How to remember to close all the windows?

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My wife's mad at me because I left a window wide open while we were out... again.

Anybody got a method or trick to remembering to make sure all the windows are closed, all the doors are locked, the lights are off, etc. etc.? It would seem that my brain, acting alone, isn't up to snuff.

Think of something you are GOOD at, and she is BAD at, and come up with an arrangement for you to be in charge of the things you are good at, and she is in charge of the things she is good at but you are bad at.

Above all, maintain a sense of humor about the open window.

Sense of humor's a tall order for her, I'm afraid. Not to knock her, that's just how she is. Also, the window failure usually happens when I'm home alone and am supposed to be in charge. I need some kind of method or system to prevent window failure on my own.

Post-It notes on the inside of your front door or wherever you exit your house normally (garage, back door etc).

Put it either at eye level or near the handle or the lock of the door by which you leave -- whichever is the spot where your eye falls every time.

If you are faced with a big note saying "WINDOWS!!" or "Did you check all the windows?" every time you're about to leave the house, you won't forget to go and check all the windows before leaving.

The reminder note only works if you stick it right where you can't fail to see it when leaving the house, and you hold yourself firmly to checking when you see the note.

place your house keys in a box, which has "check windows and lights first" written on the lid.
at that point, you still need to train yourself to place your keys *in* the box, but that is easier to train into a habit than closing all the windows all the time

I have to check the windows and doors before I go to bed and if I don't do it right I end up checking them again. To stop that happening I tell myself, out loud, that I've checked each window/door in turn.

Action: check the kitchen door / Response (out loud): "Checked the kitchen door"
Action: check the kitchen window / Response (out loud): "Checked the kitchen window"
Action: check the frontroom window / Response (out loud): "Checked the frontroom window"
Action: check the front door / Response (out loud): "Checked the front door"

I do the same when leaving the house and locking the front door.

I may sound stupid doing it but it works

You could use a whiteboard near the door to check off everything you need to do before leaving the house. You could also write down special things, like stuff you need to bring, like a shopping list, on that whiteboard.

When I have trouble remembering to do something that should be routine, I actively try to make it part of my schedule. For example, when I was younger, I had trouble thinking of helping with chores around the house. I had no problem doing them when asked but otherwise, it would not occur to do them. So I made it a habit to do things like checking the dishwasher to see if it needs to be run or check the dirty clothes bin to see if there were enough clothes to run a load.

Maybe you could apply this type of behavior to your activities in preparing to leave the house. Make checking the windows a step like putting on your shoes or making sure you have your wallet. The first few times you might have to actively remind yourself but eventually, it you probably wouldn't even have to think about it.