Attain Photographic Memory In 30 Minutes. Guaranteed!
Before you read this post I need you to make me a promise. I need you to promise that you will email me after you read this post and tell me that you were able to do something that you knew was impossible. Then, I want you to promise me that you will never again believe anything to be impossible, that you will commit to finding a way, no matter what.
OK, OK, it’s a big promise. But by the end of this post you will be chomping at the bit to email me, I assure you.
Ready? Here we go…
Do you have a photographic memory? If someone tested you right now, I would bet you don’t have a photographic memory. Actually 99.997% of the world population doesn’t have it, so I doubt you do. Or better said, I doubt you believe you do.
If I gave you 20 random items to remember – in order – could you do it? Let’s try it out. Read this list and try to remember all 20 items on the list in order.
1. Rusty razor blade, 2. Goalie mask, 3. Red VW bug, 4.Blender, 5. Coffee cup, 6. Brown paper bag, 7. Chess set with a broken white king piece, 8.Marble statue, 9.Megaphone, 10. Shower curtain, 11. Canopy bed, 12. Plaid wool blanket, 13. Pencil, 14. Salt shaker, 15. Wooden baseball bat, 16. Private jet, 17. White apron, 18.Button, 19. Superman costume, 20. Fluorescent light bulb
Now from memory, write down the seventh item on the list. No cheating! Next, write down the third item, then the 17th item, and finally the 12th item. If you’re not sure, just give your best guess.
How many did you get? None, right? (If you did get one or two right, you’re amazing! You should be a spy. Stop reading this post and call the CIA.)
The truth is, you DO have a photographic memory. You just don’t know it yet. And since you never believed you could do it, you probably never tried. And by not trying you have affirmed yourself to be right… that you DON’T have a photographic memory. But I am here to tell you, that you do.
There’s a method to help you unlock your natural ability to remember things photographically. If you follow this method, you will harness that power by the end of this blog post.
Here is how you do it:
First, you must BELIEVE that it is possible for you to have a photographic memory. More than that, you must BELIEVE that it it’s EASY to have a photographic memory – especially for you.
The trick is, your mind work best with pictures and associations, not repetition. So the first step to your new found photographic memory is to create an association of pictures. Start by memorizing an easy rhyming list of pictures for each number, one through ten. This will be your anchor list. Here’s what I use, and suggest you use the same:
1. Gun
2. Shoe
3. Tree
4. Floor
5. Bee hive
6. Pile of sticks
7. Heaven
8. Skate
9. Slime
10. Hen
Next review the random list of 20 random items below. Here’s the list I will use as an example for the rest of the exercise:
1. Golden goose egg, 2. Firefly, 3. Paint roller, 4. Diamond ring, 5. Stop sign, 6. Kitchen table, 7. Ticket stub, 8. Leather jacket 9. Ice cream cone, 10. ATM machine, 11. Scalpel, 12. Champagne bottle, 13. Stroller, 14. Couch, 15. Rose bush, 16. Swimsuit, 17. Rotting apple, 18. Candy cane, 19. Cowboy boots, 20. Train
Now, when you look at the first item on the new list (golden goose egg), associate it with the first word from the anchor list (gun). For example, picture a gun shooting out a golden goose egg. Picture it in detail, your arm holding out a gun, smoke rising from the gun, and a golden goose egg shooting out. The more details, the better. The more color to your mental picture, the better.
Visualize a connection between the second word (firefly) and the corresponding word on your anchor list (shoe). Picture the firefly trying to carry a shoelace off the shoe. Imagine how hard the firefly is trying, how small the firefly is compared to the shoe, whatever detail you can conjure up to connect the firefly with the shoe.
Before you move on to the third item on the random list of things, recap the first two. What was the gun shooting? Right, the golden goose egg. How about the shoe? What was going on there? Right a firefly was trying to take off with the shoelace in tow. Then start on the next word. Keep doing this for the first ten items on the list.
Now stack the pictures. When you get to the eleventh item (scalpel), go back to the first image (a gun shooting out the golden goose egg) and add the scalpel to it. For example, you might have a scalpel stuck in the golden goose egg that is shooting out of the gun. Gross yoke nastiness flying out, just for effect.
Continue to the next object. For example, the firefly that is trying to pickup the shoe’s shoelace, now has to struggle with one itsy bitsy arm to lift the Champagne bottle he is carrying (Dom Perignon that he bought on sale, of course). Oh, the horrible life a firefly can lead. Follow this stacking method for the remaining objects on the list.
Congratulations, you now have a photographic memory! Don’t believe me? Let’s test it out. Use your anchor list to guide you. I don’t expect you to have the rhyming down just yet, so it’s OK to look at the anchor list of above.
