As an absent-minded person, I would say being absent-minded isn't necessarily a bad thing -- it has its ups and downs, but it definitely impacts who you are as a person and how you interact with others. Here are the various struggles you'd experience on a day-to-day basis as a relatively absent-minded human being.
1) You're always late.
Ask any of my friends or family, I am extremely guilty of this one. You'll have to be somewhere at 12 p.m., possibly to meet a friend for lunch or to go to practice. You'll be ready to go at 11.45 p.m. and you're about to leave, but then somehow you get distracted. Next thing you know, you're still in your room and it's 12.03. If you gave me a penny for every text I've gotten asking, "Where are you?" and another for my "On my way!" response (I've actually grown to love Apple's changing "omw" to "On my way!" because it sounds so positive and hopefully makes the person waiting for me less mad), I'd probably have enough money to pay for my tuition, probably (shout out to the out-of-state life). Thinking we have enough time will be the death of all absentminded people because no matter how hard we try, we'll always be late. I've warned my friends to tell me to meet them half-an-hour in advance and so far it's been a huge success story. Want me to be there at 8.30? Ask me to come at 8, and I'll show up at 8.30, right on schedule.
2) You're constantly forgetting why you walk into a room.
Sure, normal people do this, but for absentminded people, it's a daily occurrence. Why the hell are you here again? You have no clue. So you sit there scratching your head until you finally figure it out with a sense of relief. Oh right, you needed to get your calculus notebook. You return back to the lounge with a self-empowering sense of purpose. Then it happens again an hour later.
3) You lose things everywhere, usually in plain sight.![]()
Thank god my roommate doesn't get annoyed easily because I think I lock myself out of our
4) You unconsciously put things in weird places.
After I lose my possessions, I usually end up finding them a couple of hours later in strange places because I put them there without thinking. It's not uncommon to find my headphones in the tea cabinet or a pair of socks in the vitamin storage bin.
5) Forgetting plans.
This is the worst thing for absent-minded people. We're not intentionally trying to be flaky, we just probably forgot there were plans made in the first place. Of course, it's our fault for forgetting them, but we didn't mean to. I'm constantly trying to remember if there's somewhere I need to be, and that's why having a planner comes in handy. Without it, I think I'd be utterly lost. If you have an absent-minded friend, definitely suggest they use one.
6) Daydreaming.
Paying attention is hard work when you're absent-minded. You could be focusing really hard on your teacher's lecture about organic molecules and next thing you know, 10 minutes have passed and all you have on your paper is a vaguely Picasso-esque drawing of your teacher and an "F" that you drew yourself because you could kick yourself for getting lost in your thoughts during class. Or you could be writing notes on the board, but your mind will be somewhere else entirely and you'll look down and see a whole page covered in words you didn't remember hearing. Another case of daydreaming is when someone's speaking directly to you and you're thinking of something else, just nodding and smiling along. Worse is when they catch you. My sister catches me the most. She'll tell me something and I won't be paying attention and I'll just agree with whatever it is. Then she'll ask "What did I say?" and I'll have no idea and at that point, it's over. Awkward.
7) You say things out loud that were on your mind and no one understands what you're talking about.
This is due to you, as an absent-minded person, mulling something over in your head, forming argument after argument against yourself or imagining entire scenarios unfolding, and then saying only your conclusion out loud. No one will have a clue what you're going on about because they missed the entire thought process that took place in your head. You could even get looks that suggest that you're out of your mind. Sometimes the original thought gets lost in translation and the final product isn't thoroughly indicative of what you were trying to say.
8) Staring at people without realizing it.
Zoning out is an activity many absent-minded people are extremely familiar with, and it usually involves staring into space. Unfortunately, most of the time that "space" contains somebody else's face. And 99 percent of the time, that person just happens to be extremely attractive. So what do you end up with? You unconsciously staring, point-blank, at a weirded-out stranger for about five minutes straight. Chances are high they will not be asking for your number after you zone back in.
9) Being on autopilot.
I am majorly guilty of this one. If I don't pay attention walking up from the hill, I find my feet carrying me off to B Plate because that was my most common route first quarter. Absent-minded people really need to pay attention to where we're going or we'll find ourselves in different places entirely. This definitely contributes to why we're late all the time, and also why traffic accidents are a thing (probably). Side note: absent-minded drivers should make sure they pay especially careful attention to the road.
10) Being oblivious.
Was your friend trying to mouth you something about that guy you're dancing with at the party? You have no idea. Did your sister try to kick you under the table to warn you not to tell your aunt about her surprise birthday party? No clue. But you will always say "Ow, why'd you kick me?" Things just go right over your head, or you'll miss them while you're lost in thought.
Being absent-minded is a rough life, but it's definitely not the end of the world. Absent-minded people are usually the most innovative, creative and drama-free. Now there's something to deeply ponder.
