After completing my most recent post, I received a lot of feedback on it. Of the 5 reasons I discussed in that article, the most common reason many are failing to see results with their supplements seems to be failing to take them consistently.
Going along with that, many commented that they were simply forgetting to take their vitamins and supplements. They aren’t choosing not to take them but are simply forgetting them.
Forgetting to take vitamins and supplements is a problem I can fix for someone far easier than them consciously choosing not to take them.
I don’t have to discuss all the important (sometimes boring) reasons to convince you to take the supplements you spent your precious dollars on.
Instead, I just have to give you a few tips to help you remember to take them. That I can certainly do no problem. If you follow my four tips, I promise that you will remember to take your vitamins (and supplements) every day!
# 1- Make them visible
This is my # 1 tip for remembering your vitamins. I used to constantly forget to take my vitamins and supplements. No matter how many promises I made to myself, I always seemed to get into bed at the end of the day and suddenly remember I forgot to take them.
I began to think about the days I actually did remember to take my supplements. When I did that, I realized that I remembered on those days because I forgot to put my supplements away the day before.
It sounds a bit ironic I know but let me explain. As you can imagine, I have a lot of supplements in my house. It’s not always easy to keep them orderly. My wife also loves to hide things out of public view, mostly my supplements.
After thinking about this, I realized that when my supplements were in my cabinets and drawers, I did not actually see them. When I didn’t see them, I wasn’t thinking about them. When I wasn’t thinking about them, I wasn’t remembering to take them.
Although it took some initial effort to convince my wife to leave my supplements out, I now leave all of my daily supplements out on my counter or table.
Since I began doing that, I almost never forget to take them. My suggestion is to leave your supplements out somewhere you will see them every day.
Whether it’s your nightstand, table or counter, keeping them visible will help to get your mind thinking about them even if it doesn’t want to.
Our consciousness is fleeting and jumps from topic to topic throughout the day. Much of that is due to the images we see throughout the day.
Even when I am late for work and running out the door, I will typically see some of my supplements as I am leaving and will stop to take them if I haven’t already done so.
# 2-Use a pill organizer
When you think of pill organizers, you probably think of older people using them to remember all of their prescription medications.
While most people do use pill organizers for that purpose, many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts use them to remember their health and nutritional supplements.
If you take supplements, the odds are slim that you take only a single supplement. Most people take numerous supplements.
With all those supplements, it makes sense to combine them in one place to make it simple. Most organizers are set-up to be used for the standard 7-day week and are labeled as such.
All you need to do is just set it up with all your supplements before your week starts and you are good to go. You do not have to open and close numerous supplement bottles when you’re planning to take them as all of your daily supplements will be together in one convenient place.
Pill organizers have also advanced quite a bit in recent years. There are many designs sure to fit into your lifestyle. For example, this one which breaks into separate compartments which are designed to easily fit into a purse or bag to take on the go. They even make one with a built in electronic alarm, which brings me to my next tip.
# 3-Set a reminder
I have a terrible memory when it comes to remembering things I need to do. Without using my phone to remind me to do things, I would never remember.
Setting a reminder is a great way to remember your vitamins and supplements. Unless you’re a rare breed, you likely have a smart phone that you’re addicted to.
I read an article recently that found Americans check their phone every 12 minutes or roughly 80 times per day. Name one other thing that you are giving that much intention to every day. I’m sure your significant other would tell me that it isn’t them.
Since we check our phone so often, it’s almost impossible that we wouldn’t see a reminder popping up on the screen during the day.
I have two methods of setting up reminders on my phone. I have an iPhone however, most smart phones have similar features.
The first is the “Reminders” application that is already installed on an iPhone when you buy it. I use this application constantly to remember everything from turning the dryer on to remembering to pick my dry cleaning up.
The second thing I use on my phone for reminders is the basic alarm clock function. I used this to set up reminders for things that I need to do every day such as, you guessed it, taking my vitamins! I like this because I only have to set it up once and it will go off at the same time every day.
I label the daily alarms with the name of the activity or habit I am trying to remember, which combines both suggestions together.
# 4-Connect it with a daily activity
This is something that many people do to remember their vitamins and have great success with it. It’s something I also typically do out of habit.
By daily activity, I mean something that you do every day. For many, they tie taking their vitamins to a specific meal, such as breakfast.
You may have to initially use a reminder to get the habit ingrained but after a period, your brain will automatically connect that activity to taking your vitamins. When I sit down to eat breakfast now, I almost always begin to think about taking my supplements out of habit.
My personal suggestion is use a meal as an activity to tie your vitamin regimen to as most vitamins and supplements digest best with a meal.
Another common activity people use is exercise. It makes sense to tie one healthy habit to another. Most will take their supplements either right before or right after their daily exercise routine.
The great thing is that it can literally be tied to any activity. Play around with what works best for you. As I said, it will likely take some effort in the beginning to get the habit ingrained but after that it will be second nature.
Use one, some or all
Some people are just better at remembering things than others. I am in the category of forgetting my head if it wasn’t screwed on.
That being said, some of you may only need one of these tips to remember to take your vitamins and supplements forever. Some of you may need to combine some or all of them to remember.
The important thing isn’t which method you use to remember to take your vitamins. It’s the fact that you actually remember to take them that is important.
