Being ridiculously forgetful

While some of us are born with the ability to remember a face upon one meeting and the ability to memorise pages worth of information upon a glance, some of us were born with the memory of a goldfish.

This is in no way an exaggeration. Some of us forget what we were talking about mid conversation, we forget our tasks at hand despite the number of reminders we set, and the countless times we've written out our 'To-Do List'.

Unfortunately, having bad memory doesn't just affect those of us who suffer from this terrible problem, but also everyone that we interact with on a daily basis. So whether intentionally or unintentionally, we have to pick up skills and tricks to make up for our horrendous memory.

LAST MINUTE JOBS ARE YOUR FORTE

When you're prone to forgetting the jobs you have to do, many times you end up either being reminded by one of your responsible friends or your task shows up in the form of a nightmare, hitting you like a train.

Either way, you have nerves of steel because you have had to finish your assignments, prepare for tests, and submit any overdue work within a crazy short amount of time since your earliest academic memory

Just like this article I'm writing fifteen minutes before the deadline (laughs nervously).

Which is exactly why you'll do fine in life. Yes, you're late, but you get by. And no one can handle high stake situations like you can. Starting from planning a last minute trip to writing a last minute paper.

ALWAYS IN A RUSH

Sometimes you'll find yourself waking up to a phone call asking where you are.

"What?" You'll reply groggily as your mind races going over all the tasks you had due, and what it could be this time.

"Afra's birthday party. It's in twenty minutes. Remember?"

Shoot. No you clearly did not.

But here's where your second skill comes in handy: lying casually on the spot.

"Of course. I'm on my way."

Safe for now. You curse yourself for forgetting the event and then rush your way over as you work on a believable excuse.

Always forgetting where you have to be always lands you in positions where you find yourself stumbling out the door and arriving at any event as a sweaty, panting mess.

LYING

Your second, sacred skill.

When you start working, a lot of the times, you'll be caught off guard when suddenly your boss asks you for an update on your work. This is when you have to make sure to look completely casual and not panicked as you think about what work they may be referring to. So you start with a classic, blind lie, "I'm on it, boss. Nearly done."

Chances are, after this they will ask you a specific question which should ring some bells in your head.

Right. That's what they're talking about.

You the have to spit out another smooth lie, all depending on what your boss wants to hear. This right here applies to all situations preparing you to get out of any situation you may have forgotten about.

Lying is bad. But with your memory, it's a necessary survival skill.

CONSTANT STATE OF PANIC

Always forgetting makes you both aware and unaware at the same time. Unaware because you can't remember anything, and aware because you're constantly alert of the things you may be forgetting. Whenever anyone asks you something, you instantly go into overdrive, trying to figure out if this was something you were supposed to remember, and if so, how you should handle it.

FRIENDS ARE FORCED TO ADAPT TO YOU

When you are the way you are, the people around you have to take responsibility for you. After a brief time of disbelief and anger, they start to understand that this isn't your fault. So, if you're lucky, you'll come across some friends who will decide to stick with you despite your destructive (and frankly annoying) personality traits. These friends then start to help you remember the things you must, and honestly, if you have any friends as such, go thank them because without them you'd be an even bigger mess than you are now.

Forgetting is hard, but it helps you acquire a set of skills that will come in quite handy in your life. And sometimes, forgetting makes things easier. You live a more relaxed and oblivious life. Everyone could do with a little forgetting sometimes.

Syeda Erum Noor is dangerously oblivious and has no sense of time. Send help at erum.noor1998@gmail.com