“If I don’t write it down, it doesn’t exist.”
After a conversation with a friend last week, “If I don’t write it down, it doesn’t exist.” was already the working title of this week’s article. Then, yesterday, a friend texted, and I quote, “seriously, If I don’t write it down, it’s gone!”
Maybe this statement resonates with you, too?
To be honest, I hesitated to write this article, worried that you might harshly judge your professional organizer who has to write things down to remember them. But then I realized that to help us all get more organized, I needed to share the solution I have found to a common challenge!
“If I don’t write it down, it doesn’t exist.”
Our brains are always working. My brain has a lot to do, and a lot of tasks to juggle. Often my brain will supply a thought, idea or an answer to a question that I am not, at that moment, ready to process.
This happens all the time. While I’m:
- driving;
- trying to fall asleep;
- in the shower;
- in Mass;
- sitting at a soccer game;
- working with a client, etc.
- Create the Habit of Writing Stuff Down (you can try voice recordings, too, if you prefer);
- Create the Habit of turning your notes in Actions;
- Act on the Ideas. And then
- Give your brain another challenge to work on.
- Write Stuff Down, as it comes.
- Capture the idea.
- I have a large Post-It pad in the car (orange), and a similar one next to me right now (pink). The different colors help me to put them back in their proper homes, should they wander.
- I also have a dry erase marker in the bathroom, for jotting notes down on the mirror; and
- I even have a waterproof note pad and pencil in the shower (www.myaquanotes.com)
- What I use most to collect my thoughts is Evernote on my laptop, IPhone and IPad.
- Make A Habit of Collecting / Compiling
- Regularly (daily?), compile the little notes into an Action list.
- Once a day, I collect all the little notes and put them into my master lists on Evernote. Tasks, blog ideas, personal and professional development ideas, grocery lists, etc..
- This keeps them from piling up or getting lost, and reminds me of the urgent issues I need to address.
- Turn Your Ideas Into Actions.
- Make your notes and ideas actionable, so you don’t just have a jumbled pile of papers in front of you to compete with the jumbled ideas in your brain.
- My large orange Post-It note from a car trip yesterday (I jotted it all down while parked in a parking lot, very safe I promise) included:
- Explore Bullet Journaling idea for workshop;
- Send A theatre ticket info;
- Send D Cub Scout info;
- Send T the recipes;
- Return client calls on Tuesday; and
- remember to carry promotional materials to all your presentations.
- So, last night, I made sure to add these ideas to my Project List and Daily Task Lists, and
recycled the note.
- Ask for reminders in the form that works for you.
- If you prefer auditory reminders, ask folks to call you and leave you a voice mail.
- I prefer written reminders. For example, when my son asks me to buy something at the grocery, I refer him to the grocery list. He can say the words to me, but if it’s not written down, I may not remember 4 days from now when I actually go to the grocery.
- This is also the reason I prefer emails and texting to phone calls – I can refer back to the message, for details or contact info, etc. I don’t remember entire conversations for more than a couple of days.
This week, give your brain a break and boost your productivity by creating the Write Stuff Down Habit!
Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
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