How do you remember all the small things people like when buying gifts? 34M

I have always struggled with gift-giving (not just for my girlfriend 32F, but also for my friends and families). No matter how much I think about it, I seem to forget all the little details that really matter to people. I want to give gifts that feel personal and thoughtful, but often I end up second-guessing myself or buying something generic that I think might be safe. Even when I try to pay attention during conversations, I forget what someone mentioned last week or last month, and it can be frustrating.

Over the years, I’ve tried a few different methods to stay organized. I used to jot down small notes on my phone whenever someone mentioned a favorite snack, a hobby, or a restaurant they liked. I even made a few spreadsheets to keep track of birthdays, favorite colors, and other preferences. While these methods helped a little, they were often tedious to maintain and hard to keep updated. I would either forget to write something down or lose track of the details. Sometimes I would think I remembered, only to realize I completely forgot the person’s favorite coffee shop when it came time to pick a gift.

Recently, I started looking for ways to make this easier, and I discovered that there are tools that can help organize and even suggest gifts based on the information you already know about someone. I started experimenting with one that takes the small details you have about friends and family and generates ideas for gifts or places to take them for a meal. It doesn’t replace the thought you put into the gift, but it helps make the process less stressful and makes it easier to remember the little things that make a gift meaningful.

What I have found so far is that this approach works best when you combine it with paying attention to your friends’ interests. For example, if someone mentions they like a specific type of chocolate or that they recently enjoyed a certain restaurant, adding that information into the tool makes it more likely that the suggestions will actually resonate with them. I’ve found that the gifts I pick with this method feel more personal, and my friends actually notice the thoughtfulness. It also reduces the anxiety of worrying that I might forget something important or pick something generic that won’t be appreciated.

I’m curious how others handle this problem. Do you have a system for remembering the small preferences of the people you care about? Do you rely on notes, memory, or some kind of tool? I would love to hear your tips and tricks. Even with the help of AI or tools, there is something about the human touch in gift-giving that cannot be replaced, but having a little assistance makes the whole process much smoother and more enjoyable. I’m always looking for new ways to improve, and it would be great to learn from the strategies other people use to make their gifts feel more personal and thoughtful.

tl;dr Just trying to be a better self, trying to remember what others like/dislike to get the perfect gift….