Where Did I Put That Pot? 
When your memory begins to fail, it does not use a selective process. You may forget where you left your keys, the PIN for your debit card, your address, even your own birth date. So, should it come as any surprise that your memories become lost in your kitchen? Do you find yourself wondering how many eggs go into your favorite recipe or where your favorite casserole dish is hiding? Let’s look at four ways of assisting and improving your memory to make life a little more enjoyable and return your kitchen to its comfort zone status.
Sleep
One of the major causes of memory loss is lack of sleep. In today’s fast-paced environment, few people are able to grab more than four to six hours of sleep per night. While this may be enough for some, many suffer unknowingly from sleep deprivation symptoms that worsen over time. Memory loss and a drop in productivity top the list. Everyone has a different threshold for experiencing memory loss from lack of sleep. A simple way to test your threshold is to add an extra half hour of sleep to your schedule until you see an improvement in your memory. This will take some planning, which leads to the next step in improving your memory.
Planning
It has been proven that just 10 percent of the time you use to carefully plan your tasks for the day can save you 90 percent of the effort necessary to get them accomplished. Use this rule to decide what is important and necessary for the day, and set realistic goals to get those things accomplished. Post your goals in a highly visible place, such as your refrigerator door, and don’t forget to include a meal plan. You may find it helpful to write little notes from your master list and post them throughout your home or workplace. Be specific and include the time each task should begin and end. When you remember something, stop and jot it down or add it to your list. Writing things down helps us to remember them and also leaves a paper trail to follow. Be sure to check your list and notes before you leave any location for another, to prevent backtracking and to save time. This will require some organizing, which leads to the next step.
Organization
Organizing your life begins with planning. Once you realize what you want to accomplish, you will begin to see ways of making things happen. As you go about your daily activities, look for areas that could be improved with organization. Take your kitchen, for example. Do you have a set place for each item in your kitchen? If you have only one place to look for an item and only one place to return it to, your memory won’t have to work so hard at keeping up with all your movements and placements. Maybe your kitchen does not have the storage space you need. Now might be the perfect time to gain more storage space by treating yourself to the organization tools you need. Once the stress of constantly searching for things in your kitchen is diminished, you will find yourself more relaxed and better able to concentrate on other areas of your life.
Focus
This is the age of multitasking. Whether you are talking on your cell while driving or cooking while supervising homework, you seldom focus on one action at a time. Staying focused on the issue at hand frees your mind to concentrate on the things necessary for the task and leaves everything else to its own proper timing. Focus has proven to increase productivity and creativity while reducing downtime. How many times have you burned dinner because you were also trying to get a load of laundry done? Next time, plan ahead, organize, and focus. Load the laundry and forget it. Now your mind is free to focus on dinner, and both will be accomplished in record time.
There is a fifth way to improve your memory. Surround yourself with positive people and things. Surround yourself with your loved ones. Provide them and yourself with beautiful surroundings such as that organized kitchen. Create a place where everyone can converge at the end of the day to share news and discuss problems. You may choose to make it a den or the living room, but make it a place that generates good memories you can cherish.
To learn more about how to remodel to fit both your desires and your budget, call Joliet Cabinet at 815-727-4096 or e-mail info@jolietcabinet.com.