The art of remembering. How to not forget stuff
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
As we navigate adulthood, responsibilities multiply, and our to-do lists seem to stretch endlessly. Keeping track of everything becomes a skill in itself. Fortunately, many of us have developed little hacks to ensure we don’t forget the important (and even the mundane) stuff. After chatting with friends, I’ve compiled some of their best strategies—perhaps you’ll find a new favorite, or maybe you have one to share.
The alarm strategy
Once upon a time alarms were only used to wake us up. Some people then started setting alarms to remind them to take important medication.
Now, with the dawn of mobile phones and their built-in alarms, their use has expanded - with many setting alarms and reminders to remember stuff that can range from: send a hat for costume day at school, to turn up for your gynae appointment.
“I live off a calendar with reminders on my phone and double up the most important appointments with an alarm, also on my phone,” one friend said.
But it’s not that simple. Some strategy is needed. Many agreed that timing is key. “When I set reminders or alarms, I need to choose a strategic time when they go off. So, for example, if my girls need to dress up in costumes at school, one reminder would go off a week before, another a day before etc.”
Another friend agreed: “Yes, the time they go off is crucial. If it is not the right time and I’m doing something else - I’ll just forget anyway.”
Been there.
The bag drop technique
When it comes to things we need to remember to take with us, one of the best ways to remember is to pack them immediately. “If I don’t want to forget - I put them next to my bag,” one woman said while another added: “I pack everything in the bag, or straight in the car.”
This pack-immediately method also works with things that must be sent to school on a specific day. So, once the alarm reminds you - at a strategic time when you are home - the next step is to put that item in the school bag - immediately - before some distraction wipes out the task from your mind.
And what about those times when we need to remind our partners to take something with them? “For things that my husband can’t forget, I put his keys on them,” one woman said.
The key trick
Keys can work wonders when it comes to remembering stuff. Especially the car keys. Since many of us can’t get far without our car keys, this can be used to our advantage.
“I used to keep making lunch and forgetting it at home. So I started putting my car key near my lunch - yes in the fridge. And it worked,” one friend said.
I too have used this method. I often put my car key near my charging phone, to make sure I don’t leave the house without my phone.
And when it comes to remembering stuff while at work, one friend has another key-related method. “When I need to take something home from work, I tie a plastic bag on my car keys.”
The self-message method
Then there are moments when you need to remember things like an email address, a website or some complex information. This is where WhatsApp comes in handy. I often message myself with links or screenshots of things I know I will need later.
My friend takes this to another level: “For certain to-do tasks I send WhatsApp messages to myself which I then delete once the task is done.”
And if you are worried you might not remember, you can pass the ball over to someone else. “At work I email colleagues to remind them that I need to speak to them in the hope that one of us will remember.”
The roadblock method
Another trick that works is obstruction. Literally creating a roadblock in your path as a way to nudge your brain into remembering that there is something to remember. And, because we all have to pass through the front door to leave the house, that is a great location for this obstruction method.
“I put stuff in front of the door to remember about it and write notes to myself in the kitchen which is where I spend most of the time when at home,” one friend said. Notes can work. But if you are anything like me, I end up becoming immune to them and stop seeing sticky notes as they become part of the wallpaper.
The out-of-place method
This is one of my most used methods. But it comes with a disclaimer. The other day I unlocked a door and needed to remind myself to re-lock it later on. So I grabbed a kitchen chair and pulled it into the middle of the living room.
The idea of this displacement method is that, at one point I’d walk into the living room and think to myself: ‘why on earth is there a kitchen chair here? Ahhh. Yesss. The door!’
Apart from displacing furniture, in the past, I’ve put cushions on the floor and left cupboard doors open.
But… here is the disclaimer. Make sure no one else in the house tidies up the stuff you displaced. It’s the equivalent of erasing a thought.
Everyone has their own tricks for remembering things—some conventional, some creative. What’s your go-to method?
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