The inspiration of this post comes from the fact that I got up this morning and looked at my calendar, thinking, “Okay. It’s Wednesday. Where am I blog touring today?”
And today was a day I hadn’t scheduled a tour stop. :)
My calendar is in the picture. It’s a disaster area. It has to-do lists and the entire agenda for the family—whether it’s the kids’ scouting stuff, dental appointments, manuscript deadlines, the dog’s heartworm pill reminder—whatever.
I’d like to say that my memory has gotten bad because of all the things I’ve stuffed inside my head to remember and do. But this really wouldn’t be true—I was born with a defective memory. (Thanks, Daddy!) :)
And a couple of you know that when I screw up and forget something, it’s in pretty spectacular fashion. And you can’t drop hints that I’ve forgotten something—I don’t pick up on tips…I’m really completely oblivious. No, you need to tell me outright so I can make some kind of reparations.
These are some of my lines of defense to prevent memory-fail on my part:
Calendar. I have to check it several times a day. And I have to figure out what day of the week it is—in the summer, it’s hard to tell.
Phone. This is for really big reminders of extremely important things. Because the phone scares me to death when calendar alarms go off.
Computer. I have Google calendar reminders and Outlook reminders. I pretty much do what my computer tells me to do every day.
To do lists. Everything goes on these lists—from vacuuming, to phone calls I need to make, to grooming appointments for the dog. The list is updated every day and prioritized.
Other people. I usually ask blog hosts, etc., to give me a reminder a week out if possible. It makes me feel more secure that I won’t forget.
Manuscript-related. I have reminders each morning for where I need to pick up the story from the day before. This way I won’t reread material I wrote the previous day (and try to edit it instead of moving forward with my writing.)
Series bibles. I do have cheat-sheets since I have a couple of series I’m working on. These cheat sheets remind me what secondary characters look like, their backgrounds, etc.
Talking points for interviews. These keep me from rambling and keep me on task for talking about my book or my writing process. I do the same thing for any workshops or panels I do.
Children. They’re good to remember that they haven’t had lunch yet. :) And that I promised to take them somewhere.
Friends. I’ve confided in them that I have memory issues and to remind me of things we’re supposed to do. My good friends know that hints are totally lost on me…they have to say, “Elizabeth? I’m at the deli right now. Are you on your way over? Because we’re supposed to be having lunch.” Nebulous statements like “Wow. I could really use a sandwich right now…oh look! I’m right here at a deli. Think I’ll go in…” will not make any kind of an impact on me at all.
So I’m curious. How do y’all keep from dropping the ball? I can always use new arsenal in my battle against memory loss. :)
Elizabeth – I had to laugh when I read about your arsenal of reminder defenses. Sometimes I get oblivious myself, and it’s always embarrassing. I use a calendar, and that’s often very helpful. I would say that I rely most heavily on Email reminders of things, because I check my Email constantly. That helps me remember what I’m supposed to be doing. I’ve even sent Emails to myself: “Don’t forget to…..”
We must be related. I tried blaming my terrible memory on my getting older. My therapist daughter wouldn’t have any of that. She said, “You’ve always had a bad memory, remember when you forgot to pick me up at the middle school?”
I will use “Manuscript-related” since I waste time rereading to see where I stopped the day before.
I do many of the things you suggest for reminders. I will add I email myself and staple really really important notes to my purse. Oh and I am known as the post-it queen, but sometimes my post-it system breaks down.
Teresa
From one forgetful person to the other, I haven’t a clue. In fact, I’ve learned quite a bit from following your tips. I keep a better calendar for my blog activities than I do for my work and personal life. I’m working on combining all three. I still think the memory loss is because we’re doing way more than we use to. :)
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
I have Google Calendar reminders, reminders on my phone, and yet I need a constant visual. I have to get another whiteboard system where I write everything down, like deadlines and blog dates, etc. The walls in this house are highly textured, and none of those stick-on type systems will work, so I have to commit to getting something I can nail. But I do find using those bright colored dry-erase markers with due dates right up front and in my face really helps.
And I guess I need a calendar up there as well, because knowing I have to have a blog post finished by July 20th doesn’t help if I don’t know what day it is today. I do check the little date/time icon on my computer many times a day. Can’t seem to remember that either.
