What have you forgotten lately, and what did doing so cost in frustration or money? Is forgetting a sign of aging or illness, having too much on our plates, or being too stressed or tired? Are we too busy thinking about what we’re supposed to do next than where we’re putting our car keys right now?
Usually I’m pretty good about remembering because I write almost everything down. But recently, I forgot:
-to blog yesterday. It was my turn to post on a group blog, and in doing that, editing a book for a friend under deadline and dealing with a family issue, I just forgot. It didn’t help that I didn’t add blogging to my ‘To Do’ list for that day.
-that I had a ticket for the Lyric’s production of Porgy and Bess. I thought I’d entered all opera dates on my calendar. Obviously not. The friend I go with called me on the way there, but I didn’t get the message in time. Kind of a costly error.
Sometimes I’m surprised when I open my Day-Timer and see a task written in my handwriting. I don’t remember putting it there, but that’s the point…by writing down what I need to do on the day it needs to be done, I can clear my head of that item, leaving room for other topics.
These days, a lot of people keep their to do lists on line, using sites like Remember the Milk and Toodledo , or have them on their computer and/or synced with their BlackBerry or phone. But I prefer having mine in writing, on paper. It’s more accessible; to me flipping pages is easier than scrolling or remembering to keep a site open, plus I can keep it on my desk next to my computer.
If you’d like to be less forgetful, try:
I now use a calendar spread out on my desk at home to keep track of when I’m hosting bloggers or other important dates. I also have a small one in my purse, but sometimes I forget to transfers items over onto it. And, I also have my to-do lists for my desk or purse, not to mention my shopping lists. Yes, I do need these written reminders to prevent chaos.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com