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  • How to Build a Memory Palace: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

    How to Build a Memory Palace: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
    2026/07/31
    A Memory Palace is a mental recreation of a physical location (like your home) that helps you recall information with extraordinary accuracy. It’s a technique used by learners, memory champions and was famously depicted in Sherlock. Also known as the method of loci, the Memory Palace technique allows you to rapidly memorize names, words, numbers, physics equations, and even images, both concrete and abstract. Some people even use the Memory Palace technique to help them remember step-based procedures, such as moves in chess. How does the technique work? You simply start by: Choosing your first familiar locationMapping out a logical path using walls, corners or fixed furniture as “anchors”Assigning vivid, exaggerated imagery and associations to the information you want to memorizeLocking each piece of information into long-term memory by using the Memory Palace to review it This simple process creates a “magnetic” link between the places you know and the target information you want to recall because the vibrant associations leap out at you. To help you understand the technique quickly, I recorded this Memory Palace walkthrough and gave an example from my own memorization practice to provide a quick overview using an actual location: https://youtu.be/STlYIiF9RzI Now that you’ve taken a tour of a real Memory Palace used for multiple learning goals, let’s review why this technique is so powerful. Then we’ll dig into the nuts and bolts of how to build your first Memory Palace properly. Rest assured, the nuances matter to your success. Why Use the Memory Palace Technique? Personally, this technique saved me during my PhD. During the dark Canadian winter of 2003, I found myself suffering clinical depression, anxiety-induced memory loss and was so overwhelmed, I nearly dropped out of my graduate program. But thanks to learning use Memory Palaces properly after a brief period of confusion created by reading books written by memory competitors, I passed multiple language exams, both my field exams and my dissertation defense. I did so well that I not only graduated. I also won a Mercator Guest Professor aware and wound up getting to teach Film Studies in Germany. I’ve since taught the Memory Palace technique to thousands of people. From students memorizing scripture and speeches to professionals mastering vocabulary and entire books, it’s been a blessing to show others the way. Not only that, but as I told journalist Rebecca Barry when she interviewed me for the New Zealand Herald’s Viva Magazine, the Memory Palace is far more engaging (and more effective) than rote memorization. Sure, modern tools and “apps” can store information for you. But they can’t help you recall complex information when it counts. And using technology instead of your imagination can get quite boring. That’s where the Memory Palace excels. It’s endlessly entertaining in addition to being incredibly effective. So if you’ve ever blanked on an exam, forgotten a name, or wished your mind were sharper, you’re in the right place. Let’s look deeper at how to apply this special learning technique to any topic you want to master. https://youtu.be/c4J5ZUzCxZY How to Build A Memory Palace: Your Complete Guide To This Ancient Memory Technique As you’ve seen, the basic idea behind the Memory Palace is simple. You associate pieces of information with locations that you are very familiar with. Let’s look at the process in greater detail along with a number of illustrations, examples and case studies based on my personal use and those of my students. Many people base their first Memory Palace on their home. But you can also build Memory Palaces based on: Homes of relativesWorkplacesChurchesSchoolsArt galleriesCafes and restaurantsMovie theatres It’s also possible to use parks, highways and other outdoor locations. This outdoor approach is sometimes called the journey method. Generally, I advise that beginners start with buildings. I make this suggestion because the walls, hallways and other features of buildings give your mind a kind of scaffolding to hang onto. This is especially important for people new to using visual memory techniques. You might not be used to imagining things, so giving yourself the solidity of an actual building you’re familiar with will reduce the cognitive load involved in using the technique. You can also approach the Memory Palace in a non-visual way, as shared in this tutorial. As you’ll discover by going through the steps, variety is the key. For example, some of my Memory Palaces are based solely on interior locations. Others are exterior. The Memory Palace I used for my TEDx Talk was built from both interior and exterior locations, all based on the fundamental steps you’re about to learn. Step One: Select and Imagine a Location You Want to Develop Into a Memory Palace Try this simple exercise: Close your eyes and picture a room in your home. Your bedroom or a living room ...
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    34 分
  • Why Schools Don’t Teach Memory Techniques (The Real Reason)

