jeshyr

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The writing of this blog post was triggered by dearest flatmate who mentioned that she keeps forgetting things. This is a topic where I am quite conscious of all the techniques I use - I used to have an insanely good memory but it was affected badly when I got sick. It's partially recovered now but not as good as it used to be ... whether that's because I am no longer 18 or because I'm sick is hard to tell, but for me it feels like it should be better and it still bugs me.

In any case, I use tons of techniques to aid/supplement/stand in for remembering and I thought I'd write a list ... after I chatted with flatmate it turned out that although she used many of these techniques she wasn't doing it in any conscious or organised fashion. I think using them on purpose is likely to work better ...

Do it now!

If it's already done, you can't forget it. This works best for short/quick things obviously, but it also applies to the act of putting into place whatever other memory aid you might want to use on the list. For example if you think to yourself "I must put that out so I see it in the morning" but don't do the putting-out straight away, you'll forget that too. Memory aiding techniques only function if you actually use them...

Doing it now can also mean planning to do something ahead of time, so that you have "spare" time up your sleeve to deal with memory problems or other things life throws at you.

Do it online instead of waiting

For things that can be done online, that method is often actionable straight away. This applies to obvious things like online purchases, paying bills, and doing banking transfers of course, but also less obvious things such as:

Figure out how to use your library's online catalogue and you can reserve books you want to read

Some medical and allied health folks will let you reserve an appointment online intead of phoning them.

Keep multiples so you don't have to transport it

Good for anything you use at a small fixed number of places. For example, my flatmate keeps Sriacha sauce at home, at work, and at the other home she visits most often. Keeping a toothbrush at your boyfriend's would come under the same category.

Put it with or in something you take automatically

Lots of people do this: teeping your ventolin inhaler in your handbag, keeping your public transport pass in your wallet, etc. I just purchased a spare wheelchair charger so I can keep it in a bag on the wheelchair itself so when the batteries run down unexpectedly I have cover.

Put it in plain sight where you'll see it at the right time

Keeping your keys beside the front door, for example. I keep my warm jacket hanging on the back of the front door so I don't leave without it too. Note that I find this one has to be somewhat specific: If you keep something where you see it all the time you'll end up mentally editing it out and you'll stop noticing it's there.

Link it mentally to something you already remember

If you want to remember to put your eye drops in at night, remind yourself to do it at the same time as you brush your teeth. Learning a new think that's linked to an existing routine is a lot easier than learning a totally new thingn.

Link it physically to something you already remember

Make a list

This is for very long-term things like Christmas or birthday gifts. You'll notice that all year if I see somebody mention something they'd really love I'll make a note on my "Gift Ideas" list - makes it really easy to think up gifts for folks!

Record it somewhere standard

I always keep a piece of paper and a pen on the front of my fridge to record things we need to buy. Everybody who cooks here knows the list is there, so mostly they add things as they notice they've run out. In a more virtual sense I have got into the habit of putting things to do into my phone's "Reminders" app which also turns up on my desktop computer - it doesn't have alarms but just having all my things-to-do in one place makes it easier to remember to check the list. Having a standard place makes it much easier to remember to write it down, AND easier to remember where you put the damm list.

Use an app (or person, or appliance) which will bug you

Reminder applications on mobile phones are the biggest most useful memory aid I can think of! They can be alarm-type reminders like those that bug me to take my tablets at 1pm, or they can be location-based reminders that tell you to get milk when the phone detects you're at the supermarket, and there's probably other types I can't remember now. Alarm clocks and flatmates primed to remind you also fit in this category.

Have an emergency backup plan for when you forget

OK this is not strictly a memory technique but plan to deal with failure! Especially for things you forget often - I keep $50 in my messenger bag in one of the little zipped compartments because I know I frequently forget to visit the bank and run out of cash. If you know you are likely to forget something, figure out how you'll deal with the failure.

Most of these have physical-world and computer-world versions, and I'm sure there are thousands of variations. For lots of things I use more than one method of reminding myself too, plus another set of tricks which make it more likely that I'll actually do something.

What about you?

r

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From:

vass

I have a series of text files: done.txt, today.txt, thisweek.txt, thismonth.txt, and thisyear.txt. They're synched to Dropbox and I save a session with them all in whatever text editor I'm using on any computer I use regularly. I find that keeping a list of what I've done every day motivates me, even when the main item for some days is "rested". There is a budget text file: a new one each fortnight, based on two templates based on what part of the month it is. I also use my iPhone calendar, but only to track birthdays and appointments - not things I need to get done. I set the calendar app to remind me a suitable time before the appointments.

Gift giving: I have a text file (yes, I have a text file kink) with the names of everyone I'm giving presents to, their special dates, and what I'm planning to give and (if it's homemade) when to start on it (the dates also go in my iPhone calendar with a reminder.) For ideas, I use Pinboard: when I see something and think "ooh, Soandso would love that!" I bookmark that link, mark it private, and tag it 'soandso' and 'shopping'. If it's a general present idea, not specific, I'll tag it 'christmas' and 'shopping'.

