A very helpful way to remember long numbers is by “chunking” the number. Chunking means breaking down a longer number into groups of smaller numbers.

Here is an example. Try memorizing the 12-digit number 376315374264. If you just repeat the 12 digits over and over, you might find it takes a long time to memorize this number. Plus, you might not remember the number that well later.

But try breaking up (“chunking”) the number instead. Break it into four groups of three numbers, like this: 376-315-374-264. Now try memorizing it.

You should find the number is a lot easier to remember now. The reason is simple. Your short-term memory can only hold up to 7 numbers at a time. So trying to memorize a 12-digit number without breaking it up is going to be hard.

On the other hand, it is very easy to hold a 3-digit number in your mind. In the above example, what you are doing is separately memorizing four 3-digit numbers, which is a lot easier than memorizing a huge 12-digit number.

This is why phone numbers are always broken up into smaller numbers. No one writes their phone number as 2815769985. Instead, they write it as (281) 576-9985 or 281-576-9985. That way other people can remember the number more easily. The small chunks are a lot easier to remember than one big chunk.

So the next time you need to memorize a long number for school, for work, or in your personal life, just chunk it!

--- Dr. Kenneth Higbee does a great job explaining this and other memory concepts in his excellent book, Your Memory: What It Is and How to Improve It. I highly recommend it.

For more tips and strategies for improving your memory, see my site

Memory-Improvement-Tips.com

Have a great week!

Douglas