Family and friends who know me the best, know that I have a really poor memory. My sister asked me awhile back, "Why don't you take gingko pills to help your memory?" and I replied, "Because I will forget to take them." It was very true. So then how am I able to function in my every day working and personal life? Well, over the years, I did build up a bag of tricks.
The most important trick I've learned is that if I want to remember something, I need to document it somewhere
immediately. Usually, this is putting it on my Google Calendar, writing it on the notebook I keep in my purse, or my favorite method - emailing it to myself to process later. I'm sort of an archive junkie, so this process fits in well with my desire to archive every bit of interesting information I come across.
Inbox Zero is the second trick I've learned. I read "Getting Things Done" by David Allen when I first started working for LevelTen, and the golden nugget I took away from that book was Inbox Zero. I review everything in my inbox and I either respond, plan, delegate, or delete. Everything is processed, so I rarely have emails just sitting in my inbox. This allows me to feel content that everything I need to remember is taken care of somewhere.
At home, if I need to remember to take something with me the next day (a laptop or food for work the next day), I'll write on a post-it note and put it on my door so I don't forget. At work, I'll write on notecards and put them in a place where I can't miss them. I'll write "DISH DUTY" big and bold, or "BLOG POST." I even set calendar reminders to remind me of these things too.
If you have seen my desk at work, you know I'm sort of a supplement junkie. So how do I remember to take my pills now? Well, I found this software program (for the PC) called "
Personal Reminder" which allows me to set custom reminders throughout the day. Automation is the biggest help with remembering. I have to be sure to set reminders for all calendar events as well, so I can be sure to make the appt or meeting!
Those are just a few of the tricks I use to make my memory handicap less of a hindrance. There are always ways to conquer our weaknesses!
