journey memory method

The Journey Method: Your New Secret Weapon for Remembering

Anthony metivier.

• August 27, 2023

It’s a great tool.

Once you understand how it works, you’ll enjoy legendary memory skills.

This is the technique people used to memorize entire books when they could not carry them on their backs. 

So if you’re studying for an exam, learning a language or just want to stop forgetting things , this tutorial is for you.

Let’s get started.

What Is The Journey Method?

Put simply, it’s a means of associating information along a walk that you remember well. 

It’s powerful because the mind works like this on autopilot. 

Think about the last time you moved.

Did you have to memorize the journey from your bedroom to the kitchen? Probably not. Your brain absorbed the path easily and naturally.

Now extend this fact to a walk through your neighborhood.

And not passively.

Think about that walk in as much detail as you can muster.

If you think about it, you can probably recall all the major intersections, as well as many minor ones.

You can also probably think of a few traffic signs, mail boxes, fire hydrants and other items.

These are what we sometimes call loci or “ memory spaces .” The Journey Method uses such features of a walk you can take with your mind.

On, beside or interwoven with these spaces, you place associations that help you recall information. Like I discuss in this video tutorial:

A  Brief History of Journey Systems

It’s not entirely clear when people first started using journeys to help them remember things better.

As Lynne Kelly has demonstrated in The Memory Code , this practice is prehistoric. One tradition we’ve come to know about in some detail is the use of Songlines. These journeys were often combined with physical objects that helped people remember. Please listen to Tyson Yunkaporta for more detail on how this works.

In the Greek tradition, we find a focus on using buildings for journeys. This is what is most often called the Memory Palace technique. Sometimes it is called either the method of loci or the Roman Room method.

Some people consider using buildings a subset of the Journey Method. Others simply divide the two.

• If the journey is outside, they call it the Journey Method
• If the journey is inside, they call it the Memory Palace

Either way, you’ll find the notion of moving from one “memory space” to another throughout history. It’s in the teachings of everyone from Aristotle to Giordano Bruno , and Thomas Aquinas and Dominic O’Brien . 

In fact, the only person notorious for not talking about it much, if at all, is Harry Loryane . However, if you’ve ever seen the videos where he recalls the names of people in an audience, one thing is pretty obvious. He recalls them in order, literally following a “journey” through the audience. 

How To Use The Journey Technique

There are a number of ways to use the technique, but they all boil down to a few fundamentals. 

Let’s dive into some of these fundamentals. That way you can avoid running into issues and use it in an optimal way without any headaches. 

After all, it’s a better memory you want, not the hassle of something difficult to learn and use.

One: Develop The Journey Before You Start Using It

One problem people face when taking up this mnemonic device is a lack of preparation.

That’s a shame, because it’s really easy to draw your journey, literally mapping it out. I suggest using pen and paper to keep it simple and fun.

For one thing, keeping the journey simple reduces the cognitive load of using this technique. It also helps you avoid:

• Running into a dead end
• Crossing your own path
• Needing to memorize the journey itself, which shouldn’t be necessary with proper planning

It also helps you develop the habit and serves as a “haptic” exercise that makes the process physical. We know from recent scientific studies that these elements are incredibly important. 

In this study, students who physically walked the journey, for example, recalled the names of butterflies with incredible ease. They scored just a bit better than those who used a mental Memory Palace without a physical component.

To see me draw a journey while I’m making the experience physical, here’s a video discussion about the tactical benefits of preparing your journeys in advance:

Two: Organize Your Information In Memorable Ways

Once you’ve got a few journeys mapped out, you can start thinking about how you will place information in them. You can arrange information: 

• Alphabetically
• Numerically 
• Thematically
• Historically

And that’s just for starters. 

Alphabetical arrangements tend to work best for me.

For example, when learning a language , it’s easy to gather new words alphabetically. It enables another technique I teach in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass that involves using “Bridging Figures.”

Imagine you have several words to learn that start with the letter ‘A’ in Spanish:

I might choose an application like Adams National Historical Park to create my journey for these ‘A’ words. Here’s an example of how to assign different “memory spaces” or loci along a journey:

On the first station, I would place an association for “agradable.” The next station would receive an association for “alegre” and so on. 

What should your associations be like? 

You’ll probably benefit most from also thinking alphabetically.

Personally, I would follow someone like Abraham Lincoln along the journey. He would be a teacher assigning a nice person a grade on station one, selling his leg on station two, etc. 

Coming up with lots of associations is a skill of its own. You’ll want to learn some of the variations on the pegword method to rapidly accelerate your abilities in this area. These visualization exercises will be useful too.

Three: Use Patterns To Form Long Term Memories

As fun as journey training can be, it’s not just about laying down mental imagery . You also need to revisit the journeys in a strategy manner. 

This is because some amount of repetition is always needed for learning. Some people balk at this requirement, but here’s a question for you:

If you don’t want to repeat it, why bother learning it? 

To repeat the journey in the most effective ways, you’ll want to follow some patterns based on memory science. These will harness what are known as: 

• Primacy Effect
• Recency Effect
• Serial-Position Effect

All of these patterns are covered in detail in my free course. You’ll find them in lesson four. Interested?

Can You Reuse Journeys?

Many people ask this question. 

The answer is “yes,” but most people don’t. If they do, they let the information they’ve placed along their journeys fade first. 

There are a few nuances to consider before giving this technique a try. One of the issues you might encounter is called The Ugly Sister Effect .

Personally, I rarely reuse mine – except in the context of language learning. See the language learning section for more on how that works.

