Learn the Backwards ABC’s in 4 minutes (and then anything else)
I hope you all enjoyed the video. It’s a fun little activity which allows for you to learn to say the alphabet backwards fast. I’m confident that if you watch it a few times you’ll be able to do it too.
Embedded in the act of learning the alphabet backwards is the core to being able to learning a ton more information. I know a lot of things. I have a lot of random information floating around upstairs.
My mind palace (thanks Sherlock) is a mansion of ideas, equations, languages (linguistic and computer), musical scales, and mechanical information…and maybe also Disney songs (seriously all of them) and comic book and movie info…and 80s song lyrics…and a bunch of other useless stuff.
The thing is that the human brain can only access a certain amount of that information at a time. I’ve utilized many strategies so that I can keep the information straight. I’ve also discovered that everything is worth learning if you don’t know it. I mean sure there is some fluff information out there, but that fluff information will get you through that job interview one day out of the blue (synchronicity happens).
These strategies are mnemonic devices. Get good at using them. Now I know many of you know what a mnemonic device is but have you truly honed them? If effectively used you have a shortcut to keeping massive amounts of information readily available. It’s like zipping up several large files and being able to unzip them at a moment’s notice. It’s the way that if done right, that information from your late night cram will actually stay as a permanent resident in your mind. What’s more is the fact that you will learn faster. Imagine you’re Batman and you need to memorize the license plate numbers of 10 cars that are in a parking lot before the bad guys leave the building. You need a strategy to be able to do this.
Most of these strategies have been written about to an extreme degree. This article also has a good summation. I use many of the strategies written in it and more.
Some of them are:
The Method of Loci (literally Sherlock’s ‘mind palace’) in which you actually visualize physical representations in your head. If you are a visual learner this is a useful tool. Imagine each piece of information as a specific file or book or picture on a wall or shelf. Have a specific place for it as in a well organized library or tools in a well organized garage.
I also rely a lot on the use of chunking. We already do this when referring to phone numbers. We do it when referring to social security numbers. You don’t remember someones phone number as a straight 7 digit string. You remember the first 3 and then add 4 more. It’s how I memorized all my credit card numbers too. It is separating large strings of information into smaller more manageable chunks.
Using rhymes is also something that can be helpful. The linked article uses the example of “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue.” I found this to be an excellent exampe. You can do it for much longer things as well.
Doing the alphabet backwards was a good example of using acronyms. For learning order of operations in math often times teachers use lines like ‘Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally’ (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction) to help memorize the order of operations. Music uses things like Every Good Boy Does Fine (EGBDE) to memorize the notes in the treble staff.
I was also taught in trigonometry SOHCAHTOA which is the key to so many engineering formulas.
SOHCAHTHOA means Sine equals Opposite divided by Hypotenuse, Cosine equals Adjacent divided by Hypotenuse and Tangent equals Opposite divided by Adjacent. You don’t need to know what this means but know that it unlocks almost all the math of right triangles. This is important as it also is applied in sound and light waves and many other applications. I learned SOHCAHTOA by learning the phrase:
Some Old Horse
Caught Another Horse
Taking Oats Away
It’s simple and it stuck and it’s the building blocks for a breadth of information that I cannot even scratch the surface of in this tiny article.
Using visual imagery is also a popular method. If you have the ability to associate a vivid image with a piece of information it will solidify the knowledge. Many people may choose to save a “photo” of the text in their mind as opposed to outright memorizing the words.
I would like to mention the use of songs and music to keep information on hand as well. As young children this is in fact the way we are taught the alphabet (forwards of course). The alphabet song is well known to children and is a shortcut to accessing the building blocks of our language.
I have an excellent example of this that is personal to me. When I was a student in middle school or high school and started learning algebra. We started quadratics and my teacher used a song to help us memorize the quadratic equation. She set it to the tune of “Pop Goes The Weasel” and I’ve known it ever since. I’m going to embed a video so you can see this for yourself. I do not think it translates to text quite as well as hearing it done.
We all have examples like this that someone has taught us. Someone invented them in the first place though. I suggest you get good at it and make a ton of your own. I do, and it has made all the difference.
Go learn something and unlock your super mind.
