I have conquered autopilot.

If you're interested in my solution, I'll write a post tomorrow. Way too tired tonight.

Also, it's not "old age."

I’ll track you down cuz I’ve got a memory!

I've used mindful meditation along with simple mindfulness for decades as part of my alcoholism recovery and it's saved me a lot of pain along the way.

In the most simple method, start by intensively focusing your mind on every single movement of your body for a few minutes, fighting all attempts by your brain to distract you. With practice, one can go into this mode at any time to quieten the mind, reduce stress and allow us to stay focused on our tasks.

In other words, we're telling our brains to shut the hell up for a little while, de-clutter and give us a break.

There are numerous other common mindfulness practices that are wonderful, such as intense focus on each part of our bodies from head to toe while laying down in a quiet space. A large number of books have been published on mindful living.

I think what you described is a product of our current excessively busy world that's keeping our subconscious minds in total chaos, a huge change from my youth in the 50s.

but it gets annoying or obsessive?

Although some in Zen and other practices claim it can be a constant thing, most of us normies rely on mindfulness as a reset mechanism when needed. The key is to develop our own method that fits our personalities. When I feel my day is becoming overwhelming or depressing, I can do a mental reset to re-ground myself in reality, then get on with my day.

Soon after I started my addiction recovery program, I started traveling in the engineering field service biz in power plants, paper mills, etc. and often found myself mentally overloaded during big plant outages. I then learned a trick of going into a relatively quiet place such as a restroom alone and just doing a repetitive meditation to quieten the multiple committees in my brain. That simple activity got me through some very tough spots.

One technique along that line is to discover a brief "mantra" that is peaceful to the individual, then repeat that line over and over until you feel relaxation coming in. For example, one of mine is "Peace on Earth, good will to all". You can also print longer ones and post them around your home to read when needed, such as this one I borrowed from a meditation book:

"May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy."

Good luck in finding your own way!

when something works out or not ...

In recovery programs, we call that gratitude and I was encouraged by old-times to frequently write a gratitude list. It's amazing how much humility is gained and my ego is deflated by doing that and.....

Your note reminded me I'm way overdue to do a gratitude list!

Thanks for your warm and thoughtful exchange on this topic............

''A new study showed higher dietary sodium was associated with a higher risk of memory deterioration, and higher potassium intake was associated with higher cognitive function.''

The 'experts' keep changing their minds on this.

Bananas are part of that roller coaster these days.

Sorry for the confusion.

I put it down, rather than where I happen to be standing at the time. Of course with the phone, if you've another one in the house you can call it and make it ring, but this works better for me. It can apply to other items as well.

And you're right about the 'autopilot' term. I find that when I drop something, or forget to put my mug under the spigot of the coffee pot, or whatever mundane task it is, I'm invariably thinking of something else or there's a song going through my head. I've been trying to concentrate on even those auto-pilot things, and I've also read that the mind can really only focus on one thing at time. Make every little task equally important in the moment.

I keep losing my glasses - I have glasses in every room and I only use them in that room. (Mine are for reading. Those who have permanent glasses don't usually have to worry about this as you are wearing them all the time.)

I have rigorously trained myself to always return anything that I am using. I never just 'put it down somewhere'. Now, this can be a tough one to get into, as most people are just too lazy to do this. Yet, I seldom 'lose' anything because I put it back where it always belongs. (The moment I decide to relocate something to a new 'home' is when I start 'losing' things. Heh.)

As far as the 'misplacing' something you were using... well... I do that all of the time. Plus, I am a Taurus and am not known for my patience. So, I get frustrated when I do this. I am working on it.

Good luck is the best advice I can give you. There is no 'magic cure' for deterioration.

Besides " losing" things, or with the 3 remotes picking up the wrong one & wondering why the buttons don't work, also standing at the frig for 20 seconds wondering what I came for - at the right place without a clue!

For missing words, Google is a superficial crutch - doing a Search for synonyms (knowing the concept of what I'm trying to say) and the word pops up, though this doesn't address the real problem. It's disconcerting being in the middle of a story or joke and coming to a screeching stop for a missing word.

Your last sentence was a different screecing reality! But thanks- sincerely!

Another Taurus trait.

Also, anyone who finds what I am saying to be difficult... go live with a narcissistic slob for a decade. Or, in my case, two of them.

You will find the strength to change yourself then. Or you will become one of them. Since I know I would go insane just trying to be a slob (I was raised by a fastidious nurse so I just can't do it. Hell, I pick up little trash on the street. Not necessarily big things. Just a piece of paper blowing by. I fold up the wash rag after I use it. I wipe down the sink after I get some water!), I have to do what I can.

The 'missing words' thing is particularly tough for myself because I scored perfect on the English part of the SAT. I could have been an English major or the like, I suppose. (My personal favorite during 'placement' sessions was that I was very qualified for being an 'Air Traffic Controller'. Which is ironically funny considering all the time I spent in the tower while in the Civil Air Patrol as the 'radio guru'. I was not controlling traffic, but our comm station was usually in the tower. Maybe not on the top level, but usually near it.) I did pursue a career that involved these skills. One certainly needs to be decent at English if one wants to be a songwriter or an actor.

Thanks, Mother. I am not sure if your upbringing in this matter was a good thing, but it has had its benefits.

And to open the gripe gate wide, adding here that at this moment I'm cussing because my fat fingers overlap two keys at a time on the keyboard or don't reach the Shift cleanly making Posting jump around!

There's a never ending supply of Natural limits on everything, hence my poetic line complaining about "the inexorable laws of nature" - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!

For those scientists here who quibble that our petty complaints of ageing daily living aren't "laws of nature," I say that finding things we put down where we autopiloted IS a rational phenomenon AND inexorable!