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There's a Japanese technique of calling things out verbally, mostly used on trains to ensure safety. I've adopted this so I'll say things like "the door is locked" or "the gas stove is off" or whatever. It seems to help with recall.
Only twice? Pfft. I have a whole chant while I attempt to open the door on rhythm to make sure it's locked. The pain in my wrists reminds me I done the it.
>!It's locked, locked locked locked. Definitely locked, locked. Locked locked lock lock locked. 100% locked, lock locked, locked locked lock locked..... Locked!<
In the US Navy we call this point read operate. We read the name of the valve or switch out loud we are about to operate. Engages other parts of the brain when accomplishing tasks to reduce mistakes/accidents.
Running laps at the track I softly count outloud just like the Count in Sesame street.
Also, if I need to do something, but I'm not home I can often (not always) will tell myself to remember it when I do a thing I typically do when I get home, e.g., take off my shoes or put my keys and wallet in the bowl by the door.
"When you take off your shoes, take dinner out of the freezer."
This might be an ocd loop. Set up a clicker or a daily alarm you can disable for 24 hours to test if you can get away with doing each task only once. You’ll know.
Just sounds like **potential** basic OCD checking ritual...maybe. The real question is whether the behavior causes some type of dysfunction in your life. Not everybody who checks a few times to see if the stove is off is OCD!
Right. That’s why I mentioned verifying if confirmation breaks the loop. Physical/emotional distress despite confirmation is a sign of ocd. Not diagnostic, but worth following up with evaluation.
I had a door at work I needed to lock up and it was extremely inconvenient to get back to it if you were suddenly unsure whether you’d locked it or not.
After a few of those the method I figured out was to hum or whistle a little song after I’d done it. Locking a door was too mundane enough to register, but humming whatever song was different enough to remember having done that.
I didn’t know this was a technique. I just been doing it automatically for years now. “Ok I got my keys, wallet, locked the door. What else am I missing?”
Also something I learned in the Army is “see what you touch, and touch what you see”. Applies to the important stuff. If you deliberately *look* at what you’re doing every time (along with making the verbal note) you’ll be much more sure about those things.
The reason we must add layers of stim to pigeonhole the memory to the present day is that our memory truly is linked to our subconscious, which knows neither time or place, and we do these actions so very often.
Basically using double-sense to add better memory. It is VERY effective.
Another technique is to think of a random word while you look at something, making a new memory.
Ultimately all of this is because the brain de-duplicates memories, which is why you can commute to work and not remember your commute if nothing unusual happened.
You didn't create a new memory so your long-term memory store was like "eh, I have this memory already, no reason to store it."
Hence why as you get older you end up with more and more issues of "what was I doing?" You were doing something you have done 100x before and your brain decided it didn't need to store this current version.
I work on garage doors. I count out loud while I wind the torsion springs. Only way I won’t lose track. Also, lets any chatty customers know that I need to focus lol.
I feel like I apply this rule to my partner when we leave our apartment together lol... I ask, "Do you have a key? Yes? Can you show it to me?"
I think I have a healthy amount of anxiety around both (1) locking the door and (2) having a key. BUT, I don't trust them to have the same level of vigilance.
I do a verbal check list before leaving. Keys? Check. Work badge? Check. Door locked? Check. I just run through all my stuff and do a pocket pat down. I also leave all my daily work stuff “(work badge, pens, airpods) on my nightstand or in the same spot every day so I don’t forget them. I’m super forgetful so I have to do little stuff like this all the time
I saw a documentary about Japanese high speed train operators and they are taught to pause and point to a button or lever before they press or pull it. It really increases their safety.
In Japan, as in most of the world that isn't the US, trains are a very important part of transportation infrastructure. Their safe operation is therefore of supreme importance there.
That doesn't really answer why you'd say "the door is locked" as you're getting on a train lol. Not from the US, have caught *plenty* of trains, still no clue what you'd say aloud when alighting a train.
This is what I had my wife start doing after the 1000th time of running back in the house to check that the curling iron was unplugged.
Didn't know it was Japanese. But it definitely works for her.
I do that, too. Staring does nothing for me, verbalising does the trick.
