Train Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Memory: Adjusting Memorize and Recall Time

Adjust the training effect with memorize time and recall time

Numbers Custom mode has two time settings.

• Memorize time — the period for encoding information with images, locations, and links
• Recall time — the period for retracing the route and entering answers as soon as memorization ends

Each value can be set from 10 seconds to 1 hour, and the recall screen opens immediately when memorize time ends. Even with the same number of digits, different combinations change encoding speed, route-maintenance time, and depth of recall.

Through years of training and teaching memory sports, I have experienced different memory demands and training effects from these combinations. The working-, medium-, and long-term categories below summarize that practical training experience.

The timer combinations and training effects in this guide come from the first-person training and coaching experience of the lead trainer at MemorySports.

Training type	Memorize time	Recall time	Main effect I have experienced
Working/short-term memory	Under 1 minute	Under 1 minute	Speed and accuracy when retrieving what was just seen
Medium-term memory	5–15 minutes	10–30 minutes	Holding early images and a long route through the end of recall
Long-term memory	30–60 minutes	Current setting: 30–60 minutes	Deep encoding and repeated reconstruction of a long route

The ideal recall range I have aimed for in long-term-memory training is 1–3 hours. Custom mode currently provides up to one hour, so a round uses the full one-hour range first and then extends the goal with another retrieval after a real interval.

Working/short-term memory training — keep both short

Set both memorize time and recall time below one minute. This develops moment-to-moment concentration and the speed of encoding and retrieving information that was just seen.

Example: memorize 20–30 digits for 30 seconds, then recall and enter them within 30–60 seconds. Repeat for several short rounds.

The 7±2 figure popularized by George Miller's 1956 paper is a classic estimate from certain immediate-memory-span tasks. Modern work that separates rehearsal and chunking from the underlying central store estimates its capacity in young adults at about 3–5 meaningful items; the exact number depends on the task and on how an item or chunk is defined (Cowan, 2010).

Mnemonic training builds the speed of turning digits into familiar images and locations, then retrieving the right cues reliably. Start with accuracy, and add a few digits or reduce memorize time once your success rate is stable.

Medium-term memory training — short memorize time, longer recall time

Set memorize time to 5–15 minutes and recall time to 10–30 minutes. In my training experience, this combination develops the ability to preserve the first images and the entire route through a longer recall process.

Example: memorize 40–80 digits for 10 minutes, then set recall to 20 minutes and enter the answers while retracing the route calmly.

The recall screen begins immediately after memorization. During a longer recall, you revisit the route several times, bring early items forward again, and reconstruct links that have become faint. This concentrates the round on maintenance and route stability.

Long-term memory training — keep both long

Set both memorize time and recall time to 30–60 minutes. A long memorize period supports detailed imagery and deep links between locations; a long recall period repeatedly reconstructs the full route. This is the combination in which I have felt the strongest training effect for memories meant to last.

Example: memorize 100 or more digits for 30 minutes, then use 30–60 minutes to reconstruct the entire route while preserving accuracy.

A single round currently provides up to one hour of recall time. To extend training toward the ideal 1–3-hour range, keep the digit sequence or card order used in the round, wait for the interval you want, and recall the same route again. This carries memory-sports encoding and route practice into a longer maintenance period.

For material that continues across days or weeks, memorynotes.app provides flashcards and spaced-repetition schedules. MemorySports develops encoding and route maintenance intensively; retrieval across longer intervals completes the path toward durable retention.

Give the earliest items your strongest encoding in a long list

In my own long-round training and coaching, the information encoded first has often been the first to become faint by recall. I therefore use the strongest locations and clearest links at the beginning, keep imagery flowing through the middle, and finish the final segment with speed.

• Beginning — place vivid scenes at your most reliable memory-palace locations and check them once more during memorization.
• Middle — mark segment boundaries and keep the chain of imagery continuous.
• End — use the immediate transition into recall, encode quickly, and verify the order.

In a five-minute memorize round, encode about two-thirds and briefly revisit the starting point within the first three minutes. Use the next 90 seconds for the remainder, then spend the final 30 seconds checking weak links near the beginning.

Adjust the segment ratio from your own results. Mark error locations after every round, then give that segment stronger imagery and more time in the next round.

Accuracy first helps volume and speed grow together

Choose an amount and time you can recall accurately and stabilize that performance first. Once your success rate is consistent, change one variable at a time: add digits, shorten memorize time, or shorten recall time. Repeated accurate rounds build trust in the route, followed by stable gains in volume and speed.

A memory-sports routine to try today

1. Warm-up — working memory. Run two or three rounds of 20 digits with 30 seconds to memorize and 30–60 seconds to recall.
2. Main set — medium-term memory. Use 40–80 digits, 10 minutes to memorize, and 20 minutes to recall. Mark errors in the beginning, middle, and end.
3. Finish — long-term memory. Use 100 or more digits, 30 minutes to memorize, and 30–60 minutes to recall the full route. One or two long rounds per week works well.

To strengthen the techniques, start with how to memorize numbers and how to build a memory palace. To check your immediate memory span, use Number Memory.

Frequently asked questions

What effect does a longer recall time produce?

A longer recall period gives you more practice holding a large amount, keeping the route active, and reconstructing it without rushing. In my practical classification, 5–15 minutes to memorize plus 10–30 minutes to recall emphasizes medium-term maintenance; keeping both periods above 30 minutes emphasizes long-term memory.

How can I use a recall period longer than one hour?

Custom mode currently provides up to one hour of recall time. For a 1–3-hour goal, finish the first round, leave the intended interval, and then recall the same digit sequence or card route again.

Which event should I use?

Any event with an image-conversion system can use this approach. Numbers offer a simple starting point, followed by Cards or words. The training principle of combining memorize and recall time carries across events.

Do I need all three types every time?

Set the proportion according to your goal. Use more working-memory rounds on speed days, and devote more time to medium- and long-term rounds when preparing for long events.

Key takeaway

Memorize time is the period for building images and routes; recall time is the period for maintaining and reconstructing that route while entering answers. Short–short settings emphasize working-memory speed, short–long settings emphasize medium-term maintenance, and long–long settings emphasize long-term memory. Use the current one-hour round fully, then add another retrieval after a real interval to extend retention toward 1–3 hours and beyond.