Watch out.
My head might spin off my shoulders if I have to remember one more thing.
- Wash the pink blouse inside out and on cold
- Drop off 23 cupcakes by 8am Tuesday
- Print the 12 page form
- Get toner for the printer (grrrrr….)
- Email mom about the tickets
- Grab the organic almond butter this time
- Refill the bathroom soap
- And while you’re there, don’t forget to go to the bathroom 😉
Remember, remember, remember!
I have a feeling you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Have 87,000 thoughts swirling around your head, too?
And in the process, it happens.
Yup. Even though you’re on top of it all, have been handling it for years, know exactly what needs to get done…something falls through the cracks.
It might be once a week.
It might be once a day.
It might be once an hour.
But it happens and it drives you crazy.
Because you know better than that. Without you, things fall apart. Without you, you wonder how anything gets done around here.
Until…SMACK.
One small forgotten phone call, one tiny misplaced paper, one indistinguishable reminder that didn’t happen…and it totally throws off your confidence.
Been there. Done that. (For about the last 40 years!)
And I’ve got tell you something.
I’ve made one ridiculously simple shift in my thinking and… IT IS CHANGING MY LIFE.
I don’t say that lightly.
Brace yourself.
I’ve officially gone from “I’ll remember that!” to
“I will NOT remember that!”
Not as earth shattering as you imagined??
But IT IS! And here’s why.
Like you, I love making my to-do lists. Crossing, checking, circling, oh my! Truly gratifying.
(You even add stuff to your list that wasn’t there just so you can cross it off, right?) It’s okay. Your secret’s safe with me. 😉
- But where’s my list when I get a text I can’t forget to respond to?
- Or where’s my list when I remember we’re out of napkins?
- Or where’s my list when I see a rug that would be perfect for my family room?
It’s at the office or on the kitchen counter.
So I confidently deposit my thought to a safe place where I never forget anything. My memory bank.
And this is where the risk happens. I tell myself “I’ll remember that!”
- And then three days later my friend wants to know why I didn’t text her back.
- Or my kids are wiping their faces with their sleeves (instead of napkins).
- Or the rug is sold out by the time I remember to get back to the store.
All because…I FORGOT.
Even after decades of this happening, I continue to tell myself: “I’ll remember that!”
So now?
Every time I tell myself “I’ll remember that.” I catch myself. Instead I say: “Oh no you won’t girl. You will NOT remember that.”
Instead, I write down my thought, task, memory, plan, idea or light bulb moment. Right then and there.
I’ll be honest. It’s not always in the best place.
Sometimes it’s on my coffee sleeve, or the back of a receipt, or on a paper towel. I’ve even written on my thigh while driving. (Hey, stop judging).
But it’s out of my brain and into writing, so I don’t have to remember, remember, remember!
(And I transfer that thought or task to my real to-do list when I get home).
This simple change in my thinking has CHANGED MY LIFE.
By thinking “I will NOT remember that!” I write down everything.
- It takes the pressure off me wondering, “what was that thing I was supposed to do?”
- It squashes that nagging feeling of “I know I’m forgetting something.”
- It obliterates the chances of “Ugh, I can’t believe I forgot that!”
It’s simply the difference between writing down some of your ideas and thoughts vs. EVERY ONE OF THEM.
Getting into this habit doesn’t happen over night.
Like every positive change, it takes practice. But you do get instant gratification. (And those are the types of habits that work best for me.) 😉
Try it yourself and see.
Write down EVERYTHING you need to remember throughout ONE FULL DAY and you’ll immediately:
- see how free your mind feels
- feel your increase in energy
- have less anxiety over having to remember it all
Once you’ve committed to trying it out, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Do you think it will be hard to do? Or are you excited about capturing all your thoughts? Either way, please join me in the conversation.
As always, thank you for letting me into your world and inbox. Can’t wait to see how this simple change works for you too!
With love and appreciation,
XO,
Mridu
I had to laugh at this post Mridu!!! I was just making my BJ’s run list and can’t remember what the 3rd thing was that I need…..So I will have to wait until it comes back to me during the day to write it on the list!!! Smh…Lol! If only I had written it down when it first popped into my head.
Jameen from NJ
Girl, that has happened to me one too many time. Actually more like 100 too many times. 😉 I feel you! But this shift in thinking has really helped me. I hope it helps you too! xo, mridu
I LOVE this! It’s so nice to see I’m not alone. I do write down (almost) everything now, but it took me many years to establish the habit – many years of forgetting any feeling so incapable because I did. I really wish I had developed the habit earlier!
ME too Nancy! I still slide from time to time and then I always regret it. I find it really helpful to start my day with a brain dump of ideas and thoughts too. Thanks for joining the conversation! xo, mridu
This is the story of my life; and I’m retired!! I “remember” what I need to do to
tidy up the house as I go out the door to an appointment or I “remember” to call
a friend back as I’m reading in bed at night. Thank you for this idea….I am beginning
right now. Question: I already have an action plan for the day I write down (like
cat litter, clean two stairs with sponge, vacuum kitchen rug along with any meetings
I need to attend etc. ) Do you make a list with everything on it or just the ideas that
pop into your head as your going through your day? Thanks!!!
Great question Julie. So I make a list every morning of things I need to get done. (Actually this is best when I can do this list the night before!) And then throughout the day as ideas and thoughts pop into my head, I continue to add to my list. It doesn’t mean I need to get those that day, but I just don’t want to forget about them for the future. Hope that helps! With love, mridu
Oh me too! 99% of the time I write down everything. I’ve been doing basic Bullet Journalling for a few years now, it changed my life! So happy to know it’s not just me who needs to write everything down! My next big challenge is to remember to look at it of course 🙂
Sorry I missed your message Sandy..but thank you for joining the conversation! Trust me, you’ve won half the battle if you’re in the habit of writing down EVERYTHING. Good for you! And glad to hear it’s been life changing for you too! Appreciate your inspiration :)) xo, mridu