Last night, I had a brilliant idea for this column. But I didn’t write it down, and by the time I sat down at my laptop, the idea had evaporated like the morning dew. Just… gone.
And don’t even get me started on how often I “forget to remember” important dates and meetings, misplace my keys or my phone, or walk into a room with no idea of why I went there.
For me, there’s a reason why my memory resembles a five-gallon bucket with a bunch of holes in the bottom. I received a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis last year, and it’s helped to explain a lot of my leaky memory issues. However, knowing is only half the battle. While the techniques I’ve learned–and am still learning–are rooted in treating ADHD, many of them can help neurotypical folks, too.
If you struggle with forgetfulness or just want to improve recall, try out these tips. And if your leaky memory is impacting your life, work, and relationships in a significant way, it might be worth talking to your doctor about it.
Get Your Sleep Right
If your sleep isn’t right, pretty much nothing else will be right either. Not only will better sleep help your brain function during the day, but it will also help you retain more information over time. That’s because sleep–both the REM kind and the non-REM kind–is when your brain moves memories from short-term to long-term storage.
You know how they told you to get a good night’s sleep instead of staying up to study all night for a test? They were 100% correct.
Speaking of sleep, ever wonder why you seem to have such good ideas just as you’re drifting off? It’s what happens when you exert less conscious control over your thoughts and your subconscious mind has a chance to come out and play.
According to Barry Gordon, a professor of neurology and cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, “We are aware of a tiny fraction of the thinking that goes on in our minds.” Gordon claims that those “preconscious” thought that seem to arrive just as we’re falling asleep have actually been there the whole time–we just didn’t realize it.
Keep a Record
It’s okay if you can’t remember everything all the time. Unless you’re actress Marilu Henner, who was born with the ultra-rare ability to remember every moment of her life, then you’ll forget far more than you recall.
If you’re prone to having those late-night brilliant ideas, keep a notepad (or your phone; what is this, 1946?) to make notes. They may not make as much sense as you hope in the morning, so brace yourself for being disappointed.
One trick that I’ve found really helpful is to keep a notebook beside my computer where I can jot down any drifting ideas that aren’t related to the immediate task at hand. Whether it’s something I need to add to my to-do list or inspiration for a project, I jot it down and then continue with my work.
That way, I won’t lose any potentially brilliant thoughts and also won’t derail my focus by dropping everything to chase the new idea.
We’re already pretty obsessed with documenting every moment of our lives on social media, so keeping even more records may sound like overkill.
However, keeping a simple journal–in whatever format is most convenient and appealing to you–is a surprisingly helpful habit. You can look back on what you’ve accomplished, find out where you were or what you did on a particular day, and keep tabs on important things like your health or relationships.
Queen Elizabeth writes in her private journal every single night before bed–and if it’s good enough for her, surely it’s good enough for you?
Make It Simple
Just like building better habits, you’ll find it easier to remember things when you lower the difficulty and eliminate blocks. You may want to experiment with different strategies to see what works with your style. Some people find it helpful to set reminders on their phone, while others get annoyed or distracted by the alerts. Having a giant wall calendar with color-coded tasks might make sense for you… or it might be one of those things you do for a week and then abandon because it’s too difficult or complicated to maintain.
An easy way to always remember your wallet, keys, phone and other essentials? Put them together in the same spot every single day. Is that a basic life skill? Yeah… but I’ve accidentally put my wallet in the freezer before when unloading groceries. Now I have a little tray by the front door where everything (plus a charging mat) can hang out until I’m ready to leave the house.
Hack Your Memory
Mnemonics are memory tricks that help us retain information quickly and accurately. A basic example is “Roy. G. Biv,” a nonsense name that schools use to teach kids the colors of the rainbow. Rhymes are really helpful–think “I before E, except after C.”
However, our brains love music and will remember songs with much less effort than other forms of information. You can use this to your advantage by replacing the lyrics of a song with a piece of information you need to memorize. For example, if you needed to remember that you parked in space C-5 of a garage, you could ask Beyoncé for help by singing “all the C-5 ladies” to yourself. It’s weird… but it works!
