You've come a long way through much detail, and your journey though the Memletics Manual is nearly at an end. I hope though your Memletics journey is just beginning. You now have a far greater understanding of how to learn faster and remember more. Let's finish with an overall summary, some thoughts on further work, and some final words.
In this last section of the book I summarize what you've read, look at some ideas for further exploration, and then finish with some final words.
The first chapter of the book, "Overview of Memletics," introduced you to the five parts of Memletics, the Memletic State, Process, Techniques, Styles and Approach. Having this high-level understanding made it easier to see links between the five parts. We also saw many activities in which you could apply Memletics.
In Memletic State, you saw there are many contributors that support good learning state. There are three layers. These are the cell, physical and mental layers. Good cell state supports the basic needs of cells, including neurons. The physical layer supports our body-mind systems. The mental layer provides ways to support and improve mental functions.
You then read about the Memletic Process. This process consists of five activities, and the mnemonic for these is LEARN. These activities are Locate, Explore, Arrange, Reinforce, and eNquire. Locate means finding the information to learn. Explore is to understand the material. Arrange is to prepare content for long-term memorization. Reinforce applies the various techniques to lock in content. Lastly, eNquire reviews your learning performance as well as how you use the overall system.
Next were the Memletic Techniques. There are six categories of techniques. The categories are Associate, Visualize, Verbalize, Simulate, Perform, and Repeat. Association links new knowledge with knowledge you already have. Visualization involves replaying scenarios in your mind using all the senses (not just vision). The Verbalize techniques use words to help you affirm your goals, content and abilities. Simulation uses external tools and people to reproduce parts of the real environment. The Perform techniques give you ways to learn skills and behaviors. Lastly, the Repeat techniques provide you with more techniques to reinforce content over time.
The Memletic Styles followed Techniques. These seven styles are the Visual, Aural, Verbal, Physical, Logical, Social and Solitary styles. The Style questionnaire gave you a picture of your current stronger and secondary learning styles. You saw that you can improve your learning by better understanding and using both your stronger and secondary styles.
The final part of Memletics we discussed, the Memletic Approach, gave you a series of activities you can use to plan and manage your overall learning journey. You start with targeting your goal and planning your effort. You then track your progress, while remembering to enjoy both the journey and the destination.
In the "Challenges" chapter, we reviewed some of the common challenges you may face on the journey to your goal. Motivation is important. We discussed how ensuring your goals and objectives match your direction in life helps support your motivation. We also discussed fear and nervousness and how to combat these issues when they arise. Lastly we covered some further challenges. We discussed mistakes, the impact of pressure on techniques, and assumptions.
The last chapter of the book, "Closing Comments," is the one you are reading now.
You may now see some of the links between the parts of Memletics. Your learning styles, for example, influence how you explore new material as well as the techniques you choose. Getting your goals right in the approach influences your mental state. Your learning state underpins your ability to concentrate on your learning activities. Your improved learning performance contributes to better mental state. The list could go on. The power of Memletics grows from these mutually helpful links.
Even though you have now read about all the parts of Memletics, you probably don't remember much of the detail. That's normal, and there are some tips on how to start learning Memletics in the appendix.
If you want further develop your Memletic fitness, in this section I discuss a few suggestions on how to start. Firstly, visit the memletics.com website. It contains a wide range of further material, references and links to more web and book based information. You could spend some time researching more detailed references on the topics in this book, or try some of the more advanced learning topics. Lastly, I encourage you to share your experiences.
The Memletics website is a great place to continue with your learning about learning. In this section I discuss some of the ways you can use the site.
You can find the site on the Internet at http://www.memletics.com
I strongly suggest you register on the site. We can then keep you up to date with any changes or updates to the book through our newsletter. You can also access more references and resources that are not available to general users of the site.
You may notice that I haven't included any references in the back of this book. This is because I've chosen to keep them all on the website. This allows easier additions and updates. There are notes, references to books, web articles and links to websites.
You can access these at http://www.memletics.com/manual-references
In various sections of this book I've discussed specific software relevant to learning. On the reference pages there are links to other sites so you can download full or trial versions, where applicable(.
The Memletics Forums are discussion groups on the website where you can discuss various topics with me and readers of the book. Feel free to use these to ask questions, get more guidance or post your feedback on specific or general topics.
Over time we'll add more features to the website to make it even more useful to you. Be sure to visit occasionally, or register to stay in touch with what is happening through the newsletter!
If you want to examine some topics in more detail, there is much information out there. Here I provide a few general suggestions on further references such as books, the Internet and courses.
