Weekly Forgetfulness Tracker

Director of Operations promoted six months ago from individual contributor role. Managing 12 people across three departments. Came to coaching because direct reports are starting to comment on missed follow-ups and forgotten commitments. Client attributes everything to adjustment stress and increased workload.

Frame this as a pattern diagnostic, not a stress assessment. 'Before we build systems to handle the workload, let's see what types of forgetting are actually happening.' Many newly promoted leaders resist tracking because it feels like documenting failure. Reframe: 'This shows us which executive demands are hardest for your brain right now.'

Notice if they rate everything as 3s across the board - that's averaging to avoid specificity. Look for resistance to rating weekend days, especially items 6 and 8. New managers often compartmentalize work vs personal forgetting. If they skip the context field, they're not connecting patterns to environmental factors yet.

Start with the highest-rated items, not the patterns. 'Read me your 4s and 5s.' Then ask: 'Which of these would your direct reports notice?' This connects internal experience to external impact. The question that opens it up: 'What's different about the days when item 2 was a 1 versus a 4?'

Mid-level project manager at tech company, age 34, scheduling psychiatric evaluation after researching ADHD symptoms online. Wants objective data to bring to appointment. Has been using productivity apps for years but forgetfulness is getting worse despite systems. Spouse suggested professional evaluation.

Position this as documentation for medical consultation, not self-diagnosis. 'Your psychiatrist will want to know frequency and severity, not just whether symptoms exist.' Expect the client to over-analyze each rating - they want to be accurate for the doctor. Redirect: 'Your gut reaction is more useful than perfect precision.'

Client may rate conservatively because they're comparing themselves to neurotypical standards rather than their own experience. Watch for explanations that minimize ratings: 'Well, everyone forgets sometimes.' If they spend more than 30 seconds per rating, they're overthinking. The most diagnostic data comes from quick, instinctive responses.

Start with the context field - what external factors affected this week? Then move to clustering: 'Which symptoms tend to show up together?' Don't interpret the data for medical significance, but do help them see patterns. Ask: 'What would you want your psychiatrist to understand about how this shows up in your daily work?'

Executive assistant to CEO at mid-size consulting firm. Fifteen years of experience, previously reliable. Started making mistakes six months ago - double-booking meetings, forgetting to send materials, losing track of travel arrangements. CEO is supportive but EA is panicking about job security.

Frame as a precision instrument, not a performance review. 'This helps us figure out whether the mistakes are random or if there's a pattern we can work with.' EAs often resist tracking because their job is to be invisible - documenting problems feels like advertising failure. Emphasize: 'We're looking for what changed, not what's wrong with you.'

EAs typically underrate items 1, 6, and 8 because they have backup systems for everything. Look for the gap between their rating and their emotional reaction - they may rate something a 2 but describe it with language that suggests a 4. Pay attention to which items they rate on weekends; work-life boundaries are often blurred in this role.

Start with items 1 and 6 - appointment and deadline management are core EA functions. Ask: 'When you look at your 4s and 5s, what's different about those days?' Then: 'What would need to change for these to become 2s?' The key question: 'Which of these symptoms would your CEO notice, and which ones do you catch before they see them?'

Regional sales director for software company, consistently hits targets but struggles with relationship maintenance. Forgets names, previous conversation details, and promised follow-ups. Relies heavily on CRM but still misses things. Team is starting to handle client relationships to compensate.

Present this as a business optimization tool, not a deficit assessment. 'You close deals, so your brain works fine under pressure. This shows us where working memory gets overloaded in the relationship-building phase.' Sales professionals often resist because forgetting client details feels like a character flaw in their industry.

Sales directors typically rate items 3 and 6 higher than items 1 and 2 - they remember structured commitments but lose conversational details. Watch for defensive explanations: 'I was focused on the deal, not small talk.' If they rate weekends significantly lower, the issue is cognitive load, not baseline attention.

Start with the split between task-based items (1, 2, 6) and relationship-based items (3, 8). Ask: 'What's the difference between the types of things you remember versus forget?' Then explore: 'When you look at your high-scoring days, what was competing for your attention?' The opening question: 'Which of these symptoms cost you deals, and which ones just make relationships harder?'