Pay Attention!!!

Pay Attention!!!
One reason many people have trouble remembering something is
that they don’t make a clear picture of what they want to remember,
because they don’t pay enough attention in the beginning. The crucial
first step to remembering anything is to PAY ATTENTION. You
have to first take in the information in order to put it in your shortterm
or working memory and later transfer it to your long-term
memory.
Naturally, you can remember all sorts of things without being
particularly attentive, as unconsciously you are absorbing information
all the time and much of this stays with you, even if you are
unaware of it. But, this casual absorption of information can be a hitor-
miss proposition. While you may take in much of this information
unconsciously and may later remember things you didn’t realize you
had even learned, to improve your memory you have to consciously
pay attention. This approach is sometimes referred to as being ‘‘mindful,’’
as opposed to operating on automatic.
Certainly, you want to continue to keep most everyday processes
in your life automatic, since you need to do this to move through
everyday life; you can’t try to pay close attention to everything you
do, since this will slow you down. Yet at the same time, you can
become more aware of what you are doing on automatic and you
can focus more closely on some usually automatic activities. Then,
you can better remember what you want to remember, such as the
names of people you meet at a business mixer or trade show.