Have you ever heard of chunking? No, not chunky, chunking! Chunking is the process of putting the information you need to know into categories, clusters or hierarchies. By doing this it (in theory) will make it much easier for you to recall all the information you need to remember. This memory technique is quite simple to use and it will quickly transform your ability to remember lots of data and information if used correctly.
Chunking describes the method of grouping together a series of items in order to make remembering each item individually much easier. Make sense? Clear as mud? Chunking usually comes in the form of categories or hierarchies and it can be applied to just about anything - objects, formulas, names, dates, numbers, places, events, symbols, and so on.
For example, you may like to group items together based on starting with a certain letter (such as the letter B, G, K or Z - or any letter obviously), or based on what type of item it is (like what it's used for or what it's made from) or how this item is applied (like equations).
The most vital thing to remember is not how to chunk them together, but instead just making sure that you understand the groups or categories you are going to use. Don't use grouping you don't understand because you will find it much harder to remember the groups themselves (which means you won't remember the items either!)
Let's look at how this may work by starting with eight objects: soccer, television, bread, sausages, strawberries, bean bag, basketball, television, and bananas. We could use chunking to group these items by the letter B - bread, bananas, basketball and bean bag. Or we could chunk them by sports - soccer and basketball. Or we could chunk them by fruit - strawberries and bananas. Or we could chunk them by food items - bread, sausages, strawberries and bananas. This is by no means an extensive list but you get the point. The items are being grouped together based on a common denominator.
Now, it's clear these chunking lists have been simplified but the point to take away is that by creating a group, category or hierarchy you are effectively building more memory traces to help you remember the information you need. For example, if you remember the letter B you will also remember bread, bananas, basketball, and bean bag. If you remember the letter S you will also remember sausages, strawberries and soccer. So by just remembering the letters B and S you have remembered most items. This is much more effective than trying to remember individual items. It makes sense doesn't it?
Now let's take things a bit deeper. What about chunking numbers? Let's say you need to remember the following number - 3112196911222006. Say each number one by one. Did you get all that? Now repeat it out aloud without looking at it. Hmm - three, one, one, two - wouldn't have a clue? There was a six somewhere? Not sure? But if we use chunking all of a sudden this becomes much easier.
First, 3112. Well, this is the date of New Year's Eve each year isn't it? The 31st of December. The 31st of the 12th. 3112. Next - one, nine, six, nine - obviously this is the year man first walked on the moon - 1969. Next comes one and one, or eleven - the first number that cannot be counted on your fingers. Followed by two and two - or 22 - which is double 11! Next comes two, zero, zero, and six. That's 2006. In 2006 Brazil won the soccer world cup. Easy enough to remember?
By using the chunking system for numbers it becomes clear that what you are recalling are stories related to the numbers to form a larger number. You don't have to remember any numbers; you just need to remember the events. Pretty cool isn't it? The date of New Year's Eve, the year man first walked on the moon, one more than your fingers or toes, double that number, and Brazil beats everyone and wins the soccer world cup. 3112 - 1969 -11-22-2206. 3112196911222006. What's hard about that?
Once again, these examples do simplify the process but you can't argue with how effective this method is. So start chunking today and see how much you can remember. You will be amazed! Good luck.
Chunking describes the method of grouping together a series of items in order to make remembering each item individually much easier. Make sense? Clear as mud? Chunking usually comes in the form of categories or hierarchies and it can be applied to just about anything - objects, formulas, names, dates, numbers, places, events, symbols, and so on.
For example, you may like to group items together based on starting with a certain letter (such as the letter B, G, K or Z - or any letter obviously), or based on what type of item it is (like what it's used for or what it's made from) or how this item is applied (like equations).
The most vital thing to remember is not how to chunk them together, but instead just making sure that you understand the groups or categories you are going to use. Don't use grouping you don't understand because you will find it much harder to remember the groups themselves (which means you won't remember the items either!)
Let's look at how this may work by starting with eight objects: soccer, television, bread, sausages, strawberries, bean bag, basketball, television, and bananas. We could use chunking to group these items by the letter B - bread, bananas, basketball and bean bag. Or we could chunk them by sports - soccer and basketball. Or we could chunk them by fruit - strawberries and bananas. Or we could chunk them by food items - bread, sausages, strawberries and bananas. This is by no means an extensive list but you get the point. The items are being grouped together based on a common denominator.
Now, it's clear these chunking lists have been simplified but the point to take away is that by creating a group, category or hierarchy you are effectively building more memory traces to help you remember the information you need. For example, if you remember the letter B you will also remember bread, bananas, basketball, and bean bag. If you remember the letter S you will also remember sausages, strawberries and soccer. So by just remembering the letters B and S you have remembered most items. This is much more effective than trying to remember individual items. It makes sense doesn't it?
Now let's take things a bit deeper. What about chunking numbers? Let's say you need to remember the following number - 3112196911222006. Say each number one by one. Did you get all that? Now repeat it out aloud without looking at it. Hmm - three, one, one, two - wouldn't have a clue? There was a six somewhere? Not sure? But if we use chunking all of a sudden this becomes much easier.
First, 3112. Well, this is the date of New Year's Eve each year isn't it? The 31st of December. The 31st of the 12th. 3112. Next - one, nine, six, nine - obviously this is the year man first walked on the moon - 1969. Next comes one and one, or eleven - the first number that cannot be counted on your fingers. Followed by two and two - or 22 - which is double 11! Next comes two, zero, zero, and six. That's 2006. In 2006 Brazil won the soccer world cup. Easy enough to remember?
By using the chunking system for numbers it becomes clear that what you are recalling are stories related to the numbers to form a larger number. You don't have to remember any numbers; you just need to remember the events. Pretty cool isn't it? The date of New Year's Eve, the year man first walked on the moon, one more than your fingers or toes, double that number, and Brazil beats everyone and wins the soccer world cup. 3112 - 1969 -11-22-2206. 3112196911222006. What's hard about that?
Once again, these examples do simplify the process but you can't argue with how effective this method is. So start chunking today and see how much you can remember. You will be amazed! Good luck.
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