John’s Blog

Today’s Reader Question:

I work for a judge. Many times, when we meet, I have to record the conversation and listen to it again.  This is because I am trying to take notes as he talks, and when he moves on to his next sentence/topic, I am still writing down notes from his prior sentence(s). Therefore, my notes are not always accurate. 

My only option is to keep listening to the recordings (which typically last 30 minutes at a time) after our meetings, and compare my notes to our conversation. 

Other than taking shorthand classes, is there a way to remember the conversations without having to review the recording?  

My answer:

It’s a really good question…one that I’ve tried to figure out myself over the last couple of years (similar situation).

Speed memory is very difficult, even for the best “memorizers” in the world.

A TV show I was recently on in Russia made it look like I memorized a huge amount of info in one quick take, but I actually got to review the information briefly (there’s no way I would risk doing it without review). See the clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-yM2wE3vEs&t=4s

The truth is, even I would probably have to re-listen to your  recording to be 80-100% accurate.

It’s also a catch 22. 
-If you don’t take notes, you’ll be more present and will remember more right after, but if you don’t review quickly enough, you’ll forget A LOT more.
-When you take notes, you’re less present and more focused on writing, versus remembering.

Here’s what I would do:

• Take super brief notes (just writing 1-3 words for the main idea of each topic in the meeting) & spend more time just focused on listening to him (maybe even trying to come up with visual imagery for what he’s talking about)

• Immediately after the meeting, I’d either quickly reread your notes & write in the details for each point or I’d listen to the recording (at 2x or 3x speed to save time).

• The reason to do it immediately after is to actually save time. The information is the freshest in your mind right after the meeting, so reviewing it then will be faster (because you know most of it). If you were to wait few hours, or even a day or two to review, you’d be working much harder because a lot of that memory has naturally faded away.

It really just depends on how accurate you want to be. Review really is the only way to be fully accurate and to combat forgetfulness.

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Today’s reader question:

“Memory techniques require visualization, like imagining things you want to remember and “seeing” them in your memory palace.
But, I struggle with visualizing things. I don’t see things clearly like pictures in my mind. Can I still use memory techniques if I can’t visualize?”

My answer:

A lot of people get discouraged when they can’t imagine / visualize something clearly in their mind when practicing memory techniques. 

Here’s the truth: I don’t clearly picture things in my mind either. I can’t.

I don’t see anything in high definition when I memorize.

Here’s how I would describe what I experience when I visualize and store things in my memory palaces:

When I close my eyes, I see black. I don’t see imagery vividly in my mind’s eye as if it were a movie on a TV screen.

When I imagine something, I think of past memories and feelings of things that I’ve seen and experienced in my life.

For example:

I can imagine walking through places I’ve been before (like my childhood home). I can imagine I’m standing in any part of the house, I can feel the size and space, I can see a subtle impression of what the yard looks like, what my room looks like, what it feels like to walk through the front door, etc. 

All based on memories from my life.

What I “see” in this example is what I would describe as a “ghostly representation” of what my house is like. It’s a blurry, non detailed point-of-view.

If I were to “zoom” in to remember details (like the shape and colors of the table) I can imagine it a bit more clearly…using my memory of it.

What is most important in memory techniques and visualization is not SEEING things clearly, but instead FEELING and THINKING about the things you want to remember.

If I tell you to imagine an elephant stomping on your front steps, I expect that you can remember (in a very general sense) what your front steps look like.

You have memories and nostalgia about your front steps. You can remember walking up and down them. They have a physical “feel” and an emotional “feel” when you think about them.

You can also imagine an elephant or “a huge animal”. Maybe you even love elephants. You feel a subtle joy when you think about one being on your front steps.

That’s all you need.

Bottom line:

Don’t get discouraged if you can’t clearly “see” imagery in your mind’s eye. What’s more important is to think about what you’re trying to imagine. Use past memories, sensations, shapes, feelings that come to your mind.

The more I’ve trained, the more I realize how much visualization is about emotion and feel…not so much vision.

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Today’s question:
“What simple things can I do to improve my memory?”

We’re all busy people, so here are 3 things you can start doing to enhance your memory TODAY:

1) Think in images and stories
We remember people, stories, and imagery WAY MORE than words, text, abstract concepts, numbers, ideas, etc.

So…Turn words and ideas that you’re learning into visual stories in your mind. 

Weird example from when I travel:
(for my American friends) 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers

Story (imagine) = You use a saxophone (sax) to convert miles to kilometers. When you play it, the panel of judges only gives you 1 point for the sax.
(1.6 = One point six = One point sax)

Try to forget that…

2) Review
Want to remember more of your day?

Tell someone (a significant other) what happened. This retelling makes you relive and review the moments again.

The more you review something, the more you will remember it. Easy, but VERY effective.

3) Focus & Presence

Put your phone down and be in the moment.

If your mind is elsewhere it shows you don’t care and it distracts you from the present moment.

