In case you think of hiding your belongings somewhere in the house as well, Dr. Anne M. Cleary, a professor in the Cognitive Psychology Program at Colorado State University, has a few tips so you don’t forget where you placed them. “Decide on a hiding place a day, rather than minutes, ahead of time. This avoids the mental challenges associated with the fog of a panicked, last-minute effort. Don’t make the location memory compete with the other mental distractions that accompany being in a hurry.”
Secondly, she recommends creating distinctive mental images to increase the likelihood of remembering. “For instance, say the location aloud: “I am hiding my valuable watch behind the TV.” Or create a mental snapshot. Take a selfie next to the location, study the pic a few times, and then delete it in case someone gets ahold of your phone,” she says.
But the best strategy she suggests is practicing retrieval. “Put the item into, and then remove it, from the hiding spot several times, and affix the mental picture of plucking the treasure from its hiding place. Just don’t let your housemates see you going through any of this.”
