1 . I'm leaving for a week-long business trip. The last time this happened, I wasn't totally sure I'd remembered to lock my door. The worry wouldn't leave my mind and was making it hard to relax, so I eventually called a friend and asked them to stop by and make sure it was locked. Now, I'm standing in front of my door, suitcase in hand, all ready to go, and I'm about to lock it. What should I do?

Solemnly declare "As I leave for Japan, May The Guardian Spirits Of The East Watch Over Me As The Sprits Of The West Watch Over My Home" as I lock the door. It just needs to be memorable (vivid, silly, related to what I'm doing) and different from what I did/said last time.

(I have a sufficiently strong habit of locking my door that I don't worry about what-if-I-forgot though).

2 . I'm in the middle of a conversation with a friend. He mentions a book that really interests me. It's called Antifragile and I think, "I've got to remember to Google that." But the conversation continues, and it would be rude to pull out my phone right this minute.

Ask him to remind me later about that book; repeat aloud "Antifragile eh? Remind me to look it up" (even if he doesn't, repeating it aloud should make it more memorable). Mention it again at the end of the conversation ("And I have to look up Antifragile")

(at least, I tend to do that, if I don't remember, I don't mind much, it probably wasn't that important and I have enough to read; if I need an insightful book I look at goodread recommendations, or ask LessWrong)

3 . I bought a new fridge. This one closes differently than my old fridge: My old fridge would swing shut and seal nicely if I just left it open, while this one requires that I push on the door even when it's mostly closed to ensure it seals. For some reason, I'm having a hard time with this transition. I've had it for a week, and I've come home from work to find my more perishable food spoiled three times already. It's not that there's a problem with the latching mechanism or that the seal is bad. The problem is that I keep forgetting.

Stick something huge and obvious on the door handle / the place you put your hand. Like a bunch of colored stickers (I have plenty around), or magnets, etc. Each time you'll put your hand there it'll remind you something's different. Also, practice a few times closing the fridge with the new stickers.

4 . I'm driving in an unfamiliar city. My GPS says my destination is somewhere around here, but I suspect it's working with slightly outdated information. Rather than driving around aimlessly in hopes that I'll randomly run across that which I seek, I sensibly stop to ask a local for directions. Unfortunately, it seems that the business I'm looking for has moved to another part of the city, and I'm going to have to remember more than seven things to get there.

Eh, focus on remembering as much as possible, especially the beginning, which should be enough to bring you closer, and ask for directions again. You're likely to get more accurate info again.

Also, use mnemonics and the link method to make the sequence easier to remember (street names and landmarks can be associated to crazy stuff, and paired together). But I wouldn't trust that very much and would just ask again when I'm nearer :)

5 . I'm preparing a talk for an upcoming conference. It's not the kind of thing that would benefit much from a Power Point, so using one would be tacky. I don't care for the idea of flipping through note cards as I go either. And I definitely don't want to memorize an entire speech word-for-word. But neither do I want to just wing it and hope it turns out well-structured and non-rambly, and I'm afraid I'll forget one of the key points if I get nervous.

Make a really short summary on one index card, carry it around. Maybe memorize the important bits with the link method (memorize subsequent pairs of elements doing outrageous and exaggerated and obscene things to each other, switching their place, etc.)

6 . I've just started at a new school. I've been through this before, so I know that in the next two weeks I'm going to have to say or write my student ID number about a zillion times, after which point I'll still need it, but only occasionally. It's 12 digits long: 000458789625. I'll surely have it memorized by the end of the first two weeks just because I've repeated it so much, but it sure would be nice to not have to pull out my wallet, find my ID, switch my attention back and forth between that and what I'm writing, and then double check. Every damn time.

Have a piece of paper in an easily visible part of my wallet with that kind of stuff written on it (this makes it convenient for showing to bureaucrats too, along with your full well-spelled name, address, etc.).

7 . In an attempt to reduce stress, I'm trying to maintain a clear boundary between home and work by not working while I'm at home. But almost every evening, I think of several things related to work that I really want to remember. It's the worst when this happens as I'm trying to fall asleep, all snugly under the covers, and I don't even want to open my eyes to enter the thought into my phone, let alone to turn on a light, find my calendar, and pencil in a deadline.

I have a small blue light that isn't too obnoxious (won't wake my wife, or wake me too much), and usually have a pen and paper on my nightstand.

8 . This evening, I'll be going to a large and crowded party where my main goal is networking. I know of several important people who will be there (and whose favor I'd very much like to gain), and I know there will be dozens more I've never heard of with whom it will be useful to connect. But I'm getting anxious, because I'm terrible with names, and I don't want to make a fool of myself by forgetting something like which major startups one of the known important people has been funding.

That's what business cards are for! Also, write down extra details on them.

Otherwise, you may need to know some kind of peg system. Or look up attendees afterwards on the internet.

If you have time beforehand, enter the names of the attendees into anki, and review'em a couple times (a bit overkill tho)

9 . I'm studying for the medical licensing exam. This basically means somehow turning myself into an encyclopedia of modern medicine. It's a giant mess of mostly disconnected facts, weird jargon, and lengthy procedures. I cannot even imagine fitting all of this into a single brain. I stare blankly at the table of contents of a 700 page textbook, and I begin to panic.

That's why god gave us Anki! (or other spaced repetition systems) Which you'll need to use well (cloze deletion, a fair amount of redundancy, don't bite off more than you can chew or you'll give up, make it really easy...), and complement with mnemonics (acrostics, link method, method of loci/memory palace, peg system maybe).