I have been using this process of remembering every day that passes to remember other key information as well, such as new people I meet, the names of friends' children and what facilities are available at different stops along the routes that I drive.
Now I'm applying it to trees.
I had a weekend away in a rural area with my wife recently. The image pinned to my mental calendar for one of the days is walking in the countryside and looking at a tree. My wife was interested to learn the name of trees and though I am no expert, knowing only half a dozen types, I explained how I had learned those I did know. The first step is to become aware of a particular type of tree. Once I had noted the tree - its leaves, its bark, its shape - I would keep an eye out for it. Sure enough, I would inevitably see it elsewhere and so build the ability to identify it as "that new tree". Then I'd look it up in a reference book to put a name to it. I've found this much more effective than studying the reference book and trying to memorise the details then spot the trees.
So for 7 October 2013 my memory tag includes this particular tree. We spotted it again on subsequent walks and were able to put a name to it as an Ash tree.
We continued to sight it and it has become a common theme of some subsequent tags, which helps me to recall those image. It is in my memory tag for 15 October, finding it on a garden walk at the place we visited with my parents for lunch. On another day out we spotted a tree with similar leaves and red berries, which features in my memory tag for 17 October. Checking the reference book, this is a Mountain Ash, or Rowan Tree.
In refreshing the memory tags I both remember the features and names of these trees, and the common theme helps me remember images for different days.
Now I'm applying it to trees.
I had a weekend away in a rural area with my wife recently. The image pinned to my mental calendar for one of the days is walking in the countryside and looking at a tree. My wife was interested to learn the name of trees and though I am no expert, knowing only half a dozen types, I explained how I had learned those I did know. The first step is to become aware of a particular type of tree. Once I had noted the tree - its leaves, its bark, its shape - I would keep an eye out for it. Sure enough, I would inevitably see it elsewhere and so build the ability to identify it as "that new tree". Then I'd look it up in a reference book to put a name to it. I've found this much more effective than studying the reference book and trying to memorise the details then spot the trees.
So for 7 October 2013 my memory tag includes this particular tree. We spotted it again on subsequent walks and were able to put a name to it as an Ash tree.
We continued to sight it and it has become a common theme of some subsequent tags, which helps me to recall those image. It is in my memory tag for 15 October, finding it on a garden walk at the place we visited with my parents for lunch. On another day out we spotted a tree with similar leaves and red berries, which features in my memory tag for 17 October. Checking the reference book, this is a Mountain Ash, or Rowan Tree.
In refreshing the memory tags I both remember the features and names of these trees, and the common theme helps me remember images for different days.
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