There are people out there who can remember stuff easily. They easily remember tasks that need completed or questions they need to ask. I am not one of those people. I’ll remember a question I need to ask a family member, but I can’t remember what it was when they get home. I think of a task I need to do, but I forget what it was after one of my siblings asks a question. I am one of those people that has to repeat something over and over again out loud in order to remember it.
One thing has had my back ever since I started doing it. What is it?
A task list.
What?! A task list?! Are you serious?
I most certainly am. This isn’t just any other task list. I have an app called Google Tasks on my phone and I have a widget for it on my home page. I almost always have my phone on me and it is so easy to open it up, and type that I need to purchase more shampoo.
Instead of going insane trying to remember what I needed to do, it’s on a list. It is in my “second brain”. Our brains can remember an incredible amount of information. Thoughts, however, are not physical. You can’t go through your brain like a file cabinet and remember word for word the essay you wrote for your history class back in high school.
This is why a “second brain” can be such a life saver. You can keep your thoughts, tasks, and events in a system that won’t forget them. A system where, even if you don’t know where to find specific notes, you can search keywords.
In my task widget, I can type anything! Where I put the keys, what I need to ask my dad, and what a task I need to complete. Whenever I open my phone, I see my list and scroll through it for things I have completed, no longer need to remember, or things I can do now. It is always so satisfying to check a task off the list. I highly recommend giving this a shot!
Leah Davis 