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Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Make It A Habit If You Can
Here are some great insights about any systems you plan to put in place from the blog post: How Not To Forget Anything Ever Again by Tim Ferris:
clipped from www.fourhourworkweek.comLet's take these one at a time:
1. Make a note, immediately. Whether you use pen/paper, a recording device or computer, it is imperative that when you have a thought, you make a note of it right then and there. Although I consider myself quite the techy-girl, my preferred method to capture random thoughts is a plain old paper calendar/notebook. I just find I remember things better when I physically write them down.
2. Use your lists and tools, consistently. If you do not always make a note when you think of it, chances are you will stop making notes altogether. When you're not making notes - you're relying on your brain to remember - which as stated above, is not the best tool for the job! Obviously when you put a system in place, you have to stick with it or you will end up right back where you stared - in need of a system to stay on top of everything!
3. Archive and search - don't file. I agree with this to a point. I stopped trying to create projects, rules, categories and folders as a way to get a handle on e-mail about three years ago. I realized I was spending far too much time creating all of this "organization" - yet whenever I needed something, I still couldn't find it! Now, I file all e-mails in a folder by month (i.e., 2008-08). Since I can generally recall about the time frame of a certain missive - I just head on over to that month's folder, sort by name and 9 times out of 10, viola! (P.S. This also assists with back up and storage as I print each month's folder to .pdf and add it to My Documents for inclusion with my back up system.)
4. Make it quick and painless. I wholeheartedly agree that whatever system you put in place, that it be something extremely easy to get at and use. Of course, my clients use the tech of LegalTypist and simply dial the phone whenever they want to get some information or a document out. How quick and painless is dialing a phone?
Of course, don't take my word for it! Dial 877-465-5012 and enter 1234567 as the user ID. You'll be asked to record your e-mail address and phone number - but really just follow the prompts. For step by step instructions, click here.
If you keep the four points outlined above in mind when putting a system in place, chances are it will be that much more likely to actually work!
With the proper habits and the right tools, you and your brain won’t have to remember a thing again.
4 Critical Habits
If you want a system to work, you’ve got to develop the habits to make it work. It’s that simple — without the habits, the system will fall apart — always. You’ve done it again and again, and so have I: set up a great system that works for a few days, maybe even a week. Then it slowly falls by the wayside.
Focus on developing these habits for one month. If you can do that, the habits should stick.
Make a note, immediately
Use your lists and tools, consistently
Archive and search, don’t file
Make it quick and painless
1. Make a note, immediately. Whether you use pen/paper, a recording device or computer, it is imperative that when you have a thought, you make a note of it right then and there. Although I consider myself quite the techy-girl, my preferred method to capture random thoughts is a plain old paper calendar/notebook. I just find I remember things better when I physically write them down.
2. Use your lists and tools, consistently. If you do not always make a note when you think of it, chances are you will stop making notes altogether. When you're not making notes - you're relying on your brain to remember - which as stated above, is not the best tool for the job! Obviously when you put a system in place, you have to stick with it or you will end up right back where you stared - in need of a system to stay on top of everything!
3. Archive and search - don't file. I agree with this to a point. I stopped trying to create projects, rules, categories and folders as a way to get a handle on e-mail about three years ago. I realized I was spending far too much time creating all of this "organization" - yet whenever I needed something, I still couldn't find it! Now, I file all e-mails in a folder by month (i.e., 2008-08). Since I can generally recall about the time frame of a certain missive - I just head on over to that month's folder, sort by name and 9 times out of 10, viola! (P.S. This also assists with back up and storage as I print each month's folder to .pdf and add it to My Documents for inclusion with my back up system.)
4. Make it quick and painless. I wholeheartedly agree that whatever system you put in place, that it be something extremely easy to get at and use. Of course, my clients use the tech of LegalTypist and simply dial the phone whenever they want to get some information or a document out. How quick and painless is dialing a phone?
Of course, don't take my word for it! Dial 877-465-5012 and enter 1234567 as the user ID. You'll be asked to record your e-mail address and phone number - but really just follow the prompts. For step by step instructions, click here.
If you keep the four points outlined above in mind when putting a system in place, chances are it will be that much more likely to actually work!
***
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