Mnemonics are verbal learning aids that are useful for reducing long lists to acronyms or short poems. For example, if one wanted to learn the royal houses of England in order (Norman, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stewart, Hanover and Windsor), one could construct a sentence with the first letter of each word corresponding to the name of a royal household. One example is "No Plan Like Yours To Study History Wisely." A person would simply remember the sentence to be reminded of each item on the list.
This technique is particularly popular among medical students.
The linking system is a more advanced way to memorize lists. Mastery of this system allows one to memorize lists of potentially unlimited length. To link items on a list together, mentally construct a vivid image which combines the first and second items. Then think of an image to link the second and third items, and then another to link the third and fourth items, and so on.
For example, if the first three items on your list were sausage, dartboard, plate, and horse one could link them by imagining:
A raw sausage being thrown at a dartboard and hitting the bull's-eye.
A family eating dinner off dartboards instead of china plates.
A craftsman applying gold plating to an ornamental horse.
These are, of course, merely suggestions. The most efficient way to use the linking system is to devise your own images using pictures you will easily remember. In order to get the best out of the system, spend a few seconds filling in the details of each image, adding vivid colors, textures and sounds where you feel it is appropriate.
The loci system is a more advanced version of the linking system. A flaw in the linking system is that each item on the list is chained together, and if you forget one image, the chain breaks down. The loci system provides a solution to this problem.
The basic principle is the same as in the linking system. Create detailed and imaginative mental images for each item you wish to remember. Instead of linking them together, however, bring to mind a familiar place or well trodden route (your kitchen or your journey to work are good for this). Then place each image at a different point (or "locus") along your route. Spend a few moments firmly anchoring each image to each location in your mind. When you want to recall information, simply imagine yourself traveling along the route, passing the images as you go.
The advantage of this system is that if you forget an item on the list, you can just continue on your mental journey until you come to the next one.
The story system is another useful memory aid. As with the previous aids it relies on mental images. However, instead of linking them or placing them at different loci along a familiar journey, combine the images to form a short story. The more imaginative the story, the easier it is to remember.