There are many other books out there that cover many of the topics in this book to far more detail. If there are topics that interest you, you may want to get your hands on some of those. I suggest you spend a month (at least) on each one. Read it. Use it. Reread it. See what works for you, and what doesn't. Do not put it down until you have at least tried some of its suggestions.
There is much content out there on the Internet. I've suggested some starting points on the book's reference pages. Take care though. Keep an open mind, but also be aware of the content source.
Sometimes the library or bookstore is still the best place to go for information.
There are some courses out there that focus on particular topics included in this book. I haven't seen too many though that focus on the wide range of skills involved in being a good learner. It appears that since we made it past school, everyone assumes we must already know how to learn well.
If you want to use courses, you may need to put together your own curriculum that involves several courses covering different topics. Use the Memletic Forums on the website to tell others about courses related to Memletic topics. I'm sure there are others who would like to know if you've found relevant training.
Also keep an eye out in the future for training providers offering courses either teaching Memletics, or using Memletics to teach other topics.
Memletics includes a wide range of memory techniques from various sources. There are other techniques out there as well, some of which are more advanced or more specialized than the ones discussed in here. Often they are just extensions of those we have already discussed. Be wary when anyone claims to have found a "completely new technique" or claims to have made a breakthrough. Feel free to post a note in the forums if you find something unique though.
One of the more advanced memory techniques is "SEM3" or the Self-Enhancing Matrix. It's from a book called "Master Your Memory" by Tony Buzan. I'll let you follow it up, however in summary it takes association and the peg word technique to a whole new level. It provides "pegs" for potentially over ten thousand items!
Another variation is the Dominic System created by Dominic O'Brien. Instead of using Peg Words, the system is uses "Peg People." You associate numbers with well-known people. This again needs a significant investment of time, however it does provide advantages to some people. You may find it easier to associate using people rather than the objects that make up the peg word system.
As you can see, these systems simply extend existing memory techniques. If you find new and innovative techniques, be sure to let us know!
If you haven't already realized, I am keen to hear from you. I'd like to hear about your experiences, feedback, criticisms, and suggestions. All are welcome. Memletics is not a one-off book. It's an ongoing project to discover more about learning faster. Your comments can influence the project's direction.
Please post your comments into the Memletics Forums, rather than writing directly to me. This allows others to join in and potentially add to your comments or answer your questions.
My aim from the start was to give you an easy-to-understand system you can apply to improve the way you learn and remember. The Memletic processes, tools and techniques come from a combination of experience and research. All these parts together help you start and achieve many different learning goals.
I now encourage you to start, or continue, with your Memletic training. If you like what you have read, commit to beginning. Try the system. Start small. Don't take on too much to begin. If you don't have a topic to learn, find one! Flying is a great self-development course, however there are so many other choices out there. Try developing your work skills, relationship skills or recreation skills. Review the Overview chapter for more ideas on getting started. If you do have difficulty getting started, reach out to others. Try the website or just talk to those around you.
Don't be one of those people who read material such as this, think "that would be great to do," but never do! If you find you are reading more and more books (or attending more and more courses), without doing any work, be careful. Don't fall into the self-help trap of having to read every book on the topic before you start. If you find you are reading one book after another, ask yourself: Are you just exercising your eyes, or are you developing your skills?
If you are having difficulty deciding on specific activities, keep in mind that it's sometimes better to set a direction, any direction, rather than staying in the same spot. Don't wait for enlightenment on the direction you should take. Once you get moving, you gain new perspectives. You gather speed and experience. Even if you eventually find you want to go in the opposite direction, you pass others still waiting in the middle for that enlightenment to come.
The direction I've set for Memletics is to use technology to help us learn faster. In this first version of the book, technology has helped me find information, prepare the book, and share it with a wide audience. Technology allows me to publish this book without a publisher. This means more of the revenue from sales can go back into research and development, instead of to shareholders of some multinational publishing company. Technology allows us to share our experiences across the globe, for example through the Memletics Forums. Sharing our experiences helps everyone develop their skills and helps guide the future direction of Memletics. Lastly, technology is driving new discoveries about the brain and how we learn, and hopefully these will lead to further improvements. I'll tell you more about these in future versions of the book.
We live in exciting, and sometimes challenging times. The world now changes faster than ever before. If you focus on developing your learning skills, you can see and take advantage of more opportunities than those who avoid change. I suggest you develop your Memletic fitness. Aim to be a lifelong, self-directed learner. Keep an eye on developments, and pass your experience on to others.
Good luck on your journey.