The Memory Palace Book Summary - The Memory Palace Book explained in key points

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The Memory Palace summary

Name: The Memory Palace
Rating: 4.1 (250 reviews)
Author: Lewis Smile

Lewis Smile

Learn Anything and Everything (Starting with Shakespeare and Dickens)

4.1 (250 ratings)

9 mins

Brief summary

The Memory Palace by Lewis Smile explores the power of the human memory and provides techniques for improving it. It reveals how to boost recall and creativity, and transform memory into an effective tool for personal and professional success.

Topics

General Knowledge Learning Effectiveness

Table of Contents

The Memory Palace
Summary of 5 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 5

What’s in it for me? Increase the capacity of your memory.

How many US presidents can you list? And can you do it chronologically? Sure, you got JFK and Lincoln, but you probably missed someone like Martin van Buren or William Henry Harrison. So what if there was a way to improve your memory so things like this were a cakewalk?

Turns out there is. We have an untapped reserve capacity in our memory. With a little awareness and a few techniques you’ll find in these blinks, you can tap into this fresh memory reserve – called spatial memory – and remember more than you thought possible.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why crazy stories play a key role in remembering things;
how Obama can help you remember when the Magna Carta was written; and
a trick for remembering the titles of Shakespeare’s plays.

Your memory is like a muscle: you can strengthen it through training.

Do you often have trouble remembering where you put your keys? Or maybe you’re all too familiar with finding yourself wandering the aisles of a supermarket confused because you forgot your shopping list? Chances are you’ve found yourself in these situations as they are typical results of having an untrained memory. But don’t worry, with a bit of exercise we can get our memory back in shape.

Think of your memory as a hidden muscle. Like other muscles, it can deteriorate if neglected. Perhaps you think that only the smartest and brightest have the ability to retain knowledge and recall facts. But the truth of the matter is that the potential muscle power of memory is strong in all of us. With some simple training and exercise you too can unlock this potential and be the next superstar of trivia night.

So what kind of training can you do to drastically improve your memory?

Start by using a simple technique that can turn anyone into a world champion of memorization in no time at all. The most effective tool for remembering information like names and dates is to connect them to an image or place. This technique takes advantage of our spatial memory, and the crazier the image the better it works.

For example, say you need help remembering the names of the early plays of William Shakespeare. Well, just imagine the unforgettable image of a three-headed Richard Nixon standing on a chair claiming to be Richard III. By tapping into the potential of spatial memory and linking a three-headed Richard Nixon with Richard III, you’ll never forget the name of that play again.

Sounds simple enough, right? But what makes these memory techniques so effective?

Your spatial memory is old and powerful – use it to remember virtually anything.

Do you ever wonder why it is you can remember every street and corner shop of your hometown but seem to forget the details of your shopping list the moment you put down the pen? The answer lies in your spatial memory.

The capacity for spatial memory is something all humans share and it is crucial for navigating our way through the world we live in. You use your spatial memory every day to remember important places and find your way home from work. Without it we’d be lost, constantly forgetting where we are and how to get to our destination.

Use a mental image of a familiar place to improve your memory.

One way to expand your memory is to create a mental picture of a physical space that will act as a structure for your memories. Let’s call this space a memory palace.

It doesn’t have to be an actual palace – anywhere will do. You can use your imagination to turn your own house into your personal memory palace, or maybe the familiar path from the bakery to work. As long as you are very familiar with it and can clearly visualize it, your memory palace will work: its looks aren’t as important as the way your brain connects information to it. The most useful technique is to create a place with separate rooms or areas that will each “house” specific information.

Use your memory palace to remember Shakespeare’s most important plays.

How many of Shakespeare’s 37 plays can you remember? Probably not all of them. So let’s try putting your memory palace to work. Just remember, make the stories in your memory palace as vivid as you can.

Let’s start in the bedroom. Imagine waking up with the powerful urge to go to the theater to see a Shakespeare play. You jump out of bed in a rush to get ready, but your path is blocked by a tiny shrew that is so tame it is jumping through hoops! This is, of course, The Taming of the Shrew.

The Final summary

The key message in this book:

Our brain has an enormous capacity for memory and it goes largely unused. By utilizing spatial memory and building a memory palace we can unlock this potential. This technique can make a memory champion out of anyone: in just 15 minutes you can retain more information than most people can memorize in an hour.

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What is The Memory Palace about?

The Memory Palace (2012) is a step-by-step guide to using your spatial memory to help you remember absolutely anything. It teaches you how to build a palace of memories that will give you the power to recall everything you read, and even to memorize the names of every Shakespeare play in just 15 minutes.

Who should read The Memory Palace?

Anyone interested in improving their memory
Forgetful people who need help remembering their shopping list
Trivia buffs who want vast amounts of knowledge at their disposal

About the Author

Lewis Smile has led an eccentric life that has taken him from being the lead singer for the 1990s band Soulful Repetition to becoming an expert in the field of memory improvement. His other books include MLM Scripts and The Magic Square.

Categories with The Memory Palace

Communication Skills

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