your aunt, so now you think of your aunt’s house.

  Actually do this yourself. Think of your aunt, and think of her house. Now you need the name. The woman says her name is Mrs. Shepard. Simple. You just associate or imagine seeing a shepherd standing outside your aunt’s house. Here’s the complete chain: You have the look-alike stage; she looks like your aunt. That gives you a place, so that’s the location: your aunt’s house. Now you put in the key image, which is a shepherd. So you’ve gone face, location, key image.

  Let’s take another case. Suppose somebody reminds you of the character J. R. Ewing in Dallas. What location could you use? You could use Southfork Ranch from the series. The man comes out with a name: it’s Mr. Walski. Now you imagine this person at Southfork Ranch skiing up one of the walls. That’s a really crazy image, but it’s memorable. Again, this is the link: you have face, place, and the key image, where you’ve created a scene.

  WHAT’S MY LINE?

  Now we move onto technique number two. This is called “What’s My Line?” If the person doesn’t look like anybody familiar or famous, then think what sort of work this person does. What’s their line of business? (I’ve always been told, don’t judge a book by its cover, and you shouldn’t pigeonhole people, but you can’t help doing it, can you?)