How do I stop forgetting things?

Forgetting is not a character flaw; it is what memory does under load. Everyone who appears organised is using external systems. The aim is to move the remembering out of your head and into something reliable.

What you'll need

• A notes app or notebook (optional)
• A calendar (optional)

Step by step

1. Capture everything in one place, immediately.One notes app, one notebook. The critical part is that there is exactly one place, so you never wonder where you put something.
2. Write it down at the moment you think of it.The intention to write it down later is itself a thing to remember. Capture takes ten seconds and removes the load entirely.
3. Attach reminders to a time or a place, not a wish.'Remember to post this' fails. A phone reminder at 8am, or one triggered when you arrive at work, does not.
4. Use physical objects as reminders.Put the parcel by the front door, the keys on top of it. Something in your physical path is more reliable than any note.
5. Build fixed homes for things you lose.Keys, wallet, glasses, phone. One place each, used every time. Most 'lost' items are just things without a home.
6. Use a weekly review to catch what fell through.Ten minutes once a week going over the capture list and the calendar. It is what keeps the whole system trustworthy.
7. Reduce the load where you can.Automate bills, set recurring reminders for annual tasks, keep a standing packing list. Anything recurring should not need remembering at all.
8. Do it now if it takes under two minutes.The overhead of capturing and revisiting a tiny task is larger than the task. This keeps the list to things that genuinely need it.

Tips

• Sleep, stress and doing several things at once affect memory more than most people credit. Persistent forgetfulness sometimes has a physical cause worth checking.
• Voice notes are the fastest capture method when your hands are busy — which is exactly when things occur to you.
• A system you distrust gets bypassed. Reviewing it weekly is what makes you actually rely on it.

Common mistakes

• Keeping notes in several places — You then have to remember which place, which is the problem you were solving. One inbox for everything.
• Setting reminders with no time or place trigger — A list you have to remember to look at is not a reminder. Attach it to a moment.
• Trying harder to remember — Effort does not improve working memory capacity. Externalising the task does.

Questions people ask