I want to figure out how long my memory will keep one of these lists in my head. The problem is that I am so excited about easily memorizing these lists that I keep repeating the journey in my head and reinforcing all of the images (to this day I can still remember the seven-membered list of items that I memorized a month ago). I memorized a second list containing fifteen items. I reinforced them a couple times and three days later the list was still as clear as day.
I got the basic gist of the memory palace from reading the first six chapters of "Moonwalking with Einstein", so I decided to try it myself for real. I took a two minute test in which I took a list of 100 words and tried to memorize as many of them as I could. I was able to get through 18 words and after the very first attempt in repeating them, I only messed up once. On the second attempt I recalled all 18 correctly (and I could probably do it again right now).
I decided to take a five minute test to see the limit of this strategy without training. I was able to memorize 26 items (and I'm almost entirely sure that I could have memorized more given more time). Josh said that on your very first attempt you could usually memorize anywhere from 30 to 40 items in a list, but I didn't try this.
My main goal at this point, realizing that these memory strategies definitely DO work, is to practice them and get good enough to use these strategies in every day life.
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