Tips on remembering things?

I had a magnificent answer all lined up - but I've forgotten it

Seriously, it's horrible isn't it, but I bet you'll find 99% of GN'rs will own up to misplacing things (for me the biggest culprits are the front door key, my glasses and mobile) followed by forgetting names (though not faces).

I can't give any solutions GraceP only to commiserate and hastily add, no, you're not a 'lost cause' (that'd be another thing to worry about having to find). On my door I have a sign saying 'Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most' just about sums it up.

I'm pretty good at not losing things by being a bit anal about 'a place for everything and everything in its place'. I always keep my mobile on the bread bin or in my pocket I don't put it down anywhere else, keys go back on the hook in the kitchen as soon as I come in the door, my glasses are put back in the case, again on the bread bin . I have spare glasses in the car and by my computer.
I do realise not everybody is 'tidy' but for me its the way I don't lose stuff..

Tbh I don't often lose or misplace items.Perhaps using a larger bag when you go out may help, to pop the scarf, sunglasses umbrella or whatever in?

I am a bit like Tanith, with a place for everything, so tend not to lose stuff. As for appointments, picking up GCs etc., I have a series of post-it notes in time/date order stuck around the edge of my table. My month to view diary also lies open on the same table. I have also been known to set an alarm for something extra important.
Is that anal?

I am not tidy but I do not lose eg door keys because I leave them in the same place each time. My car keys I leave on the mantelpiece and I do not lose my stick, scarves etc.

Every appointment (each is hand written) is in my diary- and it is always in my handbag.

My clothes are tidy, hung or in drawers so that is not a problem.

I get up in the morning and find theres no clean dishes, forgot to wash up last night. By the time I wash up, Im running late, then my friend phones and Im trying to sort out undies in the drawer while Im talking.
I then find out Ive forgot to iron my trousers, I then iron and forget to feed the cat, then Im short of cat food. Time to go to the shop, I then find my coat is still wet from last night. After shopping then feeding the cats I realise that my work laptop is not charged so I put it on the charger, groan. I have a quick bite to eat, more washing up, leave it for tonight. I leave washing up, damp coat on radiator, pile of washing on bench and I run out of the door. I then find Ive forgot where Ive put the car keys, by the time I find them, Im extra late. I finally get out to work to find Ive left half my paperwork at home then I have to go back. etc etc.
so yes Im forgetful. If only I could discipline my self to wash up at night, iron washing when its needed, put my car keys in a place I can remember, go shopping when needed, hang up my clothes when I get in form work, keep plenty of cat food/own food in the cupboard. I would manage much better. I live in a continuous muddle. Any suggestions welcome.

Well, * Ethel* if you have lived for so long in this way, doubt things will change now, and in fact why bother, as long as it doesn't really worry you?
I have a day to day diary and everything goes into that, keys always in same place too.I hate to be late for anything.

roses I have a diary too and all my work stuff and house stuff goes into tit but I still get in a muddle, DD is worse then me and can never find house keys, car keys, purse etc. there is a last minute scramble as we go out and it makes me feel quite organised when I see her searching for her stuff.

I meant 'into it', still Ive heard of things going 'tits up' so maybe that how I should describe my life.

My SIl calls me Columbo. I leave the house and then have come back in for something I've forgotten. Happen every time!

I spend my time going up and down stairs because soon as I get to the top I've forgotton what I want so go back down then I remember and then I'm off back up the stairs

My two year old DGS now helps me search for specs, mobile or/and keys

I use my mobile as a diary. Not only do I put the dates of appointments. Etc. I write shopping lists.
I also put reminders a few days before so when appointment or important date arrives the are not a surprise!
Important things like tablets I use the alarm on the mobile
I dread losing my mobile my life is on it

I'm like tanith I have a definite place for everything that doesn't vary and I am very tidy so nothing can get buried under anything else. As for shopping and packing for a trip it's list list lists. I keep an Outlook diary which I synchronise with my phone frequently but also have a handbag hard copy diary. The lap top and the phone diaries send you reminders the day before.