    Why Schools Don’t Teach Memory Techniques (The Real Reason)
    2026/07/23
    You don’t have a bad memory. I know that statement can be hard to swallow if experience has taught you otherwise. The real problem is that your memory was never trained. And that’s because no one was ever required to teach you how to train it. This fact doesn’t get you off the hook in terms of responsibility for fixing the problem. But it’s one of the most freeing realizations I can share with you when it comes to learning and memory. And it’s an answer I share often when I answer one of the most common questions I receive here at the Magnetic Memory Method Headquarters: “Why aren’t memory techniques taught in schools?” Now, as I’m updating this article in 2026, the question lands with a new feeling of urgency. As AI continues to fill our minds with a mixture of hope and concern, more people than ever before are starting to feel the cost of an untrained memory in ways they never did before. I’ve never seen so many pictures of physical books shared on social media, for example. And when people talk about the “school system,” often the answers they give reeks of conspiracy. They conjure up images of entire nations keeping children ignorant so they’ll grow into obedient workers for the state. As I’ve reported in my post on rote learning, it might be the case that brute force repetition harms critical thinking. And what on earth is more repetitive than the Internet itself? But when it comes to why mnemonics aren’t taught in schools, the truth is simple. And as usual, the truth is far more useful than conspiratorial thinking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoAIkkZCROg The Real Reason Advanced Memory Techniques Aren’t Taught In Schools First, a fact most people miss: some memory techniques are taught in schools. The alphabet song is a memory technique, for example. And an acrostic like “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” is a memory technique from the world of music mnemonics. We hand children simple mnemonic devices for math, astronomy (like memorizing the planets) and biology all the time. But the powerful techniques like the Memory Palace, the Major System, and 00-99 PAO System? These almost never make it into a classroom. If ever. Why? Here’s the real answer: No teacher is ever required to learn them. Think about that sad reality for a moment. To earn a teaching certificate, a candidate has to demonstrate all sorts of competencies. But not one certification board on earth of which I’m aware asks prospective teachers to sit down and memorize 30 names in 3 minutes. Not one regulator asks future teachers to encode a chapter of information into a Memory Palace and recite it back. As a result, teachers can’t model what they were never asked to master. You simply cannot pass on a skill no legislative body has ever required you to develop. The Gap Must Be Closed That’s it. As far as I can tell, there’s no conspiracy to be found. Just a persistent gap in the requirements placed on teachers, one with enormous consequences. But just imagine if that single requirement to be able to remember thirty names existed. Imagine what tremendous retention skills students would carry with them for the rest of their lives. It’s one of the reasons I wrote the Memory Detective Jr. series I will be launching in the near future. It’s to put memory techniques directly into kids’ hands precisely because we don’t have a system prepared to make teachers train their memory. At least not yet. For now, we get major news media stories about elite colleges struggling to stamp out AI-assisted cheating. The Interim Solution Let me tell you about Adolfo and his son. That’s Adolfo pictured above. He’s a veteran who went back to school as an adult. When he found his memory lacking, Adolfo signed up for the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass. Soon, he was acing all of his exams. Meanwhile, Adolfo’s son was struggling to get through high school. So badly that going to university looked unlikely. In fact, even finishing high school was under threat. So Adolfo did something most parents don’t even know they can do to help their kids. He bought a giant whiteboard, placed it on the dining room wall and sat down with his son to learn the full 00–99 PAO system. And Adolfo did this despite the fact that it’s one of the most advanced techniques I teach. In fact, you have to learn the Major System first in order to properly use it. Predictably, Adolfo’s son went on to ace high school. Then he earned a full scholarship to a good university in Florida. As I write this update in 2026, he’s working on his thesis. Before his father sat down to teach his kid memory techniques? That boy was at serious risk. Whiteboard Optional You don’t need Adolfo’s level of dedication to change a child’s whole relationship with learning. Mohammad Kolia taught the technique to his 9-year-old niece and nephew. As he shared in his testimonial after completing the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, in just a...
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    33 分
  • How To Expand Your Mind: 15 Methods From 20 Years Of Memory Training

