For us baby boomers that becomes less and less of a reliable tool. Short term memory is quite susceptible to interruptions. As the pace increases, and multi-tasking expands, it s easier for short term memory to drop details before storing them into our long term memory. As memory gets overwhelmed we shift to using visual aids. They serve as a reminder function to prompt our memory or recall system to action.
Visual aids range from post-it notes, to calendars, to detailed lists.
Almost all lists are a combination of key words and prompts to our memory to fill in the rest of the required action item. In the third phase we go to stacking. Here we use location, location, location, as the real estate people put it to organize information, and associated action items. Folders or stacks serve like floors of a building to separate information groups. As this information management tool gets overwhelmed our paper condo s become more expansive, more sprawling, and eventually look as if a 7.6 earthquake has just rearranged the landscape.