Mnemonics

If you’re in education at the moment you’re probably studying quite hard for exams. I have one in 10 and a half hours and should be sleeping right now, but this blog has become a burden on me – yep, my select few readers (you) have guilt me into writing for you because I just haven’t updated for so darn long. So, you lucky reader, let’s see if I can improve your memory ten-fold with a very simple technique I’m using at the moment called a mnemonic.

One of the modules I’m studying is called Security Management, which involves topics such as risk management and law and …zzzz. Anyway, I have to remember parts of legislation which, unless using the technique I am at the moment, just wouldn’t stick in my brain. Let’s take a list of attributes from an act of parliament and try to make it interesting. Making something interesting is the first (and really only) step to remembering it:

The Data Protection Act 1998 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people. It is the main piece of legislation that governs the protection of personal data in the UK. Although the Act itself does not mention privacy, it was enacted to bring UK law into line with the European Directive of 1995 which required Member States to protect people’s fundamental rights and freedoms and in particular their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data. In practice it provides a way for individuals to control information about themselves.

[extracted from Wikipedia on 10th May 2011]

First things first – fuck paragraphs. With content as skull fuckingly boring as this, we need to shorten and list this motherfucker, so let’s do that.

1. Defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people
2. Enacted to bring UK law into line with the European Directive of 1995, requiring Member States to protect people’s…privacy
3. Provides a way for individuals to control information about themselves

Now with this list we need to create a really stupid story. Sexual content, swear words, massive spaces, and familiar locations will help you remember your story. I’m going to use my house as the location, with each room referring to the items in the list.

First, I imagine standing outside my house next to a coffin. I am next to a coffin because I am a living person (data on living people). I walk into my house and the first thing I see is a really fit naked girl I dig at University right now, who is wearing nothing but blue panties with the European logo on them (European Directive requiring Member States to protect people’s privacy). Moet (my mum and sister’s chiwawa), being the pervert dog that he is, always tries to steal underwear in the house, and attempts to pull at this girl’s panties. He fails because the European Directive provides a way for individuals to control information about themselves, relating to privacy.

With a bigger list you would incorporate more rooms into the story, with different things happening in each room. If it were a shopping list, perhaps you would have a really big apple bouncing down the stairs, or banana skins dotted all round the house reminding you to buy bananas. The more stupid and unlikely the story is, the more likely you are to remember it. I played a game at Christmas with family which involved remembering a list of items (fun times); in making up a story which included, a flying wheelbarrow with boots covering the handles containing a baby, I was able to remember boots, wheelbarrow and baby (I can actually remember much more than this). This game took place over 5 months ago.

Here’s a list of 20 items I want you to try and remember with a story. It can be as fucked up and stupid as you like, but remember to make it interesting. What’s more, with this mnemonic, you can also recall the correct order as well. Post your stories if you like – perhaps we can all learn something from the story you make.

1. Apples
2. Bananas
3. Bread
4. Biscuits
5. Cereal
6. Tooth Paste
7. A plate
8. 3 spoons
9. Carrots
10. Milk
11. Yoghurts
12. A computer keyboard
13. Chocolate
14. Condoms :D (you’ll remember this because it’s probably not something you normally buy, making it out of the ordinary. And plus I’ve talked about it this much so you’ll definitely remember it)
15. Cabbage
16. Ketchup
17. Sausages
18. A bar of soap
19. A brush
20. Cigarettes

It may seem like a daunting task, and you may not remember every item first time round but, if you can make your story interesting and coherent, you should be able to recall most (if not all) of this list. To make your story coherent, travel in your story from room to room, place to place, and associate different objects with different rooms.

Good luck, and happy story making :)