By Christina Sexton

1. Location, location

You’re twice as likely to forget a thought after walking into another room. Fresh US research from the University of Notre Dame shows that doorways serve as ‘event boundaries’. “When you walk through a door, your mind processes a new event, making whatever you were thinking about slip your mind,” explains study author Gabriel Radvansky, PhD. One quick, easy solution? Carry a reminder, such as the flat battery you wanted to replace.

MORE: Fast Memory Tricks

2. Great mood; pity about the memory

Researchers have discovered that being in a good mood can adversely affect your recall. In a recent study, volunteers split into two teams to determine the link between mood and memory. One team was asked to watch Jerry Seinfeld do stand-up, while the other sat through a boring instructional video on floor-covering installation. Unsurprisingly, the Seinfeld-watchers enjoyed better moods, but when both teams took a memory test, the bored group produced significantly better results. Strange but true!

MORE: 10 Habits of Highly Organised People

3. Smoker? Read this

Here’s another reason to stay smoke-free. Scientists have discovered that binning the butts can restore your memory to virtually the same level as that of clear-headed nonsmokers. In one UK study, researchers took a group of smokers and nonsmokers around a university campus. During the tour, they asked the two groups to perform a set of predetermined tasks. The smokers remembered only 59% of the tasks, the ex-smokers scored 74% and the nonsmokers recalled an impressive 81%. Our advice? When in doubt, write a to-do list!