If you work on your timeline, in order from birth to ten years old, you may get memories jumping out at you out of sync.
It can be disturbing and slow down the way you remember events.
Here are a few ideas to help.
- Have your timeline sheets prepared ahead of time for the ten-year spans you plan to work on.
- Keep those sheets handy and, while you try to work chronologically, jot down those memories that might fly at you out of order.
- Pencil recollections in at the year you think they occurred (if you’re not 100% sure) and get back to them when you reach those years later in your work.
- Never stop a memory. Never second guess something that pops in your head. Get it down on paper in some form so you can delve further into those memories later. Let your mind flow as you think about the event, jotting down as many points about it as you can remember, including using your five senses to bring it to life. You can seek verification, documentation or corroboration from family members when it comes time to focus fully on that memory.
- Get it out of your head. Once a memory hits you, capture it on paper. If you keep thinking about it without writing it down, the focus you use on keeping it in your memory (so you don’t forget it) could cloud over what you’re currently working on. And the biggest problem is that you may still forget that memory all together! Remembering where your prom dance took place might have you forgetting who was at your surprise 8th birthday party! Jot down what you remember and put it aside.
You can use any method of dumping those memories out of your head that you like, pen and paper, computer, Post-Its with markers, phone notes, whatever.
A clear mind will let you remember the details of your life in a more concise manner.