Write it Down, I Mean it…Go Do it Now!

Continuing with my lessons learned from 2009. I celebrated my 31st birthday in October of last year, but I didn’t need that to remind me I was getting older. If you only read every other post on this blog, you’ll know I firmly believe in writing down your goals with action plans. Last year I learned it’s not just the goals that should be written down. Your mind is not a collecting point, so make lists in writing. Many of us now have Blackberries or other smart phones that all give us the ability to capture what we’re thinking. So I say, write it down. Whether it be an idea you have or something to discuss with a significant other when you get home, take the time when you have the thought to write it down. We’ll talk about organizing those collections at a later time.

I could give you countless examples of where this saved me in 2009, but why not share my low moments instead. After all, self deprecating humor is something I master. I left the tent for a camping trip behind, though three of us had a great time sleeping in the back of my Ford Explorer under the stars in Death Valley. An even better example is when I went to Target in search of only two things. I was running a few errands and Target fit perfectly between two other stops. I popped in, grabbed item one and then I was lost. I couldn’t remember it. I needed only two things and I could not remember one. I sat in the store trying every memory trick in the book to recall what I forgot. Imagine someone standing there in the store staring off into space waiting for that stroke of genius. Well that was me except there was no moment of genius. It took me 20 minutes and yes, my stubborn nature refused to leave the store until I remembered the other item. It works phenomenal with goals, but it’s ideal for anything you’ll ever need to remember again. With paper out and smart phones in your hand, you have no excuse not to write it down. Next time someone asks what your goals are, don’t bother thinking about it, pull up the list you’ve written down.

Before you read this post, did you have the next thing you needed to do written down?