Reminders for the Absent Minded

There's no sheet of paper that would be able to fit a list of things I've forgotten. Even if there was that big of a sheet, I couldn't list them because I've forgotten most of them. My mind is a maze, I get lost in a train of thought and everything else around me is no longer there. I don't have the best memory and never had. Even when I was a young lady going back and forth between my parent's houses, I would forget something almost every day.

Forgetfulness affects most people, especially today. We all forget now and again. Let me tell you the amount of unfinished planners and journals and calendars I have lying around. It feels like nothing helps. Even though it feels helpless, there are a few ways we can try to help remember that dentist appointment we scheduled a month ago.

Make a schedule in your online calendar. I'm sure most people already know this tip, but there is a catch. You need to do it right away. As soon as you make the appointment, as soon as you schedule that meeting, get out your phone. Some people make think it's rude to get out your phone in the middle of conversation, but so is missing a meeting. If you don't do it right away, you'll forget to put it in your calendar and there's the problem in using online reminder systems. You NEED to remember to put it in the calendar. On Apple products if you swipe all the way to the left you can see your next event in your calendar, which is really helpful if you often forget to check it. You can see clearly what your schedule is for that day and you just make a habit of checking it every day or even every other day if you use it for non-work activities.

Another nice thing about having a phone calendar is you can set notifications or reminders on that will tell you an hour before, ten minutes before, or even a day before your scheduled event. So you can be reminded multiple times when and where you're supposed to be. Great for when you don't remember to constantly check your phone.

So maybe phone calendars are a bust for you, they never work. That's okay, they didn't work for me for a long time either. Another trick I've used to remember is having the person I'm with write it down. If it's an appointment with a doctor, lawyer, or any kind of professional, they usually have appointment cards available to write in the date and time and any other information you may need for your next visit. Then you can place it somewhere you'll see it every day. Your computer, your entryway, or your front door, for example. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask for them to write it down, they understand. Then you leave with something physical as a reminder.

Always set multiple alarms. If you put something in the oven, have laundry in, or maybe just have to go to a meeting at a certain time, always set a timer. It's easy for us, scatterbrains, to be so focused on something we forget our dinner has been in the oven too long. Or work through half of a meeting because we needed to get something done and didn't check the time. So when you put in your laundry, or start working on something important you know you can get lost in, set a timer. Make yourself take a break after that and go check up on what you're supposed to be doing. This also helps you take much needed breaks from the screen and sitting down. They even have apps to remind you when you need to take a brain break. So let yourself have those breaks and check in on what's going on around you. Set multiple timers, for everything. When your third alarm goes off, you won't burn that chicken anymore.

If you are good at writing things down and checking them, which is an entire skill in itself. One way to help break up your day so you're not so forgetful, is writing a list. Prioritizing that list is also really important. So make lists of "Have to", "Probably should", and "Would like to". That way you can do what you need to do first, and remember to go to those meetings you absolutely have to get to. Then you can worry about things you'd like to get done, but don't have to be done today. After all of that is said and done, do something you'd like to do. I always try to write one self-care item in my "have to" column. It's something we all have to do, take care of ourselves. It's also been helpful to write down a goal for the day. Crossing things off of a list is so satisfying. So if that's something you can remember to do, you're going to go far!

The last idea I have for you is one that's been the most helpful to me, personally. Put things in your way that you have to remember. Trigger yourself to remember to do something. If I'm working on something on the computer and I know I need to eat soon, I won't fill up my water bottle until I'm ready to eat. That way, I remember when I get to the kitchen to make a quick lunch. Or maybe if you want to remember to pick up groceries after breakfast, put your reusable groceries bags in your purse on top of your wallet. Then when you go into your purse to pay, you see your bags and think 'we need groceries'. Just little things like this, can really help you when you get distracted by work or forget to put on timers. Leave your laundry basket at your door, put your outgoing mail next to the car keys, and put the empty dog food bag by the garage door. Trigger your memories and it will be harder to forget the little errands you were doing throughout the day.

We all forget things. It happens. Sometimes it feels like overwhelming pressure to remember every little thing, but in the long run, it's okay to be so passionate about something you forget to finish your laundry. It's okay to be so invested in work that you're five minutes late to a meeting. Sometimes, it's not all bad to be here and now. But when you want to remember, you need to have the tools to help you take care of your mind.