Loci Method - Trouble with Routes

by Mônica
(Brazil)

I'm having trouble to make my routes. I did a journey of my house, my room, important places in my city, but got no more ideas. Can you give some ideas of places, things that can be used for my journeys?

Can I use a imaginary place, parts of the body, what? What about the size of them (long,short)? How can I expand my ability on creating my routes? I already saw your article and the 19 routes you listed, but I need more help. I need you to open my mind!

Doug's Reply: Any route for the loci method must meet two criteria:

1) you know it well
2) it doesn't change

Other than that, it can be anything. The loci can be temporal (i.e., places in time) or completely artificial sequences.

The length doesn't matter as long as the "route" is long enough to include all the items you want to remember. You can use short parts of a long route for short lists.

More examples of routes:

* Fingers: Thumb > Index > Middle > Ring > Pinkie

* Planets, if you already know them in order (old style): Mercury > Venus > Earth > Mars > Jupiter > Saturn > Uranus > Neptune > Pluto

* The letters of any word such as your name: M-O-N-I-C-A, attach your list-item images to the *shapes* of each letter of your name. Attach the image for the concept or list itself to your name (i.e, to you). Considering the number of people you probably know, this one alone could be used for many, many lists.

* Shapes of the numbers of any numerical sequence you have memorized, such as your phone number.

* Locations at important events in your life, such as your wedding, graduation, etc.

* Sequence of the days of the week or months of the year.

* The parts of anything, such as clothing...
e.g., jeans bottom-to-top: cuffs > knee > pockets > belt; automobile front to back: front bumper > headlights > hood > front fender > front tire > driver door ... etc. or any type of vehicle;

If you can take a visual tour of it in your mind, it will work for the loci method. Doesn't matter what it is.

Regards,
Douglas
Memory-Improvement-Tips.com