While many folks seamlessly work their personal brand with a curated sleeve of niche tattoos, or perhaps a bold red lip, I debate whether I'm memorable enough. This stems from a childhood of looking identical to my two little sisters and now 37-year-old brother, and my last job, where everyone accidentally called me a variant of Selena or Sabrina. One likened me to a glossy-haired Disney alum and the other meant I was a gifted young witch, so each were welcomed, but I sort of wish my real name was Hank or Clint because at least no one would forget me. I'd be the 20-something-year-old woman with the mid-western name that left a musty tobacco scent in the air.

While my desperation to land a catchphrase might reek of a bygone sitcom, hear me out. Even science thinks catchphrases impact memorability. That's right, science. A study by Cornell researchers titled 'You had me at hello: How phrasing affects memorability' notes that a catchphrase must involve "elements of both recognition — people should be able to retain the quote and recognise it when they hear it invoked — and production — people should be motivated to refer to it in relevant situations."

My housemates and I have a friend who's all for catchphrases. I envy him because when he comes up in conversation, and someone asks: "Which Alex?" we identify him as the one who says "huge" all the time. He's got a place in the world, and he knows it. He deploys words like "huge", "guru" and "guilty", and not even in a sentence, just hurled out there as one-word icons.

If I had a catchphrase, can you imagine the time I'd save, the precious text characters I'd conserve if I had a go-to descriptor? Heck, I wouldn't even be writing this column. It'd just be a variant of the word "lit" slathered across the page in point 80 font with my author headshot photoshopped onto some kind of rodent body with a Fila bucket hat on top. Iconic.

In a way, I see people with a catchphrase as untouchable. Cast your mind back to the 90s/early 00s. Matt Le Blanc's Joey Tribbiani was popular because of his "How you doin'?" on Friends. Armed with this, he could sleaze up every situation under the guise of being charming. Or consider the more savoury option of Keanu Reeves, whose adorably simple "Woah" transcended film genres, bubbling up into comedy, sci-fi, action and romance movies.

I hear you. I have nothing in common with either famous and male example above. I'm a Canberra journo/fun-loving aunty who sees her nephew on weekends, plus I don't even aspire to a Tribbiani-level of sleaze, I just want to burn myself into the brains of those who hang with me.

A few months ago, I did try on a new farewell phrase for size. It was 'cheerio!' and I adorned myself with it effortlessly, as if I were wearing one of those train conductor hats that have recently been en vogue. First go, I got away with it. The stealth. Second go, I was smacked with a "Haha. What? You don't say that!" Fair.

Perhaps using a phrase soaked in the milk of the monarchy wasn't fit for use among my Aussie compatriots. Rivalries with the motherland run deep. So I scanned my troubled mind for other catchphrases I'd gathered along my travels. "Sepanx" is one I've always enjoyed. It's a term from my Filipino friends which means "separation anxiety." So if you miss somebody, you say "I sepanx you." Love it, but in no way is it versatile enough, and I just don't have enough people who I miss on a daily basis.

I floated the idea of "ach so", which in German means "Ah, I see." In my late teens, a painfully handsome man said it to me often. I always remember the way his lips moved when he mouthed the vowels "ahh soooo" and that's exactly the kind of memorable I strive to be. But seeing as though the most cosmopolitan Australians get with sprinkling foreign words into regular chat is "spaghetti", I dropped that one.

Next, I toyed with "O shit waddup" as a phrase, but seeing as though I stole that directly from a frog unicyclist I knew it reeked of inauthenticity.

I'm just not sure I have the charisma to hinge so much of my identity on one repeated word. Looking to the future, I'm just going to have to saddle up my infant nephew with a catchphrase of his own. I'll probably teach him some funny curse words till someone finds out it's me.

In the meantime, good luck on your catchphrase journey and thank you for joining me on mine. My next column will be a little heavier. I will be on the quest for my perfect eyebrow personality.