Almost always, there is something to write on, thus the recommendation to have only a writing instrument. Napkins, newspapers, receipts, business cards or the back of your hand are readily available to quickly capture your note with barely a pause in what else you were doing.
Having a method of idea capture allows your work to flow more smoothly. I keep a pad and pen in the car, in my purse, by my bed, in the kitchen, on my walks and everywhere else that I am. Throughout the day I am writing notes of things I need to do at home/bring into work, and then at home I am remember things I need to do at work/bring home. The second it takes to write them down saves me from forgetting in the long run and saves time in scrambling for what I missed.
Examples:
> Making a note to remember to pick up milk on the way home saves you the extra trip required if you forget it.
> You run into someone in the cafeteria who needs you to send them a piece of information. By the time lunch is over, most will have forgotten about the task unless it is written, and then time is later spent playing phone tag while the person tracks it down.
> Writing down a task you need to accomplish at work allows you to address it early instead of frantically trying to find/create something at the last minute because you did not do it.
> Jotting reminders of items that you need to discuss with someone or add to a meeting agenda allows you to add those to the itinerary to cover in the scheduled time, rather than requiring a separate meeting to address items you forgot in round one.
There is not a day that goes by where I don't have a note or two to jog my memory or remind me to bring/do/discuss something. Time management happens by mastering the margins. Stop those little things from falling through the cracks and eating up time by writing yourself a little note and dealing with them once.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment