4 Reasons Why You Need a Short Memory (Plus, How to Develop One in 2 Simple Steps)

What’s the last performance-related success you’re most proud of?

Is it the month’s long project you finally closed at work? Is it recognition you received from your peers? Perhaps you reached a personal goal in a hobby on the side?

Whatever it is, think about the pressure lifted off your shoulders in that moment, the pride you felt for being acknowledged, or the satisfaction you received from finishing what you started.

Those feelings are downright intoxicating. So much so that we’d all love to go back and experience them for the first time. But now guess what I’m asking you to do:

Forget them.

Challenge yourself to think as if your achievement never happened. Remove that moment from your mind and feel the void left by the forgotten memory.

Now how does that make you feel?

Is it a combination of lowly, hollow, and sober? That’s what I feel when I do this exercise. And even though I wouldn’t call those “positive” feelings, they are exceedingly useful.

Those useful feelings are the result of a short memory—a mindset that downplays previous achievements (and failures) to keep yourself from dwelling on the past. But why do you need to think this way, and how could you even start if you wanted to?

That’s what I’ll show you today.

4 Reasons Why You Need a Short Memory

#1) It Enables Constructive Thinking

Hot take alert:

Positive thinking is overrated.

The concept we call positive thinking now is nothing more than deluding yourself. It’s an effort to feel comfortable about problems without having a basis in reality to do so.

You know what’s more valuable than positive thoughts?

Constructive ones.

Useful thought patterns based on reality are the foundation of constructive thinking. Having a short memory is how you develop this style of thought.

When you don’t indulge in past successes or ruminate on previous failures, an even-keeled mindset naturally forms.

Most people’s personal biases make them weight their own actions more heavily than they’re viewed in reality, but if you fight this form of self-obsession, the resulting thought stability will lead to more stable emotions.

#2) It Builds Real Confidence

Make it till you can’t fake it.

That is the only way to gain real confidence. And it’s only possible if you have a short memory.

Once you stop overvaluing the past, you’ll want to make more of the present. And the great thing about the present is that you can always change it. You have countless opportunities to produce, practice, and improve right now. So why not take advantage?

You’re forced to stay in rhythm when your focus is on the now—it’s too easy to get bored when your forward-facing eyes see nothing new.

This desire for constant challenge will drive you to act, which in turn will build your confidence. How so? Because you’ll stop fearing the unknown when you willingly face it so much.

#3) It Demands Strategic Planning

People don’t think when they’re stagnant…at least not in any useful way.

Oh sure, there’s a bunch of daydreaming. There’s daydreaming about the past and what could happen in the future. But like I said, it’s all useless. It’s useless because it ignores the substance needed to relate future to present.

Staying in rhythm is one half of the short memory equation, yes. But the other half? That’s where strategy comes in. Just like you can’t drive to a new city with an outdated map, blown headlights, and a shattered windshield, you can’t do meaningful work without a mix of long- and short-term vision.

Having a short memory forces you to consider the purpose behind present action so you don’t veer toward unintended paths.

#4) It Gets People Off Your Back

“What have you done for me lately?”

Employees worldwide feel that question’s weight each day.

The most draining aspect of our work is that it never ends. The tasks, the deadlines, the questions, they keep coming. Sure, you might think retirement is the end, but retirement isn’t a finish line; it’s just you deciding to stop.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, we’ll always have people to answer to no matter our occupation. So instead of bucking against reality, we should embrace it, and adopt the short memory that’s required.

I’m sure to some that sounds like modern day slavery—limiting your authority while working according to another’s desire—but it’s ironically the most freeing thing you can do.

The less you care about the past, the more you’ll do in the present. And this increased volume will give you the power to control your own narrative.

Judgements, misconceptions, lies, they all flourish when there’s limited data to contort and react to. Consistent output, however, tells a truth that can’t be denied.

How to Develop a Short Memory in 2 Simple Steps

Now you know what a short memory is and why you need one, so how do you actually develop it?

Don’t worry. It’s not complicated.

You just take 2 simple steps.

Step 1: Choose to Be Capable

Back when I was a videogame addict in college, I had to show the world just how dominant I was.

Call of Duty was my favorite game at the time and I was good. Like, real good. The washed-up version of me now gets praise from friends during rare gaming sessions, so you can imagine what they thought of me in my prime.

Anyways, I posted my games to Youtube then as was popular at the time, and I met a bunch of other gamers—with varying skill levels—who did the same thing. It was awesome talking to creators who discovered the same niche, but I was always confused by their most common complaint: the stress of getting gameplay.

I quickly learned that most of my Youtube pals weren’t nearly as good as their videos portrayed. In fact, it was quite rare to see them top scoreboards when we played together.

The gameplays in their videos truly were highlights. They were peaks achieved once every 10 games, if that. Meanwhile, I was drowning in footage.

The difference between me and my friends was a difference in capability. While I had a playstyle that consistently produced great results, they chased goals that were nearly impossible at their skill level.

I learned then what’s become even more apparent now: consistently performing well is better than the highs of sparse achievement.

A person with a short memory is always focused on process instead of results. Yeah, that’s cliché, I know, but how many times have you caught yourself pining for “one big break” or been devastated by a single failure?

We all tend to chase and overreact to individual outcomes. So don’t feel bad if you’ve done the same.

Just remember that capability is your true goal. Everything else is a flash in the pan.

Step 2: Commit to the Present

The last step is the most simple, yet most demanding:

You have to commit to the present.

And no, I don’t mean that in a metaphysical “be present” type of way. All I’m saying is you need to embrace the work ahead.

Part of why we elevate past achievements so much is because we doubt we can do it again. Then we think of all the work that’s required and if it’s worth continuing for little to no gain.

So we say, “Look at this! Here’s what I’m capable of!”. “Please notice it and stop this cycle of thankless grinding that never ends!”

But like I alluded to before, life doesn’t reward people who think this way.

Life doesn’t reward people who want work to end because our work never ends. So instead of being discouraged by that fact, instead of letting it depress you, instead of getting so mad that you lash out at life for being unfair, promise yourself that you’ll do the mature thing, and accept it. Accept life for what it is and act in spite of its difficulty.

That’s how you form a short memory. And when you do that, everything changes:

You gain an eagerness to face the challenges in front of you each day.
You trust that practice does lead to improvement because you’ve experienced it firsthand.
And you build powerful momentum that simply can’t be denied.

This is why we forget: So we can keep moving forward.

And if you ask me, nothing in the past is worth missing out on that.

-Drew

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