Reminders when I feel dumber than a log.

I always need to give myself reminders for things I need to do. A simple example: when my wife wants me to take out the trash when I go to work, I have to put it in front of the door so I remember when I leave for work. If I leave it in the kitchen, chances are I won't go in there as I'm leaving for work and I will forget the trash. If it is in front of the door, it is much easier to remember it, especially when I trip over it. "Why don't you take it out right away?" you ask. Well, why do you suppose my wife sometimes lovingly refers to me as Lazyman?

The Kleenex dilemma: However, sometimes even my reminders don't work. I have been suffering from a cold the past week and a half. I took a box of Kleenex along to work in case I needed them. I wanted to bring them home at the end of the night because anything left there disappears. So as I was checking out everyone's closing work, I put my brief case on a chair by a table as I always do so I can pick it up on the way out. I put the box of Kleenex on the table by the chair so I would remember it. After all the closing work was checked, and everyone was clocked off, I set the alarm. Once the alarm is set in the back, I have only 45 seconds to get to the front door, unlock it the inside, let everyone out, and then lock the door from the outside. If I don't get that all done, the alarm will sound and automatically contact our alarm company. So there is a little time-pressure involved.

I still forgot the Kleenex: Can you believe it? With the alarm set, and my mind counting 1001, 1002, 1003 . . . I grabbed the brief case on my way out. I realized as I drove in my driveway that I didn't bring the Kleenex. O well. Not an expensive loss except to the ego. How could I forget it when I had left it out close to my brief case as a reminder There are days my Sometimers (sometimes I can't remember things) turns into Mosttimers. I guess I needed to make the reminder a little more obvious - like put the Kleenex directly on the briefcase so I couldn't miss them. I need to make the reminder something that would work for someone dumber than a rock, which is how I feel sometimes.

Make it obvious: If you need to make reminders for yourself, be sure to make them obvious. When I'm driving somewhere and think of something I need to do, I don't want to take a chance and try to write a note while I'm driving. So I lay something on the seat (where there normally wouldn't be anything like that) to remind me when I stop. Then I can either take care of it, or write myself the reminder note I'll need later. The main drawback is remembering why I laid a pencil on the car seat. (A Sometimers symptom) If you need to mail an important bill tomorrow, lay it out on the table tonight so you'll see it in the morning. Don't rely on your memory to get it out. Put out an obvious reminder. There are many little things that can use reminders and make your day run a little smoother.

Task lists can help: I use task lists a lot as reminders. Those work well and can be very specific including a description, due date and relative importance. Notes on the refrigerator can work, but you have to remember to write the note and then check the notes once in a while.

Do better next time: If you are like me and sometimes feel dumber than a rock because you forgot something, do better from now on and make an obvious reminder for yourself. Then congratulate yourself for never forgetting things like that again.