Applications For The Journey Method

A lot of people mistakenly believe that journey systems are useful for memorizing lists only. 

That’s simply not true. 

Or better said, everything I’ve ever wanted to memorize could be organized into a list. But that doesn’t mean I had to recall the information in any particular order.

Language Learning

For example, in language learning, the whole point is to simply understand and be able to use words and phrases. The fact that they were instilled into long term memory in the form of lists poses no problem at all.  

I suggest that you develop 26 journeys, one per letter of the alphabet. Then fill each journey with 10 words per letter. This will give you 260 words. 

Next, add a phrase to each word. Since you’ve established the journey, this is a fun and easy way to reuse it. You’ll also wind up adding many more words than 260 as each phrase will contain words you don’t already know. 

Technically, a speech is just a list of words delivered in a row. That’s certainly how I treated this TEDx Talk:

Here’s an artist’s rendition of the journey I assigned and then used to memorize this talk based on a familiar location in Kelvin Grove, Australia:

There are a few more tricks you’ll want to know about, so if you’re interested in this application of the journey method, here’s how to memorize any speech .

Basically, I memorized up to 17 words of this speech at a time on a single station. Once set in place, it was just a matter of combining the journey method with a small amount of spaced repetition .

It clearly worked well because this memorized presentation has gone on to garner millions of views.

Playing Cards

A very cool way to practice memory techniques is to memorize a deck of cards .

If you develop your skills, you can learn to encode several cards per “memory space.” My friend Dave Farrow told me he can encode up to six cards per station.

His approach is quite unique. Others use a system based on the Major Method .

This is one of my favorite applications of this technique.

When I present at live events, I use the room itself as a journey and simply memorize each name as it is presented to me. 

People are astonished when I call out each name in the room. 

Are You Ready To Start Journeying?

I’ve given many talks and demonstrations. On top of learning a lot about languages and passing my PhD exams with flying colors, using this technique has been a lot of fun.

The only sad part is how people witness my use of these skills only to say that they could never learn to use such a skill. 

That’s simply not true.

Anyone can learn to use the Journey Method.

The only question is:

Do you want to benefit from this secret weapon? 

If so, I’m happy to help make that happen. If you have any questions, post them below or get in touch.

In all things, enjoy your journey with this incredible memory technique!

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2 Responses

Hi Anthony! With warm regards, my name is Mark Rudy. Reading about this blog of yours called “The Journey Method: Your New Secret Weapon for Remembering” is truly fascinating! I can see (visualize) clearly how powerful it is. But I have a question, I simply don’t understand on how to apply it.

Here’s how it goes: If we are about to likened this on the memory palace method, can we treat each step that we’ve made on the journey as “stations”? Or that’s basically the idea behind listing and planning first the journey?

Your reply will be greatly much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Cantomayor, Mark Rudy, D. February 4, 2023

Thanks, Mark.

Yes, any stop can be called loci or a station. I prefer stations or Magnetic Stations in my practice, but the terms aren’t nearly as important as diving in and using the skills.

In my mind, the journey method differs from the Memory Palace simply in that it is the outdoor version of the indoor technique. In my experience with it, there certainly are some nuances to account for.

For example, in the beginning, I used to not do well with bridges when journeying over them and using them to place images in space.

But that has since resolved with a fair amount of practice doing it.

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The Journey Method

Main Memory Techniques Page

The Journey Method

The journey method – basics.

You know your own house intimately. Mentally place things in various locations and you will be able to find them easily.

You no doubt have places that could easily be used for further ‘journeys’. Maybe you go to a gym or a sports centre. Think of all the ‘stages’ (or ‘loci’) that you could specify in either. Is there a big railway station near where you live? If you’re already familiar with it, you could use that. If not, visit it and take a notebook, or even a digital camera, and spy out some locations.

With this approach, you can easily build up a database of half a dozen or more memory journeys, and you will have them ready for use whenever you need to remember things.

If you’ve used your house as a memory journey, you might be ready to extend it to make a more demanding but much more useful memory journey. It’s not difficult, but it gives you a lot more scope to memorise longer lists, and using it automatically improves your concentration skills.

Specific journeys for specific jobs

If you live near a museum, you have access to an amazing site for a memory journey.

Do you have a museum or art gallery in your area? Places like these, and extravagantly designed public buildings are ideal locations for memory journeys.

Studying geography? Create a memory journey based round a travel agency, or a landing stage, or an airport. Use your imagination, be inventive. This type of thing is what your mind craves – to be used, and stretched, and expanded. You can create a memory journey based on anything or any place, and it can be just about as effective as you want it to be.

Repetition and reinforcement

To change these into long-term memories, you have to revisit them – this is a great memory improvement method, but it’s not magic! Take a minute or two each time to stroll along the journey, viewing all the items in their respective places, and using all your senses to really experience them.

Don’t gallop through the journey as though speed is the most important thing – it’s not. Take a leisurely stroll, at walking pace, noting with interest each and every item. Take a good look at them, touch them, walk round them. Use all your senses. If it’s something that can be smelled, really imagine that smell, breathe it in deeply and savour it. If it’s something with a particular ‘feel’, then really check it out. Feel the sensation of touching the item and maybe moving it slightly. Feel its weight and solidity. Interact with it. This will all go to make it a real memory.

Once you’ve set up a long-term journey, revisit it once or twice the same day, again the next day, and the next. Make a mental note to call back a week later, then a week after that, and a month after that. By that time you will have successfully reinforced those memories, and only an occasional stroll along that particular journey will be necessary. Memories that are created in this way can become permanent, without a whole lot of effort.

