Stop Apologizing for Forgetting. Start Getting Promoted With These 3 Systems.
The women who are thriving through perimenopause aren’t the ones with perfect memory. They’re the ones who stopped pretending they have one.
Three years ago, Sarah was the nurse everyone came to for answers. She could rattle off medication interactions, remember every patient’s quirks, recall protocols without hesitation.
Last Tuesday, she stood in front of the med cart for two full minutes trying to remember what she’d walked over to get. The patient was waiting. Her colleague was watching.
She’s 47. She’s at the top of her game. And her brain just... stalls. Without warning. Multiple times a day.
If this sounds familiar, keep reading. Because what I’m about to share will either save your career or take it to the next level.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Why your brain is doing this (hint: it’s not permanent)
Three simple systems that make you look more professional, not less
How to turn your “weakness” into your biggest career advantage
WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN YOUR BRAIN
Let’s start with the good news: You’re not losing it.
Research shows that 6 out of 10 women experience memory problems during perimenopause. That’s millions of women—nurses, teachers, therapists, consultants—at the absolute peak of their careers, secretly panicking every time they blank on something.
Here’s why it happens: Estrogen doesn’t just control your cycle. It also feeds your hippocampus—the part of your brain that stores memories. When estrogen starts fluctuating like a teenager’s mood? Your memory goes with it.
Think of it like this: Your brain is a filing cabinet that someone keeps shaking. The files are all still there. You just can’t grab them as quickly as you used to.
The even better news? This is temporary. Your brain will stabilize.
The best news? While you’re waiting for that to happen, you can build systems that will make you better at your job than you were before—permanently.
THE TRAP MOST WOMEN FALL INTO
When your memory starts glitching, your instinct is to:
Work harder to remember everything
Beat yourself up when you forget
Hide the problem and hope nobody notices
Quietly decline opportunities because you’re scared you’ll mess up
Here’s what that costs you:
The promotion you’re qualified for
The complex cases you can handle
Your confidence in your own expertise
Sometimes, your income
Meanwhile, there’s a small group of women who do something completely different. They stop fighting their memory and start working around it.
And you know what happens? They get promoted. They become known as the most reliable, thorough professionals in their field. They build reputations that bring them better opportunities and higher pay.
Want to know their secret? It’s stupidly simple.
THREE SYSTEMS THAT SAVE YOUR REPUTATION (AND BOOST YOUR CAREER)
SYSTEM #1: Stop Being the Quick-Answer Person. Become the Thorough-Response Person.
Your old approach: Try to remember everything on the spot, panic when you can’t, apologize constantly.
Your new approach: Make “I want to give you my best thinking on this” your signature move.
What to say instead of scrambling:
“Great question. Let me review the latest information and give you a complete answer.”
“I want to make sure I’m considering everything before we decide.”
“Let me pull together all the relevant details and get back to you with a solid plan.”
What you’re really saying: “Give me two minutes to write this down and check my notes.”
What they hear: “Wow, she’s thorough.”
Why this makes you more money: Professionals who take time to give thoughtful, complete answers get better reputations and higher fees than people who shoot from the hip. You’re not stalling—you’re being strategic.
SYSTEM #2: Build a Brain Outside Your Brain
Your memory is temporarily unreliable. So stop relying on it.
Create these five things this week:
Templates for everything: Every type of patient case, student meeting, or client situation gets a checklist. You’re not starting from scratch every time.
Voice notes between appointments: Don’t trust yourself to remember later. Record it now while you’re thinking about it.
Bookmarked references: Organize your go-to resources by category. One click gets you the information you need.
Immediate documentation: Write it down right after it happens, not at the end of the day when you’ve forgotten half of it.
Calendar reminders for everything: If it matters, it goes in your calendar with an alert.
Here’s the beautiful part: Nobody thinks, “Wow, she must have a bad memory.” They think, “She’s so organized and professional.”
The investment: One afternoon to set this up. Maybe $20 for a good app. Compare that to the cost of one major mistake or missed opportunity.
SYSTEM #3: Make Documentation Your Superpower
Can’t remember what you discussed with a patient last week? Stop trying.
Your new habit after every important conversation:
Send a quick follow-up message:
“Here’s what we discussed and the plan we created...”
“Your next steps are...”
“Follow up with me if anything changes or you have questions.”
What this does for you:
Creates a paper trail that protects you legally
Makes patients/clients feel cared for and confident
Gives you something to reference when your memory fails
Builds a reputation for being exceptionally thorough
Real talk: The practitioners with the best reputations and fewest complaints? They’re the ones with excellent documentation. Not because they remember everything—because they write everything down.
YOUR MOVE
Your brain fog is temporary. It will pass.
But the professional systems you build right now? Those are forever. They’ll make you better at your job long after your hormones settle down.
Stop fighting your memory. Start working around it.
The women who do this aren’t just surviving perimenopause—they’re using it as a launching pad for the best phase of their careers.
Your assignment this week:
Pick one system from this article
Set it up
Watch what happens when you stop apologizing and start strategizing
Share this with a friend who apologized for forgetting something today. She needs to know she’s not broken—she’s just one system away from being unstoppable.