    How To Expand Your Mind: 15 Methods From 20 Years Of Memory Training
    2026/07/30
    You can readily expand your mind by improving your ability to encode new information, retain it and retrieve it quickly. That means you don’t have to unlock some supposedly unused region of your brain. You just need to practice paying attention to information, absorbing it in deeper ways and practicing remembering it intentionally. I’ve been doing this for years as a memory expert who regularly takes on hard learning projects. Sometimes easier ones too. As a result, I have increased my mental skills and pushed the limits beyond how much I thought my brain could learn. For example, in addition to starting my own business, I’ve expanded into other areas beyond writing books, blogging and running a YouTube channel. But I had to engage in the activities I’m about to share with you on this page. Go through them all and you’ll almost certainly enjoy the benefits of an expanded brain. For example, you’ll likely be able to: Remember moreMake better decisionsThink fasterConnect abstract ideasPlan further into the futureEnergize yourself when you’re downEnjoy mental peace on demand The best part? You never have to be so open-minded that your brains fall out. After all, there are a lot of sharks out there teaching woo-woo “techniques” directed at the gullible. But you can learn how to expand your mind based on scientifically valid processes that work quickly. Let’s dive in, after defining our terms. What Does It Mean To Expand Your Mind Anyway? Although the answer here is partially subjective, there are four common capabilities that lead to being able to think more broadly. And that means being able to enjoy your mental life while also solving problems faster, more completely and with presence to the present moment. When you can do these things, you’ll automatically enjoy better memory, which is why mental expansion and memory must go together. You really can’t improve any of the other elements of your mind without exercising your memory. With that in mind, here are the four categories: Ongoing memorization to gather and retain more knowledgeFocus so that you can keep your attention on ideas that are worth your attentionAnalytical ability so you can recognize relationships and evaluate themApplication so you know how to use what you know in a variety of circumstances A simple exercise you can complete right now is to get out a piece of paper and list all of the ways you’re already engaging in these four categories. Make no mistake: ongoing self-assessment almost always yields more insight. Come back to these four categories frequently to track how you’re doing. How to Expand Your Mind: 15 Ways to Think, Learn and Remember More The following practices are presented in no particular order of importance. Usually they can be mixed and matched for maximum impact, such as juggling while reciting the alphabet backwards. I’ll show you a video where I’m doing just that further down the page. But let’s start with the first mind-expanding technique first. It’s the best. One: Use a Memory Palace If you’re not familiar with this incredible mental tool, a Memory Palace works like this: You select a location such as your home. Then you identify a journey you can easily navigate. I suggest you make a quick sketch of the layout. Nothing artistic. Just a plan like this one, based on my elementary school: The numbered loci in my Parkcrest Elementary Memory Palace Like Hansel and Gretel, you then just place “crumbs” of association along this journey that help you remember information. For example, one of the most mentally expanding projects I’ve completed involved memorizing over 2000 words in hundreds of Sanskrit phrases. Each phrase, or small cluster of words is woven together with a simple mental association and placed like a crumb along the journey. Once you have this simple tool under your belt, you can use it to extend your knowledge of many topics and skills. For example, you can use Memory Palaces for a variety of expansive learning exercises: Learn the planetsMemorize the presidentsRemember the periodic table of elementsRecall geographical information from mapsAbsorb new vocabulary within minutesMemorize ideas while reading For more on this technique, check out my Complete Memory Palace Guide. Two: Practice Multisensory Visualization A lot of people visualize, but they make a weird mistake: They limit visualization to seeing mental pictures. This habit prevents them from expanding their minds effectively. Instead, make sure you touch on at least eight of the major multisensory modes. We call them the “Magnetic Modes” in our community. Try these visualization meditations to get started in a way that incorporates multiple sensations. And pick one of the activities on this page and practice visualizing yourself doing it right now. For example, imagine yourself reading a book and using a Memory Palace to leave some of its ideas along a journey based on the Hansel and ...
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    20 分
  • The Forgetting Curve: How Memory Techniques Help You Beat It (Without Endless Reviews)

