If you want to know how to develop a photographic memory, then you need to understand something about the way the memory works. Specifically you need to understand that our visual memory is not the only way we memorise things. You also need to understand that the way in which we try to memorise things is often the most important aspect of memorizing stuff. Choosing the right methods for memorising information in the first place can make the difference between recalling and not recalling essential facts, names, lists and other pieces of information.

This eBook will help you discover those vital techniques:

Use Multiple Systems

We don’t just remember things visually. For proof of that, think about the last time that a song got stuck in your head all day. You not only remembered it, probably in annoying detail, you couldn’t forget it. Try remembering the feel of playing your favourite sport, or of typing a letter, or of performing a musical piece. Each time, it was probably fairly easy. In fact, you might be one of those people who finds it easier to remember things through auditory or kinaesthetic methods than through visual ones.

As a result of all this, memorising things using as many different elements as possible is a vital component of how to develop a photographic memory. Don’t just stare at the information. Don’t even just create vivid images encapsulating everything you need to remember. Instead, try to include audible elements and physical actions as well. Try saying things aloud as you memorise them, or working them into a rhyme. Try picking up on any oddities in the sound of the words. One useful trick is to try memorising something with a familiar piece of music in the background. Recalling the music later can lead you back to the information you were after. If the things you’re trying to remember include actions, try acting those out.

Use Mnemonics

Additionally, make liberal use of mnemonics to help you remember large groups of information. “Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain” is a classic one used to remember the colours of the rainbow, but you can use them to organise practically any set of information. There are essentially three approaches:

You could come up with a memorable sentence by working in the first letters of everything you have to remember. The example above is one of those, and this approach has the advantage of simplicity. Ideally, the sentence should make sense, because otherwise you are just memorising a random list of words that is no more memorable than what you originally wanted to recall. Try to make it funny or interesting, because when it comes to how to develop a photographic memory, that is always one of the most important factors.

If you’re not feeling quite that ambitious, you could try using acronyms as a basis for memorisation. Often, if you think about it, the first letters of groups of things to be remembered will go together to make a more memorable word, as with the RICE (rest ice compression elevation) approach to treating injuries.

If you are feeling ambitious, you can work the information into a rhyme. It has the advantage of being especially memorable that way, though it does require extra effort at the beginning. Whatever method you use, remember that it is how you memorise things that will determine whether you remember them later on.