One of the simplest and most powerful techniqes for memorization is called the Link Memory System. If you learn and practice the Link System, you’ll be able to memorize anything in half the time it takes you now, and retain it for as long as you want. And not only is the link system easy to use, but it’s fun too!

So let’s get down to it. What is the Link System and how does it work?

I first read about the Link System in a fantastic book by Harry Lorayne called Super Memory - Super Student: How to Raise Your Grades in 30 Days. Harry sums the Link System up like this.

“In order to remember any new thing, it must be associated, in some ridiculous way, with something you already know or remember.”

That’s all there is to it really.

Putting it into action

Say for whatever reason that you needed to remember this list of 10 items:

shoe, baseball, lamp, computer, phone, nail, bottle, fish, window, wheel.

The first thing you need to do is to picture the first item on the list, in this case a shoe, in your mind’s eye. And really picture it. Visualize it. Make it big and vivid. The easiest thing to do is picture something familiar, so picture your own shoe.

Next you will “link” the shoe to the second item, the baseball. You’ll do this by visualizing the baseball interacting with the shoe in some totally crazy and ridiculous way. That’s the key to the Link System. The links have to be crazy, ridiculous, illogical or impossible. The crazier or more impossible it is, the easier it is to remember.

Really use your imagination on this. Maybe the shoe is a monster and it’s eating the baseball. Or maybe you could imagine a giant baseball wearing shoes. Know what I mean? Once you’ve got a crazy picture in your mind, stop thinking about it and move on to the next one.

Quick Tip: If your imagination is a little rusty, here are some shortcuts to get you started: Make one of the items giant. Give the items human characteristics. Picture a million of one item.

Next create an impossible association between baseball and lamp. Here are a few I can picture: A lamp with a baseball for a lightbulb. A baseball speeding across a living room and shattering a lamp. A giant baseball monster with a lampshade on his head. See, isn’t this fun?

Go onto the next item and the next, until you’re finished. Then go through your links and see if you can remember the whole list in order. You might be surprised how easy it is to recall each item in order.

The Link System is so great because it uses the same “machinery” that our brains use all the time to remember stuff. Simply put, we remember stuff that seems to stand out in some way. Boring, non-interesting things never stick very well in our memory.

Just like any other skill, this one takes time to learn. You might think this little exercise took longer than if you had tried to memorize the list the old way. It did because you were still learning the technique. Once you get some practice in you’ll be able to remember lists longer than that one in way less time!

For a little fun, come back tomorrow see if you can remember the list of items from this article. Then leave a comment telling me how you did. Good luck!

Image by macropoulos

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You really want to know the best way to save money on textbooks? The answer isn’t buying them used, or buying them on Amazon or eBay, or trading your buddy a package of Ramen noodles for the Chem. text from the course he failed last semester. The best way to save money on textbooks is not buying them at all.

OK, I might be exaggerating a little bit. You can buy *some* of your books. But wait a while. I learned this lesson really fast during my first semester at community college. I spent three hundred bucks on books only to end up using one of them. Those were some expensive paper weights. That was the last time I bought my textbooks before the semester began.

But won’t my professor be mad?

No, they won’t. They don’t expect you to have your text the first day. Most don’t even expect you to have it the first week. Hell, some won’t even use the textbook at all. I’ll talk about that in more detail in a minute.

But if I wait until later, all the used books are gone!!

Ah, the glorious “used book.” It’s amazing how colleges can turn a bunch of wrinkled, torn up paper into something so desirable, isn’t it? Let me tell you something about used textbooks. Unless you’re one of the lucky few who attends a school that rents out their textbooks, don’t pay for used books from your college. Buy them online. (Note: You can also do what I did and become one of the “lucky few.” I transferred to Southeast Missouri State this fall :P)

College bookstores are businesses.

A good rule of thumb is this: if you’re buying it from a college bookstore, you’re getting ripped off. It’s sad but true. That’s why a backpack from your university bookstore costs $40, while the exact some one at Wal-Mart costs $20. Most colleges run their bookstores as businesses to make a profit. This means they’re charging you more than they paid for that item. In fact, probably a lot more. Some colleges make literally millions of dollars a year from their bookstores. For many state colleges, and especially junior colleges, the bookstore is an integral source of income for the school. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, except when a college or university tries to hide it.

OMG used books!!!1

Your college encourages you to buy used books because they know the used books run out first. You and I know this too, so that’s why we rush in the first chance we get, usually about 5 minutes after we pick our classes, to get a hold of one of the precious used textbooks (cue heavenly singing.) Here’s my advice if you’ve bought used textbooks from your college bookstore: Don’t get on the computer and see how much you would have saved online, because you might want to throw that precious textbook out the window.