I'm pretty organized, anything I need to take with me the next time I go out is left with my keys. My phone is always next to me as I use it 3-4 times a day to check GN or Google info.
It's also my diary, all appointments are on it and the start page shows the days appointments. I've never left the house without it.
I have occasionally left umbrellas and other things in shops etc. but on the whole I think I'm pretty good.

I think somewhat it is a time thing.
Either not enough of it, [eg ethel]
or choosing what time you do have, to spend it getting very organised. A lot of people choose to muddle through, as keeping organised takes up precious time. There isnt a quick fix in my opinion.

I'm a tidier upper and everything has its place. My mobile contains all my info from appointments to alarms for items finishing on eBay. It's a godsend. Now DH on the other hand is an entirely different story.....!!

I'm organised and tidy so very rarely lose things. Appointments are on a kitchen calendar and also on my phone with an alert. The main things that I forget are words and names

Ditto Lona

A tip I once read in a woman's magazine was from an elderly lady who was a widow. Every night she would say to her dead husband: "Right, Fred, I've put the cat out and locked the door" out loud. This seemed a good idea to me when I read it all those years ago as a schoolgirl, and now I'm in my dotage, I've taken to using it to tell myself I've switched off the iron, locked the car/house, etc.

As for remembering where you've put something - it's not too late to train your memory, I reckon. If putting something in the same place every time just doesn't work out for you, take a couple of seconds when you put your glasses/keys/phone down, to look at it and take a mental pictures of the surroundings. Or remember your thoughts at the time.

If you've come in and rushed to the loo, you may have left your keys on the washbasin in there, so you should remember that and can go back and find them again. If you put them down on the kitchen work surface while you unpack the shopping - stare at them for a bit before carrying on and imprint that picture on your memory until you start looking for them again....

Or you can use the "saying things out loud" trick for that, too - "Don't forget, Mary" you can tell yourself, using your own name, of course, or that of the cat, perhaps, if you feel silly talking to yourself, "Don't forget, Tiddles: I put the remote control on the table in the hall when I went to answer the door"

I suppose I do have regular places where I keep things, although I am on the wrong end of the tidiness spectrum.

I keep my mobile phone in my bra. I keep keys in my pocket, but only trouser pockets - not jacket pockets because I might be taking the jacket off. And my glasses can regularly be found on top of the dishwasher, when I have to take them off because they get steamed up when I open it!

Oh - and I keep a spare single key in my purse in case I do lock myself out one day. It's also handy when travelling and not having to worry about a bunch of keys all the time on holiday. I leave them in a drawer whilst I'm away.

According to the scare mongers keeping you phone in your bra is not a good idea.

I expect all you capable Grans have GC that you look after, mine look after me:before we go out, I am reminded to go to the loo then to check, "SKIPPTT"-these are my need-to-take items, namely:sunglasses,keys,i-pod, purse,phone, tissue,throat sweet.

I have several pairs of trousers with a pocket on the leg, a God-send for tissues and 'phone especially in jacket-free warm days. Which so-and-so abolished pockets??

Live in a place of many heaps...but I do know what's in which heap!

I have a friend who, when she switches the iron off and leaves it to cool, presses the plug prongs hard enough into her palm so that it hurts, and says "I've switched off the iron." This helps her to remember she's done it. I believe it's called neuro-linguistic programming.

I attended a memory course recently run by my local U3A. The thing I took away from it was that I don't pay enough attention and therefore the information doesn't go in, in the first place, so how can I remember it later? This is especially true for names. I am no longer too embarrassed to own up to not remembering a name. I just ask.

All too often I have to phone my mobile to find out where I've left it in the house. When my GS1 was younger and still living locally, she was always able to find where I'd parked my car in the Tesco or Sainsbury's car park. Now my tactic is to leave it, as far as possible, always in the same aisle. And she used to take my arm and escort me across roads and through car parks. Nice to be cared for!