Special techniques, or memory devices, are often used to help us recall information. One technique, the method of loci (i.e., method of location), is particularly helpful for remembering several pieces of information in a particular order. To use this technique, we first imagine a familiar place such as a building or an outdoor area. This familiar place should have a series of landmarks or locations within it that we can imagine walking past in a predictable, logical order. Once the landmarks have been identified in a given order, we assign one piece of the information that we want to later recall to each location. The information should be assigned in the order in which we want to remember it. To later recall the new information in order, we imagine walking through the familiar place, recalling what is stored at each location along the way.
