Remembering PIN Numbers
Lots of people have difficulty remembering PINs and other code numbers for access to their accounts.Although four digits were chosen so as not to be too hard for most people to remember, lots of us go 'blank' from time to time, or simply get confused - because our heads are swimming with lots of different numbers we accidentally enter the wrong number a couple of times and before we realise what's happened the machine has munched our card.
However, the good news is that there are methods you can use that will help you to remember your PIN number.
One such system that works well with things like PIN numbers is the shape association method.
Here, you associate each number with a particular shape, and so when it comes to recalling a number, you don't think of the number per se but rather the associated image, which you have intimately connected in your head with a number.
For instance, let's say that you have a pin number of 4183.
Now, think of a shape that each of these numbers makes you think about. If nothing pops out at you straight away, instead choose the first thing that comes into your head - it is important that the images you pick are those that come most readily to you for this to be as effective as possible.
You might have thought of a sailboat for instance for the number '4', perhaps '1' was a pencil or a sausage - it doesn't really matter as long as you fix a connection that seems intuitive to you.
Just to follow through the example we're going to use a sailboat for 4, a sausage for 1, a coiled spring for three and a snowman for 8.
So to remember the pin number of 4183, you remember the images in their order - sailboat, sausage, coiled spring, snowman.
So far so good, but now for the clever bit that really helps us remember the number - we create a vivid mental picture and imagine the scene as clearly as we can, to embed the image in our mind.
So I might have a mental image of a sailboat zooming along a lake with a huge big sausage on it, that is being sailed by a giant snowman with a coiled spring for his nose.
This is a silly image! But vivid and memorable; take a few seconds to close your eyes and imagine this scene, and see it clearly in your minds eye.
Now, when you want to recall the PIN number you simply think of that image and 'translate' it back into numbers knowing the connection you have between each image and number.
And that's all there is to it - a very simple and effective method.
You can be sure if you read this and I said 'remember the PIN number 4183' and you came back in a months time you would have no memory of what it was. But try it - every couple of weeks think of the image and recall the PIN number - you will be amazed that you remember the number for years to come.
Now it's your turn - write down the numbers from '0' to '9' and think of an image to associate with each number. Then use this system to create a vivid picture of your real PIN number or other important numeric data.
