Simple Strategies to Remember What You Need to Do

1. Why we forget what we need to do

When we try to follow several steps, our memory acts like a small table: it can only hold a few things at once. If someone gives us a long list of instructions, the first ones start to “fall off” by the time we reach the third or fourth. It’s not that we have bad memory; it’s simply how the brain works—it’s designed to prioritize what’s immediate.

Routine also erases details. If every day looks the same, memories blur together until only the general idea remains: “just another workday.” That’s why we remember unusual things more vividly: a trip, an unexpected meeting, or a sudden change of plans.

And not everything we forget disappears. Often the information is still stored and only needs a trigger to wake it up: a word, a smell, a song, or a place. Creating our own triggers and supports is the best way to bring back what we need at the right time.

2. How to strengthen memories

The most effective way to fix an instruction in memory is not to read it over and over, but to try to recall it without looking. Every time we make that effort, the memory grows stronger. Rereading, on the other hand, gives a false sense of security—we think we know it, but when it’s time to act, it slips away.

Spaced repetition also works: review the steps right after learning them, then an hour later, then the next day, and again a week later. You don’t need much time, just a few seconds for each review. It’s like applying layers of varnish—each one adds more protection.

Finally, it helps to use multiple forms of coding. Write a keyword, draw a symbol, tell it as a mini-story, or give it a different color. The more paths a memory has, the easier it will be to access. Even if you only remember a fragment, that piece can serve as a doorway to reconstruct the rest.

3.1 Creative association

Creative association turns ordinary steps into exaggerated and striking images. Our brain remembers the absurd much better than the ordinary.

How to apply it: turn each step into something strange or funny, and link them all in a short story.
Example: turn on the projector, open a file, and check the audio. Imagine a projector shooting beams, opening a giant chest, and out comes a microphone singing opera.

Other examples:

• In the kitchen: boil water, add pasta, add sauce → a volcano spitting spaghetti, a river of red sauce flowing down a mountain, and a pot catching it all.

• Studying: read, underline, summarize → a book lighting up on its own, a dancing highlighter, and a notebook chewing the text and spitting it back out in short phrases.

• At work: open email, reply to the boss, file documents → a mailbox exploding in confetti, a cartoonish boss receiving a giant envelope, and a cabinet gobbling up papers like a monster.

Common mistake: making it too realistic. Realistic blends in; absurd stands out.

3.2 Vivid visualization

This technique is about creating a mental movie with clear, colorful scenes. It works best when the steps have a visual element.

How to apply it: break the process into 3–5 mental snapshots. Each snapshot should have a vivid detail—color, sound, or movement.

Examples:

• Assembling furniture: see all the parts neatly laid out (image 1), imagine screws fitting in like beams of light (image 2), picture the finished chair shining (image 3).

• Studying anatomy: heart beating in bright red, lungs inflating like blue balloons, brain glowing like a yellow lamp.

• Packing for a trip: suitcase wide open, clothes jumping in by themselves, a giant zipper closing with a snap.

Common mistake: using too many snapshots. The simpler and more colorful, the better.

3.3 Story chain

The story chain turns a list into a short tale. Each step pushes the next, so the order feels natural.

How to apply it: give each step a character or action, and connect them in a short story.

Examples:

• Scientific method: a detective proposes a hypothesis, draws a map (design), collects fingerprints (data), builds a puzzle (analysis), and presents the case in court (report).

• Making coffee: the bean rides a train, enters a cave that’s a grinder, dives into a volcano that boils water, and ends up as a smiling cup.

• Studying history: a king walks with a crown (monarchy), stumbles on a balance scale (revolution), then passes on a torch (democracy).

Common mistake: making the story too long or illogical. What matters is that each action naturally triggers the next.

3.4 Memory palace

The memory palace is a classic trick that uses familiar places. You place each step in a location in your house, school, or route to work.

