Although I am a personal development blogger by profession, I am in no way a mental health professional. See my disclaimer for more info.
Having trouble remembering the small details in life? Don’t worry — I’ll teach you all about how to stop forgetting things.
Are you having a hard time remembering small details? Things that seem small, but are actually quite important?
We all do! I can’t tell you how many times I forgot something, whether big or small. Just a few weeks ago, I was late to work because I forgot to set my daily work alarm. And I didn’t even notice I was running late until I was halfway to my job!
Things like this and many others are simply too important to forget. Sometimes, letting something slip your mind can be more harmful than you think. So, if you’re the type of person to forget even the small details, I’m here to teach you all about how to stop forgetting things.
Are you ready? Let’s get into it!
THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT HOW TO STOP FORGETTING THINGS.
Why do we forget things?
Before we get to the good stuff, let’s lay some foundation. I believe that if you understand WHY you forget things in the first place, it’ll make it much easier to find a solution.
So, here are a few reasons we tend to forget things:
1. Something isn’t important enough
Have you ever noticed that, when you’re dealing with something that isn’t super important or worth remembering, you tend to forget it?
Yeah, we have so many things to store in our memories, and our brains usually prioritize the most important things in life. Important dates, names of people in your life, upcoming events, and more.
But if it’s something you don’t feel the need to prioritize, it’s probably going to get lost in your memory, and you’ll really have to dig to find it again.
2. You didn’t make an effort to remember it
This reason and the one prior go hand in hand.
Sometimes we forget things because we don’t put in any effort to remember them.
For example, say you have a chemistry exam in a week. You aren’t looking forward to it, so you don’t care to study or mark the date down somewhere.
If you want to remember something, you have to actively make an effort to avoid forgetting it.
3. We have way too much on our minds
As humans, we have a LOT going on every single day.
You may have kids to take care of, schoolwork to complete, a job to go to, content to work on, hobbies to indulge in, household chores to tackle, and a very long list of other day-to-day responsibilites and tasks.
It makes quite a bit of sense that we forget things every now and then (or maybe even more often than that): we have lot to juggle!
Okay — now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to get into the good stuff. Read on to learn all about how to stop forgetting things!
How to Stop Forgetting Things:
1. Write things down
I cannot say this enough: the number one trick to remembering things is to simply write them down.
You can write them on a basic sheet of paper, in your journal, in a planner, in the notes app on your phone, on a whiteboard on your refrigerator — anywhere!
As long as you have SOMEWHERE to write down important stuff, it doesn’t really matter where.
What’s important, though, is that you don’t lose whatever you wrote that information down on. I don’t want you to go through the stress of losing it and then having to sit and retrace your thoughts for 30 minutes.
(This totally isn’t a personal experience!)
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2. Go back to where you were when you initially had the thought
Another trick that usually works for me is going back where I was when I first had a certain thought. What I mean by this is:
If I have a thought while I’m sitting in my bed, but I forget it by the time I’m in a different room, I’ll go right back to where I was (my bed, in this case) to try and retrace my thoughts.
Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), this works almost all the time. Of course, there are some times where it doesn’t work, but it usually does.
If you don’t already do this, I encourage you to try!
3. Use an app to remind you
There are all sorts of apps you can use to remind you of important things. I like using the reminders app on my iPhone for so I don’t forget stuff — especially free trials that I don’t plan on crossing over to paid subscriptions.
If you don’t have an iPhone or simply want to use a different app, Taskade and Notion are great alternatives you can use to remind you of things.
THINK: Do you like to use an app to remind you of important things? Tell me in the comments!
4. Get more sleep
Let’s get a bit sciency for a minute! Trust me — it’s cool!
Studies show that sleep improves memory. Here’s an excerpt from the Yale School of Medicine:
“[Sleep improves memory] possibly because sleep [offers] optimal conditions for consolidation, providing periods of reduced external stimulation and increased levels of neurotransmitters that promote communication between the hippocampus and the neocortex.”
If that sounded like everything but English, allow me to translate:
Sleep improves memory because it provides increased levels of neurotransmitters (your body’s chemical messengers) that promote communication between the hippocampus (repsonsible for memory) and the neocortex (responsible for episodic memory).
Simply put, the more sleep you get, the more your memory will improve.
So, make sure you get your full 8-9 hours every night! Oh, and do what you can you get the best quality of sleep possible.
RELATED POST: 21 Best Tips for Better Sleep: Ultimate Guide for a Restful Night
5. Do it now, not later!
Lastly, for my procrastinators, this is a life-saver.
Instead of always putting off important things for a later day and time, just do them now.
I know, I know — it feels good in the moment to postpone something and do something more enjoyable. I do it all the time, which is definitely a habit I’m trying to break.
But do you know what feels even better? Tackling that task right then and there, and not having to worry about it in the future! Yep, I said it!
So, the next time you get that feeling to procrastinate, just think about how your future self would feel. It’s got to get done at some point, so just suck it up and do it at your earliest convenience!
Let’s recap!
We made it to the end of the post!
Today, we talked about how to stop forgetting things.
Forgetting things can be quite annoying and stressful. I hope this post taught you a few methods to stop forgetting things!
Please remember to take time to take care of yourself!
I know, in this economy, it can be hard to find free things to do that are fun. That’s why I put together a list of 7 free self care activities to enjoy today!
In the midst of chaos, don’t forget to smile,
DeMarcus – your self care buddy
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