High-efficiency memory method of the University of Tokyo

Chapter 2 5 Laws to Improve Memory

Rule 1
Choose "simple and helpful" knowledge for memorization
There's no point in rote memorization

Before introducing specific techniques for improving memory, this chapter first needs to clarify what we should remember if we want to be smart.

Human memory is unlimited.In fact, we can remember a lot of knowledge.But we don't need to memorize as much to become smarter.Because, even if many things are memorized by rote, not all of them may come in handy.

From the perspective of memory, things can be divided into two categories: one is things that can improve one's memory; the other is things that do not help to improve memory.Therefore, if you want to improve your memory, it is necessary to carefully choose what you really need to remember.

So, what are the things that can improve your memory?To know the answer, we need to understand the law of improving memory.This rule is summed up in the process of guiding more than 1000 students to face the entrance examination.

Section content:

Even if many things are memorized by rote, not all of them may come in handy.

Some things are simple, but memorizing them can help improve memory
I think there are levels of difficulty in what to forcefully memorize.

The degree of difficulty can be divided into many levels. This section will introduce the first one: too easy or too difficult.

In addition to the dimension ① from easy to difficult, we also need to consider the dimension of helping to improve/not helping to improve, because it is related to the question of whether people can become smarter.Combining these two dimensions, things can be divided into 4 parts.They have the following properties respectively:

(Part 1): Simple and unhelpful;

(Part 2): Simple and helpful to improve;

(Part 3): Difficult but helpful to improve;

(Part 4): Difficult without helping to improve.

What does the "simple and unhelpful" part of memory refer to?For example, for high school students, the content of elementary school is too simple.Asking high school students to learn the texts of primary school students, those things have either been recited or well known, so it will not help improve our memory.This is what is called "simple and unhelpful" memory.If measured by difficulty, its difficulty is very low.

In terms of difficulty, the "simple and helpful" part of memory is just right.You can improve your memory without forcing or increasing your burden.Wouldn't it be great to be able to do that!That's what this book is about.

The "difficult but helpful" part of memory refers to the part of "good results obtained through continuous effort".Although the process is difficult, it can improve memory.However, as time goes on, the idea that "you can't improve without hard work" will become stronger and stronger.Reciting things is getting harder and harder, and people feel more and more tired, and many people will give up halfway because of this.

The "difficult to improve" memory section refers to things that are too difficult.It's like asking elementary school students to study high school courses, the content is far beyond the scope of their comprehension.Trying to remember this kind of content is undoubtedly extremely difficult, and it does not help to improve memory. It is just a waste of hard work.

①Dimension represents a perspective.

Section content:

In terms of difficulty, the "simple and helpful" part of memory is just right.

How to Find the "Easy and Helpful" Memory Parts

Many people pay special attention to qualities such as hard work, persistence, and hardship, so they want to try to remember the third or fourth part.Judging from the results, of course, many people have improved their memory with this method.However, some content can be remembered without too much effort, which can effectively improve your memory. This is the second part.

To find Part 2, we first need to know it exists.Once we know it exists, we try to find out where it is.Those who think that "if you want to improve your memory, you have to suffer a little bit", and those who think "it is impossible to improve your memory so easily", it is difficult to find Part 2.

Therefore, we must form the habit: once there is something to remember, we must first explore which piece of content of this thing belongs to what we call the second part.

For example, we have to decide how many English words to recite a day. 100?Absolutely impossible! 10?And too little!So how many are suitable?We have to constantly adjust the quantity to find a most suitable point.This sweet spot is what we call part 2.Please find it by increasing or decreasing the quantity.

Section content:

To find Part 2, we first need to know it exists.

Rule 2
Keep in mind the recurring parts that are difficult to express clearly
Frequency of occurrence varies with likelihood

We mentioned earlier that there are varying levels of difficulty in remembering content.Now I want to talk about the second situation. The frequency of occurrence of the content to be remembered is also different. The simple distinction is whether it appears or does not appear.

For remembered knowledge to be useful, it must be given the opportunity to use it.Different kinds of knowledge have very different chances of use or frequency of occurrence.On this basis, we add the dimension of "conducive to promotion/not conducive to promotion", and then we can divide the contents with different attributes.details as follows:
(Part 1): knowledge that "appears without improving memory";

(Part 2): knowledge "appearing to help improve memory";

(Part 3): Knowledge of "facilitating memory without appearing";

(Part 4): Knowledge of "does not help improve memory without showing up".

The first part of "appearing without helping to improve" means that the possibility of appearing is very high, but only now remembering the knowledge that it is already "it's too late to open an umbrella after the rain".Without any preparation, this part of knowledge will appear, even frequently, but we can only give up.Therefore, they are no longer helpful in improving our memory.

