Day 259: Remembering Things
Being forgetful is part of human nature, unfortunately it will happen to the best of us and sometimes it can be terribly inconvenient. For me forgetfulness kicked in really strong yesterday when I ended up forgetting to write the days blog post. Therefore, today at eleven o'clock at night I will be writing two blog posts. Because I was forgetful and I know you've been forgetful, I wanted to share this post with you.
In life there will be things you forget about, it's human nature. You might even remind yourself to do something, such as when I opened up Wordpress in order to start writing my blog post yesterday and still managed to forget, and then still forget. Not matter how hard we try, we simply cannot remember everything, from people's names to whether or not you've already added the third cup of flour to your recipe and beyond.
Because we are forgetful, there are a few things we as humans can do in order to remember things better and keep our forgetful moments at a minimum. Because let's be honest, sometimes our forgetfulness can really hurt someone else. Ever forgotten a birthday? Or an event you had scheduled with someone? Things that genuinely slip from our minds can really damage our relationship with others and it is up to us to try and keep our relationships in tact.
In the case of task such as writing blog posts, cleaning the dishes, or finishing assigned reading material, your best chance of getting such a thing done and remembering to do it is simple. Do it as soon as you think of it. Often we might not want to engage in activities we deem undesirable, but it's often better to get it out of the way as soon as possible. That way once it is over, you can focus your full attention of something you want to do. And you're less likely to forget something if you do it right away rather than coming back to it later.
People are reward oriented, if you're struggling with wanting to do something and you know you'll forget it if you put it off, put a reward in front of your nose. Maybe it's a simple as if you complete a few important tasks form your list, you'll give yourself fifteen minutes to relax on social media. Tempting yourself with a reward will help you through the task as fast as possible and will eliminate the chance of forgetting.
When it comes to people's names, this can be a really tricky situation. If you're at a party and meet several people at once it can be hard to keep those names straight if you remember them at all. Try associating the name with another word that brings to mind the person currently standing in front of you. Maybe the guy you just met is named Tod and he's extremely tall, repeat "Tall Tod" to yourself several times while picturing his face to help cement it in. Or associate their name with a physical feature they possess, such as Racheal who has the most beautiful green eyes, if you repeat that to yourself several times, when you see those green eyes you'll be more likely to remember her name.
I often carry a little notebook with me when I know I'll be meeting new people. I'll hold their name in my mind while the conversation goes on, and remember when you end the conversation it's always acceptable to say something like "And can you remind me of your name . . . well Sarah, it was wonderful talking to you", but after the conversation is gone I document little details in my notebook. I write their name, where I was when I met them and the date, and maybe a little thing about them such as where they live or what they look like to help remind me who they were.
Even with so many articles and suggestions for improving your memory, such as getting more sleep and eating less sugar (apparently that's supposed to help), you'll probably still forget things. If that is the case, my best advice is simple, ask for forgiveness if it effects anything and move on. Remember the mistake you made and readjust so you are less likely to forget. An apology can go a long way and if you forget sometimes it's the only way to go.
Until Next Time,
Lillian Merritt