Remember appointments … reliably!
You can commit very specific arrangements to memory with the Major System … to the minute!
Let’s say the next appointment you want to commit to memory is with a Mrs. Sanderson, who you have to meet at 5 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon. Using the same method as earlier, you only have to remember the number 35, or ‘mule’ (remember the sequence – it’s DAY first, then HOUR). See Mrs. Sanderson at the location, leading a mule, who’s very stubborn and is pulling against her every step of the way. If you haven’t met her yet, imagine she has a little boy with her (her son) and he’s off to one side, playing in the sand. That should remind you that your appointment is on Tuesday at 5 o’clock (mule = 35 = Tuesday at 5) with ‘Mrs. Sand-‘er-son’.
You see how easy it is to place these appointments at specific times?
Recalling memorised appointments
But how do you recall them? That’s easy too! Each day, you just have to mentally go through the peg words for that day to see what’s ‘hanging’ on them. For example, say it’s Friday morning – okay, Friday is Day 6, so go through the 60’s … cheese, jet, chain, jam, etc., and see if any images pop into your mind.
Your natural memory takes over at a certain point (and it’s very powerful), so don’t worry about confusing images you made weeks ago with the ones that are relevant today. Your short-term memory will ditch any that are no longer of any use to you, so you won’t have any problem with ‘old’ appointments.
And, of course, you won’t be showing anybody round at 3 o’clock in the morning, so the figures are self-explanatory – just a simple number is all you need, no a.m. or p.m.
Remember appointments – to the minute!
Now, about those very specific times … if you have to remember an exact time, to the minute, such as the time a train leaves, then all you have to do is add another two-digit number to the combination.
For example: let’s say you phone and find out that the train you need to catch is due to leave at 4.27 on Monday. Monday is Day 2, and the hour is 4, so we have 24 to start with, which can be substituted by Nero. Then, we have 27, for the minutes, which is ‘neck’. So to commit the train departure time to memory all you have to do is make something up using these two images.
You could imagine the Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burns, and then, realising the people will rise up against him and knowing the game’s up, he strokes his index finger across his throat, indicating he’ll soon be killed. That’s it, an image that incorporates Nero (24) and neck (27), telling you the time you need to recall is Monday (Day 2), at 4.27. To complete the picture, just see Nero then stepping onto the train, and you’ll be in no doubt that the time is for the train departure.
It’s easier than you think!
I know, it sounds complicated. Or, at least, contrived. But it’s quite possible to make up these images or scenes in just a few seconds (much quicker than I could ever explain the process), and as long as you take a few moments to really ‘see’ the mental images, you can be sure they will be filed in your memory quite securely.
The best way to find out the truth of it is to start using this system. Start making up images or scenes and linking them to people, or appointments, or events, and see for yourself how effective the system can actually be. With practice, you’ll be able to commit the times of appointments and various other events to memory quite easily, and with a great deal of confidence.