Day 4 - How to Memorize the Right Way: Easier is Better

Remember back in High School when you were trying to learn Spanish, but every time you saw or heard a word, you would spend a long moment translating it in your head [most likely into English].

Well, the problem was, you didn't really 'learn' the word. There is a Right way to memorize, and there is a Wrong way to memorize.

First, to Correctly memorize words and phrases you have to perform these 2 parts [not steps, these are separate parts]:

Verbal, and Written:

1. Connect the foreign verbal word directly to a meaning, feeling, or image

2. Connect the foreign written word directly to a meaning, feeling, or image

If I drew this out it would look like this:

You will notice there is no connection between the verbal word and the written word. So you maybe wondering, how am I going to speak a written word? And how will I write a spoken word?

We take one extra step. For example, when we write in our native language we think in speech and then translate that into a word or picture of a word, such as, "hmmm… how do I spell cat?… C A T".

Plus, we have a huge advantage! When we know the meaning or image of what we want to write or say, we will know both [how to write it and say it], simultaneously! It's a straight path, like driving a monster truck straight to work crushing all the houses and long winding roads on the way [wouldn't that be fun!?].

Now if we are like most people, we will connect the verbal to the written word and/or to a native word, and visa-versa, like this:

So, the sound "Gatto" is spelled "g a t t o" which means in English "cat" which looks like "this" therefore the sound "Gatto" means "this"

And when we do this for every word, our brain yells, "Complicated!!!!!"

There is one teeny-tiny advantage: if we need to translate something from written to verbal or visa-versa, it's easy! BUT, if we want to understand what we wrote or said, it becomes very difficult. Our brain process will look something like this:

It's like driving a monster truck on the long winding roads and around all the houses taking 20 extra minutes [not as fun, right?]. So why do we do this?

Because it's "easy". To say, "gatto, cat, gatto, cat, gatto, cat…" we don't have to think. We either don't know how, or we are just lazy.

The are many methods to memorizing words, phrases, and feelings, but my favorite method is fun, easy, and makes you feel like a kid again!

Figmentation of our imagination

Let's begin with the word "caccia" which means "hunting", such as "Andare a caccia" [to go hunting] or "Sono contra la caccia" [I'm against hunting]. It also means "fighter" or "destroyer".

The first step is to Not let words limit our thoughts. We don't want to connect "caccia" to "hunting". Instead we want use our imagination to understand the full meaning through these several sentences. Other words maybe harder, but this is a important step.

After we understand what "caccia" means, we want to create a link between the word and it's meaning.

Step 1: We want to create an extremely crazy and abstract mental animation [the crazier the better].

I would begin with seeing myself in a huge overgrown pink field in Africa smelling of roses, standing still holding my old toy BB gun. Next I turn around and there is a 20 foot tiger running straight for me wearing boxing gloves, roaring loudly, foot long blades of teeth gouging from his mouth, and ready to swallow me whole. I fumble for my BB gun as I feel sweat on my forhead, and as I cock it, it makes an abnormally loud sound, "Ka Cha!!" and at this moment a beautiful girl falls from the sky right in front of me holding a sign. She points it toward the running tiger and he immediately stops, and looking extremely disappointed he walks back. She turns toward me to show me the sign which says, "Sono Contra la Caccia!"

You may have noticed I included several 'extra features' in my 'movie':

1. The tiger was wearing boxing gloves, therefore I can remember both meanings of the word ("hunting" and "fighter")

2. There was a girl who was a main character. This is to help me remember that caccia is a feminem word: La caccia [more on this later]

3. Everything is extremely exaggerated; I definitely wont forget it (and it only took me 30 seconds or less)

Step 2: We want to memorize and ingrain this into our memory. We need to visually 'see' and 'feel' this in our head and say to ourself, "I'm going to remember."

Step 3: Repetition. Depending on how well we've stored the word, we will have to recall it in 1 hour, 12 hours, 3 days, or 7 days before we forget it. [more on this later: repetition, the fun way]

So if you're still reading, you are either completely lost or you are completely excited to try this memory method on new words and phrases! [if you already knew this, then Great! you're ahead!]

In summary, we learned to:

1. Connect verbal words directly to meaning

2. Connect written words directly to meaning

3. Use an imagination to easily place words into short-term or long-term memory

4. Recall the word 1 hour, 12 hours, 3 days, or 7 days after we've learned it to strengthen it in our memory

Upcomming: why we forget, how our brain learns to speak, how to learn a language online: for Free, creating a mission: James Bond style, creating a 90 day plan to fluent italian, and much more!

How'd you like it? Was I too detailed? Did any of it help? Is there missing information? Did you just straight-up like it or hate it? Please comment, I'm excited to hear your feedback!