What will you remember?
What did you do last weekend?
Surprisingly, many of us might need to pause and think carefully to answer this question.
If you were lucky to have done something particularly interesting or unusual last weekend, something you have already described to a friend and experienced with all of your senses, you may have a quick answer ready.
Otherwise, you might find yourself drawing a blank, unsure of what to say. But this does not mean that you’re forgetful or that your life is boring.
If you have spent the weekend immersed in routines – taking kids to activities, grocery shopping, going for a run on a familiar route – you may remember the general routine but not the specific details of last weekend.
Unfortunately, if much of your time is spent on repetitive routines in familiar settings, it can become hard to distinguish one day or week from another. It may feel like time is slipping through your fingers.
Classic approaches to this type of a challenge are to either pay more attention, or to change things up. I'll say more about these and introduce another idea that doesn't require making changes.
Of course, practicing mindfulness + bodyfulness - fully attending to your task mentally and with all of your senses – can help. However, it may not be practical to feel fully present all the time. If you are doing some task for a millionth time, and it is already too familiar, boring, or just not something you want to engage with, mindfulness + bodyfulness may not be the answer to creating more memories.
Another idea is to introduce sensory and intellectual variety: try new spices, explore a broader palette of colors, or listen to music and nature sounds. Alternatively, do something new entirely, stepping away from the routines for a few hours or days. Go on a hike with a breathtaking view, browse through an art gallery, perfumery, pet store, or a market filled with teas, coffees, or spices.
You can also do familiar things in new places or in new ways, introducing enough variety to force you to pay attention. However, this may not be practical, since routines allow us to save energy and mental bandwidth. We don’t have to mentally attend to routines, but the trade-off is that it is hard to recall something we don’t attend to - you have no recollection of where that saved “mental time” goes.
I’d like to share an idea with you that is more about record-keeping than about making changes.
It’s an idea that I picked up from actor Marilu Henner, a guest on David Eagleman’s podcast (Episode 80: What’s it like to never forget?). She is known for phenomenal memory.
Let’s experiment.
How many events from the past year do you recall?
Actually, pause now if you can, please, and try to make a numbered list.
According to Henner, on average, people can recall 8 to 11 events from the past year. Henner, along with about 100 other people worldwide as far as the scientists know, can recall easily over 200 events (Henner in particular recalled 365, putting her into 99th percentile of people with phenomenal memory). She considers her memory to be a blessing, as it creates a sense of having a rich and dynamic life.
As for the rest of us, it’s not that most of the things that have happened to us during the past year were unremarkable or insignificant; it’s more likely that our recall is not great.
So, here’s a trick we can use to remember more of our live over time:
Let’s say you want to be more cognizant of the interesting things that are already happening in your life for the next 10 years. 10 years times 52 weeks per year equal 520 weeks. That is 520 opportunities to mark your life with something that you want to experience and to remember.
Create a document or a note on your phone, and once a week take a minute to reflect and recall just one thing that made an impression on you that week. Jot it down. This way, after a year, you will have recorded 52 moments of time that have comprised your life, not just 10 events that you can recall off the top of your head. This is different from just taking pictures everywhere you go (although you can do your list of 52 in pictures), because it is a curated and reflective way of marking events.
The pictures above will help me remember our visit to the biggest Hindu temple in the US two weeks ago. It was a magnificent celebration for all the senses. But I wonder whether I would be able to recall this visit a year from now without a prompt. So, I am starting a list. Week 1: Visiting Baps Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville, NJ. Week 2: Disney movie marathon with our youngest kiddo, and getting back to foil fencing after maaaaany years.
If you try this, let me know how it goes!
With gratitude,
Alina
Dr. Alina Bas, PCC
Strategy Consultant & Executive Coach
https://AlinaBas.com
Alina@AlinaBas.com
NEW INTUITION CLASS on 12/18/24
Please join me for a virtual gathering, Applied Intuition: Sensing Our Lives. I've set up a free Zoom meetup for us engage with our intuitive abilities together, think about our past, present, and tap into the future. We held this soulful, inspiring gathering in October, and it was a success. If you missed it last time, or if you'd like to play again, join me!
WHAT: Applied Intuition: Sensing Our Lives (Meet-up on Zoom), 1 hour 30 minutes.
WHEN: Wed., Dec. 18th, 8:30-10pm EST via Zoom.
FREE. Registration is required, and will close 36 hours before class; spaces are limited. https://alinabas.as.me/IntuitionZoom
DETAILS: We will discuss ways to understand & apply intuiting using our ability to 'sense and make sense', and shape our vision for the coming year. We'll talk about scientific basis for retrieving information that is not accessible through analysis, experiment with getting information via sensory perception, and make time for Q&A.
UPDATES and IDEAS
Our academic book chapter, "Does Intuiting Precede or Follow Mastery?", co-authored with Dr. Viktor Dorfler and Dr. Marta Sinclair, has been accepted for publication in 2025! The chapter is about ways to tell whether someone is an expert, a master, or a grandmaster, and the role of intuiting in developing mastery.
If you have a group of friends interested in science-based approach to intuition development, I'm happy to do a private 2-3 hour workshop for your group in person in NYC/NJ area or via zoom. Please, drop me a note to Alina@AlinaBas.com and let me know if you'd like to see this happen.
If you are in a leadership position, does your company offer a perk of paying for your executive coaching?Don't leave this money on the table; let's make this personal/professional development before 2024 ends. Please, reach out, and we'll figure out a plan. Alina@AlinaBas.com
ICF PCC CERTIFIED
If you are considering working with an executive coach, please, email Alina@AlinaBas.com, or schedule a Strategic Planning Session; it is a great way to reflect on what is happening, and set sights on what you want to see ahead. https://www.alinabas.com/schedule
NEWSLETTER
Did a friend share this with you? Please sign up for my newsletter and get your own free monthly-ish idea boost. Let's stay connected!
*****
RECENT ARTICLES
Marvin Syndrome: Brilliant and Underutilized
Bucket list: Keep it or forget it?
A fresh start
Tiny interactions, huge impact
How to talk to a person in crisis
Our New York Love Story
Vonnegut's Take on Your Career
Harmony in Your Life
More Than it Seems
Stay Afloat in Uncertainty
Sensing the Unknown
What’s Not Broken
