What’s Your Name Again?

Does this ever happen to you? You’re at an event and get introduced to someone and find their name is gone almost as soon as you hear it. This is common for those of us with short-term or working memory challenges. Perhaps you go to the store to pick up a few items, let’s say coffee, cereal, and juice. While holding the cereal and juice you run into an acquaintance and have a brief conversation. Paying for your items and arriving back home you realize you totally forgot the coffee.

When I was teaching, a pop-up thought would sometimes arise related to the subject, or a student would ask something that stimulated another relevant concept. Knowing I’d be likely to completely forget those random thoughts, I trained myself to make a small note on my lesson or the whiteboard.

Meetings were also a problem for me. I used to blurt out random thoughts – rudely interrupting – afraid of losing them. Finally, I realized that making a note of my thought was a much safer way of preserving my ideas.

The most annoying problem for me was putting something important in a “safe place” and then having no idea where that place was. I finally realized that it’s much easier to have a few safe places that I used every time. Even then I started putting notes in my calendar saying something like, “find check for Fri. appt. w/kitchen knives.”

Little reminder notes work well for me. Lists for shopping help lots. Many people find that their phones are great places for lists and reminders – others just find them annoying.

As for names, the best I’ve come up with is, “Sorry, I just spaced out on your name.”

-Sydney Metrick