You got lost with a map on your phone!?!

Driving the Italian autostrada, our car’s locked radio screen prominently and only ever displayed “enter the password”. We extensively used our iPhone for navigation.

When connected to the car’s head unit, the phone displayed the turn-by-turn directions and expected to show the map on Car Play. Only when unplugged would the phone show the map.

I routinely miss turns and get lost when listening to and looking at the turn-by-turn directions. The distance to the action doesn’t mean anything to me in real time. It’s not just a problem when driving— I get lost with those as walking directions, too. It’s a story for another time how we turned a 2.4 km walk into what felt like a half marathon!

Truth be told, and perhaps this is sharing too much… hearing the words “right” or “left” doesn’t translate into which way to turn. I do so much better with a map.

When I can see a map, I comprehend the visual representation of distance, sharpness of turns, where the turn is spatially located, and how “immediate” the next turn actually is. I can navigate through space and time fluidly and with few frustrations. I mentally overlay the map onto the real world in front of me, sort of like a heads up display.

Not everyone thinks this way and I’ve met people who need the turn-by-turn directions and get lost with the visual map.

Observe. Contemplate. Apply.

I take this lesson to heart in other parts of my life. I have a much greater chance of remembering a person’s name if I can see a name tag or immediately write it down. When I have nothing to write with, I will “write” the letters onto the palm of my hand with my finger. I can juggle everything on my to-do list better when I write things down, and the list doesn’t even need to be on a single piece of paper.

The basic act of writing helps improve my memory. The ability to see the words on paper allows me to retain more than only thinking it.

Catalog your strengths and utilize them to construct a framework to strengthen your weaknesses. For me, I work to use my visual skills to enhance struggles with other learning and communication skills.