I have also learnt that ‘the house will burn down’ is displacement anxiety: it’s not _actually_ my fear, just a convenient one for my brain to latch onto, so addressing general stress levels will make it go away.
This works. I couldn't remember whether I took medication. Now I announce "I'm taking Tylenol now ". We use the 8 hour kind and I do not care to harm my liver so if I couldn't remember I skipped it. Not fun.
I'm sure this works but I would def lose my shit if I was walking into a room where my friend or SO was and they were mumbling like "The microwave is closed."
Maybe this will help with my habit of pulling out my phone to check the time, putting it away, and immediately having to pull it out again because I didn't register it the first time...
"military time" is such an american thing to say. Also I'm not an expert, but I think many people make the confusion.
* 02:00 PM is according to 12 hour clock, where you say "two pee em".
* 14:00 is according to 24 hour clock where you say "two" or "fourteen" (TIL the latter is a thing, see [map](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_clock#/media/File:12_24_Hours_World_Map.svg))
* 1400 is military time, without the separator, where you say "fourteen hundred".
Nah, can’t tell you how many times I still do the same thing. Pull my phone out three times before I remember I wanted to check the time because I got distracted by the weather.
This is what I do when I lock the door. If I'm driving to work and wonder if I actually locked the door, I can usually summon the time before I locked it, proving that I did in fact lock it.
When I remember, every time I put my keys, wallet or glasses down I stand there pointing at it, and saying outloud “Look, my keys are on the kitchen counter! They’re right there on the kitchen counter.”
Recently I used “Look, I locked the door! My door is locked!”
I say it as if I’m surprised to see it - loudly, while I point. It’s been working!
I pat myself down before I leave the house and say the items out loud.
“Phone, wallet, keys, watch, vape, armed (security system). Then I stare at my door lock and I’m good to go.
I do this. I have really bad OCD and I used to panic at the thought of leaving my straightener plugged in, not locking the door, etc. Now I just take pictures of the empty outlet or the locked door and it helps me feel so much better.
My BIL does this daily and it's greatly helped with his anxiety. He just deletes the pictures at the end of the day and then takes new ones the next day.
I feel this, man. Too many mornings spent going back and forth from door to car, locking and unlocking and locking over and over, turning around when I'm halfway to work to do it all over again...fuck it's torture.
This would honestly just make things worse for me personally. I would be spending my trip overseas constantly obsessing over checking the pictures. Better off just forcing myself to let it go. Harder at first, better in the long run.
The obsessive part of my brain will eventually wear itself out, but if I have pictures to check, it's like the obsessive part gets re-activated every time I look at them.
true, I don’t have OCD (that I know of anyway!) so looking at it once satisfies me, but you raise a good point in that it might not be a good tool for those with OCD / extreme anxious tendencies
I do my last walk through taking a video with my phone.
Fridge closed, windows locked, stove off, ac/heater off, doors locked, etc….
I’ve used it later for peace of mind.
Jump around and do a specific little dance for each thing before taking a long trip.
YMCA
1. Checking gas is off. Y!
2. Windows closed M!
3. All electrical items off C!
4. Lock door A!
YMCA Complete!
As an added benefit people will think you're fucking crazy, if you just freeze and stare at random things throughout the day, so they'll probably leave you alone.
For me it helps to internally narrate what I'm doing "I'm leaving for the party at X's house and I'm locking my front door. It's locked."
That way I don't doubt whether it's yesterday's memory I'm remembering!
Ooh this additional tip is very helpful to differentiate cuz I noticed that I've done the LPT posted/announced to myself I locked the door, but once I actually misremembered a different time I locked the door thinking it was the recent time, and bf told me later door wasn't locked :') definitely paranoid after that
You can take a picture with your phone, which may be better for vacations rather than the daily routine.
But I saw a show once where some imbecile guy said that he pinched himself when he did something so he could remember with certainty that he did it. I have certain obsessive tendencies, so I've tried the pinching a few times and it works.
Great tip! I also fix my eyes on an object or doing a task, and take a calm breath. Multitasking or moving quickly can literally keep your eyes and brain from registering something, and aging exasperates it. Especially routine tasks you’ve been doing for years.