    The Forgetting Curve: How Memory Techniques Help You Beat It (Without Endless Reviews)
    2026/07/13
    Hermann Ebbinghaus is remembered mostly for discovering the forgetting curve. Open any psychology textbook, any blog devoted to a flashcard app or any study-tips listicle, and you’ll find his name alongside a distinctive graph. Memory expert Tony Buzan called it the most important graph in the world. That’s because its iconic line shows memory plummeting within hours of learning something new, then flattening out over days. Countless discussions of how to reduce forgetting give you the same tidy recommendations. Usually they tell you to review your study materials at intervals, just at the point you’re starting to forget. That way, many authors promise, you’ll beat the curve. The problem, just one of many you’ll discover today, is this: Ebbinghaus didn’t discover the forgetting curve. He discovered his forgetting curve. He was one man, testing his own memory, on one kind of material, using one method. And although the forgetting curve is indeed one of the most repeatable and reproducible principles in the history of scientific studies, reproducibility in laboratory settings does not mean you’ll stop forgetting by using the conventional recommendations. Besides, here’s something almost no one else will tell you: The deepest principles the Ebbinghaus experiments revealed were already written down more than two thousand years earlier by Aristotle. You’ll find them in a short treatise that describes something remarkably close to using a Memory Palace in combination with the same kind of serial positioning Ebbinghaus described as a means for reducing forgetting. So today I’m going to cover a few aspects of the forgetting curve all serious users of memory techniques need to know. These are points I’ve been putting off writing about for a long time. However, a few emails and comments I’ve received over the past few years have convinced me that now is finally the time. Especially since I’ve spent decades memorizing poetry, scripture, mantras, complex terms, the names of people from various backgrounds and vocabulary and phrases in multiple languages. And I’ve done this all while teaching thousands of students to do the same. From where I sit as a practitioner, the forgetting curve is real, useful and badly misunderstood. But treated correctly, it’s an invitation to success. First, however, for the uninitiated, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about the definition of this term. That way, you’ll be able to discover your own curve and work on reducing its impact in your learning life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_qwUkfO65M What Is the Forgetting Curve? In 1885, Ebbinghaus published Über das Gedächtnis (Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology). In this monumental work, he reported years of experiments he had run on a single subject: himself. He memorized lists of sinnlose Silben, the German term for nonsense syllables. These were consonant-vowel-consonant combinations like ZOF and KEB. After committing lists of such invented words, he then tested how much effort it took to relearn them after various delays. Notice two things. First, these were invented words. Nothing with any meaning. Second, pay attention to the word relearn. Ebbinghaus did not measure memory only by asking whether he could reproduce an entire list perfectly. He also measured what he called “savings” in the context of relearning. This study goes quite deep into the nuances and implications of this particular concept for memory. To get the concept in brief, suppose it initially took you 20 repetitions to learn something. If it took only 10 repetitions to relearn it later, some trace of the original learning clearly remained. Your inability to reproduce the information perfectly would not mean the memory had disappeared completely. Keep this idea of “savings” in mind. It matters more than the famous graph, and we’ll return to it when I show you what happened to a long Sanskrit mantra I intentionally abandoned for years. It also connects to some concepts in memory introduced by Richard Semon and studied more recently by Dr. Paul Garrett in relation to the role of fuzzy memory. Back to Ebbinghaus, the result of his experiments is what we now call the forgetting curve. It shows how retention drops steeply at first, then the decline slows. He also documented what we now call the spacing effect. It describes how reviews distributed over time preserve more in long-term memory than the same number of reviews crammed together. All of what Ebbinghaus found replicates, so his science is not in question here. What’s in question is what you and I should actually do with his findings. And that’s where things really start to get interesting. Ebbinghaus Was an Early n=1 Memorizer Notice what Ebbinghaus actually was: A practitioner running experiments on his own memory. In today’s language, he was doing n=1 self-experimentation. He had skin in the game, memorized real material with ...
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    54 分
  • 15 Ancient Memory Techniques to Supercharge Your Learning Life

