How do you remember things... ? Is this a daft solution ?

Will buy a book for a phone diary tomorrow. Wonderful idea!

Love these ideas. I'm going to start using the address book function on my phone/ computer. THANK YOU

I'm forever writing things down on a bit of paper to help me remember things, then I can't find the bit of paper and I waste time searching for that. I'm not fit to be let loose - I think I need looking after, for sure.
Getting doolally in my dotage.

One of my mum's friends has a 'phone diary' which she keeps by the 'phone and writes in whilst having conversations with her adult children or friends. She then scans it before calling them or when they ring her - this way she can remember to ask them about life events they mentioned in a previous call! Apparently they all think she's marvellous for her age. She started this in her 70s - I need to do this in my late 50s!! But then I do have the aforementioned brain fog with underactive thyroid and fibromyalgia!!!

I've got an appalling memory. It's great that now the rest of my generation are catching up. I love the expression brain fog Poly! It's definitely what I have! I do carry a small diary and have a large wall calendar and keep a journal. But I don't write in the journal every day and frequently have problems remembering what I've done over the last few days. Yesterday is often a complete blank!

The wall calendar is there. Prominently there. With appointments etc. I walk past it a lot. It's up to date. I check it several times during the morning. And then promptly forget what it said! I don't think a mass of Post It notes would help at all!

Just a thought, I have to write things down so I remember, especially names and dates. However I have just started watching a free documentary on thyroid disease. Mostly women suffer this disease and brain fog is one of the side effects. I am so relieved because I was begining to think I was heading for dementia. Just wanted to say that not all forgetfulness is down to age. If you do have a thyroid problem then that is most likely causing your forgetfulness.

Long term memory good/short term memory bad! I'm a member of a successful quiz team and have a good general knowledge but if I'm asked to remember to take something into work or for family that's a different thing! If I get a text/email reminder about something then I usually do it right away e.g. put something by the front door to take into work the next day or I write a note and put it by my car keys. Events/appointments I write in my diary and on my kitchen calendar. When famiy come round they write things on my calendar too e.g babysitting. It's great now that you can register for text reminders about doctor/vet appointments etc. and our local council sends recycling text reminders the day before collection.

I find trying to remember what gifts I gave for birthdays and Christmas so that I don't repeat them the following year. I also try to remember to put a list in my diary but perhaps on the mobile phone might be better.

pensionpat - what a great idea! I find it so hard to remember things, but I think it's because I'm a bit overloaded at the moment.

We have given up on Green Thumb Yorkshiregel - one less thing to remember!
The DGD said that there were no daisies to make daisy chains with

Do whatever works for you! It's lovely that you care enough to want to remember things - we're all in the same boat so if we all note things down we'll make our friends happy by remembering what's important to them.

If it's on the calendar they get a card - if I forget to do it before I've thrown last year's away (which I nearly did this year!) I'd be in trouble...

I belong to one of those e card companies that send me reminders of people's birthdays. At least everyone gets an e card as before I never remembered anyone's birthday.

I am like Anniebach, I just muddle along and I am happy to do it this way.

A friend (highly intelligent) once told me that at our ages we've seen so much done so much its no wonder we have to filter our thoughts and memories....if we kept it all at our fingertips as it were we'd all go mad. Nothing wrong or daft about limiting what we need to think about from moment to moment....and keeping a diary is just good sense....its not daft. Making lists also seems a perfectly sensible idea....though I've left so many on the kitchen table!
I do get a bit annoyed with myself when its almost as if one bit of my brain refuses to make connections.....e.g I knew I was going away next week yet only this morning I remembered I needed to cancel a regular appointment because ......I was going to be away!!!
That being said I have recently found out that when I really put my mind to it I could sit down and learn, by heart something very particular. It took a little effort and did not go in as easily as it would have 30 odd years ago....but it went in and I was able to recall it as I needed it. The function of memory is quite complex....long term, short term etc but if you understand a little of the basics of how it works it does help.

I'm the same travelsafar , I don't do too bad remembering birthday s oh is hopeless apart from immediate family I. Am amazed at lists made but some good ideas on here both my son and daughter make shopping lists I never have !!

we all get forgetful as we age, I rely on my calendar and diary to remember important things. Not worth worrying about whats the name of so and so,you would remember their name if they were important to you.

the thing i struggle with is remberig what i have read. I love books and always have i go to the local library several times a month. But i have started to find that when i pick up a book i have been reading i cant for the life of me remember what it is about or what has happend. So i have to go back a few pages to refresh my memory. I find this strange as i can follow a TV serial which is only shown weekly and remember what has happend but not the book i read the day before. Is it different parts of the brain that deal with viewing and reading do you think??

Ask your best friend how she does it. I often forget things I wanted to say to someone/thank them for/ ask them about . . . so I make notes in my diary.

I've got a birthday book - but i forget to look at it!

I rely on my phone apps for birthdays, to do lists and a diary too of course. It's all in there, compact and easily accessed

Month-to-view diary open on table and Post-its around the edge of the table in date order for that month, each secured by a tiny blob of Blu-tac.
When I was working people always used to ask me to remind them of things, and I didn't even have to write them down. Everything has to have my 'belt and braces' method now!

Life's too short and the brain is too busy to remember trivia. My friends don't remember what I or they have been doing and believe it or not IT DOESNT MATTER. !!!!!!!!!

Perhaps we should make a list of all the lists we use for what and where we keep them! :-)

Glamdram good idea. We also have a wall calendar for things such as 'man coming to fix the boiler' or 'pay window cleaner' or 'Green thumb coming and needs paying'.

Things can only get worse, but if you do this kind of thing it saves a lot of worry and fretting. Not to mention hurt feelings because you accidentally forgot someone's Birthday.