Creating a list of objects whose order (in numerical terms) you are
familiar with allows you to then “peg” or file information in a way that would allow you to retrieve both the fact and the order (precise numerical position) with which it was meant to be memorised. It is called the peg system since we are essentially pegging a previously unknown item onto another item which is fixed and known. The clear advantages of this approach over the link system are:
a. The order of items as well as their exact numerical position can be recalled.
b. Forgetting one item does not jeopardise the entire list.
The mechanism involved here is present in all the other systems-namely the act of linking something new to something that is known.
The trick involves creating plenty of lists with items that can be easily imagined/visualised and their numerical order of appearance captured. The rules for the creation of such lists are as follows:
1 . Each item on the list must be easily pictured and is preferably an object.
2. The numerical position of the object is known.
3. There is no conflict with the other lists that were created and in current use.
4. There is a logical connection between the items on the list (i.e. they all belong to some group/type or they are all derived using a certain technique- e.g. the numbers 1-100 derived using the phonetic alphabet are a typical peg list).
Pegging involves the same glue that is used for linking, the procedure is exactly the same- make images that are wild, absurd, exaggerated, emotional, colourful etc... The only differences between using a peg list and a link system are that the peg list is known in advance whilst the link list is new, and that the former is established and has numerical values for each item whilst the latter does not.
Below are some examples of lists that can be easily created and allow efficient filing of information according to a certain order. The reason for having more than one list is to ensure better filing of information and to avoid using the same base for pegging everything. Perhaps the analogy of using a small stand to peg and dry all the clothes in the household make it glaringly obvious that having several stands will make the task of drying faster and more efficient. In the same way, pegging many new items
onto one list all at the same time might cause confusion between which items belong to which list. For example, say one wanted to memorise a shopping list, the days’ schedule, the list of presidents and some cricket scores- it is inevitable that some of the images would blur since each item on the peg list has 4 separate items pegged to it- corresponding to one item from each of the four lists.
The examples below should provide some inspiration on how to approach the creation of a new peg list; but for most day-to-day use, the below examples more than suffice in capturing and filing information without conflict. It is recommended again to be consistent, for example, the Number list should always be used for the shopping list and the Effigy list should always be used for today’s calendar etc. (i.e. once it has been decided which list is used for which purpose, stick to it without further changes).
Numbers list
We have already presented the list of numbers up to 100 with their corresponding objects. This list can be used to remember another list by pegging each item on the new list to the already existing object in the number list. For example, say you have the following shopping list:
As demonstrated in earlier sections, this list can be memorised by linking each item to the next. However, the peg system involves pegging each of the items in the shopping list to an item on the number list:
Begin with the number 1, the corresponding item on the numbers list is Tie, so peg Eggs with Tie- perhaps try picturing cracking a tie on the fry pan’s rim and a smaller tie falls out and starts to sizzle in the hot oil (make sure the tie you crack is enormous and disproportional).
Moving on to number 2, the number list contains the word Knee, so peg Beans to Knee- maybe try to visualise and feel how it would be like to walk around with a Knee that is made out of Bean- picture the Bean as large yet soft, connecting the thigh to the sheen-exaggerate the image and feel the discomfort this would bring.
Proceeding with the rest:
MO should be pegged to Minced Beef, Row should be pegged to Milk, Lee with soap and Shoe with lettuce.
Once the above images have been created and the number 2 is called out, it should immediately bring the image of a Knee which in turn triggers the nonsensical image of a person that has a Massive overgrown bean instead of a Knee.
It is clear that the user can then recall the items in order by going through from 1-100 or by looking up an item in a particular numerical position that is desired.
Effigy list
The list below was created by trying to picture the nearest object that looks like the number. Upon further inspection the reader may decide on better choices of images for some items- this is fine as long as it is applied consistently going forward.
As with all lists, it can be extended to the length desired by the practitioner. Given the size of the list provided above as an example, it is still possible to use it for the day’s calendar (for example) since each number can represent an hour session in a
working day. So having a few short lists that are there to serve such a purpose is reasonable- in which case extending all lists is not necessary- some should be short and some long in order to correspond to the different types of data needed to be memorised.
Alphabet
Much like the number list serves both as a unique identifier for each number as well as a peg list, the alphabet list serves dual purposes too, these are listed as follows:
1. It provides a unique image to represent each letter- this is useful when memorising abstract ideas that involve letter in an otherwise illogical manner (alphabetically speaking)- for example in mathematical formulae as shown later in the section.
2. The list, given that the letters have a natural numerical order, can also serve as a peg list.
It is simple to remember this list, as with other peg lists, as the underlying elements that form the list have a logical aspect or rule that connects them. In the case of the numbers list it was the use of the phonetic alphabet, in the case of the effigy list it was the shape of the number and here in the alphabet list it is the most colourful image that sounds like the letter:
Rhyme
The following list was derived by finding a word for an object that rhymes with the number:
Body
The list below uses body parts registered from the head downwards; this list does not immediately provide a numerical reference point but it can be added by remembering which are the 5th, 10th, 15th ...etc points in the list- for example, the Tongue is the 5th item on the list and the stomach is the 10th items whilst the toes are the 15th item- this is easy to remember as each belong to a different section of the body (tongue is in upper third, stomach in middle third and toes in lower third).
When new information is pegged to the list, if a numerical position is required it is simple to work it out from one of the markers created.
For example, say that the item pegged to Mouth was a mosquito- it would be simple to work out that mosquito is the fourth item in the list since Tongue is number 5.