Today, I want to focus on prospective memory–this is the type of memory we use when we need to remember something that will happen in the future, such as, “I need to remember the next time I’m at the grocery store to stop in at the office supply and get printer paper.” These are things that we can’t take care of right now–they need to be done in the future–and they are not part of our normal routine. This type of memory is the most fallible and unreliable, so here’s the strategy: Send reminders to your future self!
If you don’t have a system to help with prospective memory, you’re causing yourself a lot of extra stress and frustration! If you have a system, are there ways to improve? Here are a few suggestions:
- A paper or electronic calendar–easy, right? The only caveat is to use only one calendar. I like google calendar because I can access it anywhere, any time from my smart phone, laptop, or even a friend’s computer. But there’s a glitch–what to do if there’s an item you need that is associated with what you need to remember, i.e., a registration form that needs to be mailed in?
- The 43 Folders method (remember this from Get Organized, Part 2?). Excellent for reminding yourself of things that need to be addressed on a certain day and capturing associated papers. If you’re interested in this strategy but haven’t set up the folders yet, you may want to make it easier on yourself and order the 43 folders set from amazon.com. It’s expensive ($40) but may be worth it if you’re procrastinating. The set comes with an instructional booklet.
- Both Android and iPhones have Reminders apps! You can type in a to-do, then set a day & time for your phone to remind you–what could be simpler?! You can also set Reminders to cue you when you leave or arrive at a certain location. This takes a tiny bit more effort to set up, but it’s great! For example, you can set the location reminder to remind you the next time you’re at the grocery store to go to the office supply and pick up printer paper. Easy!
- For things you need to remember daily, like taking medication, set an alarm on your phone to go off every day at the same time. The alarm can also be used as a reminder to take a few minutes for deep breathing and relaxation.
- Low tech: put notes on your steering wheel, handbag, or wallet if you need to remember to do something the next time you leave the house, on the coffee pot or toothbrush if you need to remember something in the morning, or on your pillow if you need to remember to do something before you go to bed. This isn’t my favorite because notes can get lost and it only works for stuff in the near future, but if you need a really simple strategy to get started, try this.
For today, set up one of these strategies. If nothing else, set an alarm to remind you to do your diaphragmatic breathing. If you’re feeling more motivated, set up the 43 Folders, Reminders app, or a calendar system.
What works best for you? Strategies I didn’t mention?
Practice makes perfect, right? Well, practice may not guarantee perfection, but research shows mental rehearsal enhances both physical and mental performance!
What is mental rehearsal? Going through the steps of a specific task/goal in your mind. Visualize each step; by visualize, I mean see the full movie in your head–not as an observer, but as a participant (first-person perspective for the gamers!). And no shortcuts–go through the entire task as much as you can anticipate it!
The best example of mental rehearsal I can think of involves athletes–think of golfers, basketball players shooting free throws, gymnasts, divers. If you watch them prior to competition, you can often tell they are visualizing their performances–they block out stimuli and run through routines in their heads. Even more interesting, they often do this after they compete, particularly if there was an error in their performance. This is a retrospective version of mental rehearsal–they are cognitively “fixing” the error in their minds, which means they focus on the correct way to perform the task, not the mistake. This also helps them avoid associating that task/their performance with failure.
Studies show that a combination of physical practice and mental rehearsal yields the best results. How can you use mental rehearsal? Here are some ideas:
Job interview, date, business meeting, presentation, or performance of any sort–visualize yourself going through the process and feeling calm and confident. If you can anticipate specifics (an anecdote to share in a job interview, your speech in a presentation) practice these out loud in addition to visualizing yourself performing at your best.
If something goes poorly during the actual performance/task, visualize how you would have liked the performance to go, then move on. We all know what happens to athletes when they can’t move past a mistake, so don’t dwell on what went wrong.
Here’s a link to a more in-depth article on mental rehearsal: “Head Games” on wright.edu.
Yesterday, in Improve Your Productivity Part 1, you wrote down specific action items for a goal/project.
Today, dedicate a set amount of time to work on a task, say 25 minutes.
(If you can’t do it today, commit to a time later this week.)
Define your goals for that 25 minutes, set a timer, and go!
After 25 minutes, take a break and evaluate your progress.
If you’re feeling motivated, check out pomodorotechnique.com for an entire organization dedicated to this technique!
(We’ll call it the pomodoro technique–a pomodoro, Italian for tomato, is a nickname for a kitchen timer.) Be sure to read the Pomodoro Cheat Sheet, and if you’re really motivated, this 37 page pdf on the pomodoro technique.
Were you able to improve your productivity using these techniques?
Do you sometimes put things off, especially projects that are overwhelming, tedious, or distasteful?
Of course you do! We all do! Today is the first of two posts on improving your productivity:
- Set Realistic Goals–remember that Daily Shoring tip? Break down tasks as you plan them. Here are two blog posts from 43folders.com: Building a Smarter To Do List Part 1 and Building a Smarter To Do List Part II.
Spend a few minutes today reading the information in the 43folders blog posts, or if that’s overwhelming, review Set a Realistic Goal. Start writing out the steps for a goal/project you have. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated–if you need something easy, focus on a simple task around your home. It can be something you do on a regular basis, like housekeeping–that’s fine for practicing these productivity techniques.
Tomorrow, we’ll work on getting started!
Do you find yourself worrying about the same things day after day? Do these concerns occupy your thoughts when you’re doing something that doesn’t require your full focus? For today, I want you to stop doing this! Instead, block off 15 minutes to engage in focused problem solving. During this 15 minutes, focus all your attention on your problems, the implications, and possible solutions. Preferably, sit down with paper and pen and write down your thoughts. After 15 minutes, put the paper away. You can revisit the issue again tomorrow.
Focusing your problem solving, as opposed to worrying, accomplishes two goals:
- You spend less time on unproductive worrying and more time on focused problem solving.
- You train your brain that “free time” is not for worrying! Many people develop a habit of filling downtime by mulling over problems; unfortunately, this usually leads to associating free time with worrying! If you find yourself thinking about problems when you’re doing chores, errands, driving, or worst of all, when you go to bed, try to refocus your thoughts on something positive. This works best if you can focus on a project you’re looking forward to, as this engages the same problem solving approach as worrying but improves your mood rather than causing anxiety. So instead of worrying about your problems, think about a DIY project, a trip, or a gathering with friends!
What’s something positive you can focus on?
