I don’t know about you, but I am guilty of depending on my memory a little too often. I expect myself to remember things that, at the moment, seem simple enough. Only to later find that I know I am supposed to remember something, but what that is, completely escapes me! I have finally found something that works. I would like to share with you my strategy on how to manage stress and remember more each day.
Forgetfulness causes unnecessary stress and frustration. It doesn’t have to be like this! So, I propose that today is the day that we bear this unnecessary burden no longer!
The solution is so simple we continue to overlook it. You know what it is? Write it down! (Pretend like I put a shocked emoji face here) It’s that easy!
Writing things down in some manner is how to manage stress each day
Make sure you always have a way to jot a thought down no matter how small it seems. (Write it, type it, voice record it, whatever works for you!) The key to it all is, you have be consistent with where you store all these things. That way when you need to look back, you know where to go.
If you take all the appointments, lists, tasks, questions, and thoughts and put them down on something, they are gone, poof, out of your head, but not gone forever. Ideally, take a moment when you are home and sift through those notes you’ve taken throughout the day. Address them more permanently.
- Add appointments to a calendar or planner
- Make official lists and post them where they will be seen AND done ♥
- Seek answers to the questions you have had throughout the day
- Explore the thoughts and ideas that you couldn’t dive into earlier
Even if you don’t make a daily habit of going through your notes, (that definitely doesn’t always happen for me) you know where to go look when you are trying to recall something. Your thoughts have a permanent home, they are there for you when you are ready to tackle them.
I have been guilty of trying to hold too much in my brain for far too many years, only to be frustrated. This simple solution has greatly impacted how I operate each day, and especially how I feel at the end of each day.
Do a brain dump, (like right now!) if you want to get a jump on the process of de-cluttering your brain space. Sit somewhere quiet and write like a crazy lady every thought, idea, stressor, worry, to-do, anything that comes pouring out. That is where it begins. That is how you clear that space initially so that each day moving forward you feel calmer. You then know it’s worthwhile to take a moment to stow that thought away and revisit it at a more actionable time.
Life comes at us so fast. I think the key to it all, is to figure out ways to take it all in, but process it at our own speed. Collect it all and then lay it out into a format that works for us, as individuals.
That time you take in the evenings or the following morning perhaps, to organize your “mini brain dumps”, can slowly turn into a time to construct a plan for the coming days, weeks, months, and so on.
How I Do It:
I use a combination of my planner, a composition notebook, sticky notes, and my phone. It sounds complicated, but it just depends on where I’m at and what I have with me. Everything ultimately gets scheduled or noted in my planner. I keep thoughts in the composition notebook (things I don’t need to plan out yet but want to refer back to) and I place sticky notes around for quick reminders. I use my phone to snap pictures of things I want to refer to later and set phone alarms for anything and everything you can imagine especially when I am away from home. As a bonus by using my phone, I don’t have to have anything else with me while I’m out. Got to keep it simple!
There are so many ways to go about doing this, and I have named a few. I have found that it is SO worthwhile to take a moment to document things instead of committing it to memory for later. It’s a busy life, and we need simple tricks wherever we can find them. This one has been a huge help to me, and I hope that it helps you as well.
Check out these other posts that can help you to be more intentional with your time.
10 Ways to Slow Down the Daily Rush
Finding Balance in a Busy and Chaotic World
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