Part 2 is the part that "appears to help improve" memory.It refers to the knowledge that the possibility is high and that it is not too late to start preparing for it.Keeping this part of knowledge firmly in mind will definitely help improve our memory.

The third part, the part of "helping to improve the memory without appearing", refers to the very subtle knowledge that the possibility of appearing is divided in half. The knowledge of "when there is plenty of time, it is good to keep a record as a reserve" belongs to this part.For example, learning English in preparation for a business trip overseas one day.This knowledge can come in handy if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel overseas.

However, the knowledge belonging to the third part is often memorized and there is not much use for it.Over time, we will relax.The result of memory is also obvious, and it is difficult for us to firmly imprint this knowledge in our minds.

The fourth part is the knowledge of "does not appear and does not help to improve" memory.The odds of such knowledge appearing are rather low, if not quite likely never to arise.Therefore, even if this kind of knowledge is remembered, it will not help us improve our memory.What's more, those who hold on to this part of knowledge are likely to be some people who want to escape from reality.

Remembering repeated mistakes can help improve memory

To memorize knowledge effectively, according to the law of improving memory, hold on to the knowledge that belongs to the second part, that is, the knowledge that has a high probability of appearing, and it is not too late to start preparing now.

So, how to find this part of knowledge?

To find this part of knowledge, before reciting rote memorization, we must first consider how likely they are to appear in the future.

For example, when learning English, think about the probability that the sentences in the textbook will come in handy in your real life.If we discuss the knowledge to be recited and memorized from this perspective, we can increase the amount of knowledge in Part 2.

In addition, remembering the recurring mistakes in time is also an effective way to approach the knowledge in Part 2.

For example, the knowledge that is asked every time in English conversation but cannot be answered in English belongs to the second part.This knowledge needs to be firmly memorized.Similarly, questions that are often asked by the other party at work but cannot be answered well also belong to Part 2.

Section content:

Before reciting rote memorization, it is necessary to consider how likely they are to appear in the future.

Rule 3
Acquiring knowledge that arises directly and indirectly
Immediately occurring knowledge is a cue to interpret indirectly occurring knowledge
Emerging knowledge can be divided into two categories: directly emerging knowledge and indirect emerging knowledge.Since this issue is often overlooked, it is worth adding a special explanation here.

For example, the questions that are exactly the same as those in the original book during the exam are the knowledge that appears directly.

The so-called indirect knowledge refers to the knowledge that is different from the original book, but if it is used as background knowledge, it will help to answer the test questions.In other words, the part that can become the basis of all kinds of knowledge is the knowledge that occurs indirectly.

For example, study the periodic table of elements for chemistry.This is a list of element symbols such as hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), etc. Usually, we will recite this periodic table with formulas such as "Invite Li Na to participate in the event...".This periodic table of elements is very important.It is directly used a lot during the exam.In addition, there are many topics that use it indirectly.In other words, knowledge about the periodic table of elements may appear directly or indirectly in the examination papers.Therefore, we need to keep the periodic table of elements firmly in mind.

In addition, if the subject of the test is geography or history, the latitude and longitude on the map may become indirect knowledge.By memorizing it, you can know the geographical location of each country, and you can answer the relationship between countries during the exam.

The knowledge that appears indirectly is different from the knowledge that appears directly, and is not easy to grasp.Therefore, when we need indirect knowledge, we can use the power of teachers (or bosses at work, seniors) or books.

"If you want to solve this problem, what kind of knowledge or skills do you need?" We can ask the teacher in this way.In addition, flipping through books can also find answers.

Section content:

The part that can become the basis of all kinds of knowledge is the knowledge that occurs indirectly.

The more surrounding information, the easier it is to remember
Indirect knowledge does not only refer to background knowledge, but also includes information about surrounding things.Mastering surrounding information can improve memory.This is because, if the amount of information is too small, it is not easy for people to remember new knowledge.

For example, watching the content introduction before watching a movie is not easy to remember.However, it is easy to understand after watching the movie and then going to the introduction.This is due to the increase in the amount of information and the ability to understand it.

At the same time, mastering the information of surrounding things can make it easier for us to remember the knowledge we want to remember.Therefore, in addition to the knowledge that appears directly, we also need to pay attention to the existence of surrounding information.

However, please keep in mind that the surrounding information is only an aid to the knowledge that appears directly. It is enough to read it superficially.Otherwise, the limited study time will not be enough.

Section content:

Indirect knowledge does not only refer to background knowledge, but also includes information about surrounding things.