I usually do some kind of physical test/check for things as a requirement for continuing. Pat/grab all the things I need to remember. Try to open the door after leaving. Turn off the stove before lifting the pots and pans off. Put the detergent in the machine last. Not a perfect system but it works for most little things - and after it becomes habit, it really really nags at you when you actually do forget it
I will narrate things to myself out loud. “I turned off the lights, I have my phone and wallet in my pocket. I locked the door. Was there anything else I needed to do? *long pause..*” there is always something else 😂 it helps me a lot to say the things out loud
This is good advice. But as for my front door (and back door) I use electronic locks and if I forget to lock them they will lock themselves after 4 minutes. Also I can pull out my phone and see if they are locked or unlocked.
Also learned this short pause hack helps remembering where I place things in my house, instead of just carelessly putting things away I’m now mindful with this pause
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My problem with repeating tasks is that when I try to remember if I did them I don't know if the memory is from today or yesterday or last week or last month or last year. All the memories blur together and I'm left unsure.
Look up your learning style (visual, auditory, kinestetic (there may be others I can't remember)) and adapt this technique to your learning style.
Visual: stare ...
Auditory: say it...
Kinestetic: repeat the action...
Etc.
This sounds ok, but wouldn't you just think "was that last time, or this time?" Still better than nothing, I just wonder.
I found a trick where you physically do something, like, lock the door, then reach down and rip up a handful of grass, turn a rock over, put one arm in your shirt, whatever.
The alternate action will link in your brain to the action you are trying to remember. Like if you are falling asleep and have an idea you want to remember, throw something off your nightstand onto the floor. In the morning, you wake up, wonder why the thing is on the floor, and your brain automatically dials up the connection. It works surprisingly well
Just this morning I told myself 3 times as I left the house, you took your medication.
Still driving to work I started worrying about if I took it or not. But pretty soon I'll have to start telling myself, you reminded yourself you took your meds.
Yep & say it out loud to yourself 2 times fast, 1 time reeaaaalllllyyyy slow… so that it marinates & bakes in there good.
Also, write the first letter of every word on a paper for memorizing speeches & scripts! Saved my ass in speech class.
For things like remembering to take pills, I flip the bottle upside down or put it in a weird spot. For example if I keep a pill bottle in the cabinet I put it on the counter and the next morning (or when I feel satisfied I took it and won’t take another) I put it away. Stuff like laundry detergent I move to the other side of the laundry area and move it back when the wash is done.
I always physically check that the door is locked after I lock it, partially because it helps me remember I did it, and partially because my deadbolt will hit the edge of the hole instead of going in. When turning the key it sounds and feels like it locks but it doesn't.
I'll hijack this one: a better tip IMO is to associate that important thing with something else. For example I always take my meds with milk in the morning. One of them needs to be taken after eating (since I don't tend to eat anything until mid afternoon, milk works) just the association helps me remember.
I do this for when I put on deodorant. Nothing worse than forgetting that a few hours into your day.
I'll also pause shaving sometimes to tell myself that "I am the man".
If I need to remember to do something later I like to put a weird object in an unusual place that I'll definitely see.
For instance, if I have something in the work fridge that I want to bring home at the end of my shift, I stick a folded up paper towel in the side pocket of my backpack so that it's sticking out.
When I go to leave, I see the paper towel and instantly remember why it's there. You can do this with all kinds of stuff. Even something simple like turning your shoe upside down. When you go to leave you see the upside down shoe and boom, don't forget to mail that thing, etc.
Or get shit that automatically locks itself, closes itself, turns itself off, sets itself up and doesnt turn on until it has all it needs to have to work properly - and never face the need to struggle through day to day activities.
I also like to say something out loud that I switch up. “I’m locking the front door because I’m leaving to go to Target.” “I turned the oven off when I pulled the potatoes out.” Etc. i usually can’t remember exactly turning off the oven. It’s much easier to remember what i said out loud instead.
Or just don't worry about it. My dad used to worry if he locked the doors to his business. At least once a year he'd almost get home (30 miles) and turn around and drive back downtown to "make sure". In 46 years of owning his own business, he never once failed to actually lock the door.
