How I Stay Productive – Part 2: How I Remember to Actually Do the Things

Let’s talk about the real MVPs in my productivity toolbox: my phone, a pile of sticky notes, and the occasional alarm that drives me nuts (in the best way).

I’ve bought the fancy apps. But the simplest, cheapest tools are still the ones I use every single day.

Notes App = My Second Brain

I keep a running note on my phone that’s pinned to my home screen. Anytime something pops into my head, I type it in. It’s not cute. It’s not color-coded. But it saves me from forgetting what I was supposed to remember three seconds ago. (Especially for any of us with ADHD and going through peri-menopause!)

Sometimes, I use good old sticky notes too. I write stuff down and gather them all in one place to update my digital list later.

My Watch is My Boss

This one’s a little unhinged, but it works: I set alarms on my smartwatch for anything I cannot forget. Vitamins. Laundry day. Reminding my college-aged daughter about an early call she asked me to help her with. You name it.

The key? I set the alarm to allow the snooze option, so if I can’t get to the task right away (hello, mom life, work life), it keeps bugging me until I do. I can also use the feature to schedule recurring tasks, once a week, every weekday or just the weekends, whatever I might need.

If you don’t have a smartwatch, use your phone alarm, but make sure you leave the snooze option on.

5-Minute Rule + Notification Detox

Here’s a simple rule I live by: if it’ll take 5 minutes or less, just do it. Don’t write it down. Don’t overthink it. Just knock it out.

And to keep my brain from constantly bouncing around, I’ve turned off almost all notifications. No social media pings, no email buzzes, just texts and calendar reminders. You’d be amazed how much mental space that opens up.

Create Repeatable Systems

For anything I do on repeat, like laundry, weekly blog planning, or grocery shopping, I try to set up a repeatable system. It’s not about perfection. It’s about making it easier to start and not reinventing the wheel every single time.