Use the Method of Loci to Remember Anything

The method of loci (or loci technique) is a mnemonic memory technique that has many applications, from helping people with mild cognitive impairment learn and remember information to preparing someone for a speech. You can use it too – for anything you need to remember.

What is the method of loci?

If “loci” sounds like “location,” that’s because that’s what this method is all about: location, location, location. To use this technique, you use a visualization of a specific spatial environment to help you remember information. It has been around for centuries and is still used today as memory contest participants say it helps them remember everything from faces to numbers. (Did you know that there are memory contests ?)

Think of a place you know well, ideally with many distinctive features. Maybe it’s a street with a bunch of different shops, a room with different surfaces and angles, or your childhood home. When you have a bunch of things to remember, like items on a list or topics to cover in a speech, imagine putting them one by one in one of these little spaces . For example, one theme may lie in a corner, another on a table, and a third on a windowsill. When you want to retrieve or remember information, imagine walking through that place again and taking what you need to remember from the right place.

Why does this work? Generally speaking, your brain remembers pictures better than words or numbers, so attaching the words or numbers you need to remember to a picture makes them easier to retrieve.

You can use the method of loci in real life

One way to take advantage of the power of this memory trick is to “place” memory items around the room you find yourself in when you need to remember them. If you know that you need to speak to a meeting in a certain conference room or take a test in a certain class, use this imaginary setting as the place where you will leave the items listed.

This trick requires you to plan ahead and, of course, know the location where you will be. And you’ll need to choose seats that will stay there when you need them. For example, if a colleague usually has a coffee mug on the conference table in front of him, don’t expect that mug to appear again on the day of the meeting. Choose more permanent reference points, ideally ones that you can remember even when you are preparing or studying elsewhere.