    15 Ancient Memory Techniques to Supercharge Your Learning Life
    2026/07/03
    Frustrated when you read an article about ancient memory techniques that only covers the Greek mnemonic tradition? Me too. See, when I first encountered memory techniques through Harry Lorayne and others, they mentioned the Greek tradition in passing. Lorayne in particular mentioned “old techniques in dusty old books.” But he never went deep into what those techniques were until he wrote Ageless Memory. And in that book, his focus was on the Greek mnemonic tradition. Over the years, my research has continually shown that memory techniques are way older than Simonides of Ceos and his “Memory Palace.” As a result, my practice in using them has deepened considerably, as have the outcomes. Don’t get me wrong. The Greek version of the Memory Palace is a profound tool for learning faster and remembering more. It’s just that it’s not the only approach. And the ancient world has so much to offer our learning lives right now. Not to mention in the future. So if you’re ready to discover a much wider range of ancient mnemonic devices and add them to your arsenal, let’s dive in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0uw27EfCUw Ancient Memory Techniques That Still Work As we go through this list together, two things: There’s no particular order of importance. I’m just laying out all the great techniques I’ve learned from around the world and throughout time.You’ll notice some crossover between these techniques, if not repetition. That’s because all memory techniques appear to be spatial in one form or another. Further, as Giordano Bruno has said in many of his memory books, if anyone thinks long and hard enough about these techniques, they’ll reach the same conclusions as he did.These techniques might seem like they belong to or originate with a particular group. Certainly, everyone should take pride in their history. But because there is so much crossover between these techniques, we should see the common humanity in them and not arrive at some kind of tribalism. This final point is made by Tyson Yunkaporta in his excellent book Sand Talk and repeated during our discussion on the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast. So if you notice universal patterns in my list, I suggest being open to exploring the repetition. I used to dismiss things that seemed repetitive. But over the years I’ve learned that not examining the patterns that repeat is almost always a mistake. If anything, repetition is difference. And in that difference lies so much to explore and benefit from. Finally, it’s useful to note that “ancient” can mean many different things. We often use the word to mean “very old.” But more specifically it sometimes used to mean “before the fall of the Roman Empire.” That would rule out, for example, Medieval and Renaissance memory techniques. For the purposes of this article, I’m not going to exclude either of those periods. Both the Medieval and Renaissance periods definitely count as “very old” in my mind, though I’m certainly interested in your thoughts on this and hope you’ll leave a comment if you think differently. One: Aboriginal Memory Techniques & Songlines Rooted in Landscape There are many Aboriginal and Indigenous memory techniques. Some have caught the interest of scientists and been validated through contemporary testing methods. These techniques include: StorySonglinesLukasaMemory spacesHand mnemonics Songlines are among the most interesting of these ancient memory techniques. As Lynne Kelly describes them in her book, The Memory Code: Songlines, or Dreaming Tracks are pathways through the landscape connecting a large number of significant locations in a fixed order. As she later clarifies in her book, Memory Craft: Songlines were used to help memorize everything Aboriginal people needed to know about animals, plants, navigation, genealogies, the legal system, ethical expectations… the list goes on and on. The culture was entirely stored in memory. How to Use a Songline Songlines are all about being connected to the land. To truly understand how this works, I suggest you start by looking at an actual Songline. Keep in mind that you can use both the land and the sky to help you construct a Songline. Here’s an example of mine based on the Glass House Mountains: I assigned this Songline based on a mountain range and used the Songline itself to help me remember the mountains and the ancestral stories about them. For this particular Songline, I memorized the names and the stories related to the main mountains themselves, Tibrogargan, Beerwah and Coonowrin. The operation is quite simple: You place associations at predetermined points along the Songline. Then you use the Songline in combination with rules of active recall to usher the information into long term memory. Two: The Ancient Mnemonics Hidden In Coins & Scrolls as Abbreviations According to Eran Katz in Where Did Noah Park the Ark?, abbreviations entered use as mnemonic devices at least as ...
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    1 時間 8 分
  • Protecting My Cognitive Function: What 15 Years Teaching Memory Has Taught Me

