doorwayI'm always doing this: I'm rushing around getting ready for work, making sure my son remembers to pack his library books, trying to find those shoes I like, running into the kitchen to take my vitamins, and then suddenly ... POOF! I've completely forgotten why I'm there in the kitchen! (The vitamins, you're in the kitchen to take your vitamins.) I always thought it's because I'm an airhead, but actually this is a real thing. It's not just me!

A psychologist at the University of Notre Dame has discovered that walking through doorways causes memory lapses. And it's not even about long distances, either. It's literally crossing a threshold that can give us temporary amnesia. Apparently you place tasks or decisions in a little map in your mind. When you leave a room, that decision can stay behind. You've compartmentalized it. So now that you know why you forget things, what's a multitasking mom to do? Move to a one-room loft space?

Now what was I saying? OH YES. It makes total sense. We're always on the run, aren't we? I mean, how many times have you changed your location today? If you're home with kids all day, the answer is countless, I'm sure. Even if you're away at work, you're still running around your home before, then commuting, then running around the office, then commuting again, and if you have errands to run on top of that, forget it. It's a wonder that we can remember anything at all!

I guess I should be glad someone has cracked the code to Mommy Brain. But what, exactly, are we supposed to do with this information? Knowing why I forget things doesn't really help me to stop forgetting things. I still have to move from room to room, leaving thoughts and ideas in my wake. Should I walk around with a pad and pen? Has it really come to that?

And would that even work, anyway? Because I don't know if I can remember to carry around a pad and pen everywhere. I can barely remember to take my vitamins. Should I start talking to myself, "Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins ..." until I actually get to the kitchen cabinet? That won't make me look insane at all, would it? Hah. Maybe the best I can do is slow down a little bit, pause every time I reach a doorway, and think before I fly off into Forgetfulland. Yeah. I'll definitely remember to do that ...

Do you tend to forget things when you move into a different room? Have you already forgotten what this post is about?

 

Image via Ben Husmann/Flickr