Focus on what’s important to you by being present and giving it your attention. This is something that’s becoming more and more rare these days…

Remember:
Think in images/stories
Review
Focus

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Here is this week’s question:
I’m a med student, and I use memory palace literally for everything because it gives me so much confidence for the exams!

I only have one problem: the first time I study and I create images it really takes me a lot of time and the second time I study the same subject I can’t remember the image that was in that place.

How and what can i do to A) improve the speed of creating new images and B) make them more remarkable? 

Here’s are my answers in 2 parts:

A) How to improve speed

This comes from practice and trust.
But what you can do is try to use the first image or association that pops in your mind. Listen to your incoming thoughts instead of actively thinking “what image should I use?”

For example: If you hear the name George, what do you think of immediately? 
Curious George, George Washington, Boy George, your neighbor George?
Use the first one you think of. There’s a reason your brain made that immediate association (it’s already connected in the web of your memory).

Also, the better you get, the less time you need to spend imagining each story in your memory palace. You will get faster at connecting images to locations in your memory palace.

B) How to remember the images

The problem why you can’t remember the images the second time you study is because you waited too long to do your first review. I used to do the same thing when I started with memory techniques.

Review just means to look again at the images you created in your memory palace. You should review frequently during/after a study session.

Let’s say you spend 30 minutes studying & creating images. I would review the images I created every 10 minutes.
So: Study 10 mins, Review quickly. Study 10 more mins, Review quickly…

The sooner you review, the less likely the images/information will fade away.

After that, it’s a good idea to quickly review after the first day, then 2 days later, then 4 days later, then 8 days later…(basically double the days). This is called “spaced repetition.”

This will help you dramatically 🙂

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How do I remember something if I can’t write it down
(I’m driving, on a walk, in the shower, etc.)?

There is something VERY simple you can do…Create a Memory Board. It’s a is a fun little trick you can use to remember ideas, to-do items, random thoughts, etc.

Pick something you walk past every day (I used the small retaining wall on the path to my front door).

Other examples: Your garage door, a bush in your front yard, basketball hoop, etc. I like using something I will see before I enter my home.

Whenever you have an idea or thing you want to remember, use this location to help you remember it.

Here’s how:

Let’s say you’re driving and you remember that your cousin’s dance recital is in 2 days. You keep forgetting to write it down and you want to remember to go.

Step 1: Make a mental image to remind you.

In this example, simply imagine your cousin dancing.

Step 2: Connect this mental image to your memory board location. Make a simple story out of it.

In this example, I would imagine my cousin dancing on top of my retaining wall. The bricks start to crumble and she falls down. (Tip: Make this simple story a bit exaggerated to help you remember it.) 

Imagine it happening a few times in your mind.

Step 3: Get in the habit of looking at your memory board location when you pass by it every day. 

You don’t even need to be at your memory board location to check it either. You can imagine looking at it.

When you look (or think about) your memory board location, you will remember the image you stored their…and remember what it meant. Then you can write it down.

Other notes on this:

• You can reuse a memory board whenever you need it. Old mental images will fade away after a couple of days.
• You can place more than 1 image (reminder) at your memory board at one time. Just pick a different spot(s) to connect the other image(s) to.
• You can create more than one memory board if you want.

I use mine a few times a month to remember ideas I get from listening to podcasts, reminders, and simple to-dos.

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I’m getting ready for a trip to Vietnam this weekend.

I was asked by the coach for the Vietnam memory team to come out and give a few talks to his students.

I’ve never been to Vietnam before (but I’ve seen a lot of Southeast Asia), so if you have recommendations I’d love to hear them (reply to this email).

Today, I wanted to give you a quick reminder that I always have to give myself:

“Enjoy the journey”

I’m a very ambitious person. I have goals for how much money I want to be making, training goals for memory events, goals and dreams of traveling the world, etc.

I think to myself that “you’re not there yet.”
I have this picture in my mind of where I want to be…
and all I can think of is “you’re not there yet.”

I have to take a step back and realize where I’m at in my life. Like, right now. Today.

I’m on a journey.
Today, I’m working on my goals.
I’m getting better today. I’ll get better tomorrow.
Someday, I’ll be “there”.

Actually. I don’t think I’ll ever make it “there.”

I’ll always want to improve more. To see more. To do more. To live more.

Heck, all I wanted was to win the 2018 USA Memory Championship for a while. Then I did it. Now I want more…

My point in all of this is to “enjoy the journey.”
Enjoy where you are right now.
Don’t get stuck thinking “you’re not there yet”.

Enjoy the things you’re doing right now, today. 
The future is unknown.
You can be ambitious and have huge goals.
But ground yourself in today. Make today count. 
Live the ups and downs of life.
Be grateful for where you are now.
The journey is where it’s at.

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People remember how you make them feel.
They don’t remember everything you do and say.

When I think back to high school (I graduated over 13 years ago), I don’t remember the history lessons, the science facts, the math formulas, etc.

I remember stories and emotional moments…and when I think back to any teacher or classmate, I can tell you how they made me feel.

Mr. Schroll, my biology teacher, wore a fish tie from time to time. He always burst into the room, first thing in the morning, with high energy and a loud booming voice to start class.

