In Tony Buzan's book Use Your Memory he writes that the Greeks understood that there were two underlying principles for perfect memory. You must ASSOCIATE (link) whatever it is you wish to remember with a fixed location in your mind using your IMAGINATION throughout.

We now know that the upper part of the brain is divided in half and that each half specialises in different mental traits. In order to enhance your ability to remember and bring together the features of both sides of the brain, you should include the following when you ASSOCIATE and use your IMAGINATION to produce mnemonic imagery:

1. Synaesthesia/Sensuality

Most of the great natural memorisers blended their senses and introduced the following elements when they memorised:

1. Vision
2. Hearing
3. Sense of smell
4. Taste
5. Touch
6. Kinaesthesia (awareness of bodily position)

So the more that you involve your senses, the greater your ability to recall the information that you have learnt.

2. Movement

Ask yourself which of the two situations are you likely to remember the most? First of all consider an oak tree in a forest of oak trees. Now consider the same oak tree swaying violently while the trees around it are seemingly unaffected by whatever is causing the movement. The motion gives the mind more possibilities for it to 'link in' and thus remember.

3. Association

Association is one of the keys to a good memory. If you leave your coat in a cloakroom at a theatre, you will be given a ticket. When you return you expect to exchange the ticket that you were given for your coat. That is because the ticket you had was associated with the peg that held your coat. The same works with your memory. You will have a series of pegs in your mind which you associate with what you want to remember and when you recall, you go to that peg and the association will prompt the information stored.

4. Humour

Have fun with your memory and make all of your images funny, absurd and ridiculous. If you watch pedestrians walking past a lamp post in a crowded street nothing really stands out until someone does not watch where they are going and……….

5. Imagination

Einstein said "Imagination is more important than knowledge". Your imagination is vital to a good memory and the more you use it the better your memory will be.

6. Number

As Tony Buzan says, "Numbering adds specificity and efficiency to the principle of order and sequence".

7. Symbolism

A picture speaks a thousand words and so a more meaningful image that represents something boring or abstract will aid the memory process.

8. Colour

If we introduce the facilities of both sides of the brain into our memory techniques our overall performance improves - Colour is a feature of the workings of the right side of the brain. Also the more colourful the image, the easier it is to remember.

9. Order and/or sequence

By adding order and/or sequence it is easier for the brain to randomly access any piece of the information learned.

10. Positive Images

The more positive and pleasant your mnemonic images are, the more likely your brain will want to return to them.

11. Exaggeration

Exaggeration of size, shape and sound will enhance the image. If you saw a 10 foot high mouse wandering around your home town, I am sure that you would remember it!

So if you apply all of the elements above to your mnemonic imagery, then your are on your way to developing a good memory.

托尼·布赞在他的著作《发挥你的记忆力》中写道：希腊人很清楚完美记忆力的两大原理，即想象力和联想力，具体地说，就是要努力通过想象，把希望记住的任何东西与头脑中的固定位置完全联系在一起。

我们现已知道，大脑的上部可分为两半，每一半都有不同的思维特征。为了提高记忆力，也为了把大脑两个部分的特征紧密结合起来，在进行联想和发挥想象力而在大脑中形成有助于记忆的图象过程中，需要涉及以下途径：

一、联觉作用/感官作用

大多数天生的记忆高手都有把各种感官揉合在一起的能力，他们在记忆过程中都能够发挥下列各种感觉功能：

1. 视觉
2. 听觉
3. 嗅觉
4. 味觉
5. 触觉
6. 体觉（对体位的感觉）

因此，发挥作用的感官越多，对所学知识的回忆能力就越强。

二、运动作用

可以问问自己，在下列两种情况下，哪一种记得最牢固？首先想象一下一片橡树林中的某一棵橡树。现在再想想一下，要你记住的这棵橡树正在猛烈地晃动，而不管让这棵树晃动的原因是什么，这棵周围的其他橡树好象就是纹丝不动。（这样一来，）树的动感作用就会给大脑提供更大的记忆可能性，使它与要记忆的事物发生联系，从而记住了这棵树。

三、联想作用

联想是提高记忆力的关键途径之一。如果去看演出，把大衣存放在衣帽间里，就会领走一张取衣票。看完演出回来，就能凭这张小票去领回你的大衣。之所以能够取回大衣，正是因为手里拿着的这张小票已经和存放衣物的挂衣间发生关联。记忆也有同样的规律。大脑中就有这么一系列的挂衣间，它们和要记忆的东西都发生着某种关联。当需要回想所记忆的东西时，就会到相应的这个挂衣间去，而联想作用就会提示所储存的信息。

四、幽默作用

可以在记忆力中融入幽默因素，让所有要记忆的情景变得好玩、滑稽甚至荒唐。比如，你看着熙熙攘攘的街道上，行人在走动，他们经过一根路灯杆，而街上也没有什么向街心方向突出来的东西，这时候有人没有注意到有这根路灯杆子，却一个劲地朝它走过来，走过来……

五、想象力

爱因斯坦说“想象力比知识更重要”。想象力对于提高记忆力也是十分重要的，想象力发挥得越好，记忆力就越好。

六、数字

正如托尼·布赞所说，“数字化能够使秩序和顺序的原则更具特异性和有效性。”

七、形象化

一幅画胜过千言万语。如果能够用一幅丰富多彩的图画来代替某种抽象、单调的东西，必将有助记忆过程的快速完成。

八、色彩

如果我们能够把两个脑半球的有利条件都变成记忆本领，总体记忆水平就一定能够提高。色彩记忆正是大脑右半球的重要特征之一，因此图象色彩越丰富，记忆就越容易。

九、秩序和/或顺序

如果加上秩序和/或顺序，大脑就更容易寻找到随意掌握的各种信息。

十、积极形象

助记图象越积极、越让人感到愉悦，大脑就越容易且越喜欢去回忆它。

十一、夸张作用

对事物的大小、形状和声音加以夸张，也有助于增进对事物的记忆。如果你在家乡看见一只高达10英尺的老鼠，在街上随处走动，我想你怎么也忘不了吧？

如果能运用上面提到的这十一种助记手段来帮助记忆，就是在提高记忆力的道路上行进了。