Organize Your Brain

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Have you ever found yourself making the same mistakes again and again? Maybe you bought something you were sure you were out of at home only to find that you have three on the shelf in your pantry when you were unpacking the items you just bought. Not to worry, it happens to everyone at some time or another.

Perhaps you just need to organize your brain. Well, maybe not exactly your brain, but all the things your brain is in charge of like remembering what was on the list you left on the desk when you walked out the door. There are ways to train your brain to remember things when writing them down is not an option. You have probably already used a few of these methods. Remember the game you likely played in the car on those long family road trips. The first person says something like, “I’m going to the grocery and I’m going to buy apples.” Then the next person says, “I’m going to the grocery and I’m going to buy apples and bananas.” The next person says, “I’m going to the grocery and I’m going to buy apples, bananas, and chocolate.” You get the idea. Maybe you repeat your list out loud all the way to the grocery store desperately hoping you don’t forget anything you really need.

So there are a few ways to fix this if you just don’t trust yourself with the memory game method. You could write out a list on a piece of paper and actually remember to take it with you when you leave the house. As a member of the over fifty club, that second part of that one is the toughest. You can also download and use one of the many free apps on your smart phone to keep track of your lists. Many of the chain grocery stores build this right into their app hoping your will remember to use their app in the store or shop only at their store since they made the list thing so easy for you. Again, there is the problem of making sure your phone has enough battery life to get you through the shopping trip.

Maybe your solution is to shop online and have your groceries delivered thereby avoiding the likelihood of losing your list before you get to the store. You could do one of my personal favorites and just slowly meander down each aisle tossing anything and everything that strikes your fancy. Please note you will save a lot of money if you eat BEFORE you use this method.

Maybe the issue is not forgetting what to buy at the store but forgetting appointments or to buy gifts for the occasion you remembered but not in time to actually get and wrap a gift. This one is easy enough to solve if you remember to add it to your phone calendar and turn on a couple of reminders while you are in there. Suppose you have been invited to a party in a couple of months and know that you will need to take a dish to share. When I add this sort of event to my calendar, I set up a reminder for two weeks before so I have time to think about what I want to make and take. Then I add a reminder for one week before so I remember to buy the things I need to make what I am taking. Then I set a reminder for one day before so I can actually make the thing I am taking. Depending on how long it takes to get there, I set a reminder for one hour before so I can gather everything up and loaded up and out the door in plenty of time. I set a reminder for five minutes before I need to leave so I can make the requisite trip to the restroom before leaving the house and another for the time I need to leave in case I get sidetracked and lose track of time so I won’t be late.

Alright, so now you think I am a senile old lady who sets a million timers for everything, and if that is what you want to think, I am fine with that because honestly it is not all that far from the truth. But hey, I have to do what works for me. This method works well for busy mothers who get involved in things and might forget to leave early enough to pick their kid up from school on time or other notable mom blunders. Setting timers and letting your technology remember things for you frees your brain to relax and actually fall asleep at night or to remember other more important things.

The most import life lesson here is to find a system that works and makes sense for YOU. If what you are doing isn’t working, try again with a new system until you find something that works. You can’t organize your brain but but you can make it feel more organized by not asking your brain to remember everything.

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Again
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

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