Forget Thou Not.

”Oh my goodness! How did I forget about this?”

I'm certain that I am not the only one who has exclaimed this way one time or another. The forgetting syndrome is one that is common to the human race and one who does not forget would be tagged to be a robot.

There are times when I have forgotten important things like documents, my ATM card, my umbrella, my change from bus conductors, taking along an extra sanitary pad on my red days and so much more.

Sincerely, it always puts me off when I realize that I have forgotten something that I shouldn't have. I smack my forehead and exclaim sadly but all that doesn't change the fact that this young lady forgot something important to her.

I once I stumbled upon a health show where the guest speaker was saying something about how ageing can lead to forgetfulness but I was not old. I wasn't even in my twenties when I began to fully take note of the forgetfulness syndrome. The speaker encouraged listeners to take honey regularly.

I won't lie, I fell for it and quickly went to buy my own bottle of honey. I licked one tablespoon in the morning and one at night. I was faithful until I could not get my hands on pure honey as my vendor at that time relocated. Despite my judicious licking of honey, I still forgot some things.

There are times that I would be at home and I would leave my room to go get something from the kitchen but immediately I set foot inside the kitchen then poof, I forget what it was that I wanted to take from the kitchen. I would have to retrace my steps back to the room. It is only then that I would then recall what it was that I wanted to get.

---

One major event that made me realize that I needed to put a bridle on this forgetfulness syndrome was in the year 2010. That year, I had applied to write JAMB (Joint Admission Matriculation Board). This exam was necessary for me to get admission into a tertiary institution of my choice.

That was not my first JAMB examination, rather it was my third attempt. Third attempt not because I failed the examination but because some underhanded politics were being played and since I refused to join the game, I had to suffer for it.

That year, I had bought the form and registered with my full details. All that remained was to get my examination centre and date for the examination. You guys need to understand that I had already sat for this examination twice and so I felt like a pro. I predicted what and how the exam would hold and all that forgetting that things could change.

At that time, I was already working in a shoe factory which demanded much of my time. Somehow, I forgot about my predictions and also to check for the date that I would be sitting for the examination. It was at work that I learned that the exam was already ongoing from a colleague whose younger sibling was also writing the same examination.

To make matters worse, the examination was already one and a half hours gone. This was an examination that took two and a half hours to write.. That was how I missed that examination that year.

I wished the ground would open and swallow me up. That day, I made a note to myself that forgetfulness was a big challenge and it needed to stop, so I don't end up losing something that's very important.

---

Thus my walk to curbing forgetfulness began. I started out by buying an organizer which I used to note down important dates and events. I would check it every morning to confirm what needed to be done and at night, I would cross out the things that had been done on my list.

The second thing I do is to make use of my phone's alarm system. I would set up different alarms and reminders for different tasks, thirty minutes before the scheduled time. So no matter how I think I would forget, the alarm usually rings early for me to get to it. The only disadvantage occurs when my phone battery dies due to no electricity.

The next thing I do is to write down those things that I don't want to forget on sticky notes. After writing down the things that I need to remember, I would stick them in several places around my home or office, especially the door.

This last method has proven very effective for me as I get to see what it is that I want to remember before I leave the house or before I leave my place of work.

Forgetfulness cannot be fully eradicated as sometimes, I purposely procrastinate doing some things and end up forgetting about them. Just like how I forgot to refill my cooking gas that got finished this morning. I kept procrastinating it, till I was done with my online tasks on hive and now, the sales man has closed for the day. This would surely affect me tomorrow morning.

Still, these structures that I put in place have been of great help.

---

Thank you for reading. This is my entry to the hive learners weekly edition prompt 168 e1.

---

Images used are mine.