Forgetful? These 5 Gadgets Can Be Helpful Reminders

It's fairly normal to forget about things from time to time, but it can become frustrating if it happens too often. Sure, reminders and calendar apps on your phone are great for keeping track of important tasks, but they aren't practical for everyday basics like drinking enough water, taking your medication on time, or keeping track of frequently misplaced items like keys or wallets. 

Fortunately, there are several gadgets that can help you avoid those forgetful moments and the stress that comes with them. And no, we're not talking about using your smartwatch or setting up reminders on your smart speaker—you likely already know about them.

If you often find yourself forgetting simple yet important things or know someone who could use a bit of help in staying organized, you'll surely find these gadgets useful. We've listed five gadgets here, and you can find how and why we picked them at the end of this read.

Do you often forget where you put your car or house keys and struggle to find them later? A $29 Esky Key Finder can save you the hassle. It comes with six individual tags that you can attach to different sets of keys using the included keyrings. It also comes with hook-and-loop stickers and adhesive pads, so you can stick these tags onto remotes, AirPods, or even your kid's toys. 

You can then use the remote to trigger an 85 dB sound on the trackers whenever they go missing, with a promised range of 100 ft. The remote also features color-coded buttons that match each tracker. 

If you are looking for extra features, you can get a single Tile Mate Bluetooth Tracker for $15. Once you attach it to your keys, you can use the Tile app on your Android or iPhone to track it. If your keys are within 250 feet, you can play a sound to locate them. You can also use the tracker to find your phone. If your Tile tracker is beyond the Bluetooth range, the app provides a last known location on a map. Tile also offers a premium subscription plan that alerts you when you leave the tracker behind, provides a 30-day location history, and even includes item reimbursement if your Tile-tracked item is lost.

Simply staying hydrated can help you avoid health problems like headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. However, if you often forget to drink water throughout the day, you can get yourself one of those smart water bottles like the Hidrate Spark PRO for $70. It features a light at the base that glows to provide you with a visual reminder when it's time to drink your water. Plus, you can install its HidrateSpark app on your phone to get reminders via notifications. And if you ever misplace the bottle, the app also lets you check its last known location. 

The HidrateSpark app can calculate your water needs based on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. It also has a sensor that tracks your water intake and syncs that information to the app. Also, if you use a fitness tracking app like Google Fit, Apple Health, or Fitbit, you can seamlessly integrate your water intake data into those apps. 

The Hidrate Spark bottle is made of stainless steel, though it's not designed for storing any hot beverages. It comes in several color options and offers a battery life of 10-14 days on a single charge.

No matter how careful you are, there's always a chance you might forget to turn off your home appliances like a space heater, humidifier, lamp or curling iron. The last thing you want is to leave your home wondering if you left something on. That's where mechanical outlet timers like BN-LINK BND-60/U47 can be handy. It costs only $12 for a pack of two and comes with easy-to-use mechanical pins for setting the timer. For example, if you want your outdoor lights to turn on automatically at 7 PM and turn off at 5 AM, you just adjust the pins, plug in your lights, and let the timer do the rest. 

If you prefer something even more convenient, BN-LINK also offers a plug with preset countdown timers of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and more. It sells for $12 and is great for devices like curling irons or coffee makers so that you don't accidentally leave them on for too long. 

Alternatively, you can get a smart plug from a brand like Govee for $12.99. Once you plug it in, you can use the Govee Home app on your phone to control it from anywhere. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can also use your voice to control the plug. Plus, the Govee Home app includes the option to set custom schedules and control multiple plugs at once.

If you're a pet owner, you know how important it is to keep your furry friend well-fed on time. However, with a busy schedule, you might sometimes forget to fill their bowl. When you're home, your pet will likely remind you—even if it's early in the morning—but you definitely don't want to risk forgetting when you're away. An automatic pet feeder can solve this problem for you by dispensing the right amount of food at scheduled times. You can get the budget-friendly PitPet Smart Automatic Feeder for $30 to store dry food for your cat or dog. 

It has a 6L capacity and features an LCD screen with buttons for easy scheduling. You can also use its voice recorder feature to record a message so your pet can hear your voice when it's time to eat. Plus, it runs on a power cable and batteries, meaning your pet's meals will remain uninterrupted even during a power outage. 

If you want a pet feeder with additional features, you can get the PETLIBRO Automatic Feeder for $106. It features a 1080p camera, which can help you monitor your pet's meals and eating habits via the companion app. The app will also notify you if the feeder stops working due to blockage or if the battery is low.

One of the worst things you can forget is taking your medications on time. While a simple pill organizer can help, an automatic pill dispenser provides additional benefits, like giving sound and visual alerts to remind you when it's time to take your pills. 

You can get the Live Fine Automatic Pill Dispenser from Amazon for $75, which can hold up to four weeks' worth of pills, depending on the dosage. It has an LCD display where you can see the clock as well as information about your next dosage. It also includes nine interchangeable rings, which allow you to customize your medication schedule based on how frequently you need to take your pills. When it's time to take your pill, the dispenser lights up and plays an alarm sound. 

If you want to keep things simple, you can also get a simple Vibrating Alarm Reminder Watch for $22. You can set up to 10 daily alarms to remind yourself about pills, medications or even other stuff. It comes in five different colors and is less distracting than a smartwatch.

As you can tell from the list, we've focused on everyday essentials that people often forget, such as keys, medication, hydration, and pet care. To choose the best product in each category, we scoured Amazon and picked the ones with the most helpful features and positive reviews. 

We've also considered affordability to ensure that the listed gadgets aren't unnecessarily expensive. Lastly, we've stuck to devices that are easy to use and don't require complex setup or constant intervention.