How to Memorize Something Fast
7 Steps to Memorize Something Faster Than You Thought Possible
Would you like to learn how to memorize something fast? Here is the truth, if you can memorize something slow then you can learn how to memorize something fast! Because it just takes a little more practice. There is a system to to memorizing fast. In 2009, I wanted to set the record for the fastest to memorize a deck of cards. In other words, I wanted to know how to memorize something fast!
I set out on my mission to memorize a deck of cards faster than anyone in the Unites States had ever done and I succeeded! I set the record for the fastest to memorize a deck of cards in the USA in 2009. This is a record that stood for two years.
1. Understand the scope of what you’re memorizing
How much information do you have to memorize? 10 pages or 10 words? This will help you develop a strategy. If it is 10 words then you may be able to create an acronym to remember it. For example, ROY G. BIV is an acronym to memorize the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). When you have a list of 5 or 10 things to memorize an acronym may be enough.
2. Speed Read or Skim the Information
Get an understanding for what you are wanting to learn by skimming it quickly. This will give you a feel for the information and let you know if the information is something that you have a base understanding of or if it is completely new information. For example, if you have been a doctor for 15 years and you are reading a report on a new disease you will probably be able to learn about it faster than someone who is in their first year of medical school simply because you have a large amount of base knowledge. After skimming you can look up words or concepts that you don’t understand to help you get an understanding.
3. Read the material again taking notes
Read with a highlighter or a pen and take notes as you read or highlight. In this stage you are not actually trying to memorize you are just creating an organized list of what you will memorize later. Here is a video on how to take notes in class.
4. Use the Mind Palace
Once you have your notes organized you are ready to memorize the information and the mind palace is hands down the best technique if you want to learn how to memorize something fast. This is especially try if there is more than 30 or 40 pieces of data. If you are memorizing pages of notes then you are going to need to use the mind palace. The basic concept is that you memorize a map of your home numbering the furniture and whenever you want to remember something you imagine it on the furniture. Here is a video on how to memorize something fast using the mind palace memory technique.
5. Give Yourself a Test
When you walk in to a classroom to learn a topic tell yourself, “There is going to be a test at the conclusion of this class.” You can always give yourself a test after class. In order to memorize something fast first of all you are going to need to be focused and paying attention. When you believe there will be a test it focuses your brain. After the class find a spot and sit down and write down everything you can remember without looking at your original notes. This will force you to focus in learning, however, it will also give you a second set of notes to study later.
6. Teach it to others
Richard Feynman was an American theoretical physicist who also did plenty of research on the learning process. He taught that you learn something the best when you teach it to others. So in your effort to learn how to memorize something fast you should slow down a bit and teach it to others. This will force you to understand it well enough to teach it in simple terms. If you don’t have someone to teach it to then teach it to a wall or a plant!
7. Review with “Walk and Talks”
Review what you studied by going to a walk and talking to yourself about what you learned. Carry your notes in your hand but don’t read them. See how much you can recall without looking at your notes. This active recall will force your brain to actually think about the information and this process helps you remember it more. It also eliminates the possibility of you tricking yourself that you think you know the information because you are just reading it again and recognizing it versus remembering it.
In conclusion, if you want to learn how to memorize something fast develop a plan or strategy. I ended up memorizing a deck of cards in 1 minute and 27 seconds. This broke the existing memory record by 13 seconds. Since then I memorized the entire United States Constitution (all 4,563 words) in only 4 weeks and then wrote it out on a wall. And this is my best advice for fast memorizing.