If I asked you to look at a list of words, wait 5 minutes, and then write down as many as you could remember this would be an exercise in recall.
If I asked you to look at a list of words, wait 5 minutes, and then tell me which ones look familiar on a different list it would be an exercise in recognition.
Both processes use different parts of the brain, and recognition is much easier because it leverages context to evaluate information. This is why you know you’ve met someone before (visual/facial recognition) but can’t remember their name ( abstract recall).
If their name were written down, though, you might be able to figure out which one “feels right.” That’s why most memory tricks that help you remember names suggest you create a compelling visual metaphor representing their name.
That way, the recognition of their face cues the association of the mental image that you can use to decipher their name.
Category: Thoughts
Recognition & Recall
Make Better Decisions
“I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” Charles R. Swindoll
Whether it’s figuring out whether to take the job offer or not, who to date, where to go to school, or what to have for dinner, every day is full of choices.
The quality of our lives are the results of the choices that we make. We actively design our life with every decision we make.
No pressure, right?
We often have very little information on what the outcome of our choice will be, and we can have a difficult time weighing the pros & cons of a particular choice we’re faced with. That’s why it can be easy to get “paralysis by analysis.”
That’s why I want to share 3 psychological elements that influence the choices that you make, and once you understand them it will help you make better choices more quickly.“One should make his decisions within the space of seven breaths.” Lord Takandobu
Element 1: Loss Aversion
As much as we’d like to believe that we’re noble creatures driven by logic & reason, we’re actually weak apes who are terrified of having things taken away from us.
When we think about the future, we’re much more concerned with what we could lose instead of being excited about what we could gain. Our motivations are more about what we can keep than what we can get.
This is why it’s easy to get stuck in negative mental loops about how everything is going wrong in our lives instead of appreciating all the amazing things that are actually going right.
When you consider a decision, ask yourself if you’re deciding to keep what you’ve always had, or if you’re opening yourself up to getting what you’ve always wanted.
Don’t (only) think about what could go wrong. Think about what could (also) go right.Element 2: Intrinsic & Relative Value
Everything is relative.
“When you sit with a nice girl for two hours you think it’s only a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove for a minute you think it’s two hours.” Einstein
It’s the same 2 hours in both cases, but your perception of its value is different. The same goes for making choices.
Think about the proportional value of what you’re going to win or lose when making a choice. If you stand to lose $5 and you’re a millionaire, it’s a (relatively) low risk decision. If you only have $20 to your name, though, suddenly $5 is a significant amount of money.
The intrinsic value is the same (near worthless paper), but the relative value is much different.
If the stakes of a choice seem high right now, take the course of action that will increase your relative value the most.Element 3: Anchor Points
Anchoring is a cognitive bias that deals with our tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information we have when making a decision.
Think about buying a car. What’s the first thing the sales person does? Takes you to look at the most expensive car on the lot.
He knows you’re looking for something sensible for your family of 5. He knows they’ll never all fit into that shiny sports car he’s showing you. He also knows that when you see the price tag of that sports car, your mind uses that as the set point for how much cars cost.
It’s now the anchor point.
Now, when you look at the minivan, its price appears much more reasonable, relative to the sports car (see element 2).
That technique is a powerful 1, 2 punch to your psychology, and it works.
This is why a sales person will help you buy your suit first, and then the little stuff later: your mind uses the price of the suit as the anchor point for making price-based decisions later (relative to that anchor point).
So when you’re evaluating a decision, and how it will play out, understand that your emotional connection is directly linked to the first piece of information you consider. Use this to your advantage by anchoring yourself to a positive outcome, and go from there.Takeaways
Decision making is a messy system with a lot of fuzzy math involved. Our conscious brain plays a much smaller role than we’d like to admit, so take the time to really understand how your non-conscious mind influences your choices.
Take control of your choices, and you’ve taken control of your life.Remember Anything
“Hi there! Great to meet you!” I said as I shook her hand.
“We met 6 months ago.”
Ouch.
Guess how well the rest of the meeting went?
It’s incredible what having a poor memory can cost you. The weird thing is, you rarely find out what forgetting something will cost you. In the example I just shared, though, it cost me thousands of dollars.
