It’s funny how time flies!
We’re actually coming to an end of the course…

I hope that this course awoke the intellectual Hulk inside you!

Today, I’ll leave you with some final thoughts.

1. MNEMONICS ARE NOT THE SKELETON KEY

I used to believe that this technique would help me to memorize everything my brain and heart desires. Can you imagine the bitter disappointment?

I tried to memorize all trivia which I could lay my brain on.
To no avail.

The thing I didn’t know back then is that mnemonics should be integrated with elaborative encoding to strengthen memory.
You need to convince yourself (and your mind) that what you learn is necessary for your survival.

Your brain has to know that it’s useful! Like it or not we’re still driven by primal instincts.

Of course, due to the strength of spatial memory, simply mentally placing objects in real or imagined locations without further elaboration can be effective for simple associations.

2. IT TAKES TIME TO BE GREAT

It takes time to learn to use these techniques properly. But, believe me, the effort you put into it will pay off in the future.

So don’t be discouraged by your first failures. Fast-forward 2 years from now and you’ll be laughing how silly these issues were.

3. REPEAT (as often as it is possible)

Try to repeat as often as you can within the first 72 hours. This way a lot of words (or pieces of information) will get stuck in your mind for good.

To make it easier to use spaced repetition programs (they are listed in my e-book). Treat this curve as a constant reminder of the importance of repetition.

4. USE YOUR CREATIVITY

Do you know what’s the best by-product of using mnemonics?
Creativity.

It’s said that creativity is nothing more than connecting two (or more) previously unassociated elements. And that’s precisely what you do on a daily basis!

I still remember how shocked I was when I started being flooded with all kinds of ideas.
Use them, sell them, shape the world!

You can even come up with your own mnemonics if you believe that the ones you know don’t work that well.

5. TALK IF YOU LEARN LANGUAGES

If you use mnemonics to learn languages I can offer you this piece of advice.
Talk. Talk a lot.

Remember that communication is the sole purpose of languages.
The more you talk the bigger your active vocabulary, and the more difficult it is to forget what you’ve learned so far.

If you don’t know any native speakers – that’s ok.
Talk to yourself then. It makes little difference to your brain.

6. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

If you can’t measure something it’s hard to say whether you move forward.
People often complain that they hit the plateau in their learning.

That’s normal. Our progress in the later stages of learning is slower than at the beginning.
The problem arrives when this subjective feeling hinders your learning capabilities.

It hasn’t happened to me for a long time. Every time, when I started doubting myself, I checked stats (in spaced repetition programs) and I could see the progress.

7. GO KICK SOME BUTT

I have no more advice for you.
Go and do something with all the things you’ve learned.

Knowledge is useless unless it changes lives for the better.

If you’ve enjoyed this course, share it with your friends, so they (and I) can benefit from it.

Also, I always appreciate feedback!

Good luck!
Bartosz Czekala