This might be one of the dorkiest memory tricks ever, but it works, so hey. Backstory: Every time I would use a curling iron, which was maybe once a month, I’d always have the exact same anxiety session about ten minutes after leaving my house. Did I unplug it?! My brain would begin a frantic quest to try to remember. OK, I think I did. No, I’m sure I did. I had to have, right? YES, I DID! … But what if I didn’t?! Commence flash visions of the next day’s local newspaper featuring a photo my burned-down house and a very guilty-looking me (though my curls would be magnificent, admittedly).
Luckily, I found a simple way to end my post hair-styling stress. It’s this: Whenever I unplug my curling iron, I take a mental picture by making a literal camera “click” sound. Sometimes, I’ll make the little click motion with my finger, too. Like I said – dorky. Somehow, though, the ritual fuses the moment into my memory, leaving future me with zero doubt that it happened. Goodbye, mental load! I think of it as a lazier – but still effective – version of Lifehacker writer Nicole Dieker’s game-changing travel prep hack of taking photos of your stove dials before you leave for vacation.
You can “click” anything you need to remember: whether you unplugged the iron, closed the garage or turned off the sous vide circulator. A mental picture is worth a thousand worries – no film or digital space required.
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