What has having a poor memory wound up costing you over the years? What would you stand to get from even a small improvement in your memory?
I want to share a couple techniques I’ve used to sharpen my memory that you can use right away.Beliefs
It’s a myth that having a good memory is something you either have or don’t. Like most things, it’s a skill you can practice.
Most people, however, hold the belief that “I have a crappy memory.” And then they wonder why they can never remember anything. Your non-conscious part of your mind believes what you tell it, and if you tell it you have a subpar memory, then guess what? That’s what you’ll get.
The first step in improving your memory is simply telling yourself your memory is getting better.Attention
How can you remember something you never noticed in the first place? You can’t.
Once you tell yourself your memory is getting better, you’ll start paying attention to details you want to remember.
Think about meeting someone for the first time. You’re worried about what you’re going to say, what they think of you, whether or not they’re going to invest in your company, etc. Everything but focusing on paying attention to what their name is.
No wonder you’re going to forget it as soon as you hear it; you never really heard it in the first place.
Stop that “in one ear and out the other” process by shutting down the mental chatter and really notice details.
Do this and you’ll be ahead of 90% of everyone else.Systems
Want to take your memory to the level beyond paying attention? You’re going to need a system.
We tend to remember things that are in some way related to information we already know. That’s why it’s easy to remember someone’s name if it’s the same as our brother, for example. We learn things by associating them in relationship to what we know already.
If you have no way of relating to a new piece of information, there’s nothing for it to connect to, and you’re much more likely to forget it.
What you need is a system that allows you to establish associations with any kind of new information.
Here’s a system that works for me. There are many systems out there, but this is a great place to start.Linking
This works best on lists of information, like a grocery list.
Our minds recall interesting imagery more easily than logical or bland images. Let’s use that to our advantage.
Look at the first & second item on the list, and then create a compelling image in your mind that includes both items. Go to the extremes. Either in terms of number, amount, size, violence, etc. The more unusual picture in your mind, the more likely you are to remember it later.
Once you have that image firmly in your mind, drop it completely. It’ll be there when you get back, I promise.
Now, look at the second & third item on the list. Do the same process of “linking” those two items.
Continue like this until you’ve associated all items on the list.
Now, when you think of the first thing, it will bring up the image with item 1 & 2. Then the second item will prompt the image with item 2 & 3. Third item prompts the link between 3 & 4, and so on until you’ve remembered the whole list.
It’s surprising at how simple it is, but it works.Drawbacks
The main issue with this technique is if you forget one link in the chain, you’ll forget everything beyond it.
Also, it won’t let you recall details in non-sequential order. If you need item #19, you gotta start at the beginning.Feedback
If you find success with linking, I’d love to know! Shoot me a message via our contact form, or drop me a note on Facebook. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Further Reading
If you’re interested in exploring memory techniques in more detail (or other systems that are best suited for your needs,) check out my book “Perfect Recall” available at Amazon.
I go into the history of memory techniques, advanced techniques, and more. It’s aimed at people who are looking to sharpen their memory without wasting hours and hours on archaic techniques that don’t work.
It starts of with the basics, and moves on from there.
Enjoy!
Office Politics
“Keeps your friends close, and your enemies closer.” ~Machiavelli
Sometimes in a corporate setting, you have to go into a meeting knowing that there’s a huge target painted on your back. There’s that one guy (for whatever reason) who is going to come at you with both barrels, and you’d prefer to minimize the damage.
What do you do?
Do you sit as far away as you can? Do you “forget about the meeting” and not show up?
Nope.
Sit right next to him.
If you’re right next to him, this will prevent the psychological distance he would need in order to feel comfortable attacking your ideas.
If, however, you sit across the table from your would-be attacker, it sets the stage for a more adversarial dynamic that encourages an “Me vs You” situation.Global Implications
This technique of proximity improving relations has played out over all of human history.
There’s much greater psychological resistance to attacking someone who is right next to you than someone who is a world away. Think about how you would rather fight someone: would you rather go into hand-to-hand combat or push a button thousand miles away?
The physical & psychological distance makes it easier to be aggressive towards someone else, and that’s why you sitting right next to the person who has it out for you forces them to be too close for comfort.
Win!
