Memory Tip #1: How to remember a list

Remembering a list of items or things-to-do is a chore that comes up often in everyday life. A great approach to remember a list is called the link technique. Here’s how it works:

Let’s memorize this grocery list using the link technique:
milk
paper towels
french baguette
ketchup
dishwashing soap

Create a vivid mental image of the first item on the list; in this case you could picture a glass of cold milk on your kitchen table. Next create an association between the first item and the second item on the list. Imagine using paper towels to soak up spilt milk. Continue down the list linking each item with the next. The paper
towels might wrap a warm french baguette, which then requires ketchup to make a good sandwich. Lastly, the ketchup could be cleaned off of a dinner plate with dishwashing soap.

This is a relatively straightforward technique, which becomes more powerful as you elaborate further on each link and image. The key is to create vivid images with details you can relate to. Instead of just thinking of an abstract glass of milk, you should create a specific image – a tall glass three quarters full of cold milk sitting in the corner of your tiled kitchen counter.

An excellent resource for memory related tips and techniques is Cynthia Green’s Total Memory Workout: 8 Easy Steps to Maximum Memory Fitness.