Use the “method of Loci” to Remember Anything
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The Method of Loci (or the Technique of Loci) is a mnemonic memory technique with a variety of applications, from helping people with mild cognitive impairments learn and remember information to preparing someone for a presentation.
But you can use it in almost any context, for anything you need to remember. Of course, you’re here because it’s useful for exams, but the ways you use it in this case are somewhat unique, and you’ll have to get used to what may seem silly at first. Here’s what to do.
What is the method of loci?
If “loci” sounds like “location,” that’s because that’s exactly what this method is all about: location, location, location. To use this method, you visualize specific spatial objects to help you recall information. It’s been around for centuries and is still used today, as memory competitors say it helps them remember everything from faces to numbers. (Did you know there are memory competitions ?)
Think of a place you know well, ideally one with many distinctive features. This could be a street with a variety of shops, a room with a variety of surfaces and angles, or your childhood home. Any specific location will do, but it’s important that it’s familiar to you and that you can visualize it vividly in your mind.
When you need to remember a lot of information, such as bullet points or speech topics, imagine placing them one by one in one of these small spaces . For example, you could place one topic in a corner, another on a table, and a third on a windowsill. When you need to recall or recall the information, imagine walking through this space again, picking up what you need to remember from its appropriate place.
Why does this work? The brain typically remembers images better than words or numbers, so by attaching the desired words or numbers to an image, you make them easier to remember.
How to use the method of geometric loci in real life
One way to use this memory trick is to “spread” the items you need to remember around the room where you’ll need to recall them. If you know you’ll be speaking at a meeting in a certain conference room or taking an exam in a certain classroom, use that imaginary location as the place where you’ll place the items on your list.
Better yet, study in that space. If possible, sit in the exam room while you study, perhaps staying after class or dropping in when it’s empty at some point during the week. Imagine placing the objects you’re studying one by one in different places around the room. You can even walk around and mime it if you find it helpful. Just make sure the locations you choose are consistent. Don’t associate a key fact with, say, a cup of pens on the professor’s desk, which might be removed before the exam. Choose objects like a radiator, a faded ceiling tile, a lectern, or a doorstop.
If you can’t study in the classroom, this trick requires you to plan and memorize the room in advance, so choose even larger locations , like a door or a window. And remember, this can all be a mind game. Your locations can be any places you remember well, like the break room at work or your bedroom, as long as you can mentally visualize this map during the exam.
Why does this work?
It may seem frivolous, but it works. It’s part of a broader memory technique called association . Association can be used with mnemonic phrases, singing songs, or, yes, using the method of loci. The goal is to associate new knowledge with something else, so that whenever you think of that other object—in this case, a place—you automatically recall the nugget of information you associated with it.