I’ve been trying a small experiment lately to stop those “why did I walk into this room” moments. It’s a simple habit: I narrate exactly what I’m doing as I do it.
My routine involves saying, “I am going to the kitchen to get the blue scissors,” out loud. I’ve been tracking how often I actually remember the task versus getting distracted by the laundry or the mail.
Have any of you tried this vocalization technique? I’d love to know if it helps your focus or if it just makes you feel a bit silly.
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I do this all the time! My husband always thinks I’m talking to him, but it really is the only way I remember where I put my glasses.
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I’ve heard of something called ‘pointing and calling’ that train conductors use in Japan to avoid mistakes. It sounds like the same concept. I might give it a try tomorrow morning with my medication routine.
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I started doing this after my doctor suggested it for my ‘did I lock the door’ anxiety. I say ‘The door is locked’ and actually look at the bolt. It is much more effective than just doing it on autopilot because the memory of the sound sticks in my head longer than the action itself.
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I tried this today but forgot what I was narrating halfway through the sentence! Maybe I need to start with shorter sentences.
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There is actually some interesting research behind this. It engages the auditory processing part of the brain along with your motor skills. I find it most useful when I am trying to juggle too many things at once, which I really should stop doing anyway at my age.
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Checking back in to say I tried this while gardening this morning. I didn’t lose my trowel once. Usually I’m hunting for it every ten minutes because I just set it down wherever.
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