Overcoming Absent-mindedness - Tutorial 14

Overcoming Absent-mindedness

Topic 8: Overcoming Absent-mindedness - Tutorial 14

This tutorial suggests some simple systems which can be used to overcome absent-mindedness. They are based on principles which you have already learned - Initial Awareness and Association of Ideas.

The definition of absent-mindedness is straightforward - you are absent-minded when you perform actions unconsciously, without thinking. If your mind is 'absent' while you are performing an action, there can be no Initial Awareness of that action.

The Solution: Conscious Association

The solution to the problem of absent-mindedness is equally straightforward and obvious - you simply have to think of what you are doing at the time you are doing it. Of course, this is easier said than done - how can you be sure to force yourself to concentrate on a simple, everyday action at the time you are doing it?

🎯 Key Insight
Think right back to Tutorial 1, where you learned that Association can be used to force Initial Awareness, and you have the answer to the problem. As Initial Awareness is the same as having something register in your mind in the first place, then forming an instant association when you perform an action must solve the problem of absent-mindedness.

Practical Examples and Applications

✉️
Remembering to Post Letters
Suppose you frequently write important letters and then forget to post them. Associate the letter to your front door closing action.
Visualization Technique
Visualise yourself closing the front door, when millions of letters come flooding through the door, pulling the door off its hinges and knocking you over.
🔌
Unplugging Appliances
Why spoil an evening out worrying about whether you unplugged the iron? Form an association as you unplug it.
Visualization Technique
Picture your fingers being sucked into the socket, giving you a violent electric shock. See your hair standing on end to make the picture vivid.
👓
Finding Misplaced Glasses
If you frequently forget where you put your spectacles, form an association at the moment you put them down.
Visualization Technique
If you place them on the dining table, picture them on a serving dish surrounded by a large salad. If on the television, picture the TV wearing spectacles.
🔨
Garage/Shed Items
Do you go to the garage only to forget what you needed? Make an association the moment you decide what to get.
Visualization Technique
If it's a hammer, picture yourself opening the garage door and millions of hammers tumbling out. Try this idea - it really does work!
⏰ Critical Timing
Always form the association at the moment you are performing the action. If you put off doing it you'll forget to form the association and you'll forget where you put your glasses!

Practice and Implementation

⚡
Instant Associations
Form associations immediately when performing actions. Don't delay - the moment you think "I should remember this," create the visualization.
🎭
Make it Ludicrous
The more absurd and exaggerated your mental images, the more memorable they become. Don't hold back on creativity.
🔄
Trust the Process
Don't worry about yesterday's images interfering. True memory will tell you whether you performed the action today.
Time Well Spent

You may feel that forming these associations is a waste of time. But, after trying the idea a few times you will find that the pictures are formed in next to no time. Even more important is that time and effort that you will be saving by not having to search for misplaced items or worry about forgotten tasks.

Don't worry about the image you formed yesterday coming to mind when you think about whether you switched off the oven today. 'True' memory and Initial Awareness will tell you the truth. If you haven't formed the silly picture of your head in the oven on any particular day, then you will know that you haven't switched the oven off.