Remembering to remember
I’m taking a course on mindful communication right now and I’ve spent the last 2 weeks trying to be aware of anytime I choose to talk or not in a conversation.
It’s hard!
I’m humbled and stunned by the volume of my mind-less “choices” - the vast majority of which I don't even notice for hours at a time.
But I know I'm not alone because I hear this in my practice too:
“I start out with intentions to wrap up the meeting earlier so that we don’t run over (and I have time for an actual lunch break!)…but then I all of a sudden I realize it’s 12:59! I’m late again!”
“I go to bed and I am totally committed to being more mindful throughout my morning. I have a plan to take a mindful breath whenever I cross through a doorway….then it’s 10:47am and I realize I haven’t even thought about mindfulness since I woke up at 6:30.”
So much of our life is dictated little auto-pilot default choices.
Remembering to remember your new intention at the auto-pilot moment is an essential step!
So how do you remember to remember?
Think back to other times you’ve made a change.
I’m sure you have lots of good tricks for this that have actually worked for you.
(Will you share your ideas with me so I can offer them to others?)
Here are a few ideas I’ve already collected from friends & clients:
A well placed post-it
A single nail painted a different color (I’m trying this one next!) 💅
An alert on your phone (try the app “Mind Jogger” to get randomly timed prompts on a reminder you choose)
Appointments on your calendar
An alarm set for a certain time
Telling people about your intention ... ok, I guess I'm trying this one too! 🙌 🎉 💥
Asking for help/reminders from others
An event “trigger” to remember – washing hands, touching a door knob, drinking water
Recognize remembering to remember as an important step in itself.
And be gentle with yourself when it takes some time to get the hang of it. You have good company 🤪
What are you trying to remember to remember right now?
And how are you approaching it?
With all my love,
Marijke Ocean