Kim Komando - Daily Download

Never forget; use reminders and to-do lists

Was that doctor's appointment scheduled for Tuesday or Thursday? What about Billy's soccer game? Why is there no milk in the fridge? Dang it! You forgot to get the milk.

You hate forgetting things. Me, too. But today, my mind is a steel trap! And I'm going to tell you the secret. You too can have a memory like a herd of elephants!

Nah! I don't know much about memory tricks. I use a reminder program. I have a bunch here. Find one you like and use it regularly. You'll never again be out of milk!

ReminderFox—It's easy to lose track of time while surfing the Web. But what if your browser kept you on track? ReminderFox is a calendar add-on for Firefox. You simply add short reminders to a calendar. Hover over the ReminderFox icon to see what's coming up soon. Or, set reminder alarms to pop up in front of you.

TeuxDeux—Don't relegate your to-do list to a Post-it note. You'll lose that thing in no time. Instead, put it online. That way you can access it from anywhere. TeuxDeux is a barebones to-do list. Make a list. Check items off as you complete them. It's simple and easy to use. What else do you need?

Evernote—What do you write your reminder notes on? Do you use Post-it notes or scraps of paper? This program is a better way. It lets you use almost anything as a reminder note. Write text notes. Save and annotate photos. Record audio reminders. You can even clip portions of Web sites you want to remember. If you like this program, check out the iPhone app.

Sunbird—Short notes and alarms are handy. But for serious scheduling, you need a calendar program. Sunbird is a great option from the organization behind Firefox. You can schedule to-dos, tasks and appointments. Set up alarms and pop-up reminders. You can get an overview of everything you need to do.

Rainlendar—A powerful calendar program can be useful. But maybe you just want something you can check at a glance. This compact calendar sits right on your desktop. It includes a to-do and upcoming events lists. You don't have to open a program or search for a document. Just look at your desktop to see what you should be doing.