How to Avoid Forgetting

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It's easy to be forgetful when you have a busy schedule, but that doesn't make forgetting things any less frustrating. Whether you need to remember meetings, appointments, and important dates or you want to hold on to cherished memories, making a few simple changes to your daily routine can help you avoid forgetting. There are lots of things you can do, from setting reminders and playing brain games to creating keepsakes and getting a good night's sleep, that can improve your memory.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Organizing Your Time and Activities

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  1. Keep a daily to-do list . Keep a small notepad where you can write down tasks that need to be done. If you are in the middle of something important and get interrupted, writing down what you need to do later will help you remember. [1]
    • If you're not a fan of writing notes by hand, use a notepad on your cell phone, tablet, or computer to type in a short to-do list electronically.
    • If you have so much going on you're forgetting things, consider simplifying what you're focusing on. Many people take up responsibilities that they don't really care about. If you clear those things from your life, you'll have more space in your mind to remember things you do value. [2]
  2. If you're busy with school, work, or caring for your family, it can be hard to keep track of all the assignments, meetings, and events going on. A calendar will help you to avoid forgetting due dates and appointments. [3]
    • Use monthly calendars at your home and office for events that are specific to work or family. An office calendar can help you remember important meetings and co-worker's birthdays, while a calendar at home can help you keep track of upcoming travel, appointments, or special events with family.
    • Keep a calendar on your cell phone or in your bag so you can update it as you go.
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  3. If you need to do something on a routine basis, such as take your medications or wake up at a certain time, there are various ways to make remembering things easier. Try these strategies to alert yourself:
    • Write a note and place it in an area where you always look, such as near your computer screen, on the refrigerator, or on your bathroom mirror.
    • Set an alarm. Schedule alarms throughout the day on your cell phone, watch, or another device to remind you of important events.
  4. Create habits to help you remember things. If, for example, you always forget to pack your yoga mat for class after work, you can work on making this part of your daily routine and create a new habit. Making something a habit takes time (longer for some than for others), but it can be done. Try forming habits by using the 3 Rs: Reminder, Routine, Reward. [4]
    • Reminder—This is the cue that begins the behavior. Try picking something you already do every day as your reminder. For instance, let's say you pick out your outfit for the next day before you go to bed. Use this as a cue to put your yoga mat with your work bag. Piggybacking on something that is already an established habit will help you remember.
    • Routine—This is the action. Sticking with the previous example, the action would be packing your yoga mat. It could also be flossing, putting down the toilet seat, paying a bill, or anything else you need to do.
    • Reward—This is the payoff for the behavior. If something good happens as a result of your routine, you are more likely to stick with it. You can even congratulate yourself each time you follow through, saying something like, "Yes! I did it!"
  5. Avoid procrastination . You may postpone doing something because it will take a long time, isn't fun, makes you stressed, or seems unimportant. But when that "something" is due, suddenly you're scrambling to do it because you forgot about it or kept putting it off. [5]
    • When you're a procrastinator and you forget something, it's likely a combination of active avoidance and forgetfulness.
    • Identify things that you continue to "forget" that may be due to procrastination. When you understand the things or activities that trigger procrastination, you'll be less likely to forget about them and can seek ways to address these stressors effectively.
  6. With a busy and stressful lifestyle, there may be things that you or others do that distract you from getting things done. Distractions can be your own avoidance technique, or they can be external forces that inhibit focus and concentration. [6]
    • Are there people at work or school that regularly consume all your time and energy? They can be external sources of distraction and inhibit your focus.
    • Do you worry about something regularly that makes it difficult to focus and concentrate? By focusing your time and energy on worries, you may be less able to remember things you need to do.
    • Try minimizing distractions at work by disabling notifications for emails and designating a specific time at the beginning and end of each day to respond to them. Put your phone on silent and, if you have your own office, close the door when you need to focus and don't want to be disturbed.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Caring for Your Mind

