3 ms·

Similarly, I used to get anxious about if I'd turned off the lights, locked the door, made sure the oven was off, etc at night. So now I count one number for e

Similarly, I used to get anxious about if I'd turned off the lights, locked the door, made sure the oven was off, etc at night. So now I count one number for each "thing" I do, and I know that I need to count up to 5 to "prove" I did it. Then, later in bed, I know I checked the front door because I know I counted to 5. You'd expect this would transfer to the "well, are you sure you counted", but I'm never actually anxious about that. I think it works similarly to mnemonics, where the simple act of making a mnemonic for something makes it memorable, and it doesn't matter if it's a good mnemonic or not. In this case, I have "proof" I have done the things that make me anxious, and it doesn't matter if it's "good" proof or not, I just don't feel the anxiety.

function_seven 5y ago
This is kinda funny, because I've had the opposite outcome. Well, "ish", because my situation isn't directly comparable. When I'd leave the house in the morning, there were always five things I needed to have with me: Wallet, phone, badge, glasses, and smokes. Once a month or so I'd get to work and realize I had left one of these at home. It was a tragedy to be caught an hour from home without my phone or glasses. It was annoying to be without my wallet, cigarettes, or badge. So I decided to regiment this. Wallet always in the front right pocket, badge always clipped to belt, phone in left back pocket, cigs in front left pocket, and glasses in my backpack. I would pat each location and say out loud, "wallet, badge, phone, smokes, ... glasses". It didn't work. I quickly just went through the motion of patting and saying without actually verifying the fucking things were there. The first time I forgot an item was a mini existential crisis. ("If I can't account for these simple EDC items when I'm trying to, what hope is there?") WFH has solved the badge issue. ApplePay mitigates the wallet issue. Glasses are still forgotten sometimes, but my eyesight isn't that bad when I'm out and about (it was only terrible to be without glasses when I worked at a computer in an office). So I guess the situation just solved itself. I only need to confirm my e-cig is with me. Everything else is either I remembered it or "oh well". And if I quit that, then I'm free :)
- bombcar 5y ago
  Two solutions I’ve used for similar are to tie the items to something I NEED - such as connect them to car keys - or get multiple copies. Not always going to work but if I need to remember to bring a bag with me I put my car keys in the bag; harder to forget.
  - SerLava 5y ago
    Yeah I got a phone case with a card slot and it makes it so so much easier
alliao 5y ago
I do this counting thing subconsciously with the stuff I'm carrying from "scene" to "scene" of my life. And it show. If you suddenly throw me an extra thing to carry, I'll forget something I should've had with me. It's hilarious really for everyone else.

function_seven 5y ago

This is kinda funny, because I've had the opposite outcome. Well, "ish", because my situation isn't directly comparable. When I'd leave the house in the morning, there were always five things I needed to have with me: Wallet, phone, badge, glasses, and smokes. Once a month or so I'd get to work and realize I had left one of these at home. It was a tragedy to be caught an hour from home without my phone or glasses. It was annoying to be without my wallet, cigarettes, or badge. So I decided to regiment this. Wallet always in the front right pocket, badge always clipped to belt, phone in left back pocket, cigs in front left pocket, and glasses in my backpack. I would pat each location and say out loud, "wallet, badge, phone, smokes, ... glasses". It didn't work. I quickly just went through the motion of patting and saying without actually verifying the fucking things were there. The first time I forgot an item was a mini existential crisis. ("If I can't account for these simple EDC items when I'm trying to, what hope is there?") WFH has solved the badge issue. ApplePay mitigates the wallet issue. Glasses are still forgotten sometimes, but my eyesight isn't that bad when I'm out and about (it was only terrible to be without glasses when I worked at a computer in an office). So I guess the situation just solved itself. I only need to confirm my e-cig is with me. Everything else is either I remembered it or "oh well". And if I quit that, then I'm free :)

bombcar 5y ago
Two solutions I’ve used for similar are to tie the items to something I NEED - such as connect them to car keys - or get multiple copies. Not always going to work but if I need to remember to bring a bag with me I put my car keys in the bag; harder to forget.
- SerLava 5y ago
  Yeah I got a phone case with a card slot and it makes it so so much easier

alliao 5y ago

I do this counting thing subconsciously with the stuff I'm carrying from "scene" to "scene" of my life. And it show. If you suddenly throw me an extra thing to carry, I'll forget something I should've had with me. It's hilarious really for everyone else.