4x U.S. Memory Champion Nelson Dellis on why & how he is learning Dutch in just one year

Nelson Dellis is a memory athlete, 4-time U.S. Memory Champion, a Grandmaster of Memory, a high-altitude mountaineer, author, speaker, and all-around cool dude. He is now on a mission to reach conversational fluency in Dutch in just one year, applying all the memory techniques, mnemonics, and visualization strategies he used to train for memory championships.

“Memory should be joyful—not just because you can recall what you need to when you need to, but because the act of storing it is an adventure in and of itself.”

Topics Discussed

In our conversation, we discuss:

• Why Nelson decided to learn Dutch.
• The power of specific timeframes and short deadlines.
• The importance of having a powerful WHY when setting out to learn a language.
• How the loss of Nelson’s paternal grandmother helped inspire his path to becoming a memory champion.
• How Nelson is applying his memory techniques and apps like Drops to master Dutch vocabulary more quickly.
• Why language learning is not only about memorizing vocabulary, but why you might as well do so as efficiently as possible.
• The importance of having a balanced “language diet” between exposure, practice, and conscious study.
• Why consistency (“the habit of the habit”) and identity are so crucial in language learning.
• Nelson’s daily language learning routines and and “non-negotiable” habits.
• Why fun is so important in language learning (“Fun gets done!”), but why you also can’t skip “the suck.”
• Why no amount of study can replace speaking practice.
• How our muscle memory in a language can fade even if we still remember what to say.
• How Nelson uses mnemonics and mental images to more easily remember words, numbers, etc.
• Why you should make your mental images as vivid, varied, and sensory-rich as possible.
• Why making and recalling mental images is faster and more efficient than you might think.
• The difference between “declarative” and “procedural” memory, and how Nelson tackles both.
• Why memory hacks are helpful augments to―not replacement for―exposure and practice.
• Why you can learn any language anywhere.
• The power of changing the display language on your devices to your target language.
• Nelson’s top tips for optimizing your memory and making memorizing fun.

Concepts, People & Resources Mentioned

• Mnemonics (Wikipedia)
• Memory palace (Wikipedia)
• Remembering the Kanji 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters by James Heisig
• Master Japanese: How to Learn Japanese through Anywhere Immersion (my step-by-step book on how to learn Japanese anywhere)
• Dutch language (Wikipedia)
• Flemish language (Wikipedia)
• Define Your “Why” for Learning a Language (Language Mastery article)
• USA Memory Championship (Wikipedia)
• The difficult distinction between “dialects” and “languages” (Atlantic article)
• The Pomodoro Technique (Wikipedia)
• Biopsychosocial model (Wikipedia)
• Benny Lewis (Language Mastery Show interview)
• Alzheimer’s disease (Wikipedia)
• Epigenetics (Wikipedia)
• Forget Sudoku, Crosswords & Lumosity. Learn a Language Instead! (Language Mastery article)
• Drops: Play with your words (gamified vocabulary app for iOS & Android app)
• Minimum Viable Habits (Language Mastery article)
• Matt D’Avella’s interview with James Clear (YouTube video)
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
• All-or-nothing thinking (Wikipedia)
• 10 Common Thinking Errors That Cause Depression & Anxiety and Block Your Path to Fluency in a Foreign Language (Language Mastery article)
• Derek Sivers (“If more information was the answer, then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.”)
• Preply (online language tutors)
• You Can’t Skip the Suck, But You Can Overcome It (Language Mastery article)
• Khatzumoto (All Japanese All the Time)
• 1-on-1 language coaching (schedule a free 15-minute discovery session)
• Remember It!: The Names of People You Meet, All of Your Passwords, Where You Left Your Keys, and Everything Else You Tend to Forget by Nelson Dellis
• Nelson’s tips for memorizing foreign words (YouTube video)
• Ezelsbruggetje (Dutch word for “mnemonic” that literally means “donkey bridge”)
• Diminutive (Wikipedia)
• struisvogel (Dutch word for “ostrich”)
• “Declarative” vs “Procedural” memory (Language Mastery article)
• The Matrix (Amazon Prime)
• TuneIn (free radio streaming app that allows you to choose stations by language or country)
• FAQ: How Can I Change the Display Language on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, Kindle, Facebook, Instagram, etc.? (Language Mastery article)
• Diphthong (Wikipedia)
• Memory Games (Netflix)

Nelson’s Books

• Remember It!: The Names of People You Meet, All of Your Passwords, Where You Left Your Keys, and Everything Else You Tend to Forget
• Memory Superpowers!: An Adventurous Guide to Remembering What You Don’t Want to Forget

Connect with Nelson

• Nelson’s Website: NelsonDellis.com
• Nelson’s YouTube Channel: Nelson Dellis
• Nelson’s Facebook Page: @NelsonCDellis
• Nelson’s Instagram Account: @nelzor
• Nelson’s Twitter Account: @ClimbForMemory

If you enjoy this interview, also check out my conversation with Mattias Ribbing, a Swedish author, lecturer, and Grandmaster of Memory.