stop juggling babies

What have you forgotten lately?

Something at the grocery store?

An appointment?

Mother's Day?

Do you remember that feeling you had when you remembered it? Or when someone reminded you of it?

That's all a choice. You chose to forget it the moment you first had the thought.

When's the last time you held a baby? Did you drop it? Why not?

Even if you practiced the ninja-mom art of taking care of other kids or tasks while holding your own baby, your body knew the first priority was to take care of the thing that was in your arms.

What if each "to-do" or "remind me to" was a baby?

Obviously, you'd get a lot less done in your day. You couldn't function if you gave the same amount of attention to the thought "update the cover sheet to the TPS report" that you give a baby.

That's cognitive load - the capacity your mind has to keep thoughts active. Chris Brogan suggested it's like you have 1 dollar a day of attention. Each thing gets a penny. But with cognitive overload, your spending dimes on penny-worthy issues.

Free your mind by letting your short-term memory off the hook.

Turns out we only have mental room for 4-7 things at a time. Which is why you forget - not because you don't care about the thing, just because it got bounced.

Get it out of your mind. Figure out the place - notepad, or notepad app - or anything. But it needs to be trustworthy, a very handy distinction made by David Allen. If you don't trust it, your mind won't let it go.

If you don't routinely check it, it won't help either.

Do you have a trusty inbox? What is it?