Memory mapping can be a powerful technique for stimulating thinking, and as a memory power boost.
The technique involves drawing associations on a piece of paper. first start with the key idea or word in the center and write close by the sub ideas, then connect these with a line.
This is a powerful memory enhancing technique because it operates on a number of levels at once

Diagramming information coverts the incoming mass of data into concepts and images that are meaningful to you.
It draws on the left-brain verbal, analytical abilities and the right brain spatial, visual abilities, reinforcing facts and data simultaneously in the memory circuits on both sides of the brain.
By jotting down key ideas and indicating connections between them, you personalize the data, arranging them in a way that is meaningful to you.
Because there is always space for further ideas and connections you are prodded to keep looking in new directions.
Since the key elements are all right there on one sheet it’s easier for you to see important connections.
Consciously processing the information– rather than passively listening or reading– makes it more likely you will remember it.

There are some excellent free tools for creating mind maps one of my favorites is freemind

Solving the Rubik’s 3X3X3 is quite easy if you follow these steps. First we put the white middle pieces around the yellow center sticker. Secondly when that is done look at the side of the white cross with yellow center or top layer and match up the side color with the sides center color. for example white green block matches up with green center sticker, then turn face twice with green towards you so that the white sticker matches the bottom white center. Do this with the next three pieces until a white cross forms on the bottom layer. Thirdly we fill in the bottom layer corner pieces by looking for a corner piece with a white side in the top layer, and we match up the opposite color with it’s center piece of the same color, for example opposite of white,orange on top is blue, so turn the blue corner to match up the blue center. With the blue side towards you turn the left hand layer counterclockwise now match the white sticker by turning the top layer counterclockwise. Do this for all leftover corner pieces so that the first or bottom layer is solved. Fourthly we look for a top layer center edge piece that is not yellow and center that piece with its color center. with that side in front of us we turn the top layer opposite from the top color or neighbor and turn the opposite direction left or right hand layer, clockwise on the right counter clock on the left. Turn the top layer one step. Now turn the -in this case orange center side- one turn clockwise.Rotate the top opposite orange side center so that you take a corner from the previously solved bottom layer. Return the color center side so that white is back on the bottom missing said corner piece. Don’t worry about scrambling that piece again, we will have it sorted out real fast in the next few steps.Return the white corner piece by matching its neighbor color to a center piece- again in this case the orange center. Now with the orange center in front of you turn the corner piece orange sticker towards the top and match it with the orange middle piece. Look for the two white pieces and match up with the white corner piece. return the white row to the bottom white layer, you have now solved the first piece of the second layer. repeat this algorithm to solve the middle or second layer. Sometimes you will find the piece you need reversed in its place or what can be called a parity situation. Once you have the previous algorithm down you can easily undo the parity in a couple moves. We now will try to form the yellow cross on top by turning any side F,T,R Ti, Ri, Fi. You might have to do this several times till you have the yellow cross. Solving the top edges of the cross is done by using this algoritm R,U,Ri,U,R,U,U,Ri , or by repeating the previous algorithm which I usually do. Use U R Ui Li U Ri Ui L for solving the top corners and lastly flip over any insubordinates with Ri Di R D x2 or 4

Have fun!

Sometimes one needs a bit more thought about life, and neccesary changes. Changes can be scary and mostly beliefs get in the way of achieving your goals. There are the five questions from Tom Vizzinis 3dMind NLP,  Neuro Linguistic Programming to get a clearer view on the beliefs that hold us back.

1- What is it you wanna do?

2- What gets in the way?

3-what is the belief you must have to let that get in the way?

4-What kinda person would believe that ?what kind of belief would you have about a person like that ?

5- what else would you have to believe for that to be true?

Check out Tom’s site at for more info on 3dmind.

According to Jean Marie Stine memory wizards are not born they are made. They use mnemonics or associations. There are four major techniques, The Loci Technique, Peg Words, Acronyms, Data Indexing.

The first technique uses the loci or latin multiple for places and associates these with things needed to be remembered . The more bizarre or dramatic the image created the better it will stick.

Say we need to remember a clients name, mr Woodberry he is tall and portly. Therefore imagine him hitting his head on the doorway. Now Envision a forest with vivid greenish colors and animal sounds on your television. The bowl of fruit on your living room table will give you a berry aah wood berry.

Select the facts, figures, or other data to be remembered

Pick elements that relate to the five loci or places in your living room- doorway, sofa, TV, lamp, picture on the wall.

Create a visual image that incorporates the information with items of your living room.

Run these images through your head for several times a day for three four days.{mospagebreak}

Our most remote ancestors were already aware of the power of rhyme to help pin down memory. Stories nd legends of heroes, heroines, and gods were put in rhyme. Rhyme made things easier to remember because the end of one line gave a cue to the sound of the word that  ended the next line and therefore to what preceded that word. Pegwords work in a similar fashion.
Pegwords link mental images for critical facts and figures with specific rhymes to the numbers one to ten– “one” and “sun”
you can make up your own rhyming system if you want. But in his book Mastering the information age, Michael McCarthy offers the folowing ready-made pairings:

One -sun         Six-sticks
Two -shoe       Seven-Heaven
Three-tree       Eight-gate
Four-door        Nine-vine
five-hive          Ten-hen

Here ishow pegwords help to boost your memory power when you have vital information you need to remember :

Pinpoint as specifically as possible the facts, names, or ideas you want to remember.

Create a mental image that links that information to the objects.

When you need to recall the data, mentally review the numbers, and the images associated with the rhyming pegword will pop right up, bringing the information you want with it.

Acronyms are the easiest way to remember something. Lets say you want to remember the five great lakes, Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. The first letters of each lake spell HOMES.
Pretty easy huh!?

Data indexing gives you your own data storage filing cabinet. According to scientists, our brains are capable of retaining about 100billion bits. That is the equivalent of 500 encyclopedias!

The difficulty is locating and retrieving the specific bit of data instantly and easily when you need it.

The four mental steps for data indexing are Source Identifier- a tag that tells where the data to be indexed came from. The Subject Label- a tag that tells what category the data is being indexed under.

Data Linking- associating the facts to both subject and source. Index subordinate data through the same process.

Speed reading seems like a hard thing to do but it is not all that complicated or hard. Like with everything, you need to practice for good results. Again some hard myths about reading exist, and can be summed up as , Reading is linear; True reading is word-for-word ,Reading is a laborious task which takes a long time ,All parts of a book are of equal value Reading faster will reduce retention.

For myself, I noticed that when reading I kept skipping back to a certain word in a sentence.

Sometimes rereading a whole sentence. Tremendous speed improvement after I used my index finger as a guide. We all learned reading by sounding out words and making sentences with those words, speed reading relies more on concepts per minute than a word or sentence. You can pre-scan a book for the main ideas, and perhaps the only idea in a book where the other chapters are just filler. Good luck on your Speed Reading adventures.May the speed be with you.