Why I forget things

You did not lock the car,... again. You forgot your celfone,... again. You left your wallet,... again.

My wife, Aires, nearly did not marry me because of my forgetfulness. As far as I can remember (pun intended), I have always been forgetful about where I placed an object or what's the name of the person who just greeted me or what I should have done that was so simple that it embarrassed me to death to know that I simply forgot all about it.

I have long accepted that I may just be built this way. But Aires still could not reconcile how a seemingly intelligent creature like me could be so absent-minded.

A few years ago, I tried to improve memory retention. I kept a Nilo shelf where I put all my stuff. I tried posting on the door things that I should bring for the day.

To not lose important objects, I chose not to part ways with them. Take for example my wedding ring. I have not taken off my wedding ring for a number of years now. I am afraid that I may forget where I put it and eventually lose it.

But why do I forget things? My mind works like a comic or film strip. I see flashes of images. Most of these images are "fast-forward", my imagination of what is next for me. When I park the car, my thoughts are not about parking but about taking the elevator and going to my office. When I get off from work, my thoughts are not about taking my lunch bag with me but about taking the elevator and going to the parking. I call this state the Next-Step state. My mind is filled up with images of what will happen next that I fail to focus on what is happening at the now state.

Aires tells me to do a last-minute scan. Before I leave one scene, I spend a moment to scan the setting for things that I may leave behind. Sounds easy... How I wish I can always remember to do this before the fast-forward images flood my mind.

http://www.memory-improvement-tips.com/forgetfulness.html