The history of the Journey Method

The Journey Method has been used for centuries, and probably a lot longer than that. It is also referred to as the Roman Room method, since its use was first recorded by Romans who used it by visualising items in their own houses. They would mentally place items in certain rooms, or at specific locations in rooms, and so the Roman Room method was born. It is just the same today, only you don’t have to be a Roman to use it, just someone who wants a better than average memory. And you don’t have to live in a Roman villa – your own house will do just fine!

Roman orators, famous for being able to hold audiences spellbound with their magnificent oratory, are believed to have used this same method. Certain key points of their speeches would be ‘placed’ at specific points along a journey, perhaps through the various rooms of their houses, perhaps further afield. As they spoke, they would occasionally move further along the route, spotting items that would trigger relevant memories, and they would confidently and smoothly deliver their speeches.

Incidentally, this is presumably where the phrase “in the first place …” comes from.

Make a speech like a professional

The very fact that this method has such a long and successful history indicates that it outshines almost all others. If you learn nothing else to improve your memory, learn the Journey Method. It’s easy, it’s effective, and when you use it, it’s impressive. A person who uses the Journey Method can deliver a speech without notes, just mentally glancing at landmarks or key locations on his mental journey and being immediately reminded of key points that he has to address in his speech.

And because he is working from key points, and elaborating on them ‘from the hip’, the speech is effectively delivered as though the speaker is just ‘making it up’ as he goes along. His speech is that much more impressive, therefore, and he will naturally be more relaxed, with the assurance that comes from knowing your subject intimately.

Learn how to memorise playing cards

The Journey Method is one way you can memorise playing cards (there are others). First, though, you have to use a system that makes them more manageable. Trying to memorise them without some sort of system is almost doomed to failure.

Once you’ve given them some individual character of their own, you can use the Journey Method to place them at various locations. They’ll still be there next time you look for them!

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Memory Palaces and the Method of Loci

The method of loci, also known as the memory palace technique or the journey method, is probably the most versatile mnemonic filing system ever devised. It is used by memory performers on stage to memorize 100-digit numbers and the order of several complete decks of cards, students to pass exams, sales people to give a presentation from memory, and by me to memorize the key information of a book, to name just a few. People who have never used it just cannot believe how someone can have such a fantastic memory. The good news: It is really easy to learn.

The method of loci was invented more than 2000 years ago, and widely used by the Greeks and later the Romans to memorize and give speeches that could last for hours. Unlike today, where paper is cheap, and PowerPoint all over the place, during the times of the Greeks and Romans it wasn’t all that easy to just jot down a 30-page manuscript. Also, reading speeches to an audience was frowned upon. If you wanted to be a successful orator, you had to give it from memory.

In fact, even today most people are impressed by a speaker who talks freely, without referring to her/his notes. Giving a speech or a sales presentation from memory conveys competence and authority. Just imagine yourself, facing an audience and giving a 30 minutes talk to the point, completely without using notes.

How did they do it? The Romans mentally placed the key points of their speech in locations along a familiar route through their city or palace. To remember a key point, they represented it by a concrete item, and visualized that item somehow interacting with a particular location. While giving their speech, they just mentally walked along the same journey through their memory palace, and in each location retrieved the item representing the next key point they wanted to talk about.

The method of loci is essentially a visual filing system, allowing you to memorize and recall a virtually unlimited number of items in a fixed order.  Each location serves as a hook, to which you visually connect whatever you want to remember. You accomplish this by creating an image or scene in mind, in which the location and the to-be memorized item interact.  The order is provided by defining a precise journey with distinct locations along a route you are familiar with. Also, like with any journey, you need to define a fixed starting point.

To create our first journey, let me introduce the room I am currently in: I imagine myself entering through the door and then turning right, walking around the circumference of the room until I arrive back at the door. The first object I pass by is an armchair, so I choose this as starting point. Second is a brown bamboo shelf – my second location. Third is a bedside locker, followed by my bed. Next to the bed is a blue standing fan….. Following around the circumference of my bedroom, I get 10 locations:

• Bamboo shelf
• Bedside locker
• Blue standing fan
• Desk with printer on it
• Small table
• Dresser with mirror.
• TV table with TV

This gives me 10 locations in my room I can use as hooks to file 10 items.

• I mentally walk through my journey a couple of times to make sure I always use the same locations in the same order.
• I use distinct locations (so only one bed not two) along my journey.

Now I can use my room to memorize my tasks for the day:

• Get the new train schedule.
• Check my bank account.
• Call my friend Paul.
• Pay the electricity bill.
• Backup my computer on the external hard disk.
• Buy some charcoal for tonight’s BBQ.
• Find a Pina Colada recipe.
• Return the books to the library.
• Make an appointment with my dentist.
• Buy Facebook shares.

For the first item on my to-do list, I picture a steam locomotive rolling over the armchair. The locomotive flattens the armchair.

My second location is the brown bamboo shelf, and my second task is to check my bank account. I imagine huge red ATM cards (looking like my bank’s card) sticking out form the top board of the shelf.

The third location is my bedside locker and the corresponding task is calling my friend Paul. I visualize Paul banging the locker with a massive grey phone handset. He is making a lot of noise and dents in the locker. Bum Bum. …

I think by now you get the idea.

To recall the items , I just mentally enter the room again, turn right, and walk along the circumference: The first location was the armchair. What happened to it? Right, it is flat and a steam locomotive is standing on top of it. – I need to get the new train schedule. I move on the next location, the bamboo shelf. An ATM card is sticking out of it. Ah, I have to check my bank account…

I suggest you now create your own journey and memorize the above to-do list:

Take the room you are currently in, or a different room you are familiar with. Imagine you are entering the room and then turning right. Now follow the circumference of the room and identify 10 distinct items which can serve as locations.

