This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg
Aug 14, 2026 · 27 min · 12 segments
Can't remember the fourth item on your grocery list? Nelson Dellis, a professional "memory athlete," can remember 100 things or more (though he still may forget the butter). Hear how Dellis learned…
Nelson DellisGuest
Phil StiegHost
Depending on the information that you're memorizing, you may want to approach it with a slightly different technique.
But in general, it's really always the same approach when you're memorizing anything.
And this is where C-Link go, which is the phrase I use to simplify the process to memorize anything.
It's how can I visualize or see the information in my mind in the form of a very memorable picture? How can I link that information to stuff that's already firmly planted in my brain? And that's a crucial step because that's how we can reliably recall things.
There's so many times when you have things in your memory, it's just you can't get it out, right? Or you get it out later at the wrong time, right? Or it's on the tip of your tongue.
And then the go step is really like what you do with that after you've visualized it and stored it in your mind.
Is it something that you just want for a few minutes until you can... vomit it out on paper or say it in the meeting or whatever? Or do you want to keep this for life, right? Is it something you just want as your permanent database of knowledge? And that all comes down to review.
Because you can imagine if we remembered absolutely everything, how overwhelming that would be and how useless most of the stuff in there
This is the bread and butter of what memory athletes will use because a lot of the information we have to memorize, order matters.
You know, what would make sense as you entered your house? You don't have to memorize.
Depending on the information that you're memorizing, you may want to approach it with a slightly different technique.
But in general, it's really always the same approach when you're memorizing anything.
And this is where C-Link go, which is the phrase I use to simplify the process to memorize anything.
It's how can I visualize or see the information in my mind in the form of a very memorable picture? How can I link that information to stuff that's already firmly planted in my brain? And that's a crucial step because that's how we can reliably recall things.
There's so many times when you have things in your memory, it's just you can't get it out, right? Or you get it out later at the wrong time, right? Or it's on the tip of your tongue.
And then the go step is really like what you do with that after you've visualized it and stored it in your mind.
Is it something that you just want for a few minutes until you can... vomit it out on paper or say it in the meeting or whatever? Or do you want to keep this for life, right? Is it something you just want as your permanent database of knowledge? And that all comes down to review.
Because you can imagine if we remembered absolutely everything, how overwhelming that would be and how useless most of the stuff in there
This is the bread and butter of what memory athletes will use because a lot of the information we have to memorize, order matters.
You know, what would make sense as you entered your house? You don't have to memorize.
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