Page 157 - How to Develop A SUPER-POWER MEMORY

Telephone Numbers 161
you'll remember the four digits. For the number 4298, you
would associate rain (42) to puff (98); for 6317—chum
(63) to tack (17); for 1935—tub to mule, and so on. You
now have all the ingredients for remembering phone num-
bers, all that remains is to mix them. Let's use CO 5-6695
as an example. To remember this number simply associate
coal (CO 5) to choo choo (66) to bell (95)! For the
number AL 1-8734, you could use—altar to fog to mower;
and for OX 2-4626—oxen to roach to notch.
Now, before showing you how to remember whose phone
number you're remembering, let me point out that there
is one fly in the ointment, so to speak, involved here. Were
you to make a ridiculous picture in your mind of say, steam,
rope and tomb, you would know that the exchange was
ST 3 (steam) and that the trunk line numbers were 4913
(rope, tomb). But, would you remember whether it was
4913 or 1349? Therein lies the problem! You might be con-
fused a week or so after memorizing a phone number, as to
which peg word was first and which was last. Of course, if
you use a telephone number that you memorize, then this
is really a theoretical problem. Once you've used it a few
times, you'll know which pair of digits comes first. As I've
said many times before, the systems are wonderful aids to
your true memory. Without the use of the system for
remembering phone numbers, you probably wouldn't know
any of the digits in the number.
However, for numbers that you do not intend to use
right away, there are many methods of avoiding this con-
fusion, some good and some, not so good. I'll give you three
or four ways right now, and you can pick the one or two
that you think is best.
The first idea is to make a link of the words, instead of
one complete ridiculous picture. For example, for ST 3-4913
you could make one picture of a radiator (steam) lassoing