If you’re seeking memory training because of forgetfulness, mental fog, or information overload, you’re not alone.

In fact, I’ve been on both sides.

I’ve been so frustrated with my memory that I nearly dropped out of grad school.

And so successful I came in second in a memory competition against one of the best mental athletes in the world.

My range of experiences means good news for you.

With the right daily drills and proven exercises, you can dramatically improve your recall, focus, and clarity.

In this guide, you’ll discover 7 memory training techniques I’ve personally used to:

• Complete a PhD using mnemonic strategies


• Deliver a TEDx Talk seen by millions


• Learn multiple languages with confidence

Each routine is practical, research-backed and useable starting today.

Whether you want to remember names, prepare for exams, or simply keep your mind sharp as you age, these drills work.

Let’s dive in.

Proof that Memory Training Works

As we go through the list of memory techniques you can start practicing with today, keep in mind that there’s no particular order of importance.

They all matter and each one is well-worth spending time learning.

But you might like to have some assurance that scientists have actually studied these memory tools.

In addition to reading my full profile of the state of memory science, you’ll be delighted to know that many of my memory champion friends have participated in memory studies.

For example, Katie Kermode recently posted on LinkedIn about her participation in this University of Cambridge Study.

This study follows many others, including a major analysis of how proper memory training leads to superior memory skills.

I’ll share a few more scientific references as we go, but for now, keep in mind that we are talking about training.

This means that your time does need to be spent on learning and applying the various memory techniques we’re about to explore together.

But every moment will be worth it once you see the results of better memory flowing into your life.

The Core Memory Training Techniques & Drills I Recommend

One: Mnemonic Linking

Mnemonic linking is where most people start training their memory.

What is linking?

It’s a simple technique where you assign vivid, strange or emotional associations between information you already know and new data you want to retain.

To keep things simple, let’s say you need to remember a list of words like “apple,” “book” and “dog.”

To use the linking technique, you simply mentally link the apple with something related to apples that is specifically familiar to you. I would personally forge a link with an Apple computer.

For the next word in the list, I would imagine the Apple computer interacting with a specific book. Since the final word is “dog,” that book could be the Bible in the jaws of a specific dog.

The key is to make every association specific. So in this case, the list will be easiest to remember if there’s a kind of mnemonic story playing out:

“An Apple computer flies down from the sky to try and wrestle the family Bible from the jaw of Superman’s dog.”

Silly, right?

Yes, and that’s what makes it so memorable.

In case you’re interested, one of the reasons why so many people start with linking isn’t because it’s the best place to start.

It’s largely because that’s where the dominant memory improvement authors like Harry Lorayne and Tony Buzan talked about starting. They were largely repeating the instructions given by Bruno Furst in his correspondence memory courses.

Linking is definitely worth learning. I use it frequently and found it especially helpful for learning the articles and other aspects of learning German.

Two: Peg Systems

Peg systems are the foundation of how I learned to memorize playing cards.

Please be aware that memory teachers use the general term “peg” in quite a variety of ways.

I generally call it the pegword method and separate pegs into at least four different kinds of mnemonic images:

• Number Rhymes


• Number objects (or number shapes)


• Major System


• PAO System

To give you an example of the simplest peg system, here’s how the number rhyme technique works through the association of rhymed images:

• 1 = sun


• 2 = shoe


• 3 = bee


• 4 = door


• 5 = hive


• 6 = sticks


• 7 = heaven


• 8 = gate


• 9 = wine


• 10 = hen

As a fun exercise that will itself give your brain a workout, I suggest you draw your first number-rhyme list.

Here’s my own hand drawn list:

Once you’re set up with these rhymes (or variations of your own choosing), associating information using this technique will be a breeze.

To give you an example, let’s refer back to our previous list.

Using number rhyme pegs, you could imagine the apple growing as large and as bright as the sun. The book could be shaped like a shoe, and smell just as bad. And the dog could be chasing bees.

The advantage to number rhymes is that you not only remember the items. You also remember the numbered order of each item in the list.

Another advantage when you develop your skills will all four peg systems is that you have pre-learned mental associations.

You don’t have to invent new links on the fly. You have mental “pegs” to hang new information on.

Please train with all of these peg systems in the bulleted list above because having multiple tactics offers tremendous flexibility when you want to remember things quickly.

Also be sure to train with them within Memory Palaces once you know that technique. It will help you with some of the non-visual aspects of the Memory Palace technique that you’ll also benefit from mastering.

Three: Keyword Mnemonics

When preparing for my TEDx Talk, I didn’t memorize every word.

Instead, I pulled out only the most important words. This is generally the best approach to memorizing a speech.

By compressing the speech into a smaller set of memory triggers laid out along a Memory Palace journey, I was able to convey the main points without having to memorize the en