Let’s start with, hmmm, number two. Two is shoe. OK, what is happening with the shoe? Right! The firefly. OK how about number eight. Eight is skate, and what did you have going on with the skate? Excellent! Now number 11. OK the anchor for 11 was the gun. Since it is over 10, it is going to be the stacked image… OK, what was going on with the gun. Yes, the golden egg. And what’s stacked with the egg. YES! The scalpel. Try it for five, now. How about 18? How about ten and then 20? Damn… You are good. No, no. You are really good.
Surprised? Did you just achieve the impossible? You’re welcome. Now email me.
Compiled by Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
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December 1st, 2008
Pretty pretty pretty good. Will have to work on this anchor list a bit with everything I come across. As I am not sure how to apply this to real life, like remembering names.
December 1st, 2008
I learned this at a team building exercise. Never got the hang of it because I had a network issue going on and I didn’t get to practice or really learn. I know the 100 or so other people present had no problem with a list of 10 and some made the full 20.
December 1st, 2008
I learned about this process about a year ago. I have been using it ever since. It is truly amazing. I don’t need to write down shopping lists, or memorize speeches, or anything. I simply do this photographic memory process and it sticks. The only caveat is I need to “review” this list in my head about once every few days for it to stick long term. And I even found a trick for that, by associating the picture of the moment to it… it is a long explanation and I can save that for another post… but suffice it to say, that works too.
- Mike
December 1st, 2008
This is an updated version of my Mega Memory program from the 90s. Thank you for revitalizing it! It’s just as`useful now as ever. Best of luck
December 1st, 2008
Hey I got 3!
Do you have the number for CIA
or maybe 007 
Excellent article thanks.
Steve
December 1st, 2008
Very Good. I will get to work on this system. Maybe print it and stick it to my wall , right next to the CIA’s phone number.
December 1st, 2008
Got 3! I’ve seen something similar to this before, nonetheless it’s a great article.
December 1st, 2008
great stuff! thanks!
December 2nd, 2008
[...] Attain Photographic Memory In 30 Minutes. Guaranteed! [...]
December 2nd, 2008
got em all, great stuff.
December 4th, 2008
That was helpful. It will be interesting to apply it from now on.
December 6th, 2008
OMG! OMG! OMG! This is incredible. I tried this out early last week and I still have the list memorized:
1. golden goose egg (and yes there is a scapel in it for #11)
3. painting roller
13. stroller
18. candy cane
This is so amazing! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have sent you an email, Mike.
December 9th, 2008
I got 3/5 on the first exercise. =)
I’ve been using my own kind of visual associations and way of grouping things since elementary school. There were a few other kids (elementary through grad school) who did the same thing in their own ways and I suppose it helped a lot because we’d score higher on exams with much less effort.
Nice to see the technique being shared with everyone.
January 13th, 2009
I just started learning this, so I don’t know if it’s excellent or not, but from the comments, I think it is.
April 8th, 2009
Wow! It worked! Like one person says, it’ll be tough to use in networking situations or times when things fly (firely, scalpel and shoe) at you giving you little time to create a mental picture. Thank you for detailing it! I will keep working on it.
April 9th, 2009
@Meryl – happy you are using it. When you here peoples names, you can apply pictures too. What I like to do is put them in a mental custom.
For example I met an Elizabeth Smith (and she told me about her husband Jerry). So what I did was instantly imagined her like Queen Elizabeth, dressed to the nines doing the queen wave. Then I picture her husband (never met him or know what he looks like), as Jerry Stiller… and what has he doing? Black SMITH work.
I have run into her a couple times and always greet her with a hello and her first name (while in my mind I am picturing the queen), and always ask how Jerry is. She is astonished I remember this… little does she know I have her married to Jerry Stiller the black Smith.
- Mike
April 9th, 2009
[...] Mike “The Toilet Paper Enterepreneur” Michalowicz does a beautiful job of explaining how to have a photographic memory in 30 minutes. I didn’t sleep well last night and yet, I managed to memorize 40 items. The key is to have a [...]
May 17th, 2009
wow thank you for that now im going to consider practicing this method so that i can obtain more knowledge
January 14th, 2010
[...] 1. Picture Association – This method will shock you. Simply associate stuff you need to remember with pictures. It works AMAZINGLY well, and here is a blog I wrote with all the details. [...]
January 15th, 2010
Hi Mike
Love this I now know that I won’t be needing a shopping list. I will try this for networking meetings next. Great ideas.
Thanks
Tricia
January 15th, 2010
@Tricia – it works so well it is mind blowing. I mean absolutely mind blowing. Just practice a few times before you depend on it. It would suck going to the super market and forgetting to come home with the Tomato Sauce (or worse yet, without any TP).
January 15th, 2010
Holy crap! Awesome post Mike. I am going to give this a try. I have always been good with driving directions. If I am in the passenger seat and pay attention, the next day or even a week later I can drive the same new path alone. NO directions, or anything. All just by visual! Yes, I’m bragging! lol
January 15th, 2010
Fun test! I scored all 20!
I think the trick is to couple an emotional tie or create an atmosphere to remember the images.