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  1. Avoid filling your day with so many meetings, events, or chores that you have no "downtime." Being busy is not a competition and your mind shouldn't feel like it's on overdrive on a regular basis. [7] Make time for yourself so that you aren't overworked and overstressed.
    • If you're a student, make sure that schoolwork and extracurricular activities aren't consuming all of your time. Remember to take breaks, particularly if you're looking at a computer screen for more than 2 hours at a time.
    • If you're career-focused, make sure that you set boundaries about what is "work time" and "personal time." Don't let all of your time become "work time."
    • If you're a parent or caregiver, it's important to carve out time each day or week to do something that is specifically for you. Your life may be focused on caring for others, but to avoid burnout or high stress, you need to have "me time."
  2. Keep your brain active through games or hobbies that stimulate focus and help you gain mental strength. While exercising the whole body keeps you healthy and reduces stress, try these activities to help you keep your brain healthy: [8]
    • Brain games and puzzles. Do a daily crossword, Sudoku, word puzzle, or another game that requires mental processing and concentration.
    • Play music. Playing an instrument can improve concentration since you need to be focused on finding the right note or staying in tune with the music.
    • Read a book. Reading requires mental focus and stimulates the imagination.
  3. Be aware of your family medical history. Does your family have a history of dementia, a thyroid disorder, or a mental health condition? Speak openly with your doctor about your current medications as well as your family medical history in order to address your risks for memory impairment. [9]
    • Some medications have side effects that affect memory. Talk with your healthcare provider about what medications you're taking and the risks for memory impairment.
    • Certain medical conditions such as thyroid disorders impact mental alertness. Get a medical exam to rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be increasing your forgetfulness.
    • Forgetfulness, lack of concentration, and fatigue may be due to an untreated (or under-treated) mental health condition. Discuss any symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, or poor concentration with your primary doctor or a mental health professional.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Holding on to Significant Memories

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  1. You will be more likely to remember things when you experience strong emotions. Think about when you were happiest. Emotional arousal is more likely to help you retain a memory rather than the importance of the information. [10]
    • Take time each day to reflect on your positive memories from the past. They can be a source of affirmation and motivation that can help you avoid forgetting.
  2. If you are concerned about forgetting significant past events, talk about them with your friends and family on a routine basis. Reminiscing about the past can also help to strengthen your relationships in the present.
    • Consider ways that you can share memories with people of different generations. Talk with your older relatives and compare your life experiences to the experiences of your parents, grandparents, or older adults. [11]
  3. Significant milestones, family gatherings, and vacations can all be memories that you cherish. To avoid forgetting these events, create keepsakes that act as a reminder, such as:
    • Photo albums and framed pictures
    • Memory or keepsake boxes
    • Handicrafts such as quilts that use symbols for significant events
    • Video or film of the events
    • Souvenirs
  4. Write about important events in a journal or notebook . To record the present moment as it unfolds, write down your thoughts at the time of the event. Personal diaries can help to keep memories alive. You can look back at your writings years later and be able to recall how you felt in that moment.
    • Journals are often the most personal way of recording your memories. They can give context and details in ways that a photograph cannot.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Keeping Your Brain Healthy

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  1. Your diet affects all aspects of your body including the brain. Boost your body and brain's ability to focus and retain memories through healthy eating habits. Avoid junk food and drink plenty of water. Incorporate these brain-healthy foods into your diet: [12]
    • Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. Try broccoli, cabbage, kale, or collard greens.
    • Dark berries. Snack on blueberries, cherries, and blackberries.
    • Fish and other proteins with Omega-3 fatty acids. Eat eggs, salmon, and tuna.
    • Nuts and seeds. Choose walnuts, cashews, and almonds.
  2. Get a good night's rest . Getting enough sleep—try to aim for 7-9 hours a night—will allow your mind and body time to recuperate and relax before another busy day begins. Denying yourself adequate sleep could lead to a lack of focus, forgetfulness, and impaired ability to do daily activities. [13]
    • Sleep should not be discounted as unimportant or an "extra" thing that you need to do. Make it a priority so that you stay focused.
    • Keep a consistent sleep cycle to avoid bouts of insomnia and restlessness at night.
    • Create a pre-bedtime routine that focuses on relaxing. Take a shower or bath to relax your muscles, listen to music, or meditate.
  3. Regular exercise has proven to not only help you stay in shape and keep your heart healthy, but it also helps to get blood flowing to the brain. That means that keeping active not only helps the body but also the mind. There are lots of different ways to stay fit. You can: [14]
    • Join a gym or take fitness classes.
    • Try yoga, dancing, or another exercise that focuses on flexibility.
    • Get outdoors. Go for a nature walk, take a hike, or go swimming.
    • Find an exercise partner to keep you motivated.
    • Do low-impact exercises and stretches at home.
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Expert Advice

