June 16, 2025: The Memory Palace

Why did I memorize 20 random objects?

This weekend, I stood in front of a room at our local library and led a memory workshop.

The goal? Teach folks how to remember a speech without fumbling with notes. Also, how to conquer the grocery store using no list. Or both. There are countless uses in between.

Before the event, I asked ChatGPT to create twenty unrelated items, as if shopping at WalMart. Then I gave myself five minutes to memorize them.

On Sunday, I stepped up with the list projected behind me and rattled off each object in order. Then backward. Then every other one.

The group leaned in.

I told them I could easily retain double or triple the amount. Give me a little more time, and I could manage over a hundred. And believe me, I’m not some brainiac.

Naturally, they wanted to know how. And turns out, there’s a method. A couple decades ago, I read about a strategy used by ancient orators. And I learned it.

So, I wondered if I could deliver a thirty-minute speech without relying on notes. I nervously tried, and it worked. My talks sounded more natural, so I kept refining the technique, which I’ve now used for years.

Sometimes people ask, “How do you remember an entire presentation?” The same way I did the shopping list.

It’s called the Memory Palace.

The idea is simple. You recall things by placing them inside a mental map of a familiar place: your house, your office, or your childhood school.

You walk through that space in your mind and “store” each item at a specific spot. Then, when you’re ready, take a stroll through the palace and collect the memories like you left them on a shelf.

The crazier the visual cues, the better. Your brain recalls visuals much easier than abstract information.

I walked the audience through a sample exercise. And judging by their faces, they embraced the concept.

Now if I can just remember where I put my reading glasses.