BobbyG

When riding or driving the same familiar routes I find myself making the turns by habit, almost instinctively. So a problem arises when I have to stop at stores or businesses that are not on my main routes. What I have been doing lately is using GPS, even though I know where the businesses are. Having a voice remind me to turn off my main route is a big help. I did that this morning to remind me to hit the post office.

And then down near my office I turned down a street I don't usually take to keep me from riding past the bank by habit.

Sometimes I will stick a note on my bike computer, or tuck it in under the brake levers.

What do you do to help remind you to runn errands?

RubeRad

sub for good ideas because this is a problem for me too!

Usually to force myself to remember something (like to bring something to work), I put it on top of my keys&garage opener, because I am not likely to forget to close the garage door, so I am not likely to forget my keys.

But to remember to make an extra stop, I got nothin. Post-it on the handlebars maybe.

no motor?

Going to the bank is the only errand I use my bicycle for, and putting my wallet on top of the saddle usually works for me. Except for the time I rode 20+ minutes to get there and found out I'd left my wallet at home....

RubeRad

Ugh, I occasionally forget to bring my wallet to the store (in the car), and don't remember until I'm in the checkout lane.

If I take my bike on an errand, my wallet normally lives in my kittier, so it's with me.

no motor?

I just remembered the mistake was even bigger, it was a 45 minute ride to get to the bank. Fortunately the exercise was a main point of the ride and making the deposit could wait.

BobbyG

I've also remembered to run the errand, but forgotten my wallet.

Is a "kittier" a kitty litter pannier?

RubeRad

Yup.

And it's pronounced "Kitty-yay", because of the pretentious (or just french?) way I once heard a cyclist friend of mine say "pannie-yay" instead of "pannie-yer"

Steely Dan

a simple mnemonic device i use to help me remember an important task that's out of my usual routine is to put my wedding band on my opposite hand ring finger.

sure, it might look odd to people who pay attention to that sort of thing, but it totally works from my experiences.

it feels so strange and foreign to have my ring on the wrong hand that it's a near constant reminder that i have to do something different that day.

now, this trick only works if you do it once in a while, if you do it two or three times a week, then the strangeness effect will be completely lost.

alan s 

no motor?

To make a deposit. That was back before I could make them using my phone, and going to the bank was great exercise.
I still go to the bank on occasion now to. Some patients pay with cash, and I'd rather put that in the bank after I accumulate enough of that.

alan s 

no motor?

My field doesn't use drugs.