Transcription
Have you ever wondered if it's possible for our brains to remember everything?
Well, if you search on Google, you might get answers like "try this life-changing memory technique" or "eat overnight soaked almonds to improve your brain power."
But in this video, I'm going to say none of that. In fact, I'm going to tell you the exact opposite.
The best way to remember everything is by trying to remember nothing. As paradoxical as this sounds, this is probably the most effective way to remember everything in life.
This is because our brains are not designed to remember everything. In fact, 90% of our brain is run by the conscious mind, which is responsible for carrying out daily repetitive tasks, often on autopilot, like brushing your teeth, tying your shoelace, or even driving.
This is why sometimes you could be driving for 20 minutes and not even recall the journey, as your subconscious mind has taken over.
So that leaves only 10% for the conscious mind, which is responsible for things like decision-making, problem-solving, learning, and so on.
For example, cooking a new recipe or learning a new skill. But imagine you had to use the same level of effort for every single task throughout your day.
Your brain would go into overdrive, with no energy left for creativity, innovation, or critical thinking, and that would be a very inefficient way to live our lives.
So in order to maximize efficiency, our brain discards trivial and small tasks, like the seventh item on your to-do list or Sen's birthday at work.
Therefore, relying on your brain to remember everything is probably not the best approach. Instead, you need a system that will remind you of everything you need to know in a timely manner.
And this system will be your second brain. Your second brain is simply a place where you can capture all your actions, notes, and reminders, right from your shopping list to your appointments to even Karen's birthday.
This way, you've taken the pressure away from your brain and given the responsibility to your second brain, who will remind you when it's necessary.
Now, it's important that you don't forget where you store these notes and reminders because that would be pretty ironic.
So figure out a physical or digital place where you can write everything down, and this should be easily accessible so you can jot things down quickly, but more importantly, retrieve the information when it's most needed.
The more organized you keep this space, the higher the chances of never forgetting anything.
For example, you can categorize by life areas, projects, weekly priorities, or any other method.
The key is to keep evolving your second brain until you find what works best for you.
I personally like to keep things simple. Anything that I need to be reminded of, like birthdays, events, or appointments, goes in my calendar on my phone.
This way, I'll be reminded of the event when it's necessary. For my work to-do list, I use platforms like OneNote and Trello.
I list all my actions, even the most trivial tasks. I review this list every morning and decide what's a priority for the day and what can wait.
At least this way, if things are being missed, it's out of choice rather than my brain simply forgetting.
So focus on building your second brain and take the pressure away from your actual brain, because you have far more important things to be focusing on rather than remembering the seventh item on your to-do list.
As Einstein once said, "Why should I fill my brain with facts I can find in two minutes in any standard reference book?"