I do not specifically recommend the following techniques; all shoppers have unique resources and learn by doing. I merely mention a few ideas for anyone who is in the boonies, out of range, far from charger, etc.
My best method is to do few shops, prepare well for each one, and not fuss or fiddle with phone or other props onsite. (When I was doing too much shopping, I needed props too often. Those props were distracting. I am best when I am like Flash's so-- noticing and building on available environmental clues for information and reminders.)
My favorite preparation is to print just enough information to describe the shop needs and add my notes and diagrams to the printed page/-s. My paper notes are always available before shops. I use the backs of pages to create ever terser and more cryptic notes. After a few of these reductions, a mere scribble may be worth a dozen or more pages of guidelines, lol. After shops, I take notes elsewhere and destroy my prep pages.
This is veeeerrry old school. It is kinetic, visual, spatial and, occasionally, auditory. But it works for me.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2015 02:20PM by Shop-et-al.