Unless you’re one of the role models of this world, someone who is truly diligent, I think I could predict the title of some of the emails you have got in your inbox right now. I’m quite sure that if you’re reading this, there is a high chance you have got a few emails with the words ‘password reset’ in the title.
Pin reminders, password resets, and even trying to remember if we locked our cars are some of the daily battles we face constantly. Well, all is well, I’ve got something that may help: a second instalment of the brain series. The book The Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin is written for all of the people who keep forgetting their passwords.
All Inclusive
The book is split into nine chapters and contains a wealth of knowledge, including information about memory, organising our homes, and our time. The book has got a mix of anecdotes, facts, and tips that will help anyone feel more organised and able to remember the necessary in a better way. Daniel J. Levitin gives clear insight into how our brains are ‘hardwired’ and effortlessly combines a huge amount of scientific information about the brain while keeping it fascinating for those who aren’t the typical science buffs.
The Dreaded To-Do List
If you’ve ever had a horribly long to-do list, read it, and got started straight away, I applaud you. Speaking from personal experience, the easiest thing to do is to turn the list over and watch a television show you’ve probably already watched three times.
Daniel J. Levitin jumps into this topic and discusses procrastination in general but also delves into how a series of decisions can sometimes be the reason why we end up at Procrastination City. Learning about these moments makes it easier to organise our time and habits in a different way, making the moments of overwhelming to-do lists become fewer and farther between.
We’re Only Human
A few years ago, I watched the film called Catch Me If You Can. Films and books like these have always made me realise how fickle humans are. The story focuses on the main character called Frank Abagnale Jr., and his perspective as he goes through life. While watching the film, I didn’t want Frank to get caught by the FBI, knowing full well he was taking part in criminal activity. It’s not lost on me that if the film had been told from the perspective of the FBI agent, I would have wanted the agent to arrest Frank and for him to get a hefty prison sentence. Whoever’s story we hear first, we often believe.
Move the Clouds
This type of judgement clouding is mentioned in the book, and the author illustrates how detrimental it can be. Daniel J. Levitin’s illustration helps the reader to understand how our judgement can become impaired after receiving negative information about a person, even if later down the line we find out this information isn’t correct. It causes the reader to think about how they store and organise negative information and whether they allow it to form a prejudice or not.
Worthwhile
As much as I tend to enjoy reading about the business industry, I found the chapter based around business organisation slightly tedious, and I may or may not have skipped a number of the pages. Despite that, the book was worth the read. It enables the reader to understand themselves more. More importantly, it gives the reader practical tips they can use so that they remember the small things that become an inconvenience when continuously forgotten.
The Organized Mind is for anyone who wants their brain to be as organised as the shelves in a well-kept library, it’s for the people who keep forgetting their passwords, and it’s for the people who want to learn more about the organ that makes them tick.
Title: This One’s for All of the People Who Keep Forgetting Their Passwords
Author: Leonie Thomas
Date Published: 30.9.2023
Leonie Thomas 