[thedude58]

I have to laugh at myself sometimes...

I'll get an idea in my head and I'll take off somewhere, a different room for instance, and I'll find I'm staring at a wall or a table and I can't remember why I went there. This happens frequently, and as you might imagine, after 40 years it can be annoying at times. If I re-trace what I was doing before the sojourn I can usually remember. Sometimes I'll even make two or three trips before I finally get to whatever it was.

Anyone have any coping tips?

[GillianGillian]

I used to have this problem a lot. I even had a problem where I would think of doing one thing, but I would do another.

The easiest solution I have found is to say out loud what I am doing as or before I do it. It sounds and feels kind of strange at first, but it really works. You get more sensory input about what you are doing. Maybe you remember your mouth forming the words, or you can recall what you just heard yourself say. Try it and see.

[Mark in Idaho]

GillianGillian is right. Saying it puts it into another form as you mouth the words and then hear yourself say the words.

I have a similar problem except worse.

I can get a bowl out of the cabinet and set it on the counter. Then, I turn around to get the cereal and milk. I take 2 steps to the other side of the kitchen and look at the refrigerator and pantry wondering what I am doing. A few moments of focus and I usually connect to my task of making breakfast.

Sometimes, I will "remember" the wrong task and grab the wrong thing from the refrigerator or pantry and realize my error when I turn and return to the bowl. As has been said before," You just gotta laugh."

At least we understand what it is like to have these comical experiences. Others would likely ridicule these events.

[thedude58]

Thank you Gillian and Mark, I will try saying it out loud. Such a simple thing.

[sospan]

Originally Posted by GillianGillian

I used to have this problem a lot. I even had a problem where I would think of doing one thing, but I would do another.

The easiest solution I have found is to say out loud what I am doing as or before I do it. It sounds and feels kind of strange at first, but it really works. You get more sensory input about what you are doing. Maybe you remember your mouth forming the words, or you can recall what you just heard yourself say. Try it and see.

There is a great scene in the film " a long kiss goodnight" where Samuel L Jackson sings reminders to himself - absolutely perfect