“How did you remember that?!? It happened like three years ago!”
So said a colleague of mine one day when she was trying to recall what was decided about some older issue and I was able to tell her not only what we agreed upon, but who was there and even what conference room we’d met in. Her jaw dropped and she looked at me like a freak (a fair call, some would say, though not because of my awesome memory. As it turns out, my memory is actually only average.)
True, certain things remain pretty clear for me but those tend to be “pure moments” that have a lot of meaning and/or strong emotions attached to them. Some run of the mill meeting where we talked about some relatively minor point… how did I remember any of those details?
My secret? I keep a work journal. {I can almost hear your groans… just bear with me for bit. It’s not going to be that bad.}
I actually started journaling my very first day on the job after graduating from college. Ironically to this topic, I can’t remember if this was advice from someone or just a decent idea I’d had, but it is something I have done literally every day of my career.
What I do is pretty simple. At the end of each day – ideally at work but occasionally at home – I take 10 minutes or so and recap what happened. There’s usually not a ton of detail but I try to capture the key points by re-living the day, oftentimes referencing my calendar or sent emails to make sure I don’t miss something. I firmly believe that this “second pass” is what has helped me recall that three-year old meeting for my friend. I couldn’t tell what people were wearing or exactly what was said… I don’t have a photographic memory. But by reinforcing the events that day by revisiting them and maybe spending a few moments considering the bigger picture, it made the memory strong enough to survive and be recalled years later.
Here’s a couple of sample entries from a random day from years ago:
Granted, this is not something most people would pay to read, but it’s not supposed to be. I write just enough so that I can remember what happened. Frankly, the simple act of writing things down is what helps me do that… though if I can’t, I have the journals to then return to to jog my memory.
I also recognize that most of us are pretty busy and that it takes discipline to do something like this, but I’d argue that the benefits far outweigh the small amount of time you need to invest in this daily. Personally, I find that it:
- Helps reinforce memories by revisiting them
- Reminds me of any commitments I made to people but which may have slipped my mind as I rushed off to the next thing
- Provides some perspective
- Gives me a sense of accomplishment by recognizing everything that was done (conversely, it can help identify things that waste your time)
- Offers maybe a little protection in case of future disputes since you’re probably one of the few people who document their day
If you’re buying into this, then great. How you choose to keep your journal is really up to you. I started mine by writing in my planner but, after a couple of years, I realized the benefit of moving to digital… in particular, my logs are now searchable and, since they’re files, I no longer have to box them up and store them. Still, go with what whatever works for you.
The important thing is really just to get in the habit of recounting your day. I think you’ll find that your memory, and your perspective, will benefit greatly from this regular exercise.
I’m pulling for you!
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