I would say that 95% of the time when I’m making coffee, I have no problem pouring the first 90-95% of the water into the coffee maker. Then, for whatever reason, I consistently end up pouring the rest of the water either all over the counter or the coffee maker. I have no idea why the hell I do this, but I’m really good at it 
. How about you?
For some reason, I am unable to walk down the hallway towards the bedrooms without whacking my arm on the linen closet door handle. I have the purple bruise to prove it! OK, not *every *time, but often enough that you’d think I’d remember to stay in the middle of the hall.
Ouch.
I’m often guilty of that, too. I’ve been known to say be careful there’s a door there. I’ve even done it with walls, the more I think about it, the more idiotic I get!
If I’m getting into our car as a passenger, my arm immediately comes to rest right on the Open Window switch. This is a problem half the year here in Baja Canada, where it means icy sleet swirling into everyone’s eyes.
As I’ll bet is the story with most of the posters to this thread, I really don’t understand why I can’t learn to stop.
I wish I would quit locking myself out of my house/car. It is so ridiculous how often I do this. I have keys hidden everywhere, but still it is un-nerving and idiotic.
For some reason I cannot break the habit of putting my keys in my left side pocket, when they clearly need to be in my right pocket for efficiency. I do this at least once a day out of the 20+ times a day I need my keys.
I have turned into a compulsive checker and re-checker in my old age. Did I turn off the stove? Did unplug the curling iron? Damn, did I really lock the door?? I have turned around five miles from home to go back and check. To avoid this madness, I have made a purpose of telling myself confirmations, yes, I did this, or that, taking a mental picture, so I can get on with my day. It’s really obnoxious.
I just thought of another, reading about house and car keys made me remember that I can be really bad about remembering my cell phone. I know for a lot of people their phone is practically attached to them but I really don’t think about it. The other day I went to work and realized a few hours later I left it at home. I do need to be more careful about that.
Hope you know that your ability to cope with that puts you in the top 3% of humanity. The other 97% would be a neurotic mess without their phones.
My (college) students say “That feels like being without a _____”
• Brain
• Wallet
• Pet
• Boyfriend
• All of the above
•
I read an excellent solution to this problem (I think right here, actually).
Just take a quick cell phone pic of your biggest worries right before you leave your house - the stove, the bathroom outlet, and your hand jiggling your obviously locked front door.
Like an idiot, I wake up every day.
I pour the last 10% of the water on the counter or coffee maker because I have to turn the carafe almost upside down… and then the carafe hits the coffee maker’s flipped up lid.
But, inspired by this thread, I will (in the future) fill the carafe with an extra half-cup of water. I will pour 90% of the water into the carafe, and then dump the last little bit down the sink. That will make for less exact water measurement, but not by much, and I won’t pour water on the counter.
And, by way of a household hint, I usually fill the coffee maker with water using the sink’s sprayer which removes the carafe from the equation.
Wow, I feel better about myself already 
!
Thank you! That’s a great suggestion. I still like the mental exercise of confirming to myself, as I think it helps to keep the ol’ gray matter flexed, but this could be an excellent back up.
I often push my glasses on my head when I get up from my chair. Then I go back to reading or whatever and can’t find my glasses. It takes me a minute to remember where they are.
Saw Jerry Seinfeld live, and he walked out on stage and asked “How many people here know how much battery is left in their cell phones? Bet it’s almost everyone. My phone’s backstage, and it’s at about 30%… so I gotta tell you, I’m having some anxiety up here.”
On my microwave, the numbers 1-6 are “express” buttons. In other words, press 1 for one minute, 2 for two minutes, etc. Often, I will want to heat something for less than one minute, say 40 seconds. To do that, I have to press “time cook,” 4, 0. Every once in a while, I’ll forget to press time cook first. I’ll hit 4 and the microwave will immediately start to cook for 4 minutes, so I’ll have to press stop and clear and start all over.
I’m incapable of operating public bathroom soap dispensers. If it’s a manual dispenser, about 90% of the time I’ll wave my hand under a few times before I realize it. If it’s automatic, I’m busy trying to figure out where to push while the dispenser squirts soap onto the floor (just like it’s designed to do). My only comfort is that, judging by the mess under the dispenser, I’m not the only one with this problem.
Is there something in your right pocket that already needs to be there and is (psychologically) “in the way”?
The only way I prevent these things for myself is that every time I go out the door I give myself a security pat-down to make sure I have keys/wallet/phone.