New video series "Refine Your Technique"
It’s been awhile since my last real blog, so here’s a recap. There’s been a lot going on! My wife Cathy and I have been hard at work on Mullen Memory: videos, posts, the website itself, etc. This month actually marks a full year that the site’s been up! It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. If you missed it, check out our “Getting Started with Memory Techniques” series for an easy 18-minute intro to using memory techniques for efficient learning. We’ve also put out a series called “Refine Your Technique,” in which I go into more details about actually creating and using palaces. In #4, Cathy and I demo a real-life example, showing how we each memorized some info from the med student review book First Aid. I just put out one more learning example (“Opioid Analgesics”) as well, and I’m hoping to post many more videos in the upcoming months. Making memory palaces and using memory techniques is definitely an investment, but I think it’s one that’s well worth it.
We’ve also been (much less) hard at work studying for the USMLE Step 1 exam this summer. It’s a big, national exam and a critical piece of residency applications. We’ll have to see how our memory techniques stack up against the other med students in the country!
In terms of memory competitions, my only planned one at the moment is the 2016 Extreme Memory Tournament, which will take place June 24-26 in San Diego. I’m really looking forward to that, and it’s great being pre-qualified. It definitely takes some stress off! For kicks, I’ve been posting attempts alongside the other qualifiers, although I skipped the Week #2 Images event (you can view the current leaderboard watch all qualifiers’ video submissions here, although you need to register for the site). I’m still hoping to attend a lot more competitions this year (e.g. USA Memory Championship, MAA US Open, World Championships), but nothing else has been announced yet. 2015 was a crazy year, and 2016 is getting off to an even nuttier start. I can’t believe January’s already over. Bring on spring!