Our brains are designed to forget things
July 25, 2017
By Brian Maynor
Our brains are not designed to remember stuff.
Last week I wrote about emptying our mental inbox to free our minds from clutter and distraction, and today I want to reinforce the fact that it’s okay to be forgetful, or heavily rely on computers, notebooks or phones to store the information we need.
This goes against how we were taught in school, and some common notions that brainpower comes from memorization, but the fact is that our brains are not developed to store information accurately. In fact, at best our brains can be compared to an 8-gigabyte hard drive, which sounds like a lot until we realize that the average person is bombarded with 34 gigabytes of information every day.
By simple extrapolation that’s roughly 238 gigabytes a week, 952 gigabytes a month and 11,424 gigabytes (11 terabytes) a year. That explains why even the most vivid experiences are vague or blurry when we think back on them.
Here are a few other fun facts about our brains, memory and how to maximize what we have:
1. Survival as the top priority. If we travel back in time to the pre-historic era, humans were not at all concerned with memorizing information. Their number one priority was staying alive. Which means they processed information through this lens of food, shelter, relationships and safety.
2. Civilization created the need for memorization. As society developed written and spoken language, the memorization of information beyond survival because useful and necessary. While our brains initially grew in both size and complexity to accommodate civilization, it has only grown so much, and that’s not nearly enough to account for the information we have access to today.
3. Multitasking stresses our brain. It’s common to be doing multiple things at the same time, and while that’s productive it is also taxing to our brains. Processing and memorizing too much information are what lead us to feel overwhelmed or more appropriately overloaded.
4. Our brains are meant to process information. This is truly its greatest talent, and we rob our brain of that ability with useless memorized information. Our minds are meant to interpret information in inventive and creative ways, not store it for recollection. Not only do we have limited space available, our brains aren’t designed to remember things accurately and objectively.
5. Outsource your memory. There are countless ways we can develop a system for organizing and storing information that are more effective and efficient than memorization. Whether it’s a computer, notebook, scrapbook or a combination the key is to handle the information we’re exposed to better, so we don’t feel the need to memorize it. The idea of losing it feeds that need, so by creating a storage and recollection system we alleviate that fear and desire to memorize.
Our memory may not trustworthy or ever competitive with a computer, but that’s perfectly fine because they serve two different functions. Computers are great for storing and recalling information while our brains are great at creatively processing it. So, let our brains do what they do best and stop trying to use it as a storehouse of information. That’s why we have computers.
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I am always curious to hear from you and what you see in the workplace. Send your questions, comments and pet peeves to [email protected]. Also find each of these storyboards at http://brianmaynor.polyvore.com with links to purchase each item.
About Brian Maynor
Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.
