To Do … Or Not To Do

Ever toss and turn at night knowing you forgot to finish something or your mind races with items you want to do the next day (which you hope you remember the next morning?)

I usually am pretty good with the worry about forgetting to finish something.  I have accepted the fact that I have not mastered quantum time where I can travel to the past to fix my mistake so I don’t lose sleep over it.  I can’t change anything at 1:30 AM anyways.

I do toss and turn over endless loop planning for the next day in my head.  Now that I write this blog, creative ideas pop into my head when I would rather sleep.  About six months ago, my wife forced me to leave a pad of paper and a pen next to the bed. 

This has helped tremendously.  I find if I wake up, I jot it down and put it into my todo list when I wake up.  I am able to go to sleep because I know my idea or thought is captured

Dustin Wax wrote the following in How to Use a Todo List to Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever:

“…the main reason most people fail, get overwhelmed, or drive themselves to the cardiologist with worry and stress is that they don’t have a good grip on what they need to be doing. So they wake up in the middle of the night (if they can sleep at all) in a panic over whether they did everything the needed to do that day, or they look over the piles of clutter around them and wonder how they’ll ever reach the bottom. “

I highly recommend Dustin’s post for tips on how to use todo lists effectively.  These tips can help you achieve your new years resolutions and make a great 2008!

Advertisement

Take Note!

 

HENRY: Well, he who finds the Grail must face the final challenge.

INDY:  What final challenge?

HENRY:  Three devices of such lethal cunning.

INDY:  Booby traps?

HENRY:  Oh, yes. But I found the clues that will safely take us through,in the Chronicles of St. Anselm.

INDY:  But what are they? Can’t you remember?

HENRY: I wrote them down in my Diary so that I wouldn’t have to remember.

Writing notes is a key success factor.  Even if you never refer to them again, it will help reinforce your learning.  I have conducted a lot of training and I notice the people who do NOT takes notes are usually the people who ask for help two weeks later.

One key I have learned is to always take notes like you are going to have to teach on the subject.  Tim Ferriss’s blog had some other great suggestions for note taking and indexing.

As Knowlege Workers we must do all we can to retain what we learn!   You never know when you will need to remeber how to overcome devices of such lethal cunning!