Alex,
Definately agree. The thing is, even if you get really really good with a memory system, you're probably just better off writing whatever it is down and "remembering" to take that list with you...and yes, just writing it down helps you remember it.
I tried the room technique you mentioned, and I agree, it's horrible. The example given to me when I read about it was for a speech, where you associate rooms in your house to parts of your speech, in chronological order. It worked, but to be honest, it was just as effective as memorizing the stupid thing line by line over and over again.
I have a pretty good visual memory, but having a list in front of me seems more practical than thinking of visual images in my head one by one.
As I said, memorizing things isn't as helpful as one might think. I use mnemonics to memorize phone numbers, SKU's, and facts for tests. Other than that, I just write it down.
-Ramon http://razor.ramon.com
