Welcome to post five in my seven-post blog to keep the middle-aged mind sharp, given all the conveniences and shortcuts tempting us to hit Pause on our own brains. A frequently used shortcut is autocompletion. It first showed up in texting. Today, it is everywhere.

According to Bing.com, autocomplete “predicts and suggests possible completions for the text you are typing. It is commonly used in web browsers, input fields, and text editors to enhance user experience by reducing typing effort and errors.” I remember when the word “user” was not a compliment.

“Predicts” sounds cool, doesn’t it? It is cool to think about machines predicting our thoughts. We treat them like children learning to walk, talk, and think for themselves, and give them free reign over our minds. Yet, it is not cool for someone to even suggest what someone else might be thinking. It is often labeled “assuming” and “judgmental.”

When a machine does it, however, we label it “enhancing user experience.” Why is an app or a browser not considered assuming and judgmental when it “predicts” our thoughts? Is it because it lacks a tone when it makes a “prediction”? Or eyes that can tell whether you are lying when you say “Ugh, that’s not what I was thinking at all”?

“Reducing effort and errors” is the best value proposition for any machine. I appreciate the effort and errors reduced by my washing machine, standalone mixer, stove, among other modern appliances. I do not need to maintain my skills of handwashing, hand mixing, and starting a fire from scratch. But thought and speech are a completely different story.

As autocomplete showed up in more applications, I started using it more often. I would hit tab or swipe, and a word or a sentence would be completed automatically. Until I noticed my spelling was not what it used to be. When was the last time you spelled a long, difficult word in your head? Try it now. How long did it take you?

Spelling on its own is not a big deal. It’s more the ability to recall words in the first place. According to the National Institute on Aging, as we age we become “slower to find words and recall names.” Since I turned forty over two years ago, I have noticed this decline slowly creeping into my life. My solution? Ramp up practice.

I turned off autocomplete and text predictions. It is a blessing to not have every thought interrupted by the machine trying to complete my current thought and predict the next one. It has forced me to think about the words I want to use to express myself. If I need help, I type out a word and look for synonyms. I find myself recalling the synonyms when I need them.

My favorite result has been the increase of word options in my head instead of the ones on my screen. My speech no longer “predicted” by a machine but driven by my own thoughts.

Disclaimer: This content is neither advice nor instruction. Medical or otherwise.