If you hear someone shouting “FIRE” you will certainly stop and pay attention. Well, a similar attention-getting device is what you need to create for yourself every time you are about to leave your house.
I am not advocating shouting out loud. My suggestion is some internal scream, or song, or vision. The mental equivalent of tying an eye-catching bright red memory alert ribbon around your doorknob. All it takes is a simple, habitual pause, that becomes as habit forming as brushing your teeth, that makes you stop just long enough to make certain that nothing important gets undone.
Experience has taught me that it is not just hectic moments that beg for attention — although hectic does especially make me need to stop, take a deep breath, and go over my checklist.
It would be way too embarrassing for me — the Memory Lady, workshop presenter, motivator, author of Where Are My Keys, and creator of the LOVE Memory Method, who teaches people of all ages to remember in a way they never forget –to fail to show up to a meeting without a copy of my book, or wearing two different earrings!
Here is what I have trained myself to do to force myself to stop and pay attention before leaving my house. And I do mean each and every time. If I do not take that all important pause, I am sure to leave something undone.
I need to pause when running out my door, especially on the days that I am rushed, crushed for time, my mind galloping ahead to go over the details of a meeting I am off to attend or a workshop I am presenting that day.
I even need to pause on the rare occasions when it feels like I have all the time in the world, because the danger is not so much the time crunch as the mind wandering, thinking about anything other than making sure the coffee pot is unplugged.
This might sound silly, but it truly works for me. As I am about to reach for the doorknob, my inner self shouts “stop,” my creative self envisions a bright red light on the doorknob, and I take a deep breath. That little pause brings my mind back to the present moment. I run down my checklist, and then I can leave with the brain assurance that my house is locked up and I have everything I need with me.
A good memory is dependant upon an internal system that calls your attention to key moments.
I invite you to create an internal, sure-fire alert for yourself. And then consciously practice it every day for thirty days until it becomes a habit. Then you won’t leave home without it.
Judy Marcus, Memory Lady, makes remembering unforgettable!
Author of WHERE ARE MY KEYS?, and creator of the LOVE Memory Method, Judy motivates, inspires and empowers people of all ages to say good-bye to feeling frazzled and forgetful and to say hello to a great memory.
Audiences love her contagious enthusiasm and energy, and her powerful lessons for both business and everyday life. To find out how to book Judy for a workshop or keynote, or “LOVE Your Brain” Memory Party, or to find out more about her memory work, visit http://www.memorylady.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Marcus