Rule 4
Do "things that can be mastered immediately by trying it out"

Doing things you already know or things that are too difficult is a waste of time

Next, we will introduce the third type of difficulty level: yes and no.Regarding this, we can also intersect with the dimension of helping to improve/not helping to improve, and come up with the following four parts:
(Part 1): Knowledge that "will help improve memory";

(Part 2): Knowledge of "meeting will help improve memory";

(Part 3): Knowledge of "not but helpful to improve memory";

(Part 4): Knowledge that "does not and does not help improve memory".

(Part 1) The knowledge of "knowledge without improving memory" refers to doing what you already know.Learning what you know before will not help you improve your academic performance.Memorizing already memorized knowledge is a waste of time.

(Part 2) The knowledge "will help improve memory" refers to things that can be mastered immediately by doing hands-on attempts.Concentrate your energy on this level that is in line with your own strength.

(Part 3) The knowledge of "improving memory without knowing it" refers to things that "even if you try, you will not be able to learn in a while", that is, things that are still difficult to do with your current strength .There are many people who challenge this part, but because it is very difficult, the speed of improving memory will decrease.

(Part 4) Knowledge of "doesn't and won't improve memory" means trying things that you would never do.For example, someone with a liberal arts background wants to memorize terms from a physics textbook.There is no point in doing so.Doing things beyond the scope of your current strength will only increase pain and will not improve yourself (but here it means that you will not improve if you challenge without any preparation. For the solution to this kind of thing, please see Chapter 1 Section [-]).

Self-centered thinking about things you don't know

Here, let's take a look at the so-called "won't things".

Just like literacy, the so-called "unable things" are things that you can't recognize or handle now, or things that others think you can't recognize or handle.No matter how simple it is, if you don't know it, you can't do it.It has nothing to do with whether other people will or will not.There are always things that you don't know, and it's easier to find them out.

The problem is, we often hide from reality and take our eyes off the things we don't know.Once we avoid these things, things that might just not be possible for a while may very well become things that will never be.

One of my students couldn't remember a certain mathematical formula no matter what.For the average person, the formula is actually quite simple, but not for him.

This is nothing to be ashamed of.Faced with the fact that you can't remember this formula, just work hard to overcome it.Don't be shy or discouraged because everyone around you can do it, but I can't.For things that we don't know, if we don't face it bravely, it will be difficult for us to master it.

Everyone has his strong and weak points.It should come as no surprise that there are things that you do that others don't, and things that others do that you don't.There is no need for us to be humble and self-complaining, nor is there any need for us to be arrogant.What we have to do is to recognize the things we don't know, and overcome them.

After you have a clear understanding of the things you don't know, please use the methods described next to overcome them.In that case, your memory will definitely improve by leaps and bounds.

Rule 5
Refine what you don’t know, and discover the feasibility of the next step

What is the Yoshiyoshi Feasibility Model

Suppose you now have a good idea of ​​what you don't know.

Judging from the attributes of "will/won't" and "helps to improve/does not help to improve", this is part 3 or 4.To memorize those knowledge intact, the speed of improving memory will definitely not be accelerated.So what should we do?

The way is to divide things that you don't know into many small pieces, and each piece should be very small.In this way, things that I thought I would not know, suddenly felt possible.

In other words, things that belonged to Part 3 or Part 4 before have now entered the scope of Part 2, and become knowledge that may be implemented immediately after a try.

Section content:

Divide things that you don't know into many small pieces, and each piece should be very small.

Find the next step to achieve possible by splitting

For example, a person wants to have a home vegetable garden in the future so that he can be self-sufficient in the vegetables he eats.However, this person does not have any farming experience, nor does he have any friends who are familiar with farming.He didn't know exactly where to start with this.

Growing a home vegetable garden was clearly out of the question for this man.To turn this state into a feasible one, he needs to break down the entire process of realizing the home garden plan into multiple parts or links, find out what he knows, and act immediately.for example:
If there are lectures on home gardening available at a convenient location, he can apply to attend.

If it is not possible to apply to participate, he can ask for brochures and other materials.

If he can't get brochures or the like, he can look at the lecture's web page.

If the web page about the lecture can't be found or opened, he can record the home garden information in his notebook.

If he couldn't write it down, he could say the words home garden.

If you can't even talk about it, at least imagine it and enjoy it.

In the process of continuous division and refinement, we can discover this part that may be possible.Once you discover this part, you should start working on it immediately.

Through this method of division and refinement of each step, what you want to do can quickly move towards the second part, that is, the part that may be solved immediately if you try it.

The law of ascension embodied in this method can be applied to all situations in life.It is of course also suitable for improving memory.But as far as the specific refinement method is concerned, improving memory has its unique features.Starting in the next chapter, we will introduce these unique methods for improving memory.

Section content:

But as far as the specific refinement method is concerned, improving memory has its unique features.

(End of this chapter)