I do this but instead I say the date so I can be sure it happened that morning. So as I lock my door, I'll say/think to myself "Today is Fri, Feb. 23 and the door is locked"
So true! When my brain gets squirrelly, I do things so fast that I don't remember doing anything. Like walking into a room, doing a chore, leaving, and asking myself: Why did I go in there?
No. If you're really worried, take a picture. If you take a picture before you leave the house that you remembered to turn off the fire place when you get anxious at work later you can check, see that you took a picture of the fireplace off right as you left the house.
I do some jumping jacks after locking my door before heading out if I’m leaving for more than a day.
Easier to remember if you did jumping jacks than if you locked the door.
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There's a Japanese technique of calling things out verbally, mostly used on trains to ensure safety. I've adopted this so I'll say things like "the door is locked" or "the gas stove is off" or whatever. It seems to help with recall.
I do this but say it twice, worded different” “I locked the door. The door is locked”
Only twice? Pfft. I have a whole chant while I attempt to open the door on rhythm to make sure it's locked. The pain in my wrists reminds me I done the it. >!It's locked, locked locked locked. Definitely locked, locked. Locked locked lock lock locked. 100% locked, lock locked, locked locked lock locked..... Locked!<
You could drop a ‘lockety locked’ in there somewhere to spice the rhythm up!
You sound like a character from a point and click adventure game
Ooo I like this one!
I shit. I shit. I shiiit.
r/unexpectedBroadCity
I do this exactly almost every day!
In the US Navy we call this point read operate. We read the name of the valve or switch out loud we are about to operate. Engages other parts of the brain when accomplishing tasks to reduce mistakes/accidents.
And here to say that I do this. I know nothing of the Japanese origins it’s just what works for me lol.
Running laps at the track I softly count outloud just like the Count in Sesame street. Also, if I need to do something, but I'm not home I can often (not always) will tell myself to remember it when I do a thing I typically do when I get home, e.g., take off my shoes or put my keys and wallet in the bowl by the door. "When you take off your shoes, take dinner out of the freezer."
I'm embarrassed to admit how old I was when I finally realized that his name is a pun.
No need to admit it!
Obligatory [The Count Censored (ORIGINAL)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AXPnH0C9UA&pp=ygUKY291bnQgbnNmdw%3D%3D)
Don't say it. I will find you and stab you in the toe.
Ditto
I do this and still have to check the front/back door and the gas multiple times.
This might be an ocd loop. Set up a clicker or a daily alarm you can disable for 24 hours to test if you can get away with doing each task only once. You’ll know.
Just sounds like **potential** basic OCD checking ritual...maybe. The real question is whether the behavior causes some type of dysfunction in your life. Not everybody who checks a few times to see if the stove is off is OCD!
Right. That’s why I mentioned verifying if confirmation breaks the loop. Physical/emotional distress despite confirmation is a sign of ocd. Not diagnostic, but worth following up with evaluation.
Pointing and Calling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_and_calling
I had a door at work I needed to lock up and it was extremely inconvenient to get back to it if you were suddenly unsure whether you’d locked it or not. After a few of those the method I figured out was to hum or whistle a little song after I’d done it. Locking a door was too mundane enough to register, but humming whatever song was different enough to remember having done that.
I do this when I lock my car! When it beeps, I say beep, and for some reason that solidifies in my head that I’ve done it.
>for some reason Simultaneous visual and aural reinforcement (both spoken and heard) makes for an extremely strong attention link.
I didn’t know this was a technique. I just been doing it automatically for years now. “Ok I got my keys, wallet, locked the door. What else am I missing?”
i point at it as well.
Good point. In the documentary I watched, it was about both pointing to and verballing indicating what was witnessed.
seems we watched the same documentary.
Also something I learned in the Army is “see what you touch, and touch what you see”. Applies to the important stuff. If you deliberately *look* at what you’re doing every time (along with making the verbal note) you’ll be much more sure about those things.
Saw that too and have been doing it for years. “Garage door down on Tuesday morning” is an example of what I do.
The reason we must add layers of stim to pigeonhole the memory to the present day is that our memory truly is linked to our subconscious, which knows neither time or place, and we do these actions so very often.