    Protecting My Cognitive Function: What 15 Years Teaching Memory Has Taught Me
    2026/06/23
    If you want to know how to improve cognitive function, you probably already know the basics. You need to eat well, get regular sleep, exercise consistently and maintain social connections. That last point hits me hard because as someone who has taught memory improvement for fifteen years, I recently moved away from all my friends. And I’m definitely feeling the impact of that decision. And we’re all facing the consequences of the decisions we make because everything influences the quality of our minds. So if you’d like to know what I’m personally doing to maintain focus as I age while leading an unusually isolated life, today I’m sharing my research and experiences. It’s a bit unique because I’m the author of multiple memory improvement books, an independent memory researcher and someone with a reputation to maintain in the field of mental performance. And since we all need to preserve our reputations, how I’m tackling my own concentration, memory and focus challenges might help you along your own journey. Let me share this proclamation loud and clear as we begin: Tackling challenges to my own concentration and focus is my passion. And it has to be a passion and a mission because I intend to enjoy a very focused mind with strong recall abilities for as long as I possibly can. Ready to explore some of the best, science-backed strategies that are helping me? Let’s dive in! What Is Cognitive Function? And How Does It Relate To Memory? “Cognitive function” is a term used in a variety of fields, from memory science to Jungian psychology. For Carl Jung, cognition boiled down to how your mind processes and experiences emotional feeling, intuition, a variety of sensations and thought. When it comes to memory in the realm of learning, cognitive function specifically refers to: Attention and how you focus on information like hearing someone’s nameWorking memory so you can temporarily hold an instruction or phone number in mindLong-term memory for accessing facts like names and locationsProcessing speed for thinking efficientlyExecutive functions like planning or switching between tasksHolding focus during conversations or while studyingSpeaking languagesNavigating a variety of places Most importantly, cognitive function governs how we use memory techniques to remember things, specifically information related to data like numbers and information related to our professional work and studies. Why Cognitive Function Slips (According To Science) First things first: If you’re concerned about your memory, please see a doctor. Or, if you’re concerned for a loved one, assist them in doing so. Generally, the reason most of us have issues is because we distract ourselves with multitasking. Good recall begins with paying attention. But far too often we clutter our lives with social media, creating digital amnesia. This is a term that literally refers to Internet-induced forgetting. The good news is that we can improve. Like focusing on diet, exercise, sleep and socializing, paying attention is a behavior. This was a point made by memory expert David Berglas in A Question of Memory. He’s worth listening to because his memory stayed sharp up until a very old age indeed. How do you turn paying attention into a behavior? Start making an effort to remember names, for one thing. Yesterday at the bank I did just that, and the clerk delighted in covering up her name tag to test me several times. You can also engage in activities like memorizing scripture. Or other forms of long-form verbatim memorization, like poetry. For an inspiring outcome from one of my students who was recovering from cardiac arrest, check out the memory improvement case study and scripture demonstration provided by Matt Barclay. There are a few more activities to consider that I’ll cover below, but let’s look at what happens to our brain cells next. It will provide more context to this mission-critical aspect of our mental lives and why maintaining memory is so valuable throughout life. Cellular Aging Judith Campisi was a pioneer in the field of cellular senescence. As one of her papers described this term, cellular senescence is “when bad things happen to good cells.” It’s bad no matter where it happens in the body. But there are two ways it can affect memory: Reducing the functioning of your brain cellsCreating pain and stress that distract you and reduce focus If you find yourself dealing with cellular senescence, diet might help improve your cognition. This study found that adopting a ketogenic diet improved memory in aging mice. Anecdotally, I’ve eaten either an entirely keto or near-keto diet for years. I have to regulary eat yogurt now, and that unfortunately causes some brain fog. But during the years I ate near-totally keto, I was sharper than I ever felt in my life. Genetics We often think that things are just the way that they are. Our genes above all cannot be changed. Assuming this is true now, will it ...
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    52 分
  • The Unhackable Mind: Phil Chambers on AI, Truth, and Memory

