Master of Memory: Accelerated learning, education, memorization - MMem 0408: Major-based PAO system: My latest suggestions

Episode Date: September 30, 2015

Eduardo is starting to create a PAO system based on the Major System. What steps should he follow to begin this project and see it through to the end? What do you want to learn? Leave your question at http://MasterOfMemory.com/. Music credit: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet, 2nd movement, performed by the US Army Band.

Master of Memory 408. Welcome to Master of Memory. I'm Timothy, and I'm here to answer your accelerated learning questions every day and to inspire and empower you to learn anything you want to learn faster than ever. Eduardo submitted a written question at masterofmemory.com slash question. Eduardo says, I'm starting to create my PAO system based on the major system. Do you have any tips for creating, like starting with objects or persons? Do the three have any relation between them?

Do you start by the simple numbers like 10, 20, 30, 11, 22, 33? And I'm fluent in English, but I'm from Brazil. All the material that I've studied of mnemonics is in English, and I only think in English for this matter. Should I build a system in English or Portuguese? And finally, would it be of any use to have two PAO systems, one in English and one in Portuguese? So first of all, Eduardo, congrats for taking this step, for doing this big project that is something that really you'll use in almost every learning project for the rest of your life. It's something that will be extremely useful to you for learning all kinds of things, and you'll only start to see as soon as you create this thing and start to use it.

So it's really exciting that you're doing this. Now, first of all, I would suggest just using English. And why would I suggest that? Because first of all, as you said, you're thinking in English while you're doing these learning projects, and so why not stick with English? It's the world's most important language, and why create two systems? You already have enough work to do creating this PAO system in the first place. I don't really see a reason to create a Portuguese PAO system, unless, of course, you're wanting to help other people that you know with their PAO systems who don't speak English. But hey, I think that if you are in English mode when you're doing mnemonics, then you may as well stick with English for your own personal purposes. Now, as far as steps for proceeding, I would go according to these steps. First of all, learn the sounds for the first four numbers. All right, so zero is s or z. That's very easy because zero starts with s. And then one is t or d. And that's easy because it's straight up and down vertical like the letter

t. So we have z for zero and t for one. Two is n. If you think about it, it's just a sideways n. Just turn it sideways and you have an n. And then three is m. It's a sideways m. If you think about it, it's just a sideways N. Just turn it sideways and you have an N. And then 3 is M. It's a sideways M. If you turn it sideways the other way, it's an M. Those four digits are really easy to start with with the major system. You can start doing lots of things with them. Now, I would suggest that you learn your objects and your characters at the same time for certain numbers. So you're just going to start with a few numbers,

and you'll learn the objects and characters simultaneously. So you'll learn the character holding the object. And the numbers that I would suggest starting with are all the numbers that involve the numbers 0, 1, 2, and 3. So of course we have 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 3, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, and so on. Just 16 numbers. Learn all those characters and learn all those objects. Don't learn the actions yet. Don't decide on the actions.

Just learn those characters and those objects. Then start creating some memory palaces, some temporary memory palaces, just to experiment with just those 16 numbers, using both the characters and the objects separately throughout the palace, and see how well you can store them. So maybe write down all these numbers on flash cards and just keep shuffling them up and storing them quickly in palaces, and you'll be amazed at how suddenly you can remember long strings of digits like 1 2 2 2 0 0 3 2 0, 0, 3, 2, 1, 0.

And this process will help you to get to know your characters and your objects better, plus perhaps sharpen any that you have a little trouble remembering. Next, you'll just proceed one sound at a time. You might add the number 4, which is er, because r kind of rhymes with 4. You have that er sound at the end. And just add all the numbers that involve four. 40, 41, 42, 43, and then 04, 14, 24, and 34. So using the digits you already have plus the number four.

Learn all of those characters and those objects and then do the same thing again. Try using it in some palaces and making sure that your characters and objects are very distinct and that you're remembering them well in your imagery. Finally, after you've learned all of your characters and your objects,

you're going to choose some sort of action. And I would suggest using the action that each of those characters would do with that object. For example, your character for 0, 4, with its object 0, 4, well, what would that character naturally do with that object. For example, your character for 0-4, with its object 0-4, well what would that character naturally do with that object? That's going to be your action for 0-4. You don't want to try to use the major system for these actions, at least I don't personally recommend it, because it's really hard already to find a bunch of distinct actions,

and then trying to use the major system, that's just really difficult, and I personally have had a very difficult time trying to find actions that correspond to the major system. So I just use the character themselves. I just think is this character, and since I'm using it as an action, it's just what that character would naturally do. So congrats again, Eduardo, for taking on this project. I'd love to help you out by email. If you want any help in creating this system, just email me at timothy at masterofmemory.com.

For everyone listening, what do you want to learn? The world's knowledge can be yours. Leave your learning request at masterofmemory.com slash question, and I'll talk to you again soon.