I have a problem with keeping details straight at the table. My groups go months without playing, and I'm strapped for time to prep. Notes are scattered, if existing. I keep it all mostly in my head and unfortunately miss things all the time. I'm also really bad at gauging what kind of relationship a character should have given the actions that have happened before.
I also want my NPCs to have intricate motives and actions. Characters disrupt them, but the world is supposed to keep moving. I want the world to keep moving, but in practice it only reacts to whatever the players do and NPCs lose momentum.
I would like to know how other GM's manage this. I used to sit down right after a session and draft an email to all my players and brain-dump the session while it was fresh. Now I have a toddler and even less time.