Appreciation post: My old system for remembering names involved a notepad and a prayer, but now I just use a simple app called 'NameTag' (it's free, you should try it).

I used to scribble names and faces on a notepad after meeting someone at a conference, which led to me mixing up two different Mikes from Denver last year, but now I take a quick photo in the app and tag it with their name and where I met them, which saved me at a huge meetup in Austin just last week.

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_webb62mo ago

Sounds like a lot of work just to remember a name.

margaret_bennett32mo ago

Read an article once about how our brains treat names differently from other info. They're like random data packets with no real meaning to latch onto. A person's job, like "the baker," gives your brain a hook. But "Mr. Jenkins" is just a sound. That's why you can remember someone makes amazing cupcakes but totally blank on their actual name. Makes the whole "work to remember" thing make more sense.

miles_grant352mo ago

Exactly, it's like our brains are lazy with names on purpose. You have to make a real effort to link that random sound to their face or a story about them. I read that repeating it back right away helps, like "Nice to meet you, Ray," and then using it again before you walk away.