How to apply it: choose a fixed path (for example, from the front door to the kitchen). Assign each step to a spot. Then mentally walk through the place to “collect” the steps.

Practical example:

• At the door: the list of materials.

• In the living room: the projector turned on.

• In the kitchen: the file opened.

• In the bathroom: the audio checked.

Common mistake: changing the route each time. Keep it the same to avoid confusion.

3.5 Acronyms and key phrases

Acronyms are useful for short lists. You join the initials into a word or phrase that’s easy to recall.

Examples:

• “Clarity, Evidence, Writing, Orthography” → CEWO (Spanish “CERO”).

• “Breathe, Observe, Act, Care” → BOAC (Spanish “ROAC”).

When you see the word, your mind automatically retrieves the full list.

Common mistake: creating unpronounceable words. If that happens, change the order or add vowels so it sounds natural.

3.6 Spacing and repetition

It’s not about practicing a lot in one day, but about reviewing little by little at different times. This turns learning into lasting memory.

How to apply it: after learning something, review it right away, then an hour later, the next day, and again after a week. Each review takes only a few seconds, but adds strength.

Everyday example:

• Today you learn a password. You whisper it a few times.

• An hour later, you write it without looking.

• The next day, you use it again.

• A week later, you type it once more.

That pattern makes it much harder to forget.

4. External supports

Human memory is powerful but limited. You don’t always need to store everything in your head; often the smartest move is to “offload” information outside. External supports are physical or digital tools that remind you what to do, when, and where. They work because they take the load off your mind and give you the info back exactly when you need it.

Lists and checklists

• Keep them short (under 7–8 items).

• Write each step as an action (“Turn on projector,” not “Class ready”).

• Place the list where you act, not hidden in a drawer.
  Example: “Keys, phone, wallet” stuck on the door prevents daily disasters.

Post-its and visible notes

• One clear message per note.

• Place it directly at the action point.

• Rotate them often so they don’t blend into the background.

Planners, whiteboards, and calendars

• Write tasks as actions with times (“Send report at 10:00”).

• Use colors for categories.

• Check at the start and end of the day.

Alarms and timers

• Use only for key moments.

• Label them (“Drink water,” “Check mic”).

• Use distinct sounds or vibration for important ones.

Phone reminders

• By time: “Take medicine at 8:00.”

• By location: “Arriving at work → open checklist.”

• By contact: “When Marta calls, ask about the report.”

Task apps

• Keep categories simple: “Today / Next / Someday.”

• Avoid flooding the app with dozens of tasks.

• Review each morning.

Smart devices

• Watches that vibrate.

• Smart speakers that speak reminders.

• Sensors that warn if the stove or iron is left on.

“If–Then” rules

• Turn intentions into automatic habits.

• “If I turn on the computer, then I check my task list first.”

• “If I power on the projector, then I test the audio right away.”

Environmental cues

• Basket by the door for essentials.

• Color-coding cables and gear.

• Always keep critical items in the same place.

Principles for supports to work:

• Clear and actionable.

• In the right spot.

• Easy to apply.

• Regularly updated.

5. How to avoid distractions

We don’t always forget because memory fails, but because we never paid attention. If during the explanation our mind is elsewhere, nothing gets stored.

To avoid this:

• Define what “success” means before you start.

• Work in 20–25 minute blocks with short breaks.

• Stop now and then to ask yourself: “What steps have I done, what’s left?”

Even small questions sprinkled in the middle of a task help keep your mind engaged and prevent missing the essentials.

6. How to apply it in daily life

Remembering is not luck, it’s strategy. Start simple:

• Write steps in one short sentence.

• Turn them into an absurd image or mini-story.

• Review them later and again the next day.

• Place a physical or digital reminder at the point of action.

If you need stronger support, use a memory palace or an acronym. If you want it to last for months, use spacing and repetition.

With these practices, memory stops being an obstacle and becomes a reliable ally for everything you do.