The memory palace, also called the method of loci (Latin for "places"), is one of the oldest memory tools. Roman writers told of the Greek poet Simonides, who after an accident at a banquet could name every guest by remembering where each had sat. Cicero and Quintilian later taught the method to speakers.
Key idea
You already know the order of the rooms in your home. A memory palace borrows that order: put one vivid image at each spot, and the route hands them back to you in order.
- Pick a route you know by heart: front door, mat, mirror, stairs...
- Use the same spots, in the same order, each time.
- Put one vivid, silly image at each spot. Moving beats still.
- Walk the route in your head. Rebuild only the blank spots.
Worked example: Worked example
You place a giant washing machine at the front door to stand for Washington. Why use the front door?
- It is spot 1 on your route.
- So Washington comes first.
Answer: Because spot 1 holds item 1: the route keeps the order.
The house on the infographic is itself a memory palace: walk rooms 1 to 6 and you have recalled all six techniques.