If your notes are untidy and your house is cluttered, you are more likely to forget things. The ideal thing to do would be to use an electronic planner or a more advanced notebook planner to write down tasks, events and other important things. It is also very important to do this on a regular basis; otherwise it can get very confusing. The best way to remember things is to actually write everything down. So that's another easy answer to how to improve short term memory.