For books, I have a gigantic Book Depository wishlist of everything I one day would like to read, maybe. When I enter a book to that wishlist, I tag it with what sort of book it is, tag 'soon' if it's a high priority, and write in the notes field where the cheapest available copy is (e.g. library copy, loan from friends, Gutenberg, a cheap ebook.) And I review the list and remove books I've read, own, or no longer want. It would probably be a better idea to use something other than the Book Depository for this (Pinboard, a spreadsheet, some sort of database) but that's what I use.

I have a text file of links to look at later, on the grounds that this is better than keeping them open in tabs. Pinboard would probably be a better solution, but in practice it doesn't satisfy me like deleting the links from the text file one by one.

I velcroed the TV remote to the underside of the living room table, so I'd stop losing it or dropping it.

From:

jeshyr

I grok your text file kink, although I am mostly over mine.

App-wise I use 'Alarmed' to remind me to take tablets because it'll set the alarm off *every* minute until I manually silence it. I use the Reminders app for reminders which don't have a specific date/time (some of them are repeating ones which means they do technically have a due date, but I ignore it) and iCal for things which have a specific date/time. Most of my text files lately are going into Notes instead, because it takes zero effort and is easy to view on my phone..

For links I settled on Pocket, with most of them getting deleted every Sunday night to stop it getting longer and longer ad nauseum.

From:

vass

My favourite version of this is when you visit friends after shopping and need to store purchases in their fridge to keep them cold - put your car keys in the fridge too. You'll remember your keys, and that will trigger you to grab the other things with them.

OMG THIS IS GENIUS. Extremely relevent to my interests.

Keeping your keys beside the front door, for example. I keep my warm jacket hanging on the back of the front door so I don't leave without it too.

Yep. Also, having the habit of checking can be good. Like, I keep my keys in my back pocket, so when I'm about to leave the house I pat my back pocket. And when I get out of the car, I check for my phone and if the headlights are on. If I'm getting off public transport, I look at where I was sitting to make sure I didn't leave anything.

From:

jeshyr

Mum taught me the trick of putting your car keys with whatever you have to remember! I guess it probably only works really well for folks who drive, or have a well-developed checking habit like you said... although perhaps not: It has the extra advantage for most people that it's really novel/weird place to leave keys/phone/etc. which probably makes it extra memorable anyway..

Checking habits are good, although I'm not sure how you'd consciously develop one if you didn't already have it? I'm a checker anyway. We did put a sign on the back of the front door for several months that reminded Flatmate to check that she had a few things (money, ventolin, etc.) so that probably assisted in checking too ....

From:

acelightning

i started using the "Calendar" function on my stupidphone when i had to keep track of doctor's appointments, treatment sessions, medical tests, etc. - and i transfer all of this to a Word document on my computer, so i have a "history" in case i need to check about billing and stuff.

and this looks very useful for people who go in and out a lot. (although i solve that problem for myself by just keeping everything in my purse.)

i have an erasable whiteboard on my refrigerator, where i write whatever i find myself running out of. the hardest part is remembering to check the whiteboard before i go shopping...

From:

jesse_the_k

That doorknob pocket is very smart, and for those of us who can't stitch a button on, one could cut out the same deal from corrugated cardboard (add paper clips or bulldogs clips for the bills &c).

From:

acelightning

or those of us who can sew could make fabric ones for those of us who can't... (sorted by continent, i think.)

From:

jeshyr

If anybody wants one, let me know!

I just put a bunch of those self-ahdesive hooks on th back of my front door and hook things on them - more visible and more space and works better for me, but everybody is gloriously different :)

From:

azhdragon

I'm the world's greatest key-forgetterer. :-) yes, that's a word (well, it is now).

I trained myself to ALWAYS put them down on the table just inside the door. It took years, but I did it. it's automatic now.

But I did want to comment about putting your car keys in the fridge to remember something that's there ... and that's a big DON'T DO THIS.

I did this a couple of times about a year or maybe two ago. Not often, and not for long - mostly when I'd put something in the freezer at work that I needed to remember to take home.

Now the remote unlocking dingus on my keys is failing - and when it was opened up, it's failing because the contacts have corroded, most likely from being put in the fridge. The only function on it that still works is the remote lock - and that is only from about 5 feet away. And not always then. I have to unlock the car with the key now, and I have to trigger the boot from inside the car instead of on the key fob - which is a real pain when it's raining. It's going to cost me around $90 for an "aftermarket" (read 'cheap nasty knockoff version') of the remote - if I went for one from the dealership it would cost between $180 and $200 - and my car is only a 2004 Pulsar. More recent cars cost more - a recent model subaru one will set you back around $500, for the cheap version.

