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The first smartphone was created by IBM and released for purchase in 1994 [1]. That same year I moved to the UK and had no idea such devices even existed; at the time I was very fond of a fax machine in the office allowing me to communicate with my family in France! There was something magical about dialling the number and knowing my handwritten letter was arriving in their fax machine in real time.
Fast forward 28 years ...
mobile phones have gone from being functional to informational tools and even recreational gadgets. They have changed our relationship with technology, with each other and with ourselves. We rely on our phone to share, store, recall, remind, communicate, navigate, play and express our social identity.
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to give my partner’s mobile number, naturally I reached out to my own phone to find it - Who needs to remember a phone number, an address, or a birthday nowadays? This information is available at arm’s reach, at our fingertips, a few taps away!
What if I didn’t have my phone with me? If the battery had run out? or if the sim card was erased after taking a toilet swim? (Read dare #3) *
I realised I hadn’t committed to memory this important phone number, and yet I can tell you the landline numbers of my parents and grandparents’ homes from 40 years ago.
What we don’t need to remember is easily forgotten as we trust our devices to do it for us, this is called digital amnesia [2]. When we know we can find the information online or in our calendar, we don’t make an effort to remember the information itself but instead we memorise where we can find it. It is convenient, but not very secure when it comes to passwords, bank account numbers and other sensitive data stored in the “external brain” we carry in our pocket. I set myself the challenge to remember my partner’s mobile number and 2 weeks later I am confident it is stored in my memory and I can recall it whenever I need.
Let’s explore different ways to stimulate the brain and memorize a phone number or anything else, using visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning preferences.
Chunking: Group numbers and memorise the smaller blocks
Rhythm: Find a tempo you like
Out loud: Sing, hum, rhyme, make up your own tune or use a catchy one
Write: Write it, doodle it, draw it
Move: Walk around, gesticulate, mime, count on your fingers What is your favourite way to memorise information? Which meaningful piece of information are you going to commit to memory today?
To learn more about how you can better stimulate your memory, get in touch with me to arrange a free conversation and explore possibilities, I guarantee it will be 15min of your time invested mindfully.
Find out more (links from this article) [1] History of Smartphones - What Was the First Smartphone? | SimpleTexting (2019) [2] Trust your phone to remember? The rise of Digital Amnesia | amnesia.kaspersky.com * Read dare #3. Image credit: 愚木混株 cdd20 on Unsplash
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