Arthur Worsley On Getting Traction And Discovering Your Why

12/03/20 • 46 min

Arthur Worsley shares his knowledge about finding your why and getting tracktion. His tips are powerful for those who want lasting progress.

Arthur Worsley shares his knowledge about finding your why and getting tracktion. His tips are powerful for those who want lasting progress.

Previous Episode

Dr. Bruno Furst’s You Can Remember: Does It Work?

Dr. Bruno Furst created a number of memory improvement courses and You Can Remember! is one of the most famous.

He was a German lawyer and his full name was Johann Franz Bruno Fürst.

People familiar with the long tradition of memory techniques will probably think he chose to go by “Bruno” to attract the attention of people already familiar with memory techniques.

It’s impossible to know, but I personally find it hard not to think about one of the most famous memory teachers, Giordano Bruno. Since “der Fürst” can mean “prince” or “ruler” in German, I have often wondered if the entire name is invented to say something about Giordano Bruno’s constant influence.

Given that this Bruno Furst fled Germany after Hitler came to power, this idea that he may have changed his name is plausible. Very little is known about him. The only Wikipedia page about him is in French and the New Yorker has their article about him locked in an archive. But the fact that he has a profile in that magazine gives us a clue to his prominence during his era.

The question is... does his memory training work?

The answer depends on you, your goals and your willingness to go on what Furst calls, “Adventures in Memory and Concentration.”

This printed pamphlet is an advertising piece designed to increase your desire to become a memory master. Notice the many dated professions and conventions of the era Furst was addressing.

This pairing of memory with concentration is important because you really can’t have one without the other.

The good news is that improving one naturally improves the other. So with that in mind, let’s take a deep dive into this flagship memory training from Dr. Bruno Furst. I hope you enjoy this You Can Remember review.

You Can Remember!: Everything You Need to Know

First, it’s important to realize that Dr. Furst recycled his material often. That means you might be disappointed if you already have these books:

Stop Forgetting: How to Develop Your Memory And Put It To Practical Use
The Practical Way To A Better Memory: A Simple, Easy-To-Use Method of Training Your Memory

I love collecting memory books and courses. You Can Remember! by Dr. Bruno Furst is quite unique.

Although these books do have some differences in them, what makes You Can Remember! unique is a method of segmenting the different skills into ten sessions.

These sessions are split up into ten small booklets of about 30 pages each. The package comes with four separate envelopes, each packed with “examinations” or “model answers.” The exams typically ask you to spend 20 minutes reading a magazine. You then quiz yourself and self-assess your accuracy.

Inside, you’ll find simple questions on typewritten sheets.

Finally, the box comes with the “Number Dictionary.” This small booklet is packed with words that fit the Major System from 00-1000.

Overview of the 10 Sessions

Bruno Furst faces the same challenge all memory experts run up against:There is no perfect place to start learning memory techniques.

But I feel that Dr. Furst made the best possible choice by starting where I also introduce students to the art of memory, with the Memory Palace technique.

Session 1:

In his work, Dr. Furst uses the terminology of his era: The Memory Checkroom. Instead of calling each stop in the Memory Palace a “Magnetic Station,” he talks about coat hooks, each with a number.

So that you can remember the numbers of each “hook,” you learn the Major System.

The session concludes with a test of how you interact your different hooks with daily chores.

Session 2:

Furst extends the Major System in this session and helps you extend it to three digits. He shows how you can use it to memorize “telephone numbers, price lists, addresses, formulas of every kind – in short, everything connected with numbers in practical life.”

The session ends with showing how flexible this number system is by sharing various mnemonic devices you can apply to different kinds of information.

A historic image of Dr. Furst shows that he likely taught even more advanced uses for numbers in his live training sessions. You see him with specially printed playing cards that include 3-digit numbers, for example, but I don’t know exactly what he had in mind for these. Encoding past 00-99 is not covered in any of his material I’ve read.

Next Episode

Arthur Worsley On Getting Traction And Discovering Your Why

It is no secret that we are all constantly in a state of self-examination.

While some people may be more “self-aware” than others, no matter where you are on the spectrum, there is a constant need, a persistent desire to “Know Thyself.”

The greatest task in that knowing, above all else, may be the biggest question, and, more complicated therefore, to answer, the question of “Why?”

Today, more than ever perhaps, we are being challenged to slow down, to examine our priorities, to reflect on who we are and what motivates us.

Whether that is an intentional choice, or the current state of the world has given you the gift of more time in the form of working from home and eliminating your commute, or governmental measures have encouraged a “safer at home” mindset, now is no better time for working towards that answer.

My guest today is Arthur Worsley. He is the man behind The Art of Living blog, the author of the TRACKTION Planner, and the Moments app. He is an entrepreneur, graduate of Oxford where he studied psychology, philosophy, and physiology.

Thumbs up for the Tracktion Planner!

We discuss his mission of guiding others to find their motivation, through practical, executable, analog tools.

Arthur provides a real, honest look at a difficult situation that became his catalyst for self-discovery, and, through coaching, and his own journey, the roadblocks that others faced that were similar, and how they, and you, in turn, can also overcome them.

He even shares his own experience with answering that big question of “Why?” as he applied for Oxford. In his words, it was “terrifying” to see one’s future residing in such an empty space. The question of why was intentional, providing a blank canvas, open to interpretation.

He learned how to navigate and fill that space for himself, and with the tools and methods he has created, you can also learn to answer that all-important question of “Why?”

If you’re struggling to find your motivation for your everyday....

Or maybe the bigger challenge of your life’s purpose...

Just take note of where you’re starting from.

As you begin to answer that question, and, unavoidably, the others that arise, know you are enough.

That self-doubt? It can serve you. That questioning is good. That questioning means growth.

And why then wouldn’t we take that opportunity as we ask that very thing of ourselves?

Press play now above to listen in as Arthur shares:

How physiology, psychology, and philosophy can not only live in harmony as disciplines, but how they actually, in fact, intersect and can help you improve your focus
The evolution of the Pyramid of Needs for modern day society – what’s missing, and why
The gap that exists between effort (what you do) and motivation (why you do it)
What loss of religion means practically, and the problem that “lack of faith” can create
The reason behind the current resurgence of Stoicism, and what questions that philosophy can answer.
Why meaning must be found in purpose, and not purpose within meaning
The relationship (that’s necessary) between decision making and data collection
The pros and cons to the novelty effect
The most common reasons planners fail, and how you can overcome them with just a few simple tools
The problem with perfectionism and its relationship to procrastination (often related to not having a feedback loop)
Why reading isn’t always beneficial – and how you may need to tweak your reading style (were you aware you had one?)
How problem solving can be addictive, and what mindset is required to achieve cyclical solutions
Why connection is such a critical why – even for an introvert