Your college bookstore isn’t evil. It’s just a business like any other. They’re in it for the money, and as a consumer you have to make educated choices for your purchases. One common excuse the bookstores use is that the high prices are the fault of the textbook manufacturers who charge them an arm and a leg for new books, and they’re just passing the buck to us. This is true, which leads me to my next point:

Don’t EVER Ever Ever ever ever ever buy new textbooks!

Ever. Unless it’s a brand new edition that you can’t find used. If this is the case, you should consider buying the previous edition used. You might be surprised how little difference there is between different editions of the same textbook. Usually they’ll just switch the order of the pages and chapters and slap a different cover on it. The content is the same.

And now we’re rounding third and coming home, bringing me back to my first point.

Don’t buy them at all.

Next semester, just show up to each class for a few days before you decide whether you need the text or not. Ask the professor whether you’re *really* going to use it. Most professors will be honest (although your college probably frowns upon their professors telling you anything besides: “yes! most definitely buy the book from the bookstore! In fact, buy two!!”) and honestly tell you whether they think you will need it or not. Find other kids who have taken the same course with the same professor and ask whether they used it.

It’s never too late to buy books off the internet. Even if you’re halfway through the semester and you realize you’re in over your head, get on Amazon and see who has your text. Many, if not most, used bookstores list their inventory on Amazon. You should try to save money, but don’t get a crappy grade in a class because you’re too cheap to buy the book. If you’re willing to pay a few extra bucks, you can have it shipped overnight and get it the next day. Just in time to cram for that final.

Some of it comes down to how hard you’re willing to work. One semester I got an A in my psychology class without ever buying the text, and the teacher even told us we HAD to have it to get an A in her class. But I showed up to class every day, took notes like a mad man, studied the heck out of my notes, and managed to pull off an A- in the class. Having to work a little harder was worth the $60 I saved.

So just take a deep breath and chill out. Bring a folder, notebook, and pen with you on your first day. That’s all you’ll need. You don’t need to be carrying all those books around anyway. It’s bad for your back.

For more tips on surviving without your textbook, check out 5 Reasons Why Google and Wikipedia Can be Your Textbook.

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Test anxiety can be a total bummer. It screws up your grades and can make your school experience horrible. But wait a minute! Do you really have test anxiety? I read a good article recently that suggested that a lot of our “test anxiety” is simply an excuse we use when we don’t do so well in school.

So how to you know whether it’s true test anxiety or not? The gist of it is, true test anxiety is the result of something mental (internal.) If your anxiety is a result of something external that you have complete control over, sorry bud it ain’t true test anxiety.

In this post I will give you 4 guideposts for determining if it’s truly test anxiety

4 questions for figuring out if it’s really Test Anxiety

1) Do you feel it even when you’re totally prepared for the test?

Let me put it another way: Are you studying enough?

Be honest with yourself and decide whether you’re really putting enough time into preparing for your exams. It might be that you simply need to raise the bar a little bit. I like to cram for tests but I’ve also practiced a lot at it. If this is the case for you, you might want to look into developing better study habits, strategies, organization and time management.

By the way, here are two great articles to get your started:
The Radical Simplicity Manifesto by Cal Newport and Productivity in a Hostile Environment by Pick The Brain.

2) Are you truly trying?

Do you actually care about doing well on a particular test? Anxiety implies that there is some emotion involved. But if you simply don’t give a you-know-what, it ain’t test anxiety.

3) Are you truly more nervous than the kid sitting next to you?

Everyone gets nervous when it comes to taking tests. Everybody gets nervous about anything that comes with a lot of pressure. Even Al Pacino suffers pretty bad stage fright when in front of large groups of people. Yes, even Scarface gets nervous. It could be that you’re simply experiencing a healthy dose of anxiousness while taking a test.

4) Are you taking care of yourself mentally and physically?

Make sure you’re eating well, sleeping enough, and exercising enough. Once again, you might need to raise the bar a bit. Poor nutrition and exercise will will generally make you feel like crap physically, mentally, and emotionally too.

Feel better now?

Now if you feel mad or persecuted (”I have a disease dangit!”) don’t. I want to empower you not tear you down. By realizing you have control over your feelings and behavior, you’ll be better off, trust me!

That said, true test anxiety does exist. And if you passed my little quiz and still think you might have test anxiety, these two links might be helpful:

CampusBlues.com
About.com: How to Deal with Test Anxiety

Good luck!

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