(2-minute read + activity)

What is a memory palace and how will creating one help me?

Memory palace defined

A memory palace is a device to ‘jog your memory’. It is a trek through a visualized place (often a place you know well). Each stop is associated with something you want to remember. That thing is represented as either a location or a mnemonic image.

Example
There are 5 items on your grocery list – Milk, peanut butter, dish detergent, dog food and bananas and you don’t have a pen! (we’ve all been here).

Rather than repeating the list endlessly, associate the list with a place you know well, like your kitchen. As you visualize moving through your kitchen each item can be represented by a location i.e. refrigerator = milk, or a mnemonic device, i.e. tree outside window = bananas (bananas grow on trees).

Got it? Now, let’s turn the memory palace upside down.

What if I could I help my colleagues build a memory palace about me?

Are you satisfied being associated with these…

  • Nice person (OK, but…)
  • Good colleague (Boring)
  • Hard worker (Yawn)

OR, would you rather be associated with these…

  • My ‘go to’ for editing important work
  • The ‘only one’ I trust in a brainstorm
  • An ‘action planner’ who gets people organized

If the second set of descriptors sounds better, here is an activity for you.

Activity

This 3-step (perfect for the beach) activity will organize your strengths and create the associations you want so that your colleagues can build a positive memory palace of you.

Step 1

Consider the prompts below to better understand how others see you.

At work, I have the most fun when I am:

1)______________________________________________
2)______________________________________________
3)______________________________________________
4)______________________________________________
5)______________________________________________

 

Co-workers come to me for:
1)______________________________________________
2)______________________________________________
3)______________________________________________
4)______________________________________________
5)______________________________________________

 

Five adjectives that describe my strengths:
1)______________________________________________
2)______________________________________________
3)______________________________________________
4)______________________________________________
5)______________________________________________

 

Step 2

Plan 5 specific instances to pair the above with an action. (i.e. offer my editing skills to Sue, set up a brainstorm meeting next week around a current challenge (don’t forget to bring snacks!), etc.

1)______________________________________________
2)______________________________________________
3)______________________________________________
4)______________________________________________
5)______________________________________________

 

Here’s a link to the worksheet – Memory Palace Activity

 

Step 3

Implement your plans when you get back to the office.

Continue Step #2 week after week. Your skills will continue to grow as you create positive associations with colleagues.

Before long your colleagues will have a memory palace of the office that includes the best elements of you.

 

Enjoy the dog days,

As the song says,
See You in September…

 

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