Mentally walk through your journey a couple of times to make sure it is firmly committed to memory.

When you are ready, memorize the above to-do list by visualizing the to-do items interacting with the different locations in your room:

Start with your first location. What is it? Try to mentally recreate its appearance. Then take your first to-do item and picture it interacting with the location. What is it doing to/with the location (or what is the location doing to the item)?

Try to see that scene in your mind. Just try to visualize it for a few seconds and then move on to the next location.

After you have created an image for all 10 to-do items pause for a few minutes.

Then mentally re-walk your journey and try to recall the to-do items. You are entering the room and turning right. What is the first location? What is there?

How are you doing?

Now that you know the basics, try to apply the method of loci in your daily life. Prepare two or three journeys in advance. You can start with your house, garden, or a familiar route through your city. Then use it to remember your to-do-list, the key points of a magazine article you are reading, or a presentation you want to give. For an outdoor example, please check the post A Walk in Tropical Battambang – Applying the Journey Method .

Happy Memories to You! 🙂

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Mnemonics Course (Part 6) – The Journey Method

I’m really excited to share this strategy with you! It’s really great for expanding your short-term memory!

You can use it to memorize (among others):

• presentations
• shopping lists
• deck of cards
• people’s names at parties
• telephone numbers

I’ve even heard about some guy who used it to memorize a hefty dictionary (about 30k entries). L et’s shed some light on it then, shall we?

The Journey Method

The basic principle of the journey method is to imagine a journey and place items you want to remember along the way. Choose a route which you are very familiar with and which has a certain number of distinctive objects.

I want to stress this part – the objects (or places) should be really distinctive. Otherwise, you won’t remember your associations.

Then imagine the things you want to remember at each of those locations, associating one item at each location. Use the rules for creating images (part 2 of the course) so that the images are easy to remember.

Choose 20-30 distinctive places for starters and as you mentally travel along the route, recall the information you’ve stored there. Another piece of advice is not to make the route too long as it may become too difficult to remember all the distinctive objects along the way.

If you want to memorize, say, over 100 words, you can use 2-3 routes. It’s usually a better choice than 1 really long route.

The journey method is also called the method of loci . I tend to differentiate these two as the method of loc i (for me) takes place inside, whereas the journey method happens outside.

It’s actually a great idea to mix these two. You can start a journey at your flat and then take it outside.

It’s like a mental stroll. But one of the greatest things about this method is that you can review all the pieces of information which you stored whenever you want. In the line, at the post office, etc.

It definitely helps to make better use of our time.

Task For You

Here is a list of 31 objects. Memorize them using the journey method .

Nightingale, television, scissors, love, action, printer, notebook, helmet, worker, tie, attraction, event, management, emotion, fuel, binder, cucumber, minister, moving, contract, row, resentment, practice, autumn, brawl, toast, coach, crumbs, scar, ant, tank.

As always have fun and talk to you tomorrow in the last part of the course!

Bartosz Czekala

17 comments

A good way to help making the journey more clear is to draw a plant/map of a view from above with simple lines (called “croqui” – in Portuguese) , and with numbers for each room/space/area.

And with the map drawn is pretty quick to refresh those memories by an instant glance at it.

I used a map of Severin Manor (my character’s house in Raven Rock – from the game Skyrim) to memorize Japanese words and now I can’t forget them, everytime I visit the place in game or think about it the words pop in my face like an ad LOL.

I have to memorize 1000s of words. Where do I find so many locations for each meaning of a word?

Well, that’s a tough part. You use all the locations that come to your mind – home, your parent’s home, different locations around your city, etc. You can even use artificial locations like the ones from TV series. But yeah, it’s getting complicated with too many words.

Would this be useful for memorizing vocabulary that i wont have to remember in order, to practice a group of words at once?

Yes, definitely 🙂

Is there any reason why mnemonic is not taught in schools as subject?

If there is some, I am not aware of it. It’s really ridiculous, right?

Hey there! Hope you are enjoying your summer time, many thanks for the pragmatic mnemonic tricks, those are interesting, however, I need to memorize some technical words(terminologies), I am wondering if you can help me with remembering them readily in terms of the specific mnemonic? Best, Mary

I do, thank you and you’re welcome! 🙂 I’ve sent you an e-mail regarding your question! 🙂

I found Method 5 quite thorough. I was able to recall the meaning of 10 out 10 abstract words when I saw them in the foreign language I am studying. Also, I was able to recall nine out ten of these words in the foreign language when seeing the English for these words.

This actually seems like a good way to study for tests and quizzes. This way you can use otherwise wasted transit time. I like it.

True. I have used this method more times than I can remember to learn for exams! 🙂

Will this method work for learning Chinese words?

As far as I am concerned – yes. I have never learnt Chinese but I know there are a lot of people who use this method to learn it.

Good idea! I will try! Iwant to ask: if a journey outside is short, which object should it be there – tree, lake or building…, but they are not so special…

Theoretically, all the objects in the Journey Method should be very specific. Although, if a journey is short, you can try to pay more attention to ordinary objects thus making them specific!

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Home > Memory Improvement Techniques > The Loci System

The Loci System of Memory Improvement (aka The Journey Method)

Copyright © Mark Beselt

The Journey Method is named as such because it is based on your recall of a very familiar journey, such as you walking the route to your house. You'll associate items on your list with geographical highlights along the way. This means you can remember every item on your list in order, forwards or backwards, and with very little mental effort (once the mnemonic is ingrained).

