Try to remember: The secret brain hack that will stop you from forgetting
Have you ever...wait...what was I going to say? It's right on the tip of my tongue. If you're getting forgetful like me, a new study offers a fun hack that can help improve your memory.
According to Science Alert: "A new study suggests that remembering mundane, everyday tasks is all about providing the brain with distinct cues that are experienced at just the right time. In other words, your mind needs a reminder right when the task needs to happen, not when you still have time to procrastinate and, therefore, forget again.
If you want a better chance of remembering a mundane task, give yourself a distinct cue, because using a note or calendar doesn’t seem to work (at least not as well), based off of the team’s results.
Say you want to remember to take a letter with you to drop off in a mailbox on your way to work. Instead of writing a note on the fridge or setting an alarm on your phone, you might want to sit your trusty Albert Einstein bobblehead by the front door to remind you on your way out. Since you're not used to seeing Einstein nodding at you as you leave, you'll likely remember why you put it there: to grab that letter and take it with you."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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