I see people talking about how they can’t remember a specific task. You know, something you want to do but just can’t seem to remember to get done. Like ok I’ll use the example “download the cleaning book I bought.” You think “I’ll get to it” but you forget. Here’s how I do it.

I put that shit on my calendar for the next day as an appointment. If it’s on there I have the time and no other excuse. When I started this I was SO ANNOYED that it was necessary. I wanted to “just remember.” Guess what? That completed task didn’t question my methods. Try it

For instance, I have to make time to call the mechanic and get my car inspected. Putting it on the calendar to call. Or I can keep lying to myself about how I’ll get to it when I remember.

Spoiler alert: I won’t remember because car inspection is decidedly NOT stimulating.

I also have an appointment to give the dogs their monthly flea and tick treat thing. I always felt like putting that stuff on the calendar was too formal and made it too real. But ummm, it was real. It really had to get done. But it wasn’t because I was too busy fighting my brain

Also: it is an appointment, not a reminder, because if it isn’t on there as an appointment I will jam other shit into that slot and have the built in excuse of being too busy to do it right then. And then I give myself a 20 minute recovery period because adulting is exhausting.

PS - There is such a thing as having too many reminders set.

If you have everything down to your next breath set as a reminder it can all just become a blur of noise that makes you turn your ringer off.

Balance.

It takes time to achieve and it isn’t the same for all of us.