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Memory Techniques

The Method of Loci: Build a Memory Palace

Moderate or mixed evidence 5 min read Level: Intermediate Reviewed October 30, 2026

The method of loci, or memory palace, links items to places you know well. Learn how to build one, try it on a real list and see where it falls short.

Evidence rating: Moderate or mixed evidence. Lab studies find that people using the method of loci can recall ordered lists far better than people using no strategy, and training has been linked to changes in brain networks in memory competitors (Dresler et al., 2017; Maguire et al., 2003). Most tests use word lists and short follow-ups. Evidence for school subjects that require understanding is thin, and the method takes practice to learn. How we rate evidence

What it is

The method of loci, often called a memory palace, is one of the oldest memory techniques. Greek and Roman speakers used it to remember long speeches. You pick a place you know very well, like your home, and picture a set of spots along a fixed route. Then you place each item you want to remember at one spot, using a vivid image. To recall the list, you walk through the route in your mind and see what is at each spot.

Why might it work? People are good at remembering places and pictures, and the route gives you a built-in order. The route also acts as a set of cues. Instead of trying to remember a list from nothing, you are following a path that you already know.

Studies back up the basic effect. In one experiment, people who learned the method recalled word lists better than people who studied in their usual way, even when they used a virtual building and not a real place (Legge et al., 2012). A study of memory competitors found that eight weeks of training with the method improved novices' recall and changed how their brain regions worked together (Dresler et al., 2017). Those studies mostly used lists of words.

For school, the method suits ordered lists of facts, such as the cranial nerves, the steps of a process or the main points of a speech. It is less useful for understanding an argument or solving math problems.

When to use it

  • You need to remember a list in order, such as 10 items for a biology exam.
  • You are giving a speech or presentation and want to recall the main points in sequence.
  • Simple repetition has not worked for a set of facts.
  • You enjoy visual or imaginative methods and want to try something different.

How to apply it

  1. Choose a place you know well, like your home, your school hallway or your walk to the bus stop.
  2. Pick a fixed route through it and select 8 to 10 specific spots, such as the front door, the shoe rack, the kitchen table and the fridge.
  3. Walk the route in your mind until you can list the spots in order without hesitation.
  4. Turn each item you want to remember into a clear, strange image. The odder and more active, the better.
  5. Place the first image at the first spot, the second at the second spot, and so on. Spend a few seconds really seeing each one.
  6. Walk the route in your mind, from start to end, and name what you find at each spot. Then write the list.
  7. Check for errors. Repeat the walk the next day and again after a few days. Reuse the palace for a new list only after you have finished the old one.

Step-by-step examples

Example: remembering the first six presidents

  1. Your route is your home: the front door, the hallway mirror, the couch, the TV, the kitchen table and the fridge.
  2. Front door: a giant George Washington holding a coin, knocking on the door.
  3. Hallway mirror: John Adams admiring himself in the mirror with a large bag labeled A for Adams.
  4. Couch: Thomas Jefferson writing a letter and spilling ink on the cushion.
  5. You continue for Madison, Monroe and John Quincy Adams, then walk the route from front door to fridge to recall them.
  6. You test the next day by writing the names in order.

Example: five points of a class presentation

  1. Your points are: problem, causes, data, solution and next steps.
  2. You use your bedroom: the door, bed, desk, window and closet.
  3. Door: a huge red warning sign (problem). Bed: tangled roots under the sheets (causes).
  4. Desk: a stack of charts spilling off (data). Window: a bright key hanging in the light (solution). Closet: a staircase inside leading up (next steps).
  5. You practice walking the route twice and then say the presentation aloud.

Advantages

  • Gives a built-in order, which is helpful for lists where sequence matters.
  • Uses places you already know, so there is little to memorize on the structure itself.
  • Works with research support for word lists in lab settings.
  • Can be reused with different lists once old ones are no longer needed.

Limitations

  • It takes time to build and practice, so it is slow for short lists.
  • Better for lists than for ideas. It does not help you understand why something is true.
  • Old lists can interfere with new ones if you reuse the same spots too soon.
  • Most research uses word lists and short delays, so we know less about long-term use in classes.

Common mistakes

  • Using a place you do not know well, so the route itself is shaky.
  • Making images that are dull or small. Bright, odd and active images are easier to remember.
  • Putting too many items in one spot.
  • Never walking the route again after placing items.
  • Using the method for ideas or concepts instead of lists and facts.

Recommended next steps

Part of the path Improve Memory (step 5 of 6). Next in this path: Sleep and Memory: Why Rest Matters for Studying.

References

  1. Legge, E. L. G., Madan, C. R., Ng, E. T., & Caplan, J. B. (2012). Building a memory palace in minutes: Equivalent memory performance using virtual versus conventional environments with the Method of Loci. Acta Psychologica, 141(3), 380-390.
  2. Dresler, M., Shirer, W. R., Konrad, B. N., Muller, N. C. J., Wagner, I. C., Fernandez, G., Czisch, M., & Greicius, M. D. (2017). Mnemonic training reshapes brain networks to support superior memory. Neuron, 93(5), 1227-1235.
  3. Maguire, E. A., Valentine, E. R., Wilding, J. M., & Kapur, N. (2003). Routes to remembering: The brains behind superior memory. Nature Neuroscience, 6(1), 90-95.

This guide is general educational information. Study methods work differently for different people, and no method guarantees better grades or results.

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