A 50-item list should take you about 20 minutes to memorize perfectly, plus a few extra minutes to review the data in the following days and weeks. The review process is what etches the data into your long term memory .

The great thing about using mnemonics like The Loci System is they not only improve your memory for specific sets of data; they also improve your general recall simply because you're flexing that memory muscle of yours.

How to Perform The Loci System

Here's a step-by-step method to improve your memory for specific data using the very simple Loci System:

1. Choose a Memorable Route

Think of a route you know well. The first time I performed this memory technique, I chose the route from the train station to my house - about a 10-minute walk. If your list is small, you may only need to choose a walk around your living room. If the list is long, choose a slightly longer walk or car ride. You may need to have several memorable routes in mind if you want to use The Loci System often (although don't be afraid to double-up occassionaly with routes/lists because this can work just as well). You can also erase old lists by letting the data laspe early on (ideal with shopping lists) and re-peg the route with entirely new data.

2. Write Your List of Reference Points

Visualize the route now, recalling the landmarks and other highlights along the way. Write a list of every reference point that comes to mind in order. In my route it begins: railings, taxi rank, lamp post, barber's shop, bin, pathway, used car site... etc. Those reference points will mean nothing to you but for me they dictate a very specific order. You can't reach one without passing all the others that preceded it. That's how The Journey Method helps you memorize data in order, forwards or backwards.

3. Peg The Data Along Your Route

Let's say you want to memorize the elements of the Periodic Table. Hydrogen comes first so I take the chemical symbol for Hydrogen (H) and peg it to my first reference point (the railings outside the station). But just the letter H on its own is a bit weak, so I think of image to trigger the letter H, such as a hippo. Now, I'm picturing a large fat hippopotamus humped over the railings. Much better.

Next: Helium, with the symbol He. I believe this calls for a helicopter. My next landmark is a taxi rank, but instead of taxis I'm going to put helicopters in place. A good number of helicopters all lined up waiting for passengers.

Next we have Lithium (Li). You might automatically think of a lighter or a common object but remember that mnemonics work better when the visual stimulus is highly unusual. So, climbing up my third landmark (the ill-placed lamp post) is a giant lizard. He's probably called Larry.

One more example: Beryllium (Be) comes next, for which I imagine a bear coming out of the barber's shop with a hilarious new hairdo. Bear-yllium. Brilliant.

You can use any image that comes to mind, they don't have to be animals or any other particular theme, just use whatever works for you. Just remember to make it highly vivid and unusual so it's easy to recall later.

Extra Tips on The Loci System

Once you've pegged your data to your route, run through it quickly in your mind and that will store it in your short term memory for a few hours. If it's a shopping list you wanted to recall, that's all you need to do, after that you'll probably want to forget the list and clear the route for next time.

However, if you want to imprint this information in your long term memory, be sure to review the list again the next day by visualizing the route and the key images. Review it once again after a week, and again after a month. After that the data should be very well ingrained indeed. Each review should only take a minute or two and cements the effort you put in initially.

Once you can reel off the chemical elements, or the works of Shakespeare, or all 50 states in reverse order, your friends may suspect you of being a bizarre freak of nature... So be sure to tell them about The Loci System and share the joy of this remarkable memory improvement technique.

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Journey Method

Note: If you are unfamiliar with memory systems, go back and read the Memory Systems page first.

I am no expert in geography. The day before trying the Loci Method, I had no idea which state would even be first on an alphabetical list of the 50 States.

I spent about 20 minutes memorizing the list. Now, weeks later, I can still rattle off any part of the state list, including:

• The entire list in order, Alabama to Wyoming, with no mistakes.
• The entire list in reverse order, with no mistakes.
• If you name any state, I can continue the list from there to the end or backward to the beginning.
• Name any state, and I can immediately tell you the state that comes right before and after that state in the list.
• Interrupt me, make me stop in the middle and then resume two hours later, play loud music or have screaming kids in the background - I can still do all the above, with no errors.

How is it possible memorize a 50-item list in 20 minutes so perfectly? You do it using something you can't be made to forget: any route you know well . You mentally tie the sequence of locations on your route to substitute words you create that are visually vivid.

The Loci Method Explained

Think of a route you use every day. It could be the path from your bedroom to your kitchen. It could be the roads you drive from home to work or school. Or maybe the route to the grocery store, bank, your best friend's house, or the next town. You get the idea.

Now, I bet you can easily visualize many of the landmarks you pass on the way to those destinations. For example, on your way to the grocery store there are intersections, places of business, parks, and so on.

Take a moment to really picture in your mind a few of these landmarks. See yourself driving, walking, or bicycling by them.

Is there any way you could somehow get mixed up and not remember the order of these places along the route? No way - not if it is a route you've used many times.

So that's the first step: the route provides the order.

Let's say you have a list of items to memorize, such as the first 10 "Bill of Rights" of the U.S. Constitution. You need to not only remember them, but remember them in correct order.

Using the route you were just thinking of, you can mentally "tag" each of the Bill of Rights to one of the landmarks on your route. (I'll get to how to do that in a moment.)

The second step is remembering the information itself, by creating a substitute word for each item as needed, then creating mental images for those words.

And the third step is associating the information to the landmarks on the route. See the Using Association page for more information about these two steps.

Do you see now why the Loci Method is so powerful? You can't forget the order of the information, because it's something you already know.

As for the rest, you can use the techniques of Substitute Words and Linking to memorize the information and attach it to the routes.

Click the following link to read in detail how I memorized the list of 50 states.