    The Unhackable Mind: Phil Chambers on AI, Truth, and Memory
    2026/06/21

    What happens to your memory when artificial intelligence can imitate knowledge without actually understanding it?

    How are truth, learning and creativity transformed?

    In this episode of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, I reconnect with Phil Chambers, World Mind Mapping Champion, memory expert, author, trainer and long-time collaborator of Tony Buzan.

    Phil shares a candid personal update regarding his diagnosis with myotonic dystrophy, including the mental strength required to focus on what remains possible when life changes dramatically.

    From there, we explore how mind mapping can help with big decisions, why color and branching support memory and creativity, and how chunking helps reduce the load on working memory.

    But the conversation goes much deeper.

    Phil and I discuss whether AI truly “knows” anything, and why invented citations and synthetic content create serious risks.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMsJpDd0enQ

    My favorite part of our discussion revolves around why memory may become more important in a world where digital records can be copied, distorted, hacked or hallucinated.

    As Phil puts it, memory gives us something the online world cannot easily provide:

    A safer internal space for knowledge.

    We also talk about:

    • How mind mapping helps with decision-making
    • Why colors improve memory and creativity
    • The difference between semantic memory and episodic memory
    • How memory athletes encode cards and numbers
    • Why AI can appear intelligent without understanding
    • The danger of false citations and fake authority
    • How to trace claims back to original research
    • Whether human memory is truly “unhackable”
    • Tony Buzan’s legacy and archive
    • The role of drawing in mind mapping
    • How wonder, teachers and early influences shape the mind
    • Why “luck” may depend on perception, preparation and pattern recognition

    If you care about memory techniques, mind mapping, critical thinking, AI literacy, creativity, Tony Buzan, or the future of truth in an increasingly synthetic world, this conversation will give you a lot to think about.

    Why Phil Chambers is One of the World’s most Experienced Memory Experts

    Phil is one of the rare memory experts whose knowledge is truly multi-dimensional. He’s involved in memory competition, mind mapping comeptition, teaching, coaching and writing.

    A member of MENSA, Phil has served as Chief Arbiter of the World Memory Sports Council and has helped oversee national and international memory competitions around the world. He is also the only person to receive the Brain Trust’s “Special Services to Memory” Award twice.

    In his book, How to Train Your Memory, Phil shows how practical memory systems can help with the kinds of challenges people face every day: remembering names and faces, giving speeches without notes, learning foreign language vocabulary, memorizing numbers, passwords, formulae and other difficult information.

    His work in mind mapping and speed reading, accelerated learning and long-term review systems is second to none. He will help you sustain what you learn instead of watching it fade away.

    I can think of no one else who has spent so much time and traveled so many miles to help people turn a variety of memory techniques into powerful habits that improve multiple aspects of life.

    Ready for another episode related to AI and memory?

