`I ALWAYS have trouble remembering three things: faces, names— and I can't remember what the third thing is!' Renowned American humourist, Fred Allen puts a humourous twist on a common, yet dangerous malaise.
Well, no one has a perfect memory; everyone forgets things every day. Forgetting dates or names, misplacing keys and missing birthdays occasionally is not unusual. However, when your memory fails you once too often, it spells great trouble.
Forgetfulness strikes in the workplace too. Some forget to pass on messages or cannot remember what they have to do while others forget deadlines or responsibilities. Such memory pitfalls create frustration and can be quite embarrassing too. He/she is jovially branded as Mr. or Ms. Forgetful, and becomes the butt of office jokes.
On a more serious note, forgetting important tasks one time too many can antagonise team workers. It also rubs the boss the wrong way leading to career-affecting consequences. Moreover, if the person has a supervisory role, he/she has to be more careful about remembering the minutiae. According to a recent survey, 35 per cent of the workforce fails to remember important work information and deadlines, 7 per cent of which have even led to reprimands and dismissals.
Fortifying memory
How is it that some people can recall every single detail while others are habitually scatterbrained? The difference lies in using the memory power to the greatest potential. A few of these lifestyle changes can greatly enhance memory faculties:
1. Everyone knows that age affects memory. However, a little known fact is that stress and emotions also influence remembrance capabilities. The more complex or high-stress the day is, the more likely is the person to forget things. Therefore, it is vitally important to relax and set a normal pace as far as possible.
2. Smoking, alcohol and drugs can also be the culprit for short-term memory lapses.
3. At the risk of sounding hackneyed, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Therefore, proper sleep, wholesome diet and regular exercise can increase attention span and memory. Even recent research supports that 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week will slow mental decline.
4. Forgetfulness can be largely attributed to inattention or preoccupation. Absent-minded people should cut out probable distractions; try to be more attentive and concentrate on details.
5. They should identify and manage the behaviours that increase the likelihood of forgetting. In extreme cases, professional counselling and treatment can also help.
6. However, people should pay heed to sudden memory lapses, as it can be the precursor to potential burnout.
Committing to memory
Wendi Eldh, a communications trainer who teaches memory skills, says, `We don't forget, we just have not learned it in the first place'. She stresses that it is possible to strengthen memory by training the brain to remember things. Here are a few practical and proactive memory aids that work:
1. Set reminders or alarms about when to make a phone call or leave for a meeting.
2. Prepare regular agendas listing deadlines, things-to-do and projects to-be-completed. This will be handy in keeping track of tasks and events. But, do check the agenda regularly.
3. Or, use a buddy system to have someone remind you of announcements or work to be done.
4. Writing down reinforces things one is trying to remember. So, take notes of important instructions if you have difficulty in recalling them later.
5. Live by the rule - `When interrupted, immediately right down what you were doing'. Jotting down on `sticky notes' and keeping them in highly visible places will jog the memory.
6. Regular reading, learning and mental challenges like puzzles, crosswords, etc. keep the brain stimulated. As doctors advise `Simple mathematical calculations and saying things out loud activate the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex which governs cognition, emotion and memory, and enables the maintenance and improvement of the brain function.'
7. Using methods like `radiant thinking' or `mind mapping' to assign intense visual images for tasks or things will overcome mental blocks and enhance retentiveness.
8. Mnemonics is another system that uses a form of words of letters to memorise important information.
9. Learning courses with important skills and strategies to trigger the memory can also help.
Apply these memory enhancers and within no time you will be the one who always reminds others!
Well, no one has a perfect memory; everyone forgets things every day. Forgetting dates or names, misplacing keys and missing birthdays occasionally is not unusual. However, when your memory fails you once too often, it spells great trouble.
Forgetfulness strikes in the workplace too. Some forget to pass on messages or cannot remember what they have to do while others forget deadlines or responsibilities. Such memory pitfalls create frustration and can be quite embarrassing too. He/she is jovially branded as Mr. or Ms. Forgetful, and becomes the butt of office jokes.
On a more serious note, forgetting important tasks one time too many can antagonise team workers. It also rubs the boss the wrong way leading to career-affecting consequences. Moreover, if the person has a supervisory role, he/she has to be more careful about remembering the minutiae. According to a recent survey, 35 per cent of the workforce fails to remember important work information and deadlines, 7 per cent of which have even led to reprimands and dismissals.
Fortifying memory
How is it that some people can recall every single detail while others are habitually scatterbrained? The difference lies in using the memory power to the greatest potential. A few of these lifestyle changes can greatly enhance memory faculties:
1. Everyone knows that age affects memory. However, a little known fact is that stress and emotions also influence remembrance capabilities. The more complex or high-stress the day is, the more likely is the person to forget things. Therefore, it is vitally important to relax and set a normal pace as far as possible.
2. Smoking, alcohol and drugs can also be the culprit for short-term memory lapses.
3. At the risk of sounding hackneyed, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Therefore, proper sleep, wholesome diet and regular exercise can increase attention span and memory. Even recent research supports that 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week will slow mental decline.
4. Forgetfulness can be largely attributed to inattention or preoccupation. Absent-minded people should cut out probable distractions; try to be more attentive and concentrate on details.
5. They should identify and manage the behaviours that increase the likelihood of forgetting. In extreme cases, professional counselling and treatment can also help.
6. However, people should pay heed to sudden memory lapses, as it can be the precursor to potential burnout.
Committing to memory
Wendi Eldh, a communications trainer who teaches memory skills, says, `We don't forget, we just have not learned it in the first place'. She stresses that it is possible to strengthen memory by training the brain to remember things. Here are a few practical and proactive memory aids that work:
1. Set reminders or alarms about when to make a phone call or leave for a meeting.
2. Prepare regular agendas listing deadlines, things-to-do and projects to-be-completed. This will be handy in keeping track of tasks and events. But, do check the agenda regularly.
3. Or, use a buddy system to have someone remind you of announcements or work to be done.
4. Writing down reinforces things one is trying to remember. So, take notes of important instructions if you have difficulty in recalling them later.
5. Live by the rule - `When interrupted, immediately right down what you were doing'. Jotting down on `sticky notes' and keeping them in highly visible places will jog the memory.
6. Regular reading, learning and mental challenges like puzzles, crosswords, etc. keep the brain stimulated. As doctors advise `Simple mathematical calculations and saying things out loud activate the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex which governs cognition, emotion and memory, and enables the maintenance and improvement of the brain function.'
7. Using methods like `radiant thinking' or `mind mapping' to assign intense visual images for tasks or things will overcome mental blocks and enhance retentiveness.
8. Mnemonics is another system that uses a form of words of letters to memorise important information.
9. Learning courses with important skills and strategies to trigger the memory can also help.
Apply these memory enhancers and within no time you will be the one who always reminds others!
PAYAL CHANANIA
No comments:
Post a Comment