I've never been diagnosed with a dissociative disorder and have no reason to suspect I have one. When I go to remember what I did, say, four days ago, I initially have huge blank spots: Oh, yes, I worked on that project and I remember that it eventually did get done, so obviously I did it; but I remember hardly anything about it.

Having some kind of framework helps me a lot in remembering. When I picture the steps that would've been required, for instance, I start remembering doing at least some parts of each step, and before long I seem to have assembled something like 3/4 of my whole day in considerable detail. By that time I also remember the smaller project that I did just before the big one, and the second project I started but didn't finish, that I'll be getting back to in a few days.

When I'm writing a post or PM here at PC and I'm not under any time constraint, I may look at the clock and suddenly realize that it's two or three hours later than I would've expected, with only what feels like 15 or 20 minutes' worth of writing to show for it. When I actually reread what I've written, though, I may still not remember the whole process step by step but it begins to make sense to me that it would've taken that long.

When I think back to some previous time in my life (my teens, say), the specific incidents I'll remember will depend a lot on the theme of whatever I'm looking at. I may remember mostly times I was lonely and depressed, or times I enjoyed (but they were over too soon), or other times I enjoyed (but there turned out to be some kind of catch), or times I didn't feel ready for whatever was coming so I alternated between hopeful and fearful about it.

Generally speaking, if there's a period -- two or three years, even -- from which I remember almost nothing right now, there's pretty sure to come a time when I'm looking for something different -- occasions when I used to daydream a lot, say -- and I'll realize that that was what I did a lot during that period I couldn't remember.

I guess if my theme for the day happened to be "I can't remember anything," I might even prove it by being able to remember hardly anything for a while. What did I have for breakfast two days ago? I'm sure it wasn't cereal, so was it scrambled eggs? No, that would've been either three or four days ago...