Key Takeaways
- Centuries ago, information was passed down through the oral tradition, requiring people to have the ability to memorize things, but we rely a lot less on this ability today.
- Memorizing information requires us to do more than simply read or hear it.
- By using the 50/50 rule, you can improve your memorization ability.
In 2011, there was a book by Joshua Foer titled Moonwalking With Einstein. In it, he discusses ways to improve memory, such as structuring them into memory palaces. This was something people had to do centuries ago, when memories and stories were passed down through the oral tradition. The ability to write things down usually wasn’t an option, so people had to simply remember things they heard and learned.
The idea behind a memory palace is that you’re giving structure to your memories, allowing you to mentally walk through a space and recall them as you go. This is handy when you employ another memory technique, the 50/50 rule.
Thomas Oppong writes about the 50/50 rule in his Medium.com article, “How to Train Your Brain to Remember Almost Anything.” This rule suggests that you spend 50% of your time learning new information, and the other 50% of the time explaining or teaching that information to someone else.
A simple example of this would be memorizing your grocery list. Spend a few minutes writing it down and reviewing it. Then spend an equivalent amount of time talking to someone in your household about it, while building a memory palace as you do so. (In this case, your memory palace may be the grocery store, as you visualize walking through it and purchasing items.)
If you try this and it seems familiar, you may be recalling a recent blog post on The Learning Cycle. It’s very similar – you think, write, share/receive feedback, plan your steps, then act. You use many different areas of your brain with this process, just as you do with memory palaces and the 50/50 rule.
So next time you’re trying to learn something new or memorize some information, try spending 50% of your time reading it and 50% of your time sharing it, teaching it, and talking about it. You’ll find yourself more likely to remember it and improve your memory in the long run. Until next time, enjoy.
