Can you suggest any effective ways of reminding yourself all day of something?

A common one is to put a rubber bad around your wrist and snap it when you are tempted to break your resolve, This probably works best frying NOT to do something, like smoking or eating something you would be better of not eating.

I’m looking for a stimulus to get off my butt and do something I don’t particularly want to do. I’m much better at finding a distraction. I drive myself nuts. Suggestions welcome!

Maybe you could set multiple alarms on your cell phone. Say, every 15 minutes or half hour, it would ring/buzz to remind you.

Ugh.. in trying to do something right, I’ve always found the hardest thing to do is remember that you wanted to do it in the first place.

@augustlan, I’ve tried setting multiple alarms through the day for some things. I think I may have suggested it once on fluther some years ago. Well, I’ll tell you the results of that: After some time goes by, it seems my brain finds it easy to shut those alarms out. For example, say one day I’m very busy with something and my alarm goes off, again.. by this time, I’m well acquainted with it’s purpose so I just shut it down without really focusing on it. So, then I’ve forgotten to consider what the alarm was all about. After a few occurrences of this, it becomes easier and easier to neglect the alarm and the message behind it.

It’s like, the alarm is meant to train you against something but if you forget the importance of taking the alarm seriously above everything else.. then you inadvertently start to train yourself not to pay attention to the alarm until one day.. you’re back where you started. :(

Still, I would have to conclude that the alarm thing does seem to have some lasting worthwhile effect.. So yea, it works a bit but it’s not enough in some cases. What I’m really searching for is a way to remember my resolve. Like.. a way to capture a grand motivating speech in a jar that can be opened and re-invigorate in a pure and hostile way each time! :)

And if that’s not realistic, then what is?

The suggestion above are great. I too am thinking of a way to remember something. At this point I’ve told a friend to remind me, and I will also put a notice on my fridge door since I am there a lot.

I guess that’s why a lot of people get tattoos.
Commemorative art pieces might be a good idea.

write it on your hand. And if you forget about it, someone is bound to ask you “What have you got written on your hand?” Works for me [I don’t mind being a little eccentric]

Just live mindfully.

Really, an alarm clock is fine if you might be sleeping and need to wake up, or to remind you to do a certain thing at a particular time of day. But who needs “a reminder” to not eat mindlessly, or to be polite, or refrain from doing a harmful thing to oneself? I can’t even imagine “reminders” to live the way I want to live; I just do that.

Maybe post-it/sticky notes, all over the place? In your car, on your bathroom mirror, on your computer monitor, etc.

I know what you mean. I put post-it notes up on my computer screen as visual reminders and then at some point I don’t see them anymore.
I’ve heard it said that it takes 21 days to break a habit. I take it that you are trying to make a change of some sort. Bravo.
It takes perserverance and commitment. If you slip; process it, don’t beat yourself up about it, then get right back to trying. I hope someone has given you some good ideas.
Good luck.

Keep Greek worry beads here in a pocket that you use often. Gentler than snapping that rubber band, which really hurts.

I tried to remind myself to get away from the computer at regular intervals for a stretch and walk break every 2 hours by using google calendar [hoping for a pop-up] but I must have overwhelmed it with 12 recurring events a day every day, because it never popped up, not once, and all my other appointments started failing to appear by email or popups.

This caused such tzuris that I eventually drifted away from using google calendar at all . . .
total failure!

For a while when I was having a really tough time, I chose a sort of mantra that helped me keep my balance. And I thought of a simple symbol that reminded me of the mantra. Every morning, using a light-brown calligraphy pen, I inked that symbol, small but visible, on the back of my left hand.

I couldn’t help seeing it over and over all day, and every time I saw it, I recalled the mantra, drew a breath, squared my shoulders, and kept going.

I carried the pen with me so that every time the symbol washed off I could re-ink it. I thought about turning it into a tattoo, but I never did.

Only one or two people ever even noticed the faint marking on my hand and asked about it, and I just said it reminded me of something I needed to remember. For all they knew, it might have meant “pick up the dry cleaning” or “go to the dentist.”

After some time things got better and I didn’t need it any more, but for quite a few months it was almost like a magic spell that really had a powerful ability to help me steady myself.

Tying a small string around your finger. Or just marking your hand with a small little dot could work, too. Maybe wear a ring / bracelet that you might not usually wear. Stuff that has to do with hands usually works for me.