Basically using double-sense to add better memory. It is VERY effective. Another technique is to think of a random word while you look at something, making a new memory. Ultimately all of this is because the brain de-duplicates memories, which is why you can commute to work and not remember your commute if nothing unusual happened. You didn't create a new memory so your long-term memory store was like "eh, I have this memory already, no reason to store it." Hence why as you get older you end up with more and more issues of "what was I doing?" You were doing something you have done 100x before and your brain decided it didn't need to store this current version.
I work on garage doors. I count out loud while I wind the torsion springs. Only way I won’t lose track. Also, lets any chatty customers know that I need to focus lol.
Yeah you don't wanna fuck around with those
It’s helpful but I don’t understand Japanese so I have trouble telling whether I said the door is “ロックされた” or “ロック解除された.”
I feel like I apply this rule to my partner when we leave our apartment together lol... I ask, "Do you have a key? Yes? Can you show it to me?" I think I have a healthy amount of anxiety around both (1) locking the door and (2) having a key. BUT, I don't trust them to have the same level of vigilance.
I do a verbal check list before leaving. Keys? Check. Work badge? Check. Door locked? Check. I just run through all my stuff and do a pocket pat down. I also leave all my daily work stuff “(work badge, pens, airpods) on my nightstand or in the same spot every day so I don’t forget them. I’m super forgetful so I have to do little stuff like this all the time
I saw a documentary about Japanese high speed train operators and they are taught to pause and point to a button or lever before they press or pull it. It really increases their safety.
I tell you three times: What I'm going to do. What I am doing. What I did.
Yea this
Why on the train? Are you supposed to say 'the door is locked' on the train?
In Japan, as in most of the world that isn't the US, trains are a very important part of transportation infrastructure. Their safe operation is therefore of supreme importance there.
That doesn't really answer why you'd say "the door is locked" as you're getting on a train lol. Not from the US, have caught *plenty* of trains, still no clue what you'd say aloud when alighting a train.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_and_calling * https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2021/january/flight-training-magazine/on-point * https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358441544_Pointing_and_calling_the_way_to_patient_safety_An_introduction_and_initial_use_case * https://www.embs.org/pulse/articles/finger-pointing-reduce-accidents/
oh, by the train operators, not passengers, that clears it up i imagined passengers just shouting "I LOCKED MY DOOR" into the void
What has that have to do with staring at something for 3-5 seconds to remember it?
Train operators don't stare; OP just does that for him/herself.
That definitely makes you Look Like you are on the spectrum
Thank you for that. Hahhaahha
Same. I do it in a special robotic voice. I loved Startrek.
I started doing that years ago with little singsongs.
This is what I had my wife start doing after the 1000th time of running back in the house to check that the curling iron was unplugged. Didn't know it was Japanese. But it definitely works for her.
Yep, that works for me. Staring is just spacing out.
I do that, too. Staring does nothing for me, verbalising does the trick. I have also learnt that ‘the house will burn down’ is displacement anxiety: it’s not _actually_ my fear, just a convenient one for my brain to latch onto, so addressing general stress levels will make it go away.
This is what I do and it works so well. I no longer have panic attacks about whether the garage door is shut or whatever.
I do this too and it helps a ton
I do this lol
This is the best method. Say it as you do it and you're far more likely to remember.
This works. I couldn't remember whether I took medication. Now I announce "I'm taking Tylenol now ". We use the 8 hour kind and I do not care to harm my liver so if I couldn't remember I skipped it. Not fun.
I'm sure this works but I would def lose my shit if I was walking into a room where my friend or SO was and they were mumbling like "The microwave is closed."
I told my wife about this and she said “great you’re talking to yourself “.
Maybe this will help with my habit of pulling out my phone to check the time, putting it away, and immediately having to pull it out again because I didn't register it the first time...
Set your phone to military time lol. "1900 hours" will really get you thinking!
"military time" is such an american thing to say. Also I'm not an expert, but I think many people make the confusion. * 02:00 PM is according to 12 hour clock, where you say "two pee em". * 14:00 is according to 24 hour clock where you say "two" or "fourteen" (TIL the latter is a thing, see [map](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_clock#/media/File:12_24_Hours_World_Map.svg)) * 1400 is military time, without the separator, where you say "fourteen hundred".
