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Do you wonder how those people can remember anything?
They study, work, have meetings, and calls, and even have time to spend with their families and friends.
Somehow, they always manage to remember everything. Also, they are those who ace every exam.
How?
Well, ironically, they know they are bad at remembering.
Let me tell you what I mean.
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Why We Forget?
Simple.
We evolved to forget: our brain is a forgetting machine.
Let me explain.
In his book "The Forgetting Machine", neuroscientist Rodrigo Quiroga explains how our brain is not good at remembering details.
The reason is simple.
Remembering everything is computationally impossible for our brains.
We think we remember past experiences in detail like a video camera or photographs, but we don't.
We only remember a few details and facts.
The brain is a forgetting machine because it selects and processes little of the information available.
When remembering, the brain doesn't play the memory like a DVD but on the meaning.
Forgetting makes the brain function properly, focusing on the most important and relevant information to make sense of the world.
You can check Quiroga's book here: https://amzn.to/4aEKUHw (affiliate link)
So now you know.
It is not that you're dumb and can't remember all your responsibilities, from dates, meetings, calls, what you studied, read, etc.
It's just that your brain did not evolve to remember in this way.
So the goal is to make our brain's life easier.
How To Fix Your Forgetting Machine?
Easy: by creating a digital brain, a place you can always ask what you forgot.
Here are some tips:
- Use a calendar to store all your important dates.
- Use reminders on your smartphone.
- Use apps like todoist to know what you need to do day by day.
- Take notes to store what you read or think.
With these techniques, you're making your life easier.
Personal Examples
- Google Calendar
I don't try remembering dates anymore, that's my calendar's job.
I save everything on my Google Calendar, whether it's meetings, hanging out with family or friends, study sessions, birthdays, etc.
When I wake up, I just check it to know what I need to do.
- Obsidian
If I only relied on what I highlighted from books, articles, or anything, I would be lost.
That's why I take notes in Obsidian.
All my reading is here: from books, ideas, papers, ideas to write articles, everything.
With this, I don't need to remember what I read or study. I only need to check Obsidian.
So now you know: our brain is a forgetting machine.
It was never you, it's evolution.
I hope this article inspires you to build a second brain to stop forgetting.
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See you,
Axel