Don't waste time wondering where you put it

People with excellent memories can still be absentminded. Absentmindedness is simply inattention. If the mind is absent when you are doing something, how can you expect to remember it? Consequently, people forget where they set their glasses because they were preoccupied with other thoughts at the time. Or they couldn't recall where they filed that letter because they were carrying on a conversation with someone else when they were doing the filing. Or they forgot that they had not opened the vent valve and tried to open the filter while it was still under pressure.

Your mind cannot focus on more than one thing at a time. So if you want to cure absentmindedness, follow these suggestions:

Get organized. Plan your day in advance and don't run in three different directions at once.

Think about what you are doing at the time. Concentrate on where you are placing that document, for instance. Realize that haste makes waste.

Tell yourself aloud what you are doing. Your mind remembers the sound of your own voice. For instance, "I'm filing the insurance papers with the legal documents."

Make sure that what you are doing makes sense. Example: "I am putting my safety glasses in the bottom cabinet because that's where the other personal protective equipment is stored."

Remind yourself afterwards what you have done. Repetition increases the power of recall.

Don't be negative. Never make disparaging remarks about yourself, such as "I'll never be able to remember anything." Instead, make up your mind that your power of recall will improve. A positive attitude yields positive results.