Clearly I need to take tips from you on not dropping the ball! I’m all over the place lately.
Great post, and congrats on the Writer’s Digest Award! Fabulous!
I have no new ways for you because I have a calendar and lists and Outlook reminders, too. Sometimes hints will work with me, though. However, the other morning I stripped our bed to wash the sheets. My live-in handyman yells down about 10pm, “Where are the sheets?” Oops.
I have a calendar in my kitchen where I write ‘life things’ down – like appointments, library book due dates, etc. I have notebooks which hold my character bios and outlines. I am NOT as organised as you, not by a long shot. You’re my hero!
You are not going to get any tips from me, because I was busy picking up tips from you. I forget the most obvious things- like my ritual evening cup of tea – so I tell everyone to keep reminding me.
Strangely, I am great at remembering professional deadlines, so maybe I need to make my personal life more professional!
Elizabeth, this post was so funny because it is so me. I make notes in a notepad before I go to bed to remind me of things I must do the next day, then I constantly refer to that list and add to it. I constantly check my Palm for events or appointments. If I forget to put something down, it’s gone, forgotten.
It’s actually comforting to know I’m not the only forgetful person.
Straight From Hel
I use a calender and a To Do List. That’a about it. I don’t have much in the promotional arena except my blog and FB, but toward the end of summer things will really heat up with book signing, events, and interviews and such.
Stephen Tremp
LOL. You had me at “I have to figure out what day it is” because just yesterday I went for a bike ride, thinking about what we had scheduled for the week, kept pedaling, then stopped. Wait, is it Wed? I’d better turn around, the boys have to be somewhere by 9:30. No, it’s Tuesday. I was at a jewelry party last night that was on the calendar for Mon. So, it’s Tues., I think.
I have notes ALL OVER the house and van to help me. The kids know about my defect and do their best to keep track of their schedules. Sometimes we all fail. And, they call me to tell me that they’re hungry and could I please bring them food. Sometimes that happens when we’re all in the house.
Ha!
A neat trick I discovered.
Dry erase markers work on mirrors. To keep morning grogginess from forgetting important things I need to do before leaving the house, I write them on the bathroom mirror the night before.
Since I started doing this I’ve saved myself from having to double back home because I forgot something I need for work.
Nothing new from me, just calendars and sticky notes help me remember. I have two calendars: one in my office and one on the refrigerator. I write my reminder in colored pens- it sticks out more! I designate colors for certain things, like birthdays. Sometimes I wake up to a couple sticky notes all over with the same thing on them (like if I need to set something out to defrost first thing in the morning, I put a note on my dresser, on both bathroom doors, on the cereal cabinet because I’m never really sure where I’ll go first when I get up!)
One weekly list of to do’s. Plus the ubiquitous calendar.
I have a great memory – for the useless. Old movie dialog, song lyrics, Shakespeare speeches from high school…got it all. Things I need to remember? Nope. Nada. Nothing.
I have a wall calendar at work, two at home, and a Daytimer I carry with me. I use reminders in Outlook, send myself e-mails, and even call my house and leave messages on my answering machine. There are do-lists everywhere. For my writing, I use an outline with each point color coded by character, story thread, sub-plot, etc.
And now I’m going to add a bunch of your ideas. But I think I’m one who needs to do that re-reading in the morning. Not to remember where I was in the story but to let it all come to life and fill my mind. I guess my character go to sleep overnight, too.
My wife! She never forgets anything.
I don’t have as much to juggle and fit into a day as you do, so my calendar works pretty well for me – as long as I remember to write stuff down and check it each morning.
I need to work out a system. My memory STINKS but it was GOOD until I had my son (unfortunately, he got it all, and I have it no more: I blame testosterone) But it has gotten infinitely worse since the writing started…
I just have trouble forming the habit of USING any reminders! (but I need to.)
So TOMORROW, you are blogging at Confessions of a Watery Tart and it is ALREADY read and scheduled, and FRIDAY if you have time, I am REVIEWING Delicious and Suspicious and so it would be nice if you could stop in a couple times… So there.