What I do now if I want to remember something in the fridge or freezer is to attach a note to my car keys, or put a post-it on the centre of the steering wheel in the car. Much cheaper, and not damaging to the remote fob.

From:

jeshyr

Whoah! Good point ... spot the non-driving Ricky here!! It's something my Mum did when we were growing up - therefore definitely with non-powered keys. Will ammend post with a note - thanks for heads-up.

From:

acelightning

it's not difficult to clean the contacts. depending on how big they are, how much space there is inside the fob, how heavily corroded they are, and what you've got lying around, there are several things you can clean them with. start by removing the batteries from the contacts and setting them aside - make a note of which side of the battery is supposed to face up! now you can very gently polish the corrosion off of the contacts with the finest grade of emery paper you can get, or a piece torn off of a brown paper grocery bag, a dry cotton-tipped swab, or a very fine nail file. be as gentle as possible! clean the battery surfaces also, unless you're putting in new batteries. make sure to blow all the debris out of the fob; a can of compressed air, such as you might use to clean dust out of a computer keyboard, is better than your potentially damp breath, but breath will do if you're careful. then put the batteries back in the right way, close up the fob, and things should work.

From:

azhdragon

I took it to a professional, who has all the right gizmos to clean and fix if it was fixable, which it was not.

thanks for the advice anyway - maybe it will help someone else who has made the same mistake.

From:

acelightning

there is a lot of chicanery surrounding the use, repair, and replacement of automotive (and other) key fobs. the "professional" may have told you it wasn't fixable because there's a lot more profit in selling you a new one (and re-coding the car so they match) than there is in just polishing the contacts. but i wasn't there, and he may actually have been right. it's just a good idea to be an alert consumer, y'know?

From:

pauamma

A friend uses a "before going out" checklist taped to the outside door.

From:

jeshyr

Sweet idea! When we had this I found that every so often I had to redecorate it or change its colour or something because we'd stop "seeing" it. I guess it's the physical version of web advert blindness!

From:

tyger

I fail at remembering things a LOT - and I will probably start poking some of the programs etc. that you've mentioned, because argh - but I do have a before-leaving-the-house mantra, which helps with forgetting. keys-wallet-phone-ipod-handkerchief, plus whatever I need for whatever reason I'm going out, shopping bags or class stuff or something to keep me entertained. It's not foolproof at all, particularly when I'm in a rush, and I do sometimes drop bits off by accident. But it helps! I forget things a lot less than I used to. (I do physically touch the things as I think them, too.) Took a bit to get working at all, but I started with just keys-wallet, and built it up from there; because most of it's the same thing every time, it eventually turned into a habit, yay!

From:

jeshyr

This is awesome and cool :) I'm really glad it worked!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

This is very useful, thank you. I have noted it for future reference.

From:

jeshyr

I felt all proud when I saw you linked it - thanks! Glad it was helpful :)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

It was exactly what I have been looking for, the month-plus I've been writing "No Winter Lasts Forever." The moment I saw it, I pasted the link into the story, so I could link it the next time there was an example in the text.

From:

jesse_the_k

"Planning for failure" is crucial, and the best part is, if you've planned for how to deal with failure, you haven't failed after all. +1 to multiples. If they're cheap enough, I get multiple multiples. Eyedrops by my bed, by dinner table, at computer, in toilet.

Time spent searching for stuff is very frustrating; high frustration levels deplete your memory.

Which brings me to emergency food. My cognitive capacity plummets like meteor when I get more than four hours away from a meal. I have enough portable food (without the things I can't eat and enough protein & fats I need) to substitute for one meal in my always-there bag. The trick is something that can travel through the various weathers and not rot right away.

Finally, I am at my mumbling incoherent worst when I'm interacting with medicos. (See high frustration levels above.) I've created a dehydrated medical chart for my own use: allergies, IDs and numbers, contacts, surgeries, diagnoses, drugs. Using my page-layout program, I printed it small on one letter-size sheet, folded twice. I slip it into a clear plastic badge holder and carry it with me always. I use it to prompt myself when the medico is asking questions.

From:

jeshyr

I have medical info almost identical, I call it my "backpack sheet" because I used to always leave a copy in my backpack. It's in my messenger bag now but the name stuck :)

From:

gingicat

Followed ysabetwordsmith here. :)

This is my favorite way to remember to take my meds:
http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVSpharmacy-Digital-Pill-Reminder-One-Button-Operation?skuId=807368

I have one attached to the bottle that I carry in my backpack, that I have to take at lunchtime (bonus reminder to not work through lunch) and another to the medicine I take when I wake up. Also considering a timer for the one I have to take no less than 30 and no more than 60 minutes after the first one. Both live on my bedside table so that I can go back to sleep on weekends.

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Ricky Buchanan

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Hack Your Brain - Alternatives To Remembering

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