You’re Not Terrible at Remembering Names

“Sorry, I’m terrible with names.” How many times have you heard someone say this? More importantly, how many times have you used this excuse yourself? We all reach for that de facto line when we forget someone’s name, but it’s time to own up and admit that registering a name with a face isn’t a difficult task. Rather, distractions and lifestyle choices are the culprit. Read on for our tips for honing your retention skills for a more productive day:

In fact,studieshave found that “hearing one’s own name has unique brain functioning activation specific to that name.” If you want to show someone you care, such as a client, then it’s crucial that you commit their name to memory. To better do so, repeat the person’s name immediately after they say it. “Hi, I’m Jules.” “Hi Jules, it’s nice to meet you.” See? Simple.
Never forget an important task by visualizing it first. Visual imagery is always more powerful than word associations, as most of us are visual learners. For instance, if you have an important meeting scheduled the next day, picture yourself in the meeting room with the other participants and your notes at hand. The idea is: the more detail the better.
Did you know that our rote memorization only handles around three items? This means you’ll likely to forget or inaccurately recall a shopping list of 3 or more things. Not very convenient, considering how complicated our lives can get. Don’t be lazy, and make making lists your best friend.
Grouping through association (e.g. sensory cues), chunking (e.g. grouping a long phone into 3-number groups), mnemonic devices(e.g. acronyms) helps our brain make connections between unrelated information.
Much of our inability to remember things comes down to the fact that we just don’t pay attention. Multi-tasking and facing too many distractions around means that no stimuli lasts long enough for us to commit to memory. The solution? Focus on one task at a time and really take time to process the information that’s relayed to you.
This one's a no brainer (pun intended), and that is to lead a healthier lifestyle in terms of diet, exercise, and sleep. These elements can have the most significant impact on your memory. Also, taking short breaks throughout your day also allows for you to unwind and remember information more clearly.

Garage Blog Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship, and the Joys of Growing Your Own Food: Q&A with Michelle from Rooftop Republic

As part of our #BeTheChange series, we sit down and discuss how people and business have evolved, with change-makers in our Garage Community.

This week, we sit down with Michelle Hong, co-founder of Rooftop Republic, a social enterprise on a mission to introduce the joys of urban farming to the city folk of Hong Kong.

Rooftop Republic has been part of the Garage Community since 2018, and they have a rooftop farm on the terrace of our Wan Chai Lockhart space.

It was great to catch up with Michelle over sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and the joys of growing your own food.

Garage Blog 6 Ways To Support Small Businesses

The advent of user-friendly e-commerce tools has made starting your own small business easier than ever.

With so many people embarking on their entrepreneurial journey, we thought we’d give you a reminder on how to support small, local business owners.

We encourage everyone to be conscious consumers - whether this means voting with your dollar for locally farmed vegetables, or writing a positive review for the indie coffee shop in your neighbourhood.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

Garage Blog Your 4-Step Wellbeing Toolkit

As part of our focus on growth, we asked the Garage Community what areas they would like they spend more time developing. It was very clear that you all wanted to dedicate more time to your mental and physical health!

Considering that Hong Kongers have some of the longest working hours in the world, it’s important to carve out some time for yourself.

Here is a comprehensive wellbeing toolkit with guides, recommendations, and resources for bettering your mind and body.

Want to take part in this month's Community Survey? Click here.