Now you can read and understand how I memorized the list of 50 states. Once you get the hang of it, memorizing long lists only takes a few minutes at a time. And it's actually fun!

Published: 04/01/2008 Last Updated: 06/11/2020

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The Link and Story Methods

Remembering a simple list.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

It's useful to be able to learn a list. Maybe you have some important tasks to complete, facts to recall for an exam, or key points to include in a speech. If you can make a list, and remember it, you'll be more organized, confident and effective.

And the good news is that there are some tried-and-true ways to boost your chances of success.

This article explains two such techniques: the Link Method and the Story Method. Both of these centuries-old strategies will help you to learn lists quickly and easily – using the power of imagination to maximize your memory.

What Are the Link and Story Methods?

The Link Method is one of the easiest "mnemonics," or memory tools, to learn. You choose interesting images to represent items on a list, then link those images together in memorable ways. Each link jogs your memory about what comes next.

Start with the first thing on your list. Choose an image for it, then link it to the next item – perhaps by imagining the two things smashing together, or by visualizing one on top of the other. Then move on through the list, linking each item with the next.

The Story Method takes this a step further – by using a story to connect all the items on the list. The flow of the story and the strength of the images help you to recall the original information.

Invent a story that features each item on your list, in the right order. Make your story funny, strange and exciting, and you'll find that it's even easier to remember.

Using the Link and Story Methods

Both of these methods rely on images. Sometimes the original information will suggest very clear images – a list of items to buy at the grocery store, for example. At other times, particularly when you're learning more abstract concepts, you’ll need to design your own "image clues" to trigger the memories.

If a word on your list doesn't trigger images, use a word that looks or sounds similar to it. That should still jog your memory about the original word.

For example, let's say you wanted to learn the list of the seven largest countries in the world: Russia, Canada, U.S., China, Brazil, Australia, India. You could do this with either the Link Method or the Story Method, as follows:

• Link Method – Choose a memorable image for each country, then link the first to the second, the second to the third, and so on.

Perhaps you imagine opening a set of Russian dolls (Russia) to find a Canada goose (Canada) inside! The goose lands on the lawn of the White House (U.S.). The door of the White House opens to reveal beautiful china plates and bowls laid out for a banquet (China). On each plate you can see a pile of Brazil nuts (Brazil). You collect up the nuts and use them to build a model of the Sydney Opera House (Australia). Finally, on the curved roof of the Opera House, you balance a tray of spicy Indian food (India).

• Story Method – Construct the images into a story, giving you more opportunities to add emotional triggers, and helping to make the information "flow."

Maybe a large Russian bear (Russia) is eating maple syrup (Canada) at the top of the Empire State Building (U.S.). But suddenly he drops the china bowl he's using (China). It lands on a member of the Brazilian soccer team (Brazil) playing a match in the street below. The player retaliates by hurling a boomerang (Australia) at the bear – who decides to run off and hide… in the famous Taj Mahal palace (India).

Mnemonics like these are even more effective when you choose your own images and links. Try to visualize and organize the information in ways that are particularly meaningful and memorable to you.

When you need to learn larger or more complex sets of information, consider using a mnemonic method called the Journey Technique .

Link and Story Methods Infographic

See the Link and Story Methods represented in our infographic .

The Link Method is an age-old memory technique for remembering lists. It works by turning information into vivid images, then linking those images together in memorable ways. The Story Method is similar. It also relies on images, but this time the images are connected together as an engaging and memorable story.

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How to become a World Memory Champion in ten steps

As you throw back another egg nog, mulled wine or other variety of sickly Christmas cheer, save a thought for the brain cells that take a hit with each swig. Your memory might not fare so well the morning after, but thanks to these tips from England's eight-time World Memory Champion and author of How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week Dominic O'Brien, there are a few things you can do to improve it in the future -- or at least, give the impression you remember the night's events. This man can recall a binary list of 2,385 digits, so pay close attention.

1. The Link Method

To remember a list of words or shopping items make a link between each of the objects. For instance, with Torch, Grapes, Ring, Sherry, imagine shining a Torch on a bunch of Grapes. Inside one of the Grapes you see a Ring sparkling with diamonds. As you squeeze the grape, the ring falls into a glass of Sherry.

2. Acronyms

Use extended acronyms to remember a series of data by creating a fun sentence. For example "My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets" gives you the order of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

3. Mental Pictures

Turn data such as facts and figures into pictures. Arctic or Antarctic? If you think of looking up at an arch and down at an ant you'll never confuse the two again.

4. The Journey Method

To remember a list of information, choose a familiar route or journey, maybe around your house, to picture each item on the list.

To remember a sequence of numbers -- say, 1024337864 -- you could also choose a route around your house, to picture each number pair. By picturing David Cameron at my front door, an alarm clock in the hall and two blackbirds flying up the staircase, I can remember these three pairs of numbers easily: 10, 24, 33.

To add more pairs of numbers, just extend the journey: in my bedroom I hear an old 78 record and in the bathroom Paul McCartney is in the shower singing "when I'm 64".

5. Remembering to spell correctly

Accidentally or Accidently? Turn tricky words into scenes to help you remember correct spellings. Picture an accident in an alley... accidentally.

6. The Rule Of Five

To avoid information gradually fading from your memory banks it's important to know when to review information. Apply the "Rule of Five":

First review : Immediately

Second review: 24 hours later

Third review: One week later

Fourth review: One month later

Fifth review: Three months later

7. PIN Numbers

If you can remember your name, you'll never forget your PIN number. Just make up a memorable sentence and count the number of letters in each word. For instance: "My name is Dominic": 2 4 2 7; or "This number is secret": 4 6 2 6.

