Smartphones are freaking amazing for absent minded people like me. I’ve been able to give people the totally false impression that I’m organized because I put reminders for absolutely every appointment into my calendar :) Another way I trick people into thinking I can remember to do things is by using a handy little android app called toastr (sorry iOS users, there doesn’t seem to be a version for you).
Toastr does one thing and one thing only. Every time you unlock your phone, it pops up a little notification with whatever text you set. That’s it. The interface is gloriously simple and requires absolutely no screwing around in convoluted settings menus. If you need a quick, easy reminder to do something (calendar reminders are great but they’re slow to enter and sometimes you don’t know exactly when you’re going to be able to do the thing), toastr is just about the perfect solution.
Toastr is also really satisfying from a design perspective. It knows what it’s for and doesn’t try to be all things to all people. It’s not pretty, but it doesn’t waste my time asking what it should look like. You can get a pro version of toastr for 99 cents that does have some largely useless notification customization features, but I can understand why the developer felt compelled to add more features to the pro version and at least it doesn’t beat you over the head with them.
If you need a really simple reminder now and then, give toastr a try.