Dude, Where Did I Park My Car?
When I was in high school, it was quite common to see people wandering around the parking lot after school trying to find where they parked their car. It was a big parking lot, and there were lots of cars. At the beginning of my junior year, I stumbled upon a genius way of remembering where I parked.
Time Blindness, FTW!
My junior year of high school was the first year I got to drive myself to school every day. I got to pick what time I left for school. School began at 8:05, so naturally, I waited to commence my 15-minute drive until 7:45. This meant, I was making a last minute dash into school if I was even a little bit late. This happened a lot. I found myself pulling into the parking lot at the last second without even considering trying to find a close parking spot. I pulled into to the first parking spot I came across. I soon realized two things: 1.) This spot was always open and 2.) parking in the same spot every day made it easy to remember where I parked.
My Spot
I decided that I was always going to park in that spot, regardless of whenever I arrived at school. Occasionally, I would need to go to school early for some reason, and I would park in my usual spot. If I needed to go to school on a Saturday for a play rehearsal, I parked in my usual spot. Yes, I would be mocked for parking way in the back of the parking lot, but I always knew where I parked. From then on, I always parked in the same spot in places where I go frequently. I never struggle to find where I parked at these places. Yes, I often park unnecessarily far away from my the door, but I always remember where I parked and get extra exercise.
Google Maps Wasn’t a Thing Back Then
I had a dumb phone in high school. Nowadays, you can use Goggle Maps or another app to mark where you parked. I stumbled across my method before that, and it works for me. So, I’m not changing what I do, but if Google Maps works better for you, do that. Work with your brain, not against it.