If you follow these tips, I know that taking your vitamins and supplements regularly will quickly become a habit that is sure to pay you dividends with your health many times over.
Do you use any of these tips currently to remember your vitamins? I would love to hear your thoughts. I would also love to hear any other suggestions or tips that you have for remembering to taking your vitamins below.
I’ve never had an issue remembering to take my vitamins because I’ve been taking vitamins for as long as I remember, the only thing that has changed is how many I take (sometimes I like to try different supplements to see if they have any added benefits or taste better than ones I may be used to purchasing).
These tips are great, though, for anyone who may be looking to receive the benefits from vitamin supplements yet aren’t in the habit of doing so yet. The longer one takes vitamins using the tips you provided, the less likely they’ll need reminders in the future, because they’ll feel empty without them or feel like they’re forgetting something if they haven’t taken them for the day yet.
Hi Aria,
It sounds like you have made it a habit for sure. Exactly. When I forget to take my vitamins now, I really feel like I’m missing something in my day. Thank you for your comment.
What a nice post you wrote! I really enjoyed reading it and I could not be silent about your post so I decided to leave my comment here and say Thank You! For sharing this quality post with others.
Actually this is exactly the information that I was looking for about remember to taking vitamins and when I landed to your website and read this post, it answered all my questions in details.
So I’m happy that you decided to write about this topic and share it with people. It’s very useful and can definitely be used as a great source for remember to taking vitamins.
I will come back to your website again for sure and I’m looking forward to read your new posts.)
Thanks!
Hi Ali,
I’m glad this article was of help to you. Thank you very much for your comment!
Hi Dan. I’m with you on this one. If they are visible, I will remember to take them, and I usually take all of my vitamins and minerals at meal times, which also adds another trigger to help me remember. There is nothing worse than paying a lot of money for supplements and not getting the benefits from them, simply because we forget to take them. it’s like money down the drain.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Andrew,
I am the same way. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing people waste their money on supplements that they never actually take. Most people have great intentions when buying the supplements but have a cabinet full of unused supplements because they never get into the habit of taking them. Definitely money down the drain! Hopefully these tips can help a few people change that.
Those were some great tips you told there. This was an informative and great article. I myself don’t use vitamins and supplements very often but I still found many things in this article useful. Overall I like your website very much!
Hi Eetu,
I am glad you got something out of the article. Well, if you ever start using supplements at least you will have some tips for remembering to take them. Thanks for your comment.
I enjoyed reading your post and learned something that will not only help me take my herbal supplements but my medication, too. The image of the reminder app in iPhone was an excellent idea. Thank you, Janice 👌
Hi Janice,
I am glad that the post was helpful to you. Yes, I would be very lost without that reminder app LOL. Thanks for your comment.
This is so useful in developing a consistent habit. I have had experience taking care of someone who needs to take certain supplements on a daily and consistent basis and the lack of doing so was proving disempowering. I ended up purchasing one of those weekly pill cases and it helped tremendously. The visibility and connecting the consumption with a consistent daily activity are massively helpful tips to support this endeavour. Thanks Dan! You have provided some real value here for me to implement. Cheers!
Hello Bex,
Yes the pill cases can be very helpful, particularly when you combine it with the aspect of visibility and leave the pill case somewhere you can see it as you said. I’m glad you were able to get value from this. Thank you for your comment!
You’re on point with this! I totally agree with tip nr. 1. Right at this moment, I have my Maca Powder (organic of course) in front of me and next to the bowl I will use for my next meal, so this way I won’t forget. I also use reminder apps, and I think they are great… but if you use them too often and for too many things, than after a while they won’t work as great anymore.
Hi Rob,
Thank you. Great job! I don’t experience that problem with the reminder apps as I tend to use them more often as time goes on but I agree that it can be burdensome if you use them for too many things. Downside of living in such a busy society LOL. Thanks for your comment.
Hi Dan!
Thanks for this great post. I am one of those people who forgets everything! Sometimes even if it’s sitting right in front of my face. I have tried and failed so many times to take my supplements/vitamins on the daily. These tips are tricks sound like they will really help me in this department.
Can’t wait to finally be able to take my pills on the daily like I so eagerly strive to all the time!
Hi Katie,
You’re welcome. I hope that you will be able to use some or all of these tips to remember in the future! After a while, it will just become a habit. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Dan, this post made me smile because I am literally the supplement queen ha ha! I leave mine in my kitchen drawer but I never forget to take them as I have been in the habit for so many years. I think your tips are great because I know other people who always forget to take them and I shall pass on this great advice.
I do think that connecting the habit to food, such as immediately after breakfast, is the best way to go and also the optimum time to take most supplements. You don’t want to take them on an empty stomach (unless they are digestive enzymes or probiotics) and many are stimulating, especially multi vits, and B vits and so should not be taken at night if you want a good night’s sleep. Also, you want your supplement to set you up for the day so associating it with breakfast has always worked well for me.
Hi Stefanie,
Thank you very much. I appreciate you sharing the article with others you think it can help. I agree, breakfast is usually when I take the vast majority of my supplements, depending on what they are. It sounds like you are definitely in the habit of taking them regularly so good job:) Thank you for your comment!