He loved science and was passionate about teaching us, so he made us all feel good. 

One time in Mr. Schroll’s class, we were dissecting tapeworms in the lab. The tapeworms were a couple inches long and soaked in formaldehyde. Nasty.

My friend Matt was dared by another classmate to eat one for a dollar. Yeah…

As an immature freshman, Matt thought that seemed like a good idea…and ATE one.

It made us all cringe and laugh. It was the talk of the school for a day. It was also they only time I ever remember seeing Mr. Schroll upset.

I’m sure if you think about any teacher or classmate (like Matt and Mr. Schroll), you could tell a story about them and the impressions they made on you. 

You could categorize them all as:
– Good teacher or bad teacher
– Fun or mean
– Helpful or backstabber

When you’re building relationships, think about this.
Everyone will remember you for how you made them feel.
They won’t remember the day to day conversations.

They’ll remember the energy you had. The emotions that they felt from you. The fun stories.

Make people feel good. Lift them up, make them laugh, be
more relaxed around them. They will remember that in the long run.

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Do a thought experiment with me, real quick.

Imagine right now that it’s December 31, 2019.
The last day of this year.

“Look back” through 2019 and imagine
1) the most impressive thing you accomplished this year and
2) the most amazing experience you had this year.

You can see these things happening, right?

That’s what I want to talk about….seeing your path in 2019.

2018 was one of the best years of my life. 
-2018 USA Memory Champion
-On national TV shows in Indonesia & Russia (twice)
-Got married 
-Finished 5th at the IAM World Memory Championship

All of this came because I had vision of what I wanted.
I wanted sooo bad to be the USA Memory Champion.

From January 2018 to July 2018, I could see this goal vividly with strong emotion. I saw myself winning over and over in my mind. I felt the trophy in my hand. My heart would race as I imagined all this.

The reason 2018 was so good to me was because I could see it. 

If you can see something, you instinctively know how to get to it…and you feel more driven.

Vision doesn’t make it easy.
But it’s easier.

If YOU can see your path in 2019 (your big accomplishment, your big experience) you’re well on your way.

If you want a better body, IMAGINE it. 
If you want to make more money, IMAGINE how it will happen.

I don’t want to sound like “The Secret” or anything. You won’t get a better body or more money by only imagining it.

BUT, your vision will lay down a path of action and give you a boost of motivation every time you imagine where you’re headed.

See the result you want at the end of 2019.
Imagine it, feel it, believe it.
Then start doing what needs to be done.
One day at a time.

I saw this on twitter this morning and couldn’t agree more:

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At the World Memory Championship, one of the Ukrainian competitors asked me how many hours I trained this year.

I stared at him blankly. I had no idea.

I told him that I don’t keep track of my training that way.

I said, I train at least 15 mins a day. 

During the week, that 15 mins sometimes turns into 30-60 mins and weekends I sometimes train 3 hours.

He got out his calculator and told me I trained roughly 660 hours this year. 

I said ok, but that doesn’t mean anything to me.

He wanted to know this number, because he was fairly new and wanted to know how to take his scores to the next level.

I told him he was looking at this all wrong.

Here’s what I said:
“If I told you you need to train 660 hours this year, you’d be overwhelmed. Instead, tell yourself you have to train at least 15 mins a day minimum. That’s it. Anyone can do 15 mins.”

“Normally, you don’t feel like training.15 minutes warms you up and most times you will want to continue. Then, that 15 mins turns into 1 hour.”

My new Ukrainian friend was really encouraged by this.
I could tell by his body language that he was inspired and confident with this new advice. He could see his potential rising.

I use this advice when I want to improve anything.
Don’t look at the big number. Break it down into small chunks.
Do 15 minutes daily. ANYONE can do 15 minutes a day.
ANYONE.

So…
660 hours or 15 mins? What is easier in your mind?

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Too many times I notice people (including myself) give up after 1 try.

Have you ever learned a new card game with friends and sucked the first time you played?

Have you tried a yoga class and struggled to do the beginner poses?

You think “I can’t do it. It’s just not my thing.”

That is the moment that defeats most people and filters them out.

The thing is, EVERYONE “sucks” in the beginning.
We all start at different rungs of the ladder based on our current abilities, but the first time you try something – that is the floor of your ability. Most people never try to reach the ceiling.

If you want to be good at anything in this world, you have to persevere. 

Everyone who is great at something, pushed through that initial sucky phase. They persevered. They wanted it.

You HAVE to want it.

The beginning is ALWAYS the hardest because:
-there are so many unknowns
-you have a pre-conceived notion of how it should work
-you get frustrated when your expectations aren’t met
-you get discouraged because you realize it takes hard work

Everything meaningful requires hard work.

There is no magic pill or hack that will make you great at something.

Adopt this mindset:

1. I accept that it will be hard.
2. I accept that it will take time.
3. I want it. I REALLY want it.

When you take on this mindset, you are going to persevere and grow. 

Most of us have dreams and goals and want to be great at something.

Do you really want it?

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