Adam S. talks on Executive Function Coaching. Tutor of Prepped & Polished, LLC in South Natick, Massachusetts Adam S. teaches you valuable strategies on how to overcome your prospective memory issues.
1. Prospective memory
Perspective memory is where your working memory meets your sense of time. So the first thing you want to do is help out your working memory.
1. Don’t wait
If you remember something to do or somebody tells you something to do, do it. Act on it right away. Don’t give yourself the opportunity to forget.
2. Use a to-do list or an agenda
You can use a to-do list or an agenda. Write everything down; don’t try to keep it in your head. Remember, not writing it down is choosing not to do it. Don’t assume you’ll remember; write it down.
3. Use items as their own reminders
Use your agenda as its own reminder. Don’t put it away. Carry it with you. Put it on your desk.
4. Get rid of clutter
Get rid of things that are vying for your attention, threatening to knock important stimuli out of your working memory. This means cleaning off your desk means crossing items off your to-do list or agenda after you complete them.
2. Sense of Time
So if the first set of strategies were geared towards shoring up your working memory, the second set is more geared towards your sense of time because remembering when to do something is just as important as remembering what to do.
1. Set alarms or reminders
So, the first thing to do is set alarms or reminders. Use your iPhone or your watch to set an alarm to go off when you have to do something.
2. Do it or snooze it
Don’t give yourself another opportunity to forget. Do something right away when the alarm goes off, and if you can’t, snooze it so you get another reminder later.
3. Leave notes in specific locations
Sometimes, remembering where to do it is just as important as remembering when to do it. If you need to do something or if you need to remember to do something in a specific place at a specific time, leave a note in that place so you’ll see it, and it’ll remind you to do the action you need to do
4. Leave yourself a voicemail
Don’t answer it, so you see that little red blinking one to remind you of something to deal with later.
5. Make and use a paper schedule
Set a time every week to make a schedule. There’s too much in one week to keep all that in your head. So make a plan. Choose when things are going to happen and then set a schedule of when you’re going to do them and then check in with that schedule. Obviously, nothing goes according to plan, so make sure you leave time during the week to check your schedule and make adjustments as necessary.
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