My hen was struggling to get cash from an ATM to ride the train.
A number of people were on the floor looking for a diamond ring under the couch.
I had a really cool table whose legs were made of sticks and it was easy to use them as hooks for drying bathing suits.
January 15th, 2010
@Susan – BRAGGER!!!!! (and I love that you are). Hey… I just signed up for flag football through Debbie Nexon’s league. Hope to see you on the field (just watch out for cheap shots).
- Mike
January 15th, 2010
I tried the imaging exercise and actiually remember everything on that list and in order. Wow. it works. I’ve been trying to find a method to improve my memory.
Thanks Mike.
January 16th, 2010
@Harry – thrilled it worked for you. One tip is to practice the anchor list often. Obviously it is based on rhyme. But the keep is the visual. So rehearse 1 is gun, 2 is shoe. But make sure you really picture in your mind what the gun, shoe, tree, etc. look like.
Oh… and it is a day later. Try the list again. I bet you still have it perfectly memorized.
January 20th, 2010
I have heard about this and have always thought it would be a great way for nurses to remember names of patients, familiy members, doctors, etc. Also, it would be useful to remember medications, diseases….hmmmm, now that could be fun….I wonder how many diseases I could connect to slime? I’ll work on this and certainly pass it along to the nursing profession!
Thanks TP Man!
Deb
January 20th, 2010
Hey Mike,
Really great, I’ve been through word association before but the ryhming numbers are new… will have to parctice a bit for numbers over 10 but i got ten in a heartbeat!
January 20th, 2010
Great idea for lists. Dale Carnegie courses teach this as well. I learned 30 peoples names in less than an hour and most of them I remember to this day (over 20 years later).
The ones with more powerful pictures remain the most vivid in your mind. Don’t use normal images. Your example of Queen E is a great one. We even came up with a way to remember our own names so we could give the image to other people when we met them. It never failed to make an impression.
I just told them to imagine a Large SCOTTish king in a kilt eating like wild and LOVING the GOOD food
I am terrible with names but when I take a moment to create the visual the name sticks.
January 20th, 2010
Great post!
I first heard of this method (and some others like it) a couple of years ago. They work wonderfully!
Another method, that I like to combine with the one
you used in this post, is to make a kind of “route”, i.e. through my house, a friends house, trough a familiar neighbourhood, a known public building, etc. In every room (or other places I decide to utilize) I put the things I must remember, together with its appropriate associations. And then “walk through” the route when I need to remember it.
Again, great post!
January 20th, 2010
Good stuff! No wonder you seem to remember everyone’s name and location on the TFM and TPE list. I imagine you have something cute and uplifting that helps you remember my name–right? This will serve me well. People call and want to know about a certain itinerary–like who can remember a seven day itinerarywith hundreds of variations?!?! Maybe now, I can do a better job! As always, you da man!
January 20th, 2010
I use a variation where I group the items into a single storyline with pictures. The image helps me remember the item and the story where the item is on the list. The sillier and more interesting the story, the better my memory of the items.
Thanks for the reminder. Maybe I can teach this to my clients- help them remember what they can do to improve their relationships.
January 21st, 2010
I have seen this method before and used it from time-to-time. The real key to using it it is to shut out distractions and take a little time to work it through. Ultimately the time at the beginning saves beaucoup time later on. The more you do it, the faster you get at it.
January 21st, 2010
Instead of reading myself to sleep last night, I practiced this strategy. Quite effective for memorizing 30 items plus the anchor set of ten. The visual brain is such a powerful tool.
My anchor list? Top 10 favorite dogs I know!
January 21st, 2010
Hey Mike.
Really awesome technique!
Works super great! I remembered the whole list!
But I’ve got another method that helps me remember of ideas I have when I don’t have a pen and a piece of paper around.
When something happens and I want to remember it, I usually make a loud weird sound, poke my eye with my finger, or do something else strangely unusual that comes up to my mind at that moment.
Now that I think of it, It’s very probable that I look like an idiot… Anyway…
I create an association between the idea and the moment.
Since the moment is unusual, because I made it be, it’s super easy to remember.
Later, instead of trying to remember the idea directly, I remember the moment of when I had the idea. Since, the picture you have of the moment is so clear, you can perfectly remember the idea.
January 23rd, 2010
Joao – Thanks for the tip. I am going to try it out (minus the poking my eye out part).
- Mike
January 23rd, 2010
@Scott – Dale Carnegie teaches this? I had no idea. He is one of my favorite “guru’s” of all time.
January 23rd, 2010
My pleasure, Ms. Savage. – from the TP guy
January 25th, 2010
Thanks for the tips Mike. I liked it so well I posted a reference to it at my blog’azine. (Now if I could just remember to get to the gym every day or two!).
–Dave Charbonneau
January 25th, 2010
CAVEAT: But let us all remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
January 25th, 2010
@Dave – anything for you. Love you caveat – no mind-melding permitted.