The world would be a boring place without creative thinking. Remembering stuff is a big part of what makes us creative, and without creativity, we lose out on tons of life experiences. It’s even hard to imagine going through a day without remembering things that have happened or will happen in the future. Even though it would be nice not having to remember things, there are often when you need to remember specific things.

There are also times when you need to remember to do something later, or maybe even on a certain day. The good news is that there are some pretty creative ways you can help yourself remember what needs remembering.

These nine creative ways to remember things can be used for multiple situations. Some examples were from school, but there are also ideas for work-related situations and daily life!

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic devices are specific techniques to help you remember information. For example, we all learned about the mnemonic device, “I before e except after c.” This was used to help us remember how to spell certain words like receive and perceive.

Another example is an acronym, like HOMES, to memorize the names of the Great Lakes: H- Huron, O- Ontario, M- Michigan, E- Eerie, S – Superior.

Keep a Bulletin Board

You can make a bulletin board in your room to put up things that you need to remember, like events for the week or when you’re going on vacation. Once you have the board up, it’ll be easier to remember what’s going on. You can even post pictures of family or friends so that you think of them whenever you look at the board. You can use this method to help you remember homework, job deadlines, or even when your bills are due.

Post-It Notes

Sometimes, you might feel like your spaces are already filled to the brim with things — but by adding more post-it notes, you have more room on your desk! Just use them for reminders of what needs remembering instead of just little doodles.

Post-It notes are an easy way to keep track of things. You might find yourself jotting down ideas, things to remember, or other random thoughts. Post-Its are great for remembering deadlines and important dates. You can even add some color and make it fun.

Make a To-Do List

Every night, write down all the things you need to remember on your to-do list for the next day. Be sure to include deadlines and appointments too! You can place your list somewhere easily visible or paste your list on walls by using glue dots, a removable sticky adhesive in the form of sticky dots. Don’t worry because this won’t damage your walls when you remove them.

By putting everything together in one place, you don’t need to waste time trying to remember where you wrote down that thing you needed to do.

Alarm Clocks

An alarm clock is an easy way to ensure you get somewhere on time (like work) or that your homework gets done! It’s super simple. Put the alarm right next to your bed, so you’ll never be late for work or miss an assignment again.

Keep Important Information in Common Spots

Sometimes, it’s just easier to keep things in certain spots that you use regularly. This is a great way to keep track of older things, like if you need to renew your license or want to keep track of birthdays. You can put your homework in the same spot on your desk every day or learn important numbers by the phone for easy access.

Using Technology

Technology is always advancing, and there are so many new ways to remember stuff with it! Some examples include using Google Calendar to remember a specific date or using a voice recorder on your phone to help you remember an important task.

Colors

Assign each color a different meaning or memory trigger. That way, when you see something in that color, it will remind you of what you need to do. You can even create a custom color chart for yourself, including the different meanings. Here are some examples:

Blue- sky/water/relaxing

Green- grass/nature /environment

Red- blood/passion/danger

Start a Journal

After reading about all of these different ways to remember things, you might find yourself wanting an extra way to keep track of everything. A journal is perfect for this! You can write down all the things that need remembering and then go back through it later to see anything that needs your attention.

Remembering things doesn’t need to be hard. By using your imagination, you’ll find that remembering anything is easy! And it’s going to make your life a lot simpler.