I’m asked often. “Bob, how do you remember all that stuff? You always seem to be so well organized.” Frankly, I don’t remember it all. But during my years in business. Generally, really. I’ve felt one of the most respectful things one can do to honor a relationship. Simply, “Do what I say I will do.”

Now, for a little dirty secret of mine. “The weakest pencil stroke is better than the strongest memory.” I don’t remember all that stuff. I’m simply fanatical about writing things down. Taking notes. I have a lighted pen and pad next to my bed to record those “floating” inspirations that come during bedtime. I create and repeat a word composed the first letters of thoughts that come to me in the shower. I write them down before drying off.

And oh no, and no one gets away with, “I’ll call you tomorrow” (s) OR those annoying “Let’s get together (s)” OR “We have to get together sometime!” (s). Give me a specific day and time. Write it down on your calendar. If you don’t?  90% of the time our meeting never happens.

Example… I just got a text from an evasive friend. Getting together with him is like trying to eat consommé with a fork. You know. He laments “Miss you! We have to get together!” (kiss, kiss) More like kiss my… you know what. Not happening.

Here’s what I’ve discovered about me. I only have so much mental capacity. If I allow incomplete thoughts to accumulate in my head. Leave them pending. My brain feels like a clogged pipe. Like a snarled traffic jam of conflicting messages. Writing these things down helps clear the mess. At least I can see the pieces of the puzzle in front of me. In black and white. This opens new space for other thoughts, new ideas to move into my brain. In essence I create a more orderly assembly line of things I have a shot at… starting and finishing.

 “I have this vision…” I get this a lot from those I coach. “Good!” I say. “But you must know, any vision actually exists twice. First in your mind. But it never really exists until it’s committed to in writing. Pencil vs memory. Another great thing is the fact that once you’ve put something in writing, it’s hard to confuse or evade. At the same time, this makes an imprint on your subconscious. A wonderful benefit not usually acknowledged. A topic to cover more fully at another time.

Then there’s the challenge of “where do I start?” Sure. Great idea to pour all this stuff out on paper. Now what? Well, prioritize. What must you do now? What comes next? There will be those things that need immediate attention or need to be dealt with short term. There will be others not urgent that you can put in the “parking lot.” Give them a deadline so you don’t lose them. But allowing more time to deal with these, takes pressure off.

So the next time your hear constant refrains like,

“I’m just crazy busy.” Or “I’m overwhelmed. Don’t know how I’ll ever get all this done.” Or “It’s all just too much.”

Know you need to think about pausing. Taking inventory of what’s on your plate. Write everything down. Start with #1. Don’t go to #2 until #1 is done. On and on. Sound idealistic? You don’t have to execute perfectly. But by practicing this over time? You’ll improve. And agree with me.

The weakest pencil stroke is indeed better than the strongest memory.