Have you ever spent half an hour or more frantically looking for your keys? Is there a book that you know is on one of your book shelves, but for some reason you can’t find it? Do you often have to look for a few minutes before you find your parked car?
These are fairly common problem, especially as you get older. You can’t just automatically ‘fix’ a memory in your brain without actual momentary concentration. You don’t pay the same kind of acute attention you did when you were younger. The sad part is that you were once easily able to remember where you put your keys, but the ability to build those neural circuits may have slowed a bit once you hit your mid 50s.
It’s a kind of ‘tip of the tongue’ thing. You almost know where your keys are. You almost remember where you left that book. You certainly remember the general area where you parked your car. But recall may take longer if you’re not concentrating or not using memory tricks. There are several disciplines you can use to boost your recall ability.
One of them is to create a place for an object, and concentrate on always putting the object in its proper place. You may choose to put your keys in the inside lock of your entry door, or in a special dish on a cabinet. But don’t let your mind wander once you’ve unlocked the door. Make it an automatic habit to put your keys in the place you’ve chosen for them.
I enjoy mountain slopes or mountain bikes in summer when it’s hot. A friend once gave me a really good piece of advice. She said, “Place your keys in the left pocket of your ski pants and fasten the pocket closed. In summer, you’ll probably always bring a jacket. Put your keys in the left pocket of the jacket, safely close the pocket and either wear the jacket or put the jacket in your backpack, concentrating on remembering that your keys are in the jacket pocket.”
Make this such a priority that you will always find your keys by looking in that pocket when outdoors. Place them there immediately after you get out of the car. Don’t ever hold the keys in your hand while getting other things out of the car. Never, ever put your hand-held keys down on the seat. There will eventually come a day when it will skip your mind that you did this, and you will lock up your car — with the keys inside.
One of the most embarrassing things in the world is parking your car but not being able to remember exactly where. You even try pressing the alarm button on the key fob, but the car is out of range. You left your phone in the car. After many minutes of looking, you are really tired of pushing your shopping cart through the potholes of the parking lot, and you still can’t find your parked car.
Here’s how to prevent that from ever happening again: When you park your car, look at the entryway of the store or office building. Fix your car’s location by looking for numbered slot signs (B2, for example) or the brand name on the building. For example, you parked in the row of slots directly down from the letter ‘M.’ If parking in an underground lot, memorize how many levels down from the street level you parked. It really helps if you can take an image with your phone of where you parked, with nearby signage showing the location. You may be in the middle of that row or all the way at the end, but at least you can locate the proper row where you parked your car.
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Wina Sturgeon is an active 55+ based in Salt Lake City, who offers news on the science of anti-aging and staying youthful at: adventuresportsweekly.com. She skates, bikes and lifts weights to stay in shape.
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