how do you memorize your sets?

[Steven_M]

Well, I guess that's one way to do it.

It changed my attitude. I don't write them any more!

[Art Sandal]

How you memorize your set will somewhat depend on how you write it. My roommate is also a comic and he writes material by getting on stage and riffing on a premise and after doing that a few times he will have the bit fleshed out and memorized.

I write out all my jokes before going on stage and a week before I go up I rehearse my set a few times a day, each day. On the day of performing I'll rehearse it a little bit more than usual, maybe like 4 or 5 times, just to know I've got it down. However, once I get to wherever I'm performing I purposefully stop thinking about my jokes. In my experience rehearsing my set at the venue only causes me to second guess my jokes and my confidence that I'll remember the jokes. Once I get to the venue I try to get in a relaxed mindset by taking deep breaths and joking around with the other comics.

[AynBannd]

My setlist have been 2-paged packets of full jokes so far when I go to open mics. I don't know, should I have a separate one-page of just the topics/first few words of my jokes to put on the stool instead? For me, either I put my packet on the stool, and occasionally glance at it OR I study my setlist at the very last second, keep it in my pocket all the way 'til the end of my set. To me, it feels more conversational and stream-of-conscious like on stage that way.