If you want to effectively remember your daily tasks:

  • Set several alarms on your phone. For various tasks or meetings, some people set as many as 10 different alarms. Getting those several reminders throughout the day helps jog your memory and can ensure the task actually gets done.
  • Record notes on your phone. If you have a long to-do list, you can use the voice recorder app on your phone to record your thoughts. If you have a lot on your mind, a voice memo can help you capture it quickly, and you can easily transcribe the recording later if you need a typed document of your thoughts.
  • Carry a 4x6 inch index card. It may be old-fashioned, but an index card and pen or pencil is a great place to write down your thoughts and tasks quickly. Index cards can be bought in bulk and are relatively inexpensive. Physically writing down the task on a note card stimulates your behavioral memory and reinforces recollection.
From Adam Dorsay, PsyD
Licensed Psychologist

Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Why do I forget things when I'm busy?
    Leah Morris
    Life Coach
    Leah Morris is a Life and Relationship Transition coach and the owner of Life Remade, a holistic personal coaching service. With over three years as a professional coach, she specializes in guiding people as they move through both short-term and long-term life transitions. Leah holds a BA in Organizational Communication from California State University, Chico and is a certified Transformational Life Coach through the Southwest Institute for Healing Arts.
    Leah Morris
    Life Coach
    Expert Answer
    Oftentimes, people forget things because their life is cluttered with responsibilities they don't really care about. I suggest sitting down and figuring out what you really value in life and what's most important to you. Then, clear everything else from your schedule and focus on those things.
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      Warnings

      • If your forgetfulness may be putting you (or someone else) at risk due to confusion or disorientation to time, place, or person, talk with your healthcare provider.
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      • While the human brain will decline as you age, that does not necessarily mean that you are developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. All people have experienced memory lapses at one time or another. Consider if there is a regular pattern to your forgetfulness that is increasing over time, and if it is impairing your relationships with others. [16]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://hbr.org/2021/01/i-tried-4-to-do-list-methods-heres-what-worked
      2. ↑ Leah Morris. Life Coach. Expert Interview. 21 August 2020.
      3. ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-use-calendar-for-time-management
      4. ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/changing-habits/
      5. ↑ https://mcgraw.princeton.edu/undergraduates/resources/resource-library/understanding-and-overcoming-procrastination
      6. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/7-proven-strategies-for-overcoming-distractions/324560
      7. ↑ Leah Morris. Life Coach. Expert Interview. 21 August 2020.
      8. ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/a-workout-for-your-brain
      9. ↑ http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/7-common-causes-of-forgetfulness-201302225923
      1. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573739/
      2. ↑ https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=aa129122
      3. ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower
      4. ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/8-secrets-to-a-good-nights-sleep
      5. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html
      6. ↑ Leah Morris. Life Coach. Expert Interview. 21 August 2020.
      7. ↑ https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/memory-forgetfulness-and-aging-whats-normal-and-whats-not

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To avoid forgetting, write a daily to-do list on your phone or in a notepad to organize the activities you need to get done. If you have a busy schedule, track your events in a calendar to see specifically when something is coming up. For anything you do as part of a daily routine, like taking medication, set an alarm on your phone or leave a note someplace you usually look, such as your desk. For more advice, like how to avoid forgetting by creating daily habits, keep reading!

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