Reviewers Say These Items Help Them Remember Things They Typically Forget
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Reviewers Say These Items Help Them Remember Things They Typically ForgetIf forgetting things was an Olympic sport, Iâd be a gold medalist. Thankfully, these tools help me keep track.
If forgetting things was an Olympic sport, Iâd be a gold medalist. (That is, if I remembered the date and time of the competition.) While some people may struggle with their memory as they age, others (like me), never had strong short-term memory in the first place.
Amazon
Meetings, important dates, grocery lists, charging devices and taking medication â itâs a lot to keep track of. So, as an adult with an apartment and a job, Iâve needed to find all sorts of visual cues, reminders and general memory problem-solving to keep my life afloat.Â
To help you remember all the things that need remembering, I rounded up some of my favorite reminder tools and other highly-rated options that reviewers love for daily organization. We have notepads, digital trackers and handy interactive signs to help you be where you need to be and have what you need to have at any given time.
1.
My beloved Amazon Echo pop
Amazon
Last year, an ADHD content creator finally convinced me to get an Echo dot, and it’s truly the best thing I’ve ever used for remembering all the things I need to do. Every Monday, I look at my calendar and just shout out when all my meetings are, and Echo automatically reminds me of them throughout the week. I have it remind me of birthdays, dinners, random errands I need to run or calls I need to make. I resisted this purchase for so long, and I wish I hadn’t.Â
Promising review: “With ADHD and now physical illness it is really hard to keep track of appointments and basically remember things I have to do, dates etc. I have a much better chance of remembering things if I have a voice pop up and remind me instead of just relying on things written down. It’s great to have it when something pops into my head at night and I just yell out to Alexa to remind me instead of getting out of bed to look for my glasses, pen and paper. Besides turning on and off lamps, alarms, checking the weather and more I’m sure I’m forgetting. It’s Affordable and works great.” âsusan l. sedia
Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in four colors).
2.
Or a visual Amazon Echo show
Amazon
Kind of like an Alexa and a tablet combined, this interactive touch-screen Alexa Echo show device works as a smart hub in your house, linking all your smart home devices and giving you a screen to see your calendar, the weather and even your security cameras. Use voice control to turn off your connected lights or to make a running grocery list through the week. Enjoy Netflix and other streaming channels, music and podcasts, video chatting and even use it as a digital picture frame to show off family memories. Â
Promising review: “I donât think I could live without my echo show. So easy to find out anything and timer and reminders are priceless. Highly recommend especially for gifts.” âLily
Get it from Amazon for $99.99 (available in two colors).
3.
A set of four Apple AirTags
Amazon
An ever-best-selling item here, the genius Apple AirTag is like a tiny tracker you can put almost anywhere. It can ping its own location, so when you attach it to one of your belongings, you can track it via Appleâs Find My app. You can even tell your AirTag to play a sound when you’re looking for it so itâs easier to find. Forgot where you put your keys? Have a dog or cat that likes to escape? Do you always put your bag down somewhere weird and then never can find it when you’re already running late? Good thing this comes with four tags.Â
Promising review: “Apple Airtags are a must-have if youâre prone to misplacing things or just want extra peace of mind. They work exactly as advertised, providing accurate tracking and making it so much easier to keep tabs on your belongings. Iâve used them in my luggage, backpack, and even on my keys, and theyâve been incredibly reliable every time. Setting them up is a breezeâjust a quick tap with your iPhone, and youâre good to go. I also love the precision finding feature, which makes locating items a snap. If youâre on the fence about Airtags, Iâd say go for it. Theyâre one of those small investments that pay off big!” â Rebecca Kruchten
Get it in a four-pack from Amazon for $73.98.
4.
The Cube GPS car tracker
Lowe’s
I donât even have to tell you about the sheer panic and stress of going into a parking lot and realizing you have no idea where the frick your car is. This Cube GPS tracker easily sticks onto your car and works with an app to let you find your vehicle with ease. Reviewers also like it for runaway dogs, to stick on their collars so you can always find them.
Promising review: “I literally lose everything…Keys, cats, readers..if its not attached to me its misplaced…one of my biggest issues is my car in parking lots. If I get distracted by the kids walking into the mall, then I spend hours trying to find the blasted thing. It was too pricey to paint my car neon yellow so I tried leaving a cube tracker in the care and voila….no more lost hours wandering parking lots looking like a lost senior citizen. Best gift my brother ever gave me.” âTwin4me
Get it from Lowe’s for $99.95.
