(I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but I keep forgetting it 🙂 )
Have you ever thought of something that you needed to do as soon as you finish your current business, then promptly forgot about it only to recall it again when it is impractical to do it (like, for example late at night while lying in your bed) ?
Do you consistently think of things to do, but can’t seem to get them done ? And you keep reminding yourself and you keep postponing it until 3 months later you wonder what you scribbled on that post-it note ?
Do you have mental anguish and do you berate yourself for not doing all the things that just had to do ?
If you can answer ‘yes’ to one of the above questions, this post is for you !
This is my attempt to write up what I find usefull in dealing with forgetting details/stuff todo/meetings to make/books to read and whatelse in the hustle and bustle that I currently call my life.
I’ve got a variety of methods to deal with these problems, and I use all of them together, depending on where I am and what tools I can use.
Reminding yourself of things todo when they can’t be done at the time
Nothing is so frustrating as thinking of something to do next and then forgetting it when it is time to actually do it and recall it only after any possibility of doing it has gone (ie. in bed late a night). There are a variety of tools and ways to deal with this :
- Don’t trust your brain to remember it. Write a reminder to yourself the second you think of things todo. Don’t wait, or you’ll lose that thought !
- Whatever you choose to keep your reminders on, make it a part of your schedule. Even better, think of something you always carry with you and adapt it to fit your needs. For example, keep a pen and piece of paper with you all the time. Alternatively, use a phone with note taking capability or a pda to jot these down. In an emergency, I write things down on my hands (filthy habit, though).
- If it’s a SIMPLE thing that you can do RIGHT NOW, then do it now. I’ve saved myself hundreds of scribbles and notes and more importantly, mental anguish by doing the thing immediately. It’s actually surprising how much you can procastinate
These 3 points are my guiding principles in trying to keep ontop of all my things-to-do.
Apparently others think about this as well, as I’ve just found this entry on getting impossible things done on Rands in Repose. Excellent food for thought article and a simply excellent site that I am adding to my worthy site list.