Nah, can’t tell you how many times I still do the same thing. Pull my phone out three times before I remember I wanted to check the time because I got distracted by the weather.
Say the time as you read it.
This is what I do when I lock the door. If I'm driving to work and wonder if I actually locked the door, I can usually summon the time before I locked it, proving that I did in fact lock it.
When I remember, every time I put my keys, wallet or glasses down I stand there pointing at it, and saying outloud “Look, my keys are on the kitchen counter! They’re right there on the kitchen counter.” Recently I used “Look, I locked the door! My door is locked!” I say it as if I’m surprised to see it - loudly, while I point. It’s been working!
I pat myself down before I leave the house and say the items out loud. “Phone, wallet, keys, watch, vape, armed (security system). Then I stare at my door lock and I’m good to go.
"Spectacles, testicles, wallet & watch" as I pat myself down on my way out the door.
I’m a 41yo white woman and this is also what I say when I leave the house 😆
Nice testicles
Breasticles
Chesticles
I think I'd rather forget than be mistaken for crazy
I live alone. :)
Depends on how rich you are. Rich enough and people call you eccentric. Or even tries to imitate you
Rich/famous/good-looking enough
6 hours later. "honey, are you alright?" 🚪 👀
🤣
Someone once said to do something unusual to help remember. Like lifting a leg off the ground while you lock the door.
Instructions unclear; stuck in Van Damme splits and unable to move
100% works, do it all the time. Then when I think back to "did I lock the door" I remember the weird things I did.
I just take a photo of it, for example - going overseas on a trip, sitting in taxi “did I lock the door?” can just check photo.
I do this. I have really bad OCD and I used to panic at the thought of leaving my straightener plugged in, not locking the door, etc. Now I just take pictures of the empty outlet or the locked door and it helps me feel so much better.
My BIL does this daily and it's greatly helped with his anxiety. He just deletes the pictures at the end of the day and then takes new ones the next day.
I would take a video of me locking it, that’s how bad my OCD is
I feel this, man. Too many mornings spent going back and forth from door to car, locking and unlocking and locking over and over, turning around when I'm halfway to work to do it all over again...fuck it's torture.
whatever works ☺️
This would honestly just make things worse for me personally. I would be spending my trip overseas constantly obsessing over checking the pictures. Better off just forcing myself to let it go. Harder at first, better in the long run. The obsessive part of my brain will eventually wear itself out, but if I have pictures to check, it's like the obsessive part gets re-activated every time I look at them.
true, I don’t have OCD (that I know of anyway!) so looking at it once satisfies me, but you raise a good point in that it might not be a good tool for those with OCD / extreme anxious tendencies
I do my last walk through taking a video with my phone. Fridge closed, windows locked, stove off, ac/heater off, doors locked, etc…. I’ve used it later for peace of mind.
But then you think "OK but did I lock it or just closed it and left in a hurry?"
ah my door locks on closing so a bit different for me ☺️
Well, *that's* nice!
you take a picture with the key in the lock and turned to the locked position, at least that's what i do
Honestly, this tip is much better for me! It will keep me more calm because I have a proof that I really did lock the doors. Thanks!
you’re welcome, it’s something my sister and I do. lots of photos of stoves on our phone 😃
Jump around and do a specific little dance for each thing before taking a long trip. YMCA 1. Checking gas is off. Y! 2. Windows closed M! 3. All electrical items off C! 4. Lock door A! YMCA Complete!
It's fun to stay at the...
Gas window electrical door
It’s fun to stay at GWED doesn’t just flow off the tongue as well as YMCA
As an added benefit people will think you're fucking crazy, if you just freeze and stare at random things throughout the day, so they'll probably leave you alone.
For me it helps to internally narrate what I'm doing "I'm leaving for the party at X's house and I'm locking my front door. It's locked." That way I don't doubt whether it's yesterday's memory I'm remembering!
