How to help a fuzzy brain, Part II

Yesterday I posted some links to software that I use to help me remember… stuff. I’m getting to the point where if I don’t have something telling me “it’s time”, I will totally forget. I forgot knit night last month, and I look forward to that all month long. Brain damage is a scary thing.

Anyway, here are a few more things that I find very useful:

1. Google Calendar: I write down everything in here, including my daily chores. Need to make a phone call? It goes in the calendar. Need to remember to water the lawn? Clean the litterboxes? Change the sheets? It all goes in the calendar. You can also share the calendar with anyone who has a Gmail account, so I share mine with my husband so he can double check and remind me if I have something important coming up. You can sync this with a smart phone (I use CalendarPad on my Droid Eris), or with Outlook if you have the right plugin. It’s accessible from anywhere with a web browser. Free.
2. OurGroceries: This is an awesome shopping list program for my phone that I discovered a few weeks ago. You can make multiple lists (Mine are currently Groceries, Automotive, Hardware store and Kitchen wish list), and add items easily to any list. You make an account, and it stores your lists in the cloud. The benefit to this is that you can share your lists with anyone you choose. I installed the program on Brian’s Droid, and when he adds stuff to the list it automatically appears on my phone. This is wonderful when I’m headed to the store when he’s at work. I just call him and tell him to look at the list and add anything he might want while I’m there. This program is available for the Android, iPhone and Blackberry. Free.
3. MyDays: This one is for the ladies. Track your monthly cycle, including ovulation and BMT. Now when the doctor asks you to remember the date of your last period, you’ll have it on hand. Much better than writing it in a calendar, in my opinion. As far as I know, this is only available for the Android OS, but I believe there are iPhone apps that do the same thing. Free.
4. Shazam: This one is just for fun. Don’t you hate it when a song comes on the radio, and you know who it is… but you can’t seem to drag the actual name out of your brain? Tell Shazam to listen, and it will tell you everything you need to know. Song name, artist, album, year of release… this thing is amazing. You can also buy it right from the app. Shazam is available on multiple platforms, including Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows and more. Free.

Again, I don’t get paid by any of these people or companies, these are tools I use every day to help keep track of my life. I find them so much easier than pen and paper, and since I always have my phone with me or I’m near my computer, I don’t forget that I have them. If you have the same problem I have, whether it’s fibro fog or another cognitive problem… give these tools a try. I hope they can help make your life a bit easier.

Feel free to add your suggestions... there was a suggestion in yesterday's comments for a pill box with an alarm. Thanks for the great idea, Leebeloola! I'll probably look into getting one of those for myself.