A reader recently enquired where she could obtain more linking memory exercises. While surfing one day, I stumbled across a pretty cool game online called the Shopping List Memory Game (it’s free!) which can be used in a similar way to the linking memory exercise. In the game, you are given a list of items with their pictures that you need to remember. Once you’ve memorised them, you are sent to the grocery store where you have to pick up all the items on your list from memory. As the game level increases, the more items you have to remember on your list.

In this game, you are encouraged to memorise the list using the linking memory technique. They also provide an example of how to use the linking memory method to recall all the items on your grocery list.  I particularly like their explanation of how linking memory works because there is not a lot of clarity given on this topic.

To make sure you can remember all the items through linking memory, you should make your linking story as crazy as possible – the sillier and more unusual, the better, because it is the extraordinary that will make it easier for you to remember. For example, if you were trying to remember socks and soap, instead of imagining a pair of socks being washed with soap (which is actually very common occurrence), you should imagine a soap with legs trying to wear a pair of socks. Because it is so ridiculous, it becomes much more memorable.

For more linking memory resources, check this out:

• Apps: Mimir – the Art of Memory
• Right Brain Child – Memory Train