You know how vitamins can improve your health. You believe in their restorative power. You buy them thinking how they will transform your life. And yet, after a few days, you forget all about them.
Many months later, when you are cleaning your closets, you find the barely-finished pack of vitamins — now expired — and you feel a pang of guilt. You feel a rush of motivation to start taking them again.
And so, you purchase a new packet, set some alarms for yourself, but before you know it, you’ve slipped back into your old routine. The pack of vitamins lies crumbling in the darkest corner of your closet, forgotten until the next spring cleaning session.
How does one get out of this vicious cycle? How does one make sure never to forget their vitamins even for a day? This article discusses five creative ways you can apply right now to remember to take your vitamins every day.
1. Write a note
If setting a reminder on your phone didn’t work the first time around, you can take it to the next level and write yourself a note. Take some multi-colored pieces of sticky notes and place them on your mirror, on the bathroom wall, on your kitchen closet, on the refrigerator — place as many of them as you need, and make sure each one pops out in a different burst of color.
Having these little reminders strewn all over the house would be a great way to make sure you don’t forget your daily dose of vitamins.
2. Get a pillbox
As mentioned in a previous article about how to remember to take your medication daily, pillboxes are a sure-fire way to make sure you never miss your vitamins for the day.
Get a pillbox, sort through your vitamins, and store them in separate compartments. You can also add a sticky note to each compartment, and take it off after you’ve had them. This will make sure you don’t miss a dose and will serve as a motivator to remind you to stick to the schedule.
3. Create a trigger
A trigger is any activity you perform daily without fail. The trick here is to tie your habit of taking your daily vitamin dose to an activity you would anyway perform. This way, when you do the triggering activity, say, for example, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or preparing your breakfast, your brain will remind you to take your vitamins.
The choice of the trigger is personal and might vary from person to person. The only thing you need to remember is that associate your need to take vitamins with the triggering activity.
4. Consider it a form of self-care
Don’t think of your vitamins as a necessary chore. Instead, think of it as part of your daily self-care routine. When you make this perspective shift, you’ll find it easier to have them at the set time every day. You won’t feel the need to keep extensive reminders for yourself.
5. Turn to technology
Get help from people who have experience dealing with your problem of not taking your vitamins on time. You can hire an accountability coach who will share helpful tips and tricks and also hold you accountable for your promise of taking your vitamins every day.
You can also get a habit tracker and mark each day on the calendar where you successfully took your vitamins on time. Gamifying your habits can be a helpful way to get the most of this challenge and adopting a healthier lifestyle.