Every day each one of us participates in a variety of activities. Some of these activities are big, some are small. Some activities have deadlines. Some require attention to detail, others require big picture perspectives. And then there are those other obligations that generate new and exciting items for our to do lists or new and exciting meetings and activities to add to our schedules. So how to keep track of the schedule, the big-picture, the nitty-gritty, and all those to dos on any given day? Following are 10 easy tips that help me remember a variety of things every day. Hopefully some of these ideas will tickle your fancy, too.
1. Make good use of your to do list. It is your friend in many situations, helping you to experience organizational and logistical bliss with relative ease.
2. Maximize use of your electronic calendar, one of the greatest inventions ever. This is an ideal reminder tool for a variety of situations.
3. Tape a note to your entry door at night. This helps ensure that you don’t forget to take necessities with you the next day, and that you start every day with a marvelous morning.
4. Write a mini note on your family’s menu board. This is a helpful place to post reminders for life’s most important to dos. For example, if you want to make sure that you pay your mortgage on time, scrawl a reminder next to that Thursday night menu listing for meatless chili. You can make dinner and pay your good friends at the bank all in one evening.
5. Send an email reminder to yourself. This is only recommended for those who check email regularly. Steer clear of this if you already feel inundated by too much email.
6. Leave a voice mail for yourself at home or work. To my sense of things, this is the perfect adaptation of the “note to self” concept. It has helped me remember some mundane – but necessary – to dos more times than I can count.
7. Keep a trusty notepad and pen or PDA with you so you can easily capture ideas and information wherever you are. The journalist in me likes to have notepads and pens available in most situations. I usually keep them in my purse, my car, my kitchen, my family room, my bedroom, and my home office.
8. Place a reminder note in your reusable lunch bag while you’re at work. The note comes out of your lunch bag along with your empty food storage containers when you return home and voila – an easy reminder note is in-hand.
9. Throw a piece of tissue on the floor for those middle-of-the-night “ah ha” or realization moments. If you awaken at 3 a.m. and remember something that needs attention at home or at work, or you have some other “ah ha” moment, consider throwing a piece of tissue on the floor near your bed. Initially, this suggestion may sound rather ridiculous, but I got this idea from a friend and it has really worked for me. In short, this saves me from awakening at my usual wake-up time having forgotten my 3 a.m. “ah ha” moment. When I awaken and see the tissue on the floor, I immediately recall why it was left there. Note: this only works for those whose bedroom floors are generally tissue wad-free.
10. And, by far, the most important way that I remember things is by taking time in the morning for quiet. During this time, I pray. I know others who use this time for contemplation or quiet reflection. This carved out time sets the right tone for the day ahead and orders thought, preparing me for all of the good and activity in the day ahead.
Wishing you peace in your many activities today – and every day.
* Photo by Jonathan Eggers