I've always had bad memory and suffer from mild dyslexia as well. Used to really struggle with exams at school because I found it hard to memorize stuff. But I

I've always had bad memory and suffer from mild dyslexia as well. Used to really struggle with exams at school because I found it hard to memorize stuff. But I didn't let it stop me. Did elec engineering degree and after a decade in industry went back to do a PhD in software engineering. My solution: keeping a journal handy, writing down everything. For example, when I was doing network engineering on large corporate networks, I would write down every step that I performed, configuration data, etc. Adding page numbers, URLs for referenced tech doco. In my programs I write comments against every class/method to remind myself why I did things the way I did. From what I've read and also based on my personal experience, writing by hand seems to make things more memorable. I also find it quicker to flick through bound journals than trying to find things on a computer/smartphone -- obviously tried those and they weren't as effective for me. The bonus for me has been that I always updated design documentation to "as built and installed" state. My managers and clients really appreciated the accuracy.