    Check out the views and experiences of AI expert and author Andrew Mayne, host of the Open AI Podcast. Amongst other things, Andrew’s a skilled user of memory techniques and great person to follow-up with on the themes of AI and memory.
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    58 分
  • Open Book Exam Tips From a Professor Who Went Back to School

    Open Book Exam Tips From a Professor Who Went Back to School
    2026/06/19
    I just sat my first open book exam, the format where you’re allowed to bring your notes. You can even bring the physical textbook if you want, a testing format that was totally new to me. Should be easy, right? That’s what your tricky examiners want you to think. And I know not to fall for it. I have a PhD in Humanities, two MA degrees and taught at three universities around the world. During my years of teaching, I wrote, administered and graded more exams and assignments than I can count. Now, back in school as I near my 50s, I’m working on a second Bachelor’s degree. This time in law so I can develop an exact understanding for what law memorization is all about. For my first exam, I scored “High Distinction.” That’s the top grade here in Australia. But here’s something to consider that probably no one else will tell you about open book exams: There was one question I got wrong. And it wasn’t even the one I thought I’d missed. This “error” suggests that having the textbook wouldn’t have saved me even if I’d brought it with me. No, the problem was caused by the open book format itself. In this experience-based guide, I’ll show you what this kind of exam actually tests, and how to prepare properly. That way you can avoid the same recycled study advice just about everyone else gives online. https://youtu.be/_orag2IBwbA What an Open Book Exam Actually Tests (It Isn’t What Most Guides Tell You) First, I have to tell you that I was initially surprised that open book testing exists in law school at all. Especially since to pay for my earlier university studies I took some high-stakes exams for jobs I worked to help pay my tuition at York University. For example, I worked as a store detective and having open book testing for the required security guard license would have been absurd. No employer wants a guard who needs to flip through a textbook to determine whether or not they’ve witnessed a crime, after all. But now that I’ve taken my first exam of this type, I’m fascinated and did some research on why such tests are administered in the first place. In this study, researchers Ming-Yin Chan and Kwok-Wai Mui reveal that open book examinations have existed since at least the 1930s. Using my university library access, I found one such early study in the Journal of Higher Education from March, 1934. As John and Ruth Stalnaker argue in Open-Book Examinations, such testing has many positives: Emphasis falls on the course objectivesStudents utilize facts to solve problemsInference skills are exercisedMore time tends to be spent by students on preparation rather than cramming They predict that these kinds of tests will be more widely used in the future and encourage more research into the best kinds of questions suited to this format. Are the questions suitable to the format of studying law? Now that I’ve sat for a couple, I think so. After all, law is the field where getting even just one section number wrong could change the outcome of a case. That means this kind of testing is only partially about testing recall. It’s more about determining whether you can read with precision and work with the exact information as worded on a variety of source materials while the clock is ticking. Twenty Questions, Sixty Minutes, and No Authentic Way to “Look Things Up” So there I was at my laptop, the entire device reduced to just one screen by a lockdown browser called Respondus. My first exam was for a course called “Legal Institutions and Processes.” It is heavy on history and legislation. The first few weeks involved a ton of dense reading from multiple textbooks and a legal dictionary. This is the kind of reading I really haven’t done since I changed my major from Political Science to English during the second year of my first undergraduate degree. Although I had dreamed at my naive young age of one day becoming the Prime Minister of Canada, I changed my mind that year after interviewing the premier of British Columbia for the student newspaper. He clearly lied in response to my question and I determined right then that I was never going to be anything like him. Anyhow, do the math with me. Twenty questions during an hour-long exam gives you three minutes per question. During that time, you need to Read each question carefullyCheck your answersFight off all kinds of urges and fidgety feelings that arise when you’re trapped And due to how the lockdown browser software works, I was literally trapped. The rules dictated that I could not leave the computer until I ended the session or the time ran out. The Practical Reality of Flipping Through Notes If you’ve never sat for an exam like this, ask yourself: How much time can you really afford to spend flipping through fifty pages of notes looking for an answer you don’t know? There’s no cookie-cutter answer here, but without preparation, the answer may as well be “zero.” The research agrees. In a 2024 study ...
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