8. The Story Method

To remember a group of information, create a story which links them all together. In chemistry the Noble gases are: Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon and Radon. Imagine taking off in a Helium balloon lit up with a Neon light. An Argon welder turns into superman who takes you to the planet Krypton, and so on.

9. The Body System

This works by associating parts of the body with key images of whatever it is you want to remember, like a to-do list of things.

Let's say you have to buy cheese, eggs and a bottle of milk.

By Mark Harris

By Christopher Solomon

By Julian Chokkattu

By David Robson

Picture cheese on your head, an egg balanced on your nose and a bottle of milk on your shoulder.

10. Healthy Body, Healthy Memory

Exercise and diet can help to maximise the effects of memory.

Gently raise your heart rate with daily physical exercise and include foods rich in antioxidants as well as vitamins A, C and E.

Oily fish such as salmon contains folic acid and omega-3 oils are ideal for maintaining a healthy brain and nervous system.

By using the memory tips outlined, see how many of the items in the festive list below you can remember. First, choose a location that is familiar to you such as your home, your place of work, your hometown or a nearby park. The idea is to use this location as a backdrop for a short journey consisting of a series of places or stops along the way. The places are then used to mentally store items of the list you wish to memorise. The route you take will preserve the natural order of the list, assuming, that is, that you don't forget the journey or the stops along the way.

Try positioning them along a familiar route around you house and garden or down the street:

Smoked Salmon

Santa Claus

Brandy Butter

How many of those items can you now recall in the correct order?

How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week by Dominic O'Brien is out on 4 January, 2014 and costs £7.99.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

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The Journey Method: Real Practical Example | Change Drastically Yourself

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March 31, 2021

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Do you forget the long list? Are you facing a problem memorizing things? Are you a student and have to worry about your study? Would you like to have a great memory technique?

Do you know how Some people remember such a hard thing even too many stranger phone numbers in a minute? then you must read this whole article.

Today, You are going to explore a great memorization technique to learn anything anytime. And that name is the journey method memory technique.

Yes, The journey method, and is an  ancient methodology  that has been working so well. Even today.

WHAT’S IN IT

What is the Journey Method?

The  journey technique  is a type of  memory technology  that is a very wonderful and highly powerful to learn from easy to technical information, short to long information in a short time by using very  familiar landmarks  around your life that you have seen and experience.

In this  journey method , you don’t have to put too much effort to visualize your location (locus) because you have already known about your landmark.

All you have to do, Associate what you have been studying, to your landmark. And it’s also known as a  mnemonic device . This device is a very powerful tool that will help you to  recall difficult information or data for a long term period.

Alternative Names of the Journey Memory Technique

The  journey method  is also known as a  travelling method , The route method, and the method of loci or location method.

All the above names are very clear why these names have chosen. Because when you walk through your  mnemonic device (memory journey) you are travelling on your mind therefore its a travelling method.

Likewise, because you use a road or way therefore here is the  route method.  The  method of loci  in which loci means location and the location method name simply automatically reveal itself. And the last name is is a memory journey. Sounds interesting?

Origin of Journey Method 

Firstly, as you know, This journey memory technique is also known as a  route, travel , and some others. It arrived from the  roman room memory system , In Roman.

In those days, people use their room as a mnemonic device to memorize things. They place items in a specific location in their room mentally.

Today is just the same as that. the difference is only about we are not limited to use rooms or roman rooms instead now we are free to  use any location out of rooms as a mnemonic device.

We can use a  road restaurant, house, building, shopping mall,  all that is visible in this through your eyes. That’s how it evolved.

How to Use the Journey Method Technique

• First of all, write down the top 5 route that you can visualize very effectively ( landmark)
• Then select one,  best of best Landmark  that you are going to use to memorize anything.
• And now you have to visualize in a reverse direction your whole root as well as in the forward direction. In this way, your route will be better memorable.
• The next step is you gotta prepare what you want to remember. suppose you want to  memorize some words .
• Make a list in sequence and make  visual images  of those images that stuck in your mind first and very familiar.
• Finally, You gotta  link your visual images  strategically to your landmarks.
• Now  walk mentally on your journey path  with visual images. That’s all.in short

Benefits of Journey Method Technique

• It’s so great to learn  long list and long sequential data  for a long period.
• Plus point of this memory technique in comparison to the memory palace technique is Mnemonic Device is  very familiar  and easy to visualize.
• You could make a  long mnemonic device or your journey  how much you want to but if we compare it to the mind palace technique there you are limited. In that memorization techniques, you have to choose different places to expand your memory or data
• Very few chances of  crossing the data  from each part to another.

Examples of the Journey Method Technique

Let’s suppose you have to learn these words in a very sequence manner. Be careful don’t crossword to each other okay! so let’s get started.

Assume your travel route is something like this- 

• Shopping mall
• Vegetable market
• Petrol pump

Imagine you are going out of your home and reach your nearest park where you see constructions is going on in that park. Workers stand pillars around the park which is made up of  Red Chalk .

You break a piece of chalk from there and runaway and reach into the shopping mall but there is a large white  Aeroplane  is on the floor of the shopping mall and it’s an engine is on and you shock what the hell is going on.

But anyhow you have got the chance to enter the aeroplane. Now you’re opening the door and sit on the driver seat and start taking flight then you fly up in the sky.

But unfortunately, your petrol is exhausted and you land your aeroplane at a barbershop. You come out of an aeroplane and going to enter the barbershop where you see a very shocking thing.

