<p>I think &quot;brain fart&quot; is the best choice of word and no better one exists.</p>
<p><a href="https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/living-with-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/newsfeed-post/executive-dysfunction-and-mci/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Some may call it an <strong>executive dysfunction</strong> rather than an STM loss.</a></p>
<ul>
<li>example 3.  easily distracted.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Anecdotal</h2>
<p>I am 70 and have a similar experience.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A doorway might never be in the path or cause for memory loss, but minimal distraction with a short change in time and/or space is needed.</p>
</li>
<li><p>The memory is well stored, it's just you forget where you stored it, because of some distraction.</p>
</li>
<li><p>It is a normal progressive short-term memory aging issue.  I am working on something but need to find a different tool in the garage or the basement. I rush over there and immediately forget what I was looking for.  So I have to retrace my steps to the problem at hand and what special tool I needed to fix that. Then I remember.</p>
</li>
<li><p>But when I shop for different groceries.  It is no problem.  I just have to remember the number of items I need and then I know where the items are stored.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<blockquote>
<p>so I wonder if I need to get more sleep or it is something more serious.</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>There are many healthy ways to slow the progress, walking 5 miles a week, Vit B12, good sleep, avoid intake of harmful stuff, exercise the planning part of your brain with focus on execution</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-07T02:49:56.247Z
I'm *almost* 70.  Yesterday my wife asked me to do something, so I went upstairs to do it. I passed the bathroom, noticed that the fan was still on from my shower, and turned it off. I then went into the bedroom and went completely blank as to what I had been asked to do. I looked around for a while, but nothing reminded me of what it was.  I finally went back downstairs and asked.  You can probably guess what it was I had been asked to do.
Ray Butterworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-05T11:06:56.710Z
@RayButterworth that's another example I call auto-pilot but the itinerary got misplaced at the same time.   Happens all the time.  My former boss had a similar filing system for paper. Everything was stored under G for garbage. He just read it and instantly took action or no action. In this case your paper trail was filed under g. But you got it done . Bravo  it's just our memory needs autonomous refresh like Dynamic RAM, and it decays faster with age so conscious refresh is needed
Tony Stewart EE75
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-06T00:52:28.750Z
2022-09-05T10:58:52.050Z
2022-09-05T10:58:52.050Z
Tony Stewart EE75
<p>While running downstairs to do something important, I notice how sunny it is outside, and by the time I reach the bottom of the stairs I forgot why I ran down the stairs in the first place! Or I’m in the middle of a sentence trying to explain something, and all of a sudden forget what I’m trying to explain. I’m not asking about tip of the tongue or an inability to remember someone’s name, because the thought or names were already thought of a few seconds earlier.</p>
<p>I usually remember a few seconds or minutes later, and sometimes it takes much longer, or I don’t remember at all. I’m pretty sure this happens to everybody; what is the term or word that describes this? <strong>I’m specifically trying to separate what is ordinary from what is abnormally progressing.</strong> It’s not Lethologica or Lethonomia.</p>
<p>There are a lot of good suggestions to replace the term, ‘brain farts,’ like a mental lapse or senior moment, but I’m looking for a more formal term like Lethologica or Lethonomia.</p>
<p>Sentence example would be:</p>
<p>I’ve experienced [word/term] throughout my life on occasion, but the recent frequency has me concerned something is wrong or I need to change something in my life.</p>
<p>I’ve experienced a lot of [word/term] lately so I wonder if I need to get more sleep or it’s something more serious.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-05T01:47:03.467Z
[doorway effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway_effect) might be relevant.
Maul Seil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-05T21:44:50.410Z
@user567445 thank you!  Dysmnesia is a progressive condition that can also describe it, but I'm intrigued by naming 'effects' instead of a progressive condition too.  It suggests there are more ways than one to progress, and different characteristics can give us clues as to the actual causes, like 'doorway effect' does.
Christopher
<working-memory>
What is a formal word or term for forgetting what you were doing or saying while doing or saying it?
Christopher
# What is a formal word or term for forgetting what you were doing or saying while doing or saying it?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-08-04)

While running downstairs to do something important, I notice how sunny it is outside, and by the time I reach the bottom of the stairs I forgot why I ran down the stairs in the first place! Or I’m in the middle of a sentence trying to explain something, and all of a sudden forget what I’m trying to explain. I’m not asking about tip of the tongue or an inability to remember someone’s name, because the thought or names were already thought of a few seconds earlier.

I usually remember a few seconds or minutes later, and sometimes it takes much longer, or I don’t remember at all. I’m pretty sure this happens to everybody; what is the term or word that describes this? **I’m specifically trying to separate what is ordinary from what is abnormally progressing.** It’s not Lethologica or Lethonomia.

There are a lot of good suggestions to replace the term, ‘brain farts,’ like a mental lapse or senior moment, but I’m looking for a more formal term like Lethologica or Lethonomia.

Sentence example would be:

I’ve experienced [word/term] throughout my life on occasion, but the recent frequency has me concerned something is wrong or I need to change something in my life.

I’ve experienced a lot of [word/term] lately so I wonder if I need to get more sleep or it’s something more serious.

**Tags:** working-memory

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: [doorway effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway_effect) might be relevant.  
> **username_0**: @user567445 thank you!  Dysmnesia is a progressive condition that can also describe it, but I'm intrigued by naming 'effects' instead of a progressive condition too.  It suggests there are more ways than one to progress, and different characteristics can give us clues as to the actual causes, like 'doorway effect' does.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-08-06. Score: 3

I think "brain fart" is the best choice of word and no better one exists.

[Some may call it an **executive dysfunction** rather than an STM loss.](https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/living-with-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/newsfeed-post/executive-dysfunction-and-mci/)

* example 3. easily distracted.

## Anecdotal

I am 70 and have a similar experience.

1. A doorway might never be in the path or cause for memory loss, but minimal distraction with a short change in time and/or space is needed.
2. The memory is well stored, it's just you forget where you stored it, because of some distraction.
3. It is a normal progressive short-term memory aging issue. I am working on something but need to find a different tool in the garage or the basement. I rush over there and immediately forget what I was looking for. So I have to retrace my steps to the problem at hand and what special tool I needed to fix that. Then I remember.
4. But when I shop for different groceries. It is no problem. I just have to remember the number of items I need and then I know where the items are stored.

> so I wonder if I need to get more sleep or it is something more serious.

* There are many healthy ways to slow the progress, walking 5 miles a week, Vit B12, good sleep, avoid intake of harmful stuff, exercise the planning part of your brain with focus on execution

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: I'm *almost* 70.  Yesterday my wife asked me to do something, so I went upstairs to do it. I passed the bathroom, noticed that the fan was still on from my shower, and turned it off. I then went into the bedroom and went completely blank as to what I had been asked to do. I looked around for a while, but nothing reminded me of what it was.  I finally went back downstairs and asked.  You can probably guess what it was I had been asked to do.  
> **username_2**: @RayButterworth that's another example I call auto-pilot but the itinerary got misplaced at the same time.   Happens all the time.  My former boss had a similar filing system for paper. Everything was stored under G for garbage. He just read it and instantly took action or no action. In this case your paper trail was filed under g. But you got it done . Bravo  it's just our memory needs autonomous refresh like Dynamic RAM, and it decays faster with age so conscious refresh is needed  

---

