Most everyday forgetfulness isn't about having a bad memory. It comes down to two other things: you didn't notice what you were doing when it happened, and you need to remember to do something later with nothing there to remind you.
Research has turned up a couple of surprising findings. People forget more after walking through a doorway than after walking the same distance within one room, because the brain treats a new room as a new event. And a review of 36 comparisons found that plans along the lines of "when I see X, I'll do Y" help people remember what they need to do.
Pick your path based on what you tend to forget:
- Fixed spots if you're always hunting for your keys, wallet and glasses.
- When–then plans if you forget things you've promised.
- Put the reminder in your way if you leave things behind at home.
- Say it out loud if you want to train your attention.
A first step today: pick a bowl or hook by the door where your keys will always go.
If your forgetfulness gets noticeably worse, or other people notice it more than you do, talk to a doctor.
You walk into the kitchen and stand there with no idea what you came for. Your keys have vanished again, and it's only in the car that you remember you promised to call someone. It feels like a bad memory, but most everyday forgetting is about something else: you didn't notice what you were doing when it happened, and you need to remember to do something later with nothing there to remind you. This article explains why, walks through what the research shows and offers four ways that help.
You never noticed where your keys ended up
Before something can be pulled out of memory, it has to get in. When you put your keys down while thinking about something else, talking on the phone or carrying groceries, your brain barely registers the action. So there's nothing to remember. It isn't your memory letting you down; it's your attention in that moment.
That's why you forget more when you're tired, stressed or doing several things at once. Your mind is busy, and the small actions slip past. How lack of sleep and stress make your mind sluggish is covered in mental fatigue.
The doorway that wipes your mind
The second kind of forgetting is when you know you meant to do something, but not what. In 2011, Radvansky, Krawietz and Tamplin looked into why this so often happens in a new room. Participants carried objects between tables, sometimes within the same room and sometimes through a doorway into another room, and were then asked what they were carrying. They remembered less after passing through a doorway than after walking the same distance in the same room. The effect showed up both in a virtual environment and in real rooms.
The researchers' explanation is that the brain divides life into events, and a doorway marks the boundary between two of them. When you step into the kitchen, a new event begins, and whatever you were thinking in the living room stays behind in the previous one. In the experiments, going back to the room where you had the thought didn't help either.
- You think of something The thought belongs to the living room event.
- You walk through the doorway Your brain counts the kitchen as a new event.
- The thought gets left behind It's still there, but in an event you've already left.
This is no sign of illness. It happens to everyone, and it says more about how memory is built than about how well yours works.
When–then helps you remember what you need to do
The hardest thing for memory is remembering to do something later: take your medication, pick up milk on the way home, call someone back. Nobody asks you, so something around you has to trigger the memory at the right moment.
In 2015, Chen and colleagues pulled together 36 comparisons of one simple method: deciding in advance "when I see X, I'll do Y." For young adults, it led to a moderate improvement in remembering what they needed to do, and for older adults an even clearer one. It worked best when participants both said the plan and pictured the moment. The plan turns what you see in the moment, like the store on your way home or your coffee cup in the morning, into a reminder on its own.
Four ways to forget less
Fixed spots. For you if you're always hunting for your keys, wallet, glasses and charger. Give each thing one single spot, and always put it there. Then you don't have to remember where it is, only that you put it where it belongs. First step: today, pick a bowl or hook by the door for your keys.
When–then plans. For you if you forget things you've promised or meant to do. Tie the task to something you'll see anyway: "when I get off the bus, I'll call Mom." Say the plan out loud and picture the moment. First step: write a when–then plan for something you need to do tomorrow.
Put the reminder in your way. For you if you leave things behind at home. Whatever you need to take with you goes in front of the door or on your shoes, and when you set reminders on your phone, include what needs to be done, not just a time. Letting your surroundings carry the memory isn't cheating. It's how memory works best. First step: tonight, put whatever you need tomorrow in front of the front door.
Say it out loud. For you if you want to train your attention, and it's the most demanding path because it means breaking a habit. When you put down something important, briefly say what you're doing: "keys in the bowl." When you head to another room, say what you're going to get. It takes a second and forces your brain to register the action. First step: do it with three things today.
When forgetfulness is something more
Forgetting what you went to get is common at any age. Talk to a doctor if your forgetfulness has gotten noticeably worse over a short time, if you forget conversations you just had, get lost in places you know well, or if people close to you notice a change. There may be treatable explanations, such as lack of sleep, stress, low mood or a medication, and it's better to get it checked.
A first step today: pick a bowl or hook by the door where your keys will always go.
This is the understanding and a first step. Atlas is where it becomes a habit. Under Mind you'll find One thing at a time, where you count the times you do just one thing and so notice what you're doing, and Empty your head, for everything you're trying to keep in your memory. If you add Home as its own area, you'll also find Straight back in place. Try Atlas free for 7 days, and cancel whenever you like.