One of the simplest but most powerful habits I have established in my life in the past few years is to write things down. In our industry, there are so many little things and facts to remember at all time. Why is it so important to write things down?
1. If your memory is anything like mine it’s very easy to forget what day of the week it is.
Since I’ve started to write things down more often I have also noticed when reviewing old notes how much my memory can leak. The memory isn’t very reliable. Every time we remember something, we recreate what happened rather than just replay a film from our mental archives.
What you remember about an event may differ from what someone else remembers. We all need something to rely on besides our own memory.
2. Ideas don’t stay for long.
Fine or awesome ideas can pop up at the strangest times but they tend to not stay for long in your head. So you need to capture them fast or they are gone in the wind.
3. Written goals are very important.
One thing a lot of very successful self-improvement writers – Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar and so on – go on and on about is the importance of having written goals. A written goal brings clarity and focus. It gives you a direction. And by rewriting your goals you not only reaffirm what your goals are. You may also find new insights that bring more clarity and focus to your goal and life.
A written goal is also a powerful reminder that you can use to keep yourself on the right track when you feel stressed and may consider making hasty decisions.
4. To remind yourself of what to focus on.
Often we get caught up in our everyday business and lose track of what is most important. To keep yourself on track – instead of just keeping yourself busy with low-priority tasks – simply write down a reminder that can stop your thoughts when you see it and guide you back on track again.
5. Clearer thinking.
You can’t hold that many thoughts in your head at once. If you want to solve a problem it can be helpful to write down your thoughts, facts and feelings about it. Then you don’t have to use your for mind for remembering, you can instead use it to think more clearly. Having it all written down gives you an overview and makes it easier to find new connections that can help you solve the problem.
By writing things down you can help yourself to spot trouble and get yourself back on track and keep yourself there within a larger timeframe. Or your journal may tell you something that you haven’t really paid much attention to about yourself and/or about your life. And so this can bring clarity.
So those are five of the most important reasons why I write everything down. How to capture your own thoughts? Well, that’s up to you.
At the moment I usually use a pen and paper. I carry a notebook with me in my pocketbook throughout the day. You may find it helpful to use your smartphone or tablet. But I recommend you try different ways and find the ones that you feel most comfortable and effective with.