How do you remember things?
Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
– Proverbs 7:3
There are countless scriptures where God tells his people to remember what he has done.
The Hebrews forgot how God delivered them and in the desert wanted to go back to Egypt. When they crossed the Jordan, they were instructed to set up 12 stones of remembrance so that they would not forget.
I didn’t count them, but there are at least 63 scriptures that talk about remembering. The most well known is likely “do this in remembrance of me.”
God knew we would forget.
I tweeted this yesterday:
Twice in the last 24 hours I’ve written myself notes. One in Evernote, one in the Daytimer. I have absolutely no idea what either means.
I used a shorthand which, at the time, I was certain would prompt my memory. It did not.
I still don’t know what I was talking about. That makes me a little sad because I’m sure they were brilliant.
I am constantly taking notes and giving myself reminders all day long. I use Evernote, my Moleskin notebook, my Daytimer, my Google calendar and Post-it notes. Invariably, I’ll still miss something. And I will never remember something that is not written down or recorded somewhere.
I’m moving towards a more streamlined approach. I plan to ditch the Daytimer at the end of the year and rely on the Google calendar. But sometimes, I still need the physical act of writing things down. That’s where Evernote and the Moleskin help.
Whether I tend to forget things because I’m just trying to do too much (what I want to believe) or whether the age is actually factoring into it, I’m just not sure.
It’s entirely possible that I knew the answer to that and forgot it.
On the one hand, I can remember song lyrics, and obscure references and things that embarassed me in junior high. And, for the most part, I can still learn lines for a play.
But I’ve probably forgotten more best selling novels and certainly more brilliant tweets than I’ll ever remember again.
So I’m searching for the perfect system. Something that’s portable. Something that will allow me to make enough of a note, so that it is both legible and understandable when I need it. Something that doesn’t cost a lot of money.
Or if it does cost a lot of money, something you would like to gift to me.
But seriously, what system do you use? Does it work well for you?
Leave me a comment below or on Facebook (or both).
And, as always, feel free to share.
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