Personally, I carry a small notebook with me and whenever I find myself having difficulties with anything (whether it be finding a place to eat, the nearest gas

Personally, I carry a small notebook with me and whenever I find myself having difficulties with anything (whether it be finding a place to eat, the nearest gas station, or remembering what I had to do at work) I try to consciously think of how I could prevent running into the problem in the future. If an idea comes to mind then simply write it down. The result is that you will find your notebook will fill up very quickly and will become a resource for you when you are attempting to start a new project.