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Hello, and welcome to this Instructable. In the following pages, we'll take a look at the basics of how to use a branch of the "method of ''loci''" to store information in your memory as efficiently as possible for short and/or long periods of time - to be more exact, we'll focus on "memory palaces".
I've been studying memory palaces for about twelve years now, mainly because my own memory has been degrading ever since my late teens. I'm not quite sure of the origins of memory palaces and in all honesty, there has been so much written on the subject for such a long time that sorting pure fantasy from plausible theories would be quite the epic task. Still, the most common legendary origin about these makes for an interesting reading and if you live in an area of the world where one can access offline, validated versions of Wikipedia I definitely suggest you take a look at the relevant articles when you'll be done reading this Instructable, or even before continuing. Go ahead ! We'll be waiting for you.
...
Are you done ? Well then welcome back ! Don't spoil the other readers with what you've found and let them discover these stories on their own - but let us continue. As I was saying earlier, I've had my own, personal reasons to study and develop memory palaces but in this day and age, there are at least 4 reasons to study this "Art of Memory " :
- Storing important amounts of data in a memory palace makes it unavailable to hackers, griefers and loss by digital media degradation ;
- Using memory palaces to store data instead of computers doesn't use any electricity, therefore saves energy ;
- In the same way, since you're not using a computer or any kind of analog or digital media to carry the data stored in your memory palace you're least likely to lose it during a climate exile or an eventual looting ;
- Finally, the information stored in a memory palace is also available on the spot without requiring access to a wired or wireless Internet access.
In the light of these 4 scenarii, building memory palaces addresses Generation Exile, Outlaw Planet and Power Struggle superthreats. And without further ado let's move on to the next step : creating your first memory palace and giving it persistence.
*No I didn't go crazy - this Instructable is the second in a series of Instructables related to the Institute for the Future's Alternate Reality Game Superstruct. Set in 2019, this game places players in a world threatened by five major ills - failing and/or hacked communication and computer networks, a severed food chain, devastating climate catastrophes that force populations to migrate, epidemics of Respiratory Distress Syndrom and a world struggling to survive without oil. If you think you're up to the challenge or would like to explore this world more, check the main site and join us !
I've been studying memory palaces for about twelve years now, mainly because my own memory has been degrading ever since my late teens. I'm not quite sure of the origins of memory palaces and in all honesty, there has been so much written on the subject for such a long time that sorting pure fantasy from plausible theories would be quite the epic task. Still, the most common legendary origin about these makes for an interesting reading and if you live in an area of the world where one can access offline, validated versions of Wikipedia I definitely suggest you take a look at the relevant articles when you'll be done reading this Instructable, or even before continuing. Go ahead ! We'll be waiting for you.
...
Are you done ? Well then welcome back ! Don't spoil the other readers with what you've found and let them discover these stories on their own - but let us continue. As I was saying earlier, I've had my own, personal reasons to study and develop memory palaces but in this day and age, there are at least 4 reasons to study this "Art of Memory " :
- Storing important amounts of data in a memory palace makes it unavailable to hackers, griefers and loss by digital media degradation ;
- Using memory palaces to store data instead of computers doesn't use any electricity, therefore saves energy ;
- In the same way, since you're not using a computer or any kind of analog or digital media to carry the data stored in your memory palace you're least likely to lose it during a climate exile or an eventual looting ;
- Finally, the information stored in a memory palace is also available on the spot without requiring access to a wired or wireless Internet access.
In the light of these 4 scenarii, building memory palaces addresses Generation Exile, Outlaw Planet and Power Struggle superthreats. And without further ado let's move on to the next step : creating your first memory palace and giving it persistence.
*No I didn't go crazy - this Instructable is the second in a series of Instructables related to the Institute for the Future's Alternate Reality Game Superstruct. Set in 2019, this game places players in a world threatened by five major ills - failing and/or hacked communication and computer networks, a severed food chain, devastating climate catastrophes that force populations to migrate, epidemics of Respiratory Distress Syndrom and a world struggling to survive without oil. If you think you're up to the challenge or would like to explore this world more, check the main site and join us !
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Signing UpStep 1Creating your memory palace, and giving it persistence
Creating a memory palace is not the most complicated of things. You can take your pick between creating one completely from scratch, or using a place you are very familiar with as a memory palace, all that matters is for you to be able to recall it very vividly, which is the hardest part. Either way, we're going to apply the same techniques to actually give it more persistence in your mind.
Drawing your memory palace
Whether you're going to invent one from scratch or use an existing building you're familiar with already, a very good way to start making this building more persistent is to sit down and draw it on a piece of paper. That doesn't really mean you have to draw what it would look like to walk through the palace (unless you're so artistically inclined) ; instead, you can just draw an accurate two-dimensional map of it, room after corridor after room. Once this is done and you're satisfied with the result, you can assign a function to each of these rooms : one will be a bedroom, one will be a dining room, another a drawing room, and so on and so forth. That's when using a pre-existing building makes things easier to remember, but then that might also mean less freedom !
Once you've assigned a function to each room, you can add in the furniture ! The goal is to make things as life-like, easy to remember and realistic as possible, so don't hesitate if you want to be original (without necessarily going all out : a room with furniture doesn't mean a cluttered room). Don't worry, I'm not pulling your leg : everything'll have its role to play later on.
Walking down your memory palace
Walking down a memory palace means imagining yourself walking through it the way you would in real life. That might not be very easy at first, and you might find yourself losing focus after a certain amount of time. Keep at it until you can walk through all the rooms completely, and once you can achieve that, do it some more. Don't forget to visualize the rooms with as many details as you canhandle, without going overboard with sound, lighting and smell : you might want to keep things simple at this stage, and over time you'll be able to add more details as you need them.
If you're clear on that stage, then we can move on to "memory hooks" and hooking up memories in your palace !
Drawing your memory palace
Whether you're going to invent one from scratch or use an existing building you're familiar with already, a very good way to start making this building more persistent is to sit down and draw it on a piece of paper. That doesn't really mean you have to draw what it would look like to walk through the palace (unless you're so artistically inclined) ; instead, you can just draw an accurate two-dimensional map of it, room after corridor after room. Once this is done and you're satisfied with the result, you can assign a function to each of these rooms : one will be a bedroom, one will be a dining room, another a drawing room, and so on and so forth. That's when using a pre-existing building makes things easier to remember, but then that might also mean less freedom !
Once you've assigned a function to each room, you can add in the furniture ! The goal is to make things as life-like, easy to remember and realistic as possible, so don't hesitate if you want to be original (without necessarily going all out : a room with furniture doesn't mean a cluttered room). Don't worry, I'm not pulling your leg : everything'll have its role to play later on.
Walking down your memory palace
Walking down a memory palace means imagining yourself walking through it the way you would in real life. That might not be very easy at first, and you might find yourself losing focus after a certain amount of time. Keep at it until you can walk through all the rooms completely, and once you can achieve that, do it some more. Don't forget to visualize the rooms with as many details as you canhandle, without going overboard with sound, lighting and smell : you might want to keep things simple at this stage, and over time you'll be able to add more details as you need them.
If you're clear on that stage, then we can move on to "memory hooks" and hooking up memories in your palace !
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Thank you for this.
Do you have any suggestions in terms of storing philosophical arguments in the memory palace/dogmatic texts of Christianity? And how do I store for instance Biblical Hebrew grammatical inflections?
Stephan