Here’s a neat trick to remember the first 9 decimals in the base of the exponential function
e = 2.718281828
It’s 2.7 Ibsen Ibsen
But then you have to remember that Henrik Ibsen was born in 1828 of course. It’s interesting how literature history comes into mathematics, isn’t it >:)))
Cold As Heaven
Margot–Emails! Yes, I do that too, marked with an exclamation point or red flag. :)
Journaling Woman–We were separated at birth, I think! I dropped Post-It notes all over Charlotte today and kept having to pick them up. What a mess…
Rayna–I can’t imagine keeping up with a work calendar, too. ARGH! I don’t know how you do it and then keep up with your boys, too.
Mason–I like the way you have your blog schedule online. Maybe if I scheduled my guests in my sidebar then I’d end up a little more organized.
Helen–I’m comforted that I’M not the only one!
Stephen–Sounds like it’ll be getting busy for you, too!
Mary–It’s hard in the summer, isn’t it? That’s my excuse, anyway! I’ve thought it was Thursday ALL day. I really wonder sometimes if I’ve got some kind of weird memory issue.
I will TOTALLY forget about lunch. Supper is programmed into me, but lunch might go by the wayside until the kids remind me. :)
Terry–maybe write on the mirrors like Paulo! I’m thinking his idea is total genius.
I need a calendar on my wall that’s filled OUT. It’s up there, but there’s nothing on it.
Tamika–Thanks! And…thanks for coming by! Are you up and blogging again?
Paulo–That is BRILLIANT! Paulo, I’m going to give it a go. That might be a way to make sure the most important things get done.
Carol–Ohhh…I forget the sheets all the time. Now I have to leave the comforter off the bed so I can see the bed has no sheets. Visual reminders are so important to me…
Elspeth–You should hear all the screw-ups I have, and then you might want to un-hero (de-hero?) me!
Laura–Color, hmm? I might need to try that. Nothing really stands out on my lists.
Robert–A *weekly* list–wow. I’ll have to think about that. Sounds like a good idea to get the big picture of what we need to work on.
Linda–Ha! I’ve got a huge repertoire of useless info, too. :)
I think different things *definitely*work for different people. Sounds like you’ve got a good method!
Alex–Can I borrow her for a while? I need to outsource my memory!
Jane–*Checking* the calendar is a crucial step! And I forget from time to time and major mess-ups happen.
Hart–It definitely doesn’t help that we have all these characters floating around in our heads. :)
I’m going to remember–because I have it on my calendar! I’m looking forward to visiting tomorrow…thanks!
Cold As Heaven–You have boggled my brain for the rest of the week!! Did I mention that I’m stumped by my 8 year old’s math homework? :)
I have the same problem! Maybe it’s a writer thing. Great tips, thanks, I think I’ll put some of them to good use!
I’d be lost without my calendar and my To Do List. As for the day of the week, I had to laugh at that one. When I wake up in the morning, I lie there and think, “What day is it?” Every day. I thought it was an age thing…but maybe it’s a writer thing.
Elizabeth, I think we could have been twins separated at birth. I’m so forgetful that I often fail to stop at the school to drop my kids off in the morning.
My trick is timers–up to three for really important things so if I miss the first two, I still have a chance to catch the third. It works. Thankfully. Otherwise my kids would be taken away by now!
Heather–Maybe it is, because there are so many of us in the same boat!
Cat Woods–And I’m sure the kids aren’t too eager to remind you to stop there!
Timers! That’s a good one. The only thing is that I wander away…I’ll go upstairs and get out of earshot. Maybe I need to use my phone’s timer function.
Patricia–And I have no *idea* what the date is, frequently. It could be anything. You could tell me it was July 10 and I’d believe you, or tell me it was the 20th and I’d believe you. :) Calendars are key!
I have a pretty good memory for most things. Thanks Mum! (She’s a classical pianist, and memorizes music faster than most people could memorize a Shakespeare sonnet.)
Except I can’t remember people’s names. Why is that? *sigh* I actually shocked myself when I went to my 10 year high school reunion and didn’t forget a single person’s name. SO out of character for me.
Ah, well. Sorry I have no tips for you. Maybe fish oil supplements. ;)