Putting something neatly away can make it vanish from your mental map. If you can't see it, you may stop remembering that you own it, need it or meant to do something with it.
- buying another packet because the first one is behind a cupboard door
- forgetting clothes that were folded into a drawer
- missing a bill after placing it safely in a folder
- finding several unused versions of the same item in different storage boxes
Looks vs reality
The same Experience can look very different from the outside than it feels on the inside.
"If you really cared, you would have remembered to text back."
The conversation slid off my screen, and with it, the task slid right out of my working memory. It says nothing about how much I value you, and everything about how my brain works.
"Why is all your important stuff just left out on the counter?"
This isn't clutter; it's a visual to-do list. If I put these things in a drawer, I will forget they exist for the next six months. This is my external hard drive.
"You're so disorganized. You just bought that and you've already lost it?"
I put it somewhere 'safe' and 'organized,' which to my brain means I might as well have mailed it to an alternate dimension. The object has ceased to exist.
"You're so wasteful. You never eat the leftovers you save."
The moment it went into an opaque container, it became a ghost. I 100% wanted to eat it, but my brain can't remember what it can't see.
"You said you were going to do that an hour ago. Are you ignoring me?"
Not ignoring you. I walked into a different room, a new visual cue took over my brain's single open tab, and the original task was completely erased. It’ll come back when I see the thing again.
Understand what’s happening—and help someone else understand.
Create a free account to explore what may be behind this Experience, which Birds may be involved, and how to explain it to someone else.