5.
A stick-on medicine tracker
Amazon
Did I take my meds? Itâs an all too familiar question that I ask myself many times a day. This ingenious pair of trackers sticks onto your bottle to let you mark if youâve taken your meds for the day. Theyâre reusable and simply stick onto the bottle.
Promising review: “I have a problem remembering if I took a pill or not. This is very helpful!” âPlaceholder
Get a two-pack from Amazon for $12.99 (available in two colors).
6.
An Alexa-controlled light bulb
Amazon
Lights are a pretty classic forgetting hot spot. You forget to turn them off. Or you forget to keep them on when you know you’re coming home late. Whatever the case, this smart bulb connects with your Alexa and the Alexa app, letting you use voice control to turn lights on and off or control them with the app to ensure your lights are how you want them even when you’re not home. You can even set them on timers so you don’t have to remember anything at all.Â
Promising review: “Iâve resisted implementing âsmart homeâ things for years now, but the absolute convenience canât be denied. Long story short: I work nights and having this as my front porch light is so nice. Everything can be controlled from the app and itâs no big deal if I forget to turn it off. Wonât be getting all the smart home stuff, but a few lightbulbs to make my life easier canât hurt in my opinion. And the best part is being able to turn it on and off even if Iâm not at home. Just get it. Setup is SO EASY and took me longer to screw in the lightbulb than it did for my Alexa app to recognize that there was a new device lol” âDanni
Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in three styles).
7.
A set of Kasa smart plugs
Amazon
Speaking of turning things off and on, another top-seller Kasa smart plugs feel like another no-brainer for helpful reminder tools. Simply plug them into any outlet in your home and transform that into a “smart” outlet that you can control via your phone or voice and even set to turn on and off at specific times. Never stress about if you turned off your lights or hair straightener again or have to run back to your house to be sure your space heater is off.Â
Promising review: “I use these for my lights and wax warmers. I love that my warmers are on a timer so I don’t have to remember to go and turn them on and off everyday.” âGina
Get a four-pack from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in two styles).
8.
A visual Time Timer
Amazon
Another fav of mine to remember when I have to leave for stuff, when something is cooking, if I have a time constraint or really anything regarding tasks and staying on time is a visual timer. I have tried other, cheaper, timers and have always been sourly disappointed. The real deal Time Timer is easy to use, isn’t an eyesore, is so clear to read and gives an effective visual of time passing. I don’t have kids myself, but I imagine it’s also a great tool for little ones who can’t tell time yet. “The Time Timer allows you to see time passing,â Liz Lewis, ADHD coach and founder of Healthy ADHD previously told us. “You’re more likely to start and then persist when you have a very obvious time constraint.” The Time Timer is silent as it passes time (i.e. no annoying tick) and can be set up to ring when time is up or remain silent.
Promising review: “I love this thing so much I ended up with 3 in my house and 1 at work. There is no ticking until the alarm goes off (which you can switch off so it doesn’t beep, if needed). It’s easy to set in 1-minute increments all the way up to an hour (but there is a 120 minute version available) just by turning a dial. Best of all, it’s visual. You can just glance at it and see how much time is left without having to do the math or remember what time you were supposed to stop/switch tasks/leave or whatever. And, if you’re in the zone, the alarm reminds you.” âJessie M
Get it from Amazon for $19.95 (available in six colors).
9.
A three-in-one charging station
Amazon
Perhaps the best way to remember to charge all your devices is to have a convenient spot where they can all juice up at once. This handy Apple device charging stand gives you a spot to charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time. Howâs that for easy?
Promising review: “I recently got an Apple Watch and was having trouble remembering to charge it every night. Getting this and keeping it next to my bed had completely changed that and my phone, watch and AirPods always get charged. Works great. I got the white and I think itâs pretty!” âMikayla
Get it from Amazon for $18.99+ (available in six colors).
10.
A sliding dishwasher reminder sign
Amazon
I know what youâre thinking, you could just open the door of the dishwasher to see if the dishes are clean are not. But letâs be honest, sometimes it’s hard to tell, and sometimes some of us need more of a visual reminder. This sliding sign lets you show the whole house when itâs time to put the dishes away.
Promising review: “This little sign makes life a little easier. We mark the dishes as clean as soon as we turn the dishwasher on so we don’t have to remember if they are or not.” âDee Dee Smith
Get it from Amazon for $6.99 (available in six styles).