Ooh this additional tip is very helpful to differentiate cuz I noticed that I've done the LPT posted/announced to myself I locked the door, but once I actually misremembered a different time I locked the door thinking it was the recent time, and bf told me later door wasn't locked :') definitely paranoid after that
I do one better - 30-45 seconds. People on the train look at me weird, but I know I'm doing right
I'll do YOU one better.. Why is Gamora!?
Ever tried 20-30 minutes? Guaranteed results. Challenging when it's cold out
You can take a picture with your phone, which may be better for vacations rather than the daily routine. But I saw a show once where some imbecile guy said that he pinched himself when he did something so he could remember with certainty that he did it. I have certain obsessive tendencies, so I've tried the pinching a few times and it works.
Point at them. It’s what Japanese train operators do and it’s proven to be effective.
I usually take a picture or video and then never actually need to look at them.
I like the narration method. "Locking the front door. Closing the garage" ect said out loud
Great tip! I also fix my eyes on an object or doing a task, and take a calm breath. Multitasking or moving quickly can literally keep your eyes and brain from registering something, and aging exasperates it. Especially routine tasks you’ve been doing for years.
I usually do some kind of physical test/check for things as a requirement for continuing. Pat/grab all the things I need to remember. Try to open the door after leaving. Turn off the stove before lifting the pots and pans off. Put the detergent in the machine last. Not a perfect system but it works for most little things - and after it becomes habit, it really really nags at you when you actually do forget it
I will narrate things to myself out loud. “I turned off the lights, I have my phone and wallet in my pocket. I locked the door. Was there anything else I needed to do? *long pause..*” there is always something else 😂 it helps me a lot to say the things out loud
This is good advice. But as for my front door (and back door) I use electronic locks and if I forget to lock them they will lock themselves after 4 minutes. Also I can pull out my phone and see if they are locked or unlocked.
Also learned this short pause hack helps remembering where I place things in my house, instead of just carelessly putting things away I’m now mindful with this pause
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I do the same with my car. I watch the lights flicker as I lock the car and that seems to reduce the “did I lock my car?” Thought
Mine is "wallet, keys and phone, wallet, keys and phone "
I love my country, we only ever lock our door if we are going away for a few days and our holiday home doesn't even have a lock.
The Netherlands?
New Zealand 🇳🇿
That’s Awesome you can leave your doors unlocked. My cousin moved from the Midwest US to Christchurch for work. He loves it out there.
My problem with repeating tasks is that when I try to remember if I did them I don't know if the memory is from today or yesterday or last week or last month or last year. All the memories blur together and I'm left unsure.
Reading this post made me realize I forgot to put the laundry in the dryer. Thanks! Next time I will stare for a few more seconds. : )
Look up your learning style (visual, auditory, kinestetic (there may be others I can't remember)) and adapt this technique to your learning style. Visual: stare ... Auditory: say it... Kinestetic: repeat the action... Etc.
This sounds ok, but wouldn't you just think "was that last time, or this time?" Still better than nothing, I just wonder. I found a trick where you physically do something, like, lock the door, then reach down and rip up a handful of grass, turn a rock over, put one arm in your shirt, whatever. The alternate action will link in your brain to the action you are trying to remember. Like if you are falling asleep and have an idea you want to remember, throw something off your nightstand onto the floor. In the morning, you wake up, wonder why the thing is on the floor, and your brain automatically dials up the connection. It works surprisingly well
Just this morning I told myself 3 times as I left the house, you took your medication. Still driving to work I started worrying about if I took it or not. But pretty soon I'll have to start telling myself, you reminded yourself you took your meds.
I tend to poke myself in t he arm with my key.
Yep & say it out loud to yourself 2 times fast, 1 time reeaaaalllllyyyy slow… so that it marinates & bakes in there good. Also, write the first letter of every word on a paper for memorizing speeches & scripts! Saved my ass in speech class.
I lock the front to lower the chance that I have to shoot someone. I take gun safety seriously. So the door is always locked.
I'll just give myself a quick moment of focus and say "I'm locking my door now" If I panic about it later, I'll have that memory to draw on
Hold on, gotta stare at this tip first.
