Improving Your Memory (12 page)

16
You Don’t Have to Keep Everything in Your Head

Always carry a notebook. And I mean always ... unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever.

—Will Self

Although there are times when we have to rely on our memory for remembering, most people also use external reminders to prompt them throughout their daily lives. For example, we may keep a record of appointments on a paper or smartphone calendar, make grocery lists, use an oven timer for baking cookies, and rely on a pillbox that has compartments marked with the days and times of day. You probably agree that there is no need to trust your memory in these situations. If you can use something in your environment to cue yourself, your mind is free to think of other things. The following three external techniques may be familiar to you, but this chapter may help you adapt them in new ways.

Written Reminders: Write Things Down.

Is it a crutch to rely on lists, calendars, appointment books, and notes to keep track of what we want to remember? Absolutely
not. Writing things down is one of the most useful memory tools around. It’s best to keep all reminders in one notebook which you always return to a permanent and prominent place, like the kitchen counter, your pocket or purse, or a bedside table. Paper notebook or smart device? Or both? It’s up to you.

The following list will give you ideas for creatively using written reminders in everyday life.

• Keep a running list of things you need to do. As soon as you think of something, add it to the list.

• Use your notebook or calendar to remind yourself of calls you want to make in the future, such as phoning a friend after an operation.

• Keep a list of health questions you want to ask your health provider at your next appointment. Write down your provider’s instructions before you the leave the office.

• Keep a record of when you’ve written a letter or made an important phone call.

• Keep a list of books you want to read or books you have read.

• Record the name and dosage of each of your medications. Include the date you began taking it. Update this list every time you have a medication change of any kind.

• Make lists of people whose names you want to remember, such as neighbors, members of a social group, or children of your friends.

• Record the dates of events you would like to recall, such as your niece’s birthday, the day and year of your daughter’s wedding, or the anniversary of the death of your friend’s husband. Record these dates on your calendar at the start of every year. Use the repeat option on an electronic calendar to automatically add these dates every year.

• The requirements for passwords vary considerably, and some of them are very complicated. Keep a list of your
passwords for online banking, travel websites, work sites, email, credit cards, shopping sites, smart devices, and so on. Keep this information in a private, secure place.

ASSIGNMENT

Within the next three days, set up a notebook that you will use to record whatever you might want to remember. Keep a record for one week and see if you find it helpful.

For example:

Diary

To Do List

One more thing about writing things down: A friend of ours, whose memory is quite impaired, is able to keep track of the events of her life by jotting down daily occurrences as they happen. Her notebook reminds her of events and visitors, and she is able to tell others how her day has gone.

Auditory Reminders: Use Sound to Trigger Your Memory.

You can use alarm clocks, timers, smartphones, and computers to remind yourself of something that must be done at a specific time in the future. A telephone answering machine can also be used to provide an auditory cue. Here are some ways to use auditory reminders.

• If you make a phone call and don’t get through to the person, set a timer to remind yourself to call again.

• If you are away from home and want to remember to do something when you return, leave yourself a message on your answering machine or send yourself a text message.

• If you worry that you might lose track of time and be late to pick up a child from school, use a timer as a reminder.

• Smartphones have repeat alarm settings that can remind you to take your medicine each day at a certain time.

• If you’re busy writing e-mail messages or surfing the Web and want to be sure to leave for an appointment at a specific time, set the calendar on your computer to send you a reminder message.

Environmental Change: Change Something in Your Surroundings So It Jogs Your Memory.

One of the most effective and easiest ways to remind yourself of a specific task is to change something in your environment so you notice the change. The change then serves as a cue to jog your memory. You must make the change as soon as you think of the task, however! Here are examples of environmental cues that would jog your memory.

• Set the clothes to take to the cleaners in front of the door you will leave by.

• Put a note on the kitchen table so you’ll see it when you eat breakfast and remember to send a card to your aunt.

• Attach a note to the steering wheel to remind yourself to vote or stop at the hardware store.

• Tie a string around the handles of your purse so you can’t open it without being reminded to mail the letter that’s inside.

• When you’re in the basement, put a waste basket or a simple sign in front of the stairway to remind yourself to turn off the heater before you go upstairs.

• Change your watch or ring to the other hand; you will constantly feel it. As you drive to your friend’s house, it will remind you to tell him about the change in plans for the weekend. If you say aloud, “Tell Mario about the change in plans,” the technique will work even better.

EXAMPLE

Peggy says, “It’s easy to remember to silence my cell phone during a meeting or movie, but it’s hard for me to remember to turn the ringer back on.” She wondered what she could change in her environment to remind herself. She asked her friends, who came up with several ideas: change your ring or watch to the other hand; make a small X on your wrist with a pen; set the timer on your cell phone to the time the event will be over; tie a string around your finger or a put rubber band on your wrist. If you usually keep your cell phone in the pocket close to your dominant hand, move it to the pocket on the other side when you turn the ringer off. People who silence their phones at night can put a sticky note on the phone for a morning reminder.

When using any external memory aids, it is crucial to avoid procrastination. As soon as you think of something you need to do in the future, choose one of these techniques and act on it. If you think, “I’ll move the clothes for the dry cleaner to the front door when this TV show is over,” there’s a chance you may forget about the clothes in the ten minutes it takes for the show to end.

We use external reminders all the time; still, glitches can occur. Here’s what happened to one of us the other day. Lynn put her library book on the passenger seat of the car to remind her to return it to the library. When she offered a friend a ride, she moved the book to the back seat. Without the cue, she never thought about the book again until she got an overdue notice.

EXERCISE: ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Think of ways to jog your memory for the following tasks by using environmental change.

1. You want to remember to take your laptop to the office tomorrow.

2. You are out grocery shopping and want to remember to call your dentist when you get home.

3. You are at your exercise class and a friend asks you to bring a certain book to next week’s class.

4. You want to remember to put out the garbage tomorrow.

5. You are sitting in a meeting and you remember that you have to stop at the store on your way home.