Tips from a Grandmaster of Memory on never losing your keys again | Hacker News Reader

Tips from a Grandmaster of Memory on never losing your keys again

blog.memrise.com

14 pointsgregdetre11 comments

I listened to a guy talk about people with ADD. Most people that have mild ADD have memory problems also but for some, they sub-consciously overcome that problem by finding places in the house to store things.

For instance, I have one place in my house that I unload my pockets everyday when I get home. When I walk in the house, I don't do anything else till I've went to my spot and put my keys there. I've always known that I have a spotty memory but I've come up with my own ways to make sure that I don't lose stuff.

But I also think losing your keys is more than simply memory loss. It's about not putting forth enough mental effort when you do set your keys down. When you walk into your house you are almost on cruise control. Everything is winding down and you don't really care about what's going on anymore. I would assume for most people simply taking the time to notice where you put your keys would be enough. I mean, besides the key to your house, it's the second most expensive key you own. Pay attention!

The problem with losing keys is the one time you don't put them down on cruise control - when you put them down someplace strange, so when you search for them on cruise control, they're not where the automated part of your brain expects them to be.

But if you put them down in cruise control then chances are you also won't stop to imagine some violence either..

If you're capable of remembering to imagine violence, you're also capable to put them in the same place every time.

I always put my keys in the same place. Very simple. Works.

Same.. I've never lost them that way.

I'm a friend of Ed's, and his approach to memory & perception have made a hilarious difference to my mental world.

But he hasn't yet come up with a way to stop his keys & wallet from falling out of his pockets on the train.

I like cargo pants with the zippered lower pockets for keys, and a front pocket for my wallet.

My wife put a basket for keys right next to the front door. That pretty much did it for key loss. Now the only problem is arriving at the front door with an awkward burden in one hand and the keys in the pocket on that side.

This seems like a good short-term solution. But it seems like its effect would be reduced if thinking of violent things every time you set your keys down becomes a habit.

I like to mix and match. From now on, I'm going to imagine my keys are a motherless brood of koalas... whom I just stabbed with a machete into my desk.

My morning key/mobile/wallet finding delay was ended when I began placing these necessities in the same place each evening.

I still misplace other things constantly. Wrenching on a vehicle is a nightmare of misplaced tools and parts. I've noticed that the primary cause of this is not being mindful. When I set something down, it's because I've mentally moved on to something else. If I simply pause to look at and recognize an item before letting go of it, I have no problem finding it later.

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