11.
Or an interactive pet feeding reminder
Amazon
In the same vein, this handy interactive sign lets you and your home all stay on the same page about feeding the pet. If you forget yourself or if you live with other people, this lets you ensure your favorite furry friend always gets their dinner.
Promising review: “If you have trouble remembering if you fed the dog, cat, fish, bird, ect. then this is the product for you! My dog loves to ‘talk’ me into a second breakfast when I couldn’t remember if he was fed. Also great product for those who has a different schedule than your significant other to keep a reminder of when the pet was fed.” âNick
Get it from Amazon for $8.79+ (available in two colors).
12.
Or an encouraging water bottle
Amazon
Remembering to drink water can be another eternal struggle. This handy water bottle comes in a bunch of fun colors and gives you encouragement and a little visual help to continue to get your H2O fill through the day.
Promising review: “I am really bad at remembering to drink water in the day and this water bottle has easily gotten me in the habit of drinking water throughout the day! I use it every day, itâs easy to clean and comfortable to drink with!” âBrandy Foster
Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in 14 styles).
13.
A to-do list with all the lists
Amazon
In writing this story, I found this many-list list pad and was so charmed I added it to my own cart and needed to put it here. If you too have a busy brain, this sheet so perfectly lets you jot down all the different things going on through a single day from appointments to errands.
Promising review: “I have a hard time keeping track of multiple to-dos and appointments and such. Iâve tried keeping planners and every other organizational system a ânormalâ person could come up with, and I always end up losing something important in the jumble. I realized I was basically keeping multiple lists because they felt like âdifferent categories,â but juggling multiple lists can get confusing/overwhelming and itâs easy to forget something. This puts them all in one place, categorized, and itâs right out in the open (a common thing with ADHD is âout of sight, out of mindâ and planners are difficult because once theyâre closed itâs like the stuff you wrote inside doesnât exist and you forget to open it and things get forgotten). TLDR; definitely recommend if youâre a *multiple lists* type of person.” âMileena
Get it from Amazon for $5.53.
14.
Or a set of eight magnetic note pads
Amazon
Old-school notepads are another classic. For anyone who remembers things better by writing them down or seeing notes around, this set gives you eight magnetic pads that can stick to your fridge, making them perfect for grocery shopping, taking massages or other small notes.
Promising review: “In my house these are an absolute must-have. With my busy life the last thing I need is to remember every little thing. I use these notepads for everything. To-do lists, grocery lists, notes to self, etc. The quality is super nice. Cute patterns, thick paper and full back magnets hold super strong. They arenât huge so not a ton or writing space but itâs perfect for small notes.” âSarahBeeHappy
Get an eight-pack from Amazon for $6.90+ (available in three styles or an eight-pack)
15.
A futuristic Rocketbook notebook
Amazon
Or, if you like a little mix of analog and digital, Rocketbook reusable notebooks let you take notes by hand, scan them on your phone with the app and then turn them into digital files that you can access digitally.
Promising review: “Super impressed with this notebook! I was tired of putting notes in my phone because I hand write faster and hand writing helps me remember things better, but love having the digital access to notes. This solved my problem! Iâve wiped and reused several times with the included microfiber cloth and it looks like new after. Sometimes when you erase the Frixion pens the eraser leave behind a residue and the pen has trouble writing over that but after wiping with water the paper is fine and the pen writes perfectly. I love the Executive size (PERFECT to carry in a purse) but I love this so much that I want to get the larger size for at home too. I bought the turquoise color and itâs really pretty. The app is really easy to use too, and the scans turn out great! I love this notebook and Iâm so happy I donât need to spend all the money on sticky notes and traditional notebooks anymore or use all that paper for notes I donât need a hard copy of. Iâve recommended this to everybody I know and my sister bought one the day after I showed her mine. Iâm a forever fan of the Rocketbook now!” âEmily
Get it from Amazon for $29.68+Â (available in two styles and 16 colors).Â
16.
A clear, acrylic calendar
Amazon
A calendar is another pretty classic item that still feels worthwhile to put on this list. This clear option is good-looking and unobtrusive and can go on your fridge without making it look too busy to the eye. Use different colors for each of your family members to keep track of everyoneâs plan.
Promising review: “This is a great addition. Clean looking. Family all onboard for weekly meals and any important things to remember!” âThe Cfam Clan
Get it from Amazon for $13.59.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
