Write. It. Down.
I’m at a conference this week, where thousands of people will make thousands of connections and will commit to thousands of follow-up actions that won’t come to fruition. Sometimes that’s because the committers realize after walking away that the thing isn’t actually worth the follow-up (it’s amazing how easy it is to agree to something in the moment, isn’t it?), but there are many, many things people won’t follow up on because they simply forget to do so.
My advice to conference goers: Write. It. Down.
(Too lazy to read on but committed enough to get to the end? Here's the 90 second video version.)
If a conversation sparks an important thought, take 10 seconds immediately afterward to write it down. If you told someone you’d do something, take 10 seconds to write it down. If you learned something in a session that you want to remember or implement, take 10 seconds to write it down. If you zoned out while the other person was speaking and remembered that you need to buy milk when you get home, take 10 seconds to write it down. I’m serious. That tangibly reduces the risk of you thinking about the milk in your next conversation because you’ve already added it to the grocery list where it belongs.
Of course, this advice extends well outside the conference circuit. If you’re looking for a basic practice to implement this year that will unquestionably boost your productivity and output, look no further. Breaking yourself of the habit of assuming you’ll simply remember a thing by building a practice of writing things down is a game changer.
Notice that I described this as “basic,” which isn’t the same as saying it’s easy. That’s because it isn’t easy. Your brain, like mine, will probably continue to lie to you and tell you that you’re going to remember the thing and that you don’t need to write it down.
You need to come terms with the fact that part of your brain is lazy and that it’s lying to you. Do not listen to it. And unfortunately, in my experience, practice doesn’t make perfect here. I’ve been working on this for years and I still have to quiet the impulse to go with the easier route of not writing the thing down. Like my two-year old, the lazy part of the brain is loud and stubborn.
The good news is that you can write things down anywhere you please. I’m an obnoxiously outspoken advocate of digital task tracking, especially Todoist. But if you’re a pen and paper person, have at it. The key is that you:
- Write things down in the same place whenever possible
- Review that list on a regular basis
Basic, right? Try it. I bet you’ll like it.