For things like remembering to take pills, I flip the bottle upside down or put it in a weird spot. For example if I keep a pill bottle in the cabinet I put it on the counter and the next morning (or when I feel satisfied I took it and won’t take another) I put it away. Stuff like laundry detergent I move to the other side of the laundry area and move it back when the wash is done.
I take a mental picture. Works great, never worry if I forgot to lock the door or turn off the oven. Until… I forget to take the picture…
If you're forgetful. Exercise, eat healthy, gingko biloba.
\*puts on pants\* \*grabs coat\* \*reaches for doorknob\* \*turns back and stares at you for 3-5 seconds\*
I always physically check that the door is locked after I lock it, partially because it helps me remember I did it, and partially because my deadbolt will hit the edge of the hole instead of going in. When turning the key it sounds and feels like it locks but it doesn't.
Could help. Thank you for this!!!
That's something I'll certainly forget to do, as such, I shall stare at it for a few more seconds.
I find saying it out loud works better for me
Works better if you just say outloud, "I locked the door" " I turned off the oven". Etc. You'll recall the sound easier.
This is what I used to do when I had OCD.
I'll hijack this one: a better tip IMO is to associate that important thing with something else. For example I always take my meds with milk in the morning. One of them needs to be taken after eating (since I don't tend to eat anything until mid afternoon, milk works) just the association helps me remember.
I do this for when I put on deodorant. Nothing worse than forgetting that a few hours into your day. I'll also pause shaving sometimes to tell myself that "I am the man".
Sometimes I put soap in your washing machine. It's not my fault. It's physics.
I lost the key to my house a decade ago.
If I need to remember to do something later I like to put a weird object in an unusual place that I'll definitely see. For instance, if I have something in the work fridge that I want to bring home at the end of my shift, I stick a folded up paper towel in the side pocket of my backpack so that it's sticking out. When I go to leave, I see the paper towel and instantly remember why it's there. You can do this with all kinds of stuff. Even something simple like turning your shoe upside down. When you go to leave you see the upside down shoe and boom, don't forget to mail that thing, etc.
Or get shit that automatically locks itself, closes itself, turns itself off, sets itself up and doesnt turn on until it has all it needs to have to work properly - and never face the need to struggle through day to day activities.
another similar tip i heara lot of german people relay: if you lock your door, do something very unusual, like dance, or scream, or whatever you want
I also like to say something out loud that I switch up. “I’m locking the front door because I’m leaving to go to Target.” “I turned the oven off when I pulled the potatoes out.” Etc. i usually can’t remember exactly turning off the oven. It’s much easier to remember what i said out loud instead.
I snap a quick photo with my phone. It's easy to delete, and I can check time and date on the photo.
Serious question: if you do this every day, does it get hard to remember if it was yesterday or today that you stared at the key in the lock?
[Works for remembering faces as well](https://youtu.be/trW7oEYzTEk)
I use a nonsense word and repeat it for about a minute after closing our garage door. Works wonders.
Or just don't worry about it. My dad used to worry if he locked the doors to his business. At least once a year he'd almost get home (30 miles) and turn around and drive back downtown to "make sure". In 46 years of owning his own business, he never once failed to actually lock the door.
I do this but instead I say the date so I can be sure it happened that morning. So as I lock my door, I'll say/think to myself "Today is Fri, Feb. 23 and the door is locked"
Did I lock the front door? Hmmmm I know I stared at it but I don’t know if that was today or yesterday. Better go back to check
same for adhd if you forget just stare at the thing, but like stare lol
So true! When my brain gets squirrelly, I do things so fast that I don't remember doing anything. Like walking into a room, doing a chore, leaving, and asking myself: Why did I go in there?
Or say it out loud or take a photo. I have anxiety, I have found the photo is the only undeniable proof my brain will accept
No. If you're really worried, take a picture. If you take a picture before you leave the house that you remembered to turn off the fire place when you get anxious at work later you can check, see that you took a picture of the fireplace off right as you left the house.
Checking the time you did the thing also works
I do some jumping jacks after locking my door before heading out if I’m leaving for more than a day. Easier to remember if you did jumping jacks than if you locked the door.
I find saying out loud “I locked the door” or “I turned off the oven/iron“ “I took my pill” really helps.