A barber is a cutting hair of a boy on a  Cycle. You go close to the cycle and steal the cycle and run away. And go ahead and get to the   Gym.

Here you see a gym owner is giving you a beautiful green Apple as a gift.

You take an apple & started eating. By saying thanks you go ahead to the vegetable market. In the vegetable market shopkeeper selling Fan instead of vegetables.

You purchase a Fan & go-ahead to the petrol pump. When you passing through the petrol pump.

You see and immediately love a beautiful large woofer  Speaker  but you don’t have much amount to purchase it. So you exchange your Fan from the speaker and take a speaker and happily go ahead.

Now, you are entering the bank where the security guard is telling you about a new advance Telephone & emphasizing you to call someone because it’s free to call for that day.

Then You are calling your wife & your wife is telling you that I am is in the restaurant which is near you and waiting for you. You put off the telephone and run towards the restaurant where you both are having dinner of Yellow   beautiful  Lemon.

At last, you are moving forward and reach a dairy shop but what you see there is that you see someone’s popular woodland  Shoe  laid off on the ground and nobody pays attention to it. You pick up that shoe and escape from there and feel lucky.

End of your interesting  memorable journey . hope you enjoyed it. Let me know in the comment how was your feeling when you imagined the whole scene along with me.

How to Memorize Speech

Do you forget your key points or your speech? Would you like to have one great skill that will help you to remember your long speech which will bring great results and transformation in your speech on the stage?

Today I am going to give you that great  memorization skill  that will do all of what you will. A person who uses this  memory technique  will be able to deliver a speech without any such  notes  or other  materials, PowerPoint presentation  something like that.

See below, here are some steps on how to use this  journey memory technique  to memorize your  long speech.

• First of all breakdown your long speech into  small chunks of key points.
• Now you have to convert your key points into a  visual image  ( if it is technical).what we are known as a mnemonic image.
• And now choose the best  suitable locatio n to link your mnemonic visual images to your location and make an easily  memorable mental speech journey.
• At last, you need to link your visual images to your memory device and the game is on !! Enjoy your Speech.
• Don’t need to carry a diary, notebook, etc.

here’s one tip this memory technique is very beneficial for learning a long list of words sequentially the most important thing is a sequence.

So let what you got to know. you get to know how powerful the journey method memory technique. how to use it. It gets so much fun to remember any long-form data. for a long time.

It’s like watching movies mentally that is created by you. The journey method comes from the roman room method.

You use landmarks like restaurants or travel paths etc to link your data it helps to recall easily and stay in your mind a long time as well.

I have shown you some examples in which I take some words and tell you practically how you can use a journey technique to memorize those words.

It also very well to remember the speech key. That’s how much a great thing is this. you will need any notes or dairy before the speech. you will be able to remember what you are going to give as a speech.

You also get to know the little comparison between memory palace and journey method some plus points of journey memory method in comparison to memory palace. And final you have read many other names of this same technique.

Also, you can read our blog on  70-20-10 Rule

FAQ’s

There’s no limit you can create as long as you need and also as short as you want. it depends on you and your need.

It’s a powerful tool to memorize long information sequentially by first convert data into an image and then linking to landmarks like -gym, petrol, bar, etc. and walk through the whole journey in mind. in such a way you can recall easily and in a fun way.

Oh, It’s a broad question.in short, you have to be physically fit first. then you have to use your brain as much you use the brain it will become strong. But if you want to know a fun way to improve memory. You should use the journey memory technique. it’s like imagination games.

Simonides, first explore the memory technique where He uses the room to remember things. but soon he experimented so many ways and various location. So this is how the method of loci came into existence.

Yes, a lot of techniques help to increase your capacity to remember. cause ti will become easy and store information in an organized way such kind of techniques-journey method, mind palace, mnemonics, etc.

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This blog documents my research and experience in improving my memory and powers of recall. I am currently working on memorising the countries of the world and their capitals. I will use this blog to share the most useful memory techniques to help you improve your memory skills.

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A Framework for Effective Guided Mnemonic Journeys

• Conference paper
• First Online: 26 June 2023
• Cite this conference paper

• David Iclanzan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2587-9106 13 &
• Zoltán Kátai   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2343-3629 13  

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 14077))

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The memory palace, also known as the memory journey, is a mnemonic technique where information to be remembered is encountered along a predetermined path through envisioned places, creating strong spatial and visual connections between the material and specific locations and vivid images. Constructing a memory palace for complex computer science concepts may prove challenging for students, as it requires the identification, selection, and organization of essential ideas from the material. This task is better suited to an expert on the curriculum, such as the instructor.

In this paper, a framework for designing and delivering Guided Mnemonic Journeys is proposed. Led by a teacher in person or via audio or video, the approach uses a virtual tour of the university campus at its core. The approach combines various mnemonic techniques to create a more comprehensive approach to memory enhancement. The instructor plans the story arc and places various mnemonic cues along the path and then guides the students through the narrative and imagery, providing context, clear structure, and instructions for each step.

A pilot study indicated that students perceived the delivered Guided Mnemonic Journeys positively, appreciating the rich didactic activity and the opportunity to learn new mnemonic techniques.

This study was partially supported by the Sapientia Foundation Institute for Scientific Research.

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Iclanzan, D., Kátai, Z. (2023). A Framework for Effective Guided Mnemonic Journeys. In: Mikyška, J., de Mulatier, C., Paszynski, M., Krzhizhanovskaya, V.V., Dongarra, J.J., Sloot, P.M. (eds) Computational Science – ICCS 2023. ICCS 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14077. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36030-5_58

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