Brain-Booster: How to conquer absent-mindedness

I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind
that makes me unaware of everything else.

G. K. Chesterton (Philosopher)

We are in an age where there is so much to do but in so little time. In this fast-paced world, you could find yourself become inattentive and forgetful. This mental state that you find yourself in is ABSENT-MINDEDNESS.

ABSENT-MINDEDNESS is when you do not pay attention to what you are doing, and you are preoccupied with many things going on in your mind. A typical example is when you place your glasses or pen somewhere and search everywhere to find it. Such small things are not considered important enough by your brain, so we become absent-minded.

They say that as you age, you inevitably become absent-minded. You forget to lock your car door; forget to post the letter which is still in your pocket; forget to pay the telephone bill or the electricity bill. But in all actuality, this is a myth. You can be the most alert person even as you grow older and can absent-minded at a pretty young age.

Just as absent-mindedness is often mistaken for poor memory, it is blamed for MENTAL BLOCKS too. If you find yourself in such a situation, try to think of events associated with the name or event you are trying to recall. A method that can be useful for remembering both routine activities and specific events is to make an association between the event and the thing to be remembered. You can also create and visualize an association between the object and its location. 

Let me give you a simple example. Let’s say it’s the rainy season, and you keep forgetting your umbrella at the office, resulting in always reaching home drenched. The knack to remember to pick your umbrella is by mentally associating the umbrella to the last thing you do when you leave the office. If you have to buy some mangoes, associate the mangoes to your main door. You can also associate the mangoes with the grocery store, and you will never forget buying the mangoes. 

Always try to be alert and active at all times. It will help to increase your memory. Memory is the cabinet of imagination, the treasury of reason and the registry of conscience. Research shows that memory is responsible for one-tenth of our intelligence. Sounds awesome, right? Especially when creativity and out-of-the-box thinking is the need of the hour. Yet, it is a fact that no creative thought arises in isolation. It springs from past experiences that are collected and stored in our subconscious mind. Creativity lies in the speedy retrieval of past information and building on it. It is not far-fetched to say that a good memory opens the door to success in all walks of life, be it a school or college student, professional or personal life.

Problems which an absent-minded person will relate to:

• Going to a place and then forgetting why you went there
• Always being unpunctual and uncertain
• Dropping a glass and then realizing you were holding it
• Frequently forgetting to get down at the metro/train/bus station you have to get down at and to realize it only after you have passed the station
• Never knowing what day/date it is

Easy DIYs to overcome Absent-Mindedness:

• Stop worrying and fretting over small things.
• Do one thing at a time and give your 100% concentration.
• Energize your brain by regular physical exercise; it greatly affects your cognition: it keeps your body healthy and improves circulation, which means the brain can get fresh oxygen more quickly.
• Sleep well; don’t deprive yourself of a sound sleep.
• Try to be alert and active at all times.
• Drink plenty of water as when you don’t drink enough water, your body and mind become weak and tired. Water makes red blood cells more active and also makes you more energetic. And yes, we are unfortunately amid the Corona virus pandemic, so don’t forget to drink warm water and lots of it. It will always help.
• Less and less absent-minded actions help a better memory. Daily meditation contributes to an individual being more alert and avoid absent-mindedness. 
• Avoid procrastination as it causes lapses in your memory.

About the writer: Minoo Jokhi is a Mathemagician cum Memory Development Trainer based in Mumbai, India. He trains people of all ages right from 4 to 80 years of age and shows them how to increase their Memory-Power and once and for all shatter the myth that memory is neither good nor bad but in reality, is trained or untrained. Readers can contact him via email on [email protected] or follow him on http://www.minoojokhi.in/

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