How to Memorize Anything Quickly: 10 Memory “Pegs”

Having trouble remembering a list of to-do items or concepts for a presentation? Preparing for a test, and need a fast way to remember a bunch of things? You need mnemonics!

In today’s UncleNalts “YouTube Orbit” video (subscribe here, folks, for daily nonsense) I reveal a mnemonic device that will help you remember ten things. Here’s a visual depiction of your “pegs,” or devices on which you’ll hang/store what you want to remember. You’ll need to memorize this list first, but each item rhymes with the number it represents.

The key is to create a vivid, action-oriented, weird image or scene to connect what you’re trying to memorize to these ten images (which you’ll only have to learn once, and keep for life).

Example: So if you’re trying to remember to pick up dry cleaner’s as your fourth image… you need a WILD way to connect dry cleaner’s to item four (door).

Wrong way: Picturing yourself walking into the dry cleaner’s via the door is not going to work. Instead, try something freaky.

Right way: Imagine that you’re picking up your shirts, but the dry cleaner’s is giving you one shirt at a time… requiring you to walk through a series of doors that are vibrating. On each door is one of your shirts hanging on the door knob. You get into a fight with the dry cleaner because you’re frustrated with how cumbersome it is to pick up your shirts. THAT you’ll remember.