Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it.”
—Galadriel, the Lord of the Rings (the movie).

I’m not sure if I’m old enough yet to blame forgetfulness on age. My mom, graciously, says that I’m absent-minded because my brain is too full. But with Google, and an increasingly ‘app’-saturated world, even what memory I have doesn’t seem to be required anymore. If I need to know something, I can simply look it up.

A few years ago I read an article in Wired magazine that looked at human memory, and ways to improve it. If (and that’s a big if) these methods worked, I thought, what a powerful tool that would be. But even if you could reliably commit a growing, but not infinite, cache of information to memory, with ready access and recall, where would you start? What would you stuff in? Here is my list:

1. Times Tables

At age 10, I had learnt my times tables up to 12. If you skipped this class, it will be the most useful bit of knowledge you can ever commit to memory. And for those of us who got to 12, why not go for 15? Or higher…

2. Languages

Start with your mother tongue. Odds are you don’t know every word. Grab a dictionary and pick up some new vocabulary. Or, perhaps more enjoyably, find a newspaper or magazine columnist who likes to indulge in the language. In English Canada we have Conrad Black. Christopher Hitchens is also good.

3. Languages II

Learning a language is a big commitment, but it’s a wonderful window into understanding other worlds and cultures. At the very least, you can start by learning the basics: ‘Please’, ‘Thank-you’ and ‘More Beer’. If you’re ready to go for broke, there are a ton of resources, many free, to help you along.

4. Birthdays and other special dates.

My wife says there are only two dates I need to remember—married men will know what those are—and Facebook does a good job reminding me of all the birthdays in my extended social network (at least on Facebook), but I think that having them memorized is a more mindful approach. If you’re the kind of person who thinks relationships are important, try committing birthdays and anniversaries to memory. It adds authenticity to “I was thinking about you today.”

5. Nutrition Information

How many calories in a tomato? How many grams of carbs in a carrot? Knowing what macronutrients your food contains brings an awareness of nutrition that is badly lacking in our culture. You don’t necessarily have to count, but it helps to be aware—particularly for non-labelled foods like fruits, veggies and meats.

6. Country Statistics.

We live in an interconnected world. The more we know about it, the better. Memorize country names, as a start. Be able to find them on a globe. Further data points include population sizes, GDP and some interesting stats like soldiers per 100,000 or doctors per 100,000.

7. Poetry.

And if you can do it, epic poetry. I have a friend who used their time driving a city bus to commit all of “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner”, and a few others besides, to memory. Good for parties, impressing chicks, and your soul.