You fly out the door in the morning, bagel in one hand and planner in the other. In the car your mind zips through the central points of the day. First you’ll burn through the emails in your inbox, dowse out a few fires, and then bolt out the door to that important lunch meeting...

Then, right in the thick of things, a random thought flies by. It feels important, but then it’s gone in a flash. “Oh well,” you reason, “no time for idle thought anyway… I’ve got a soccer game to get to.” No time to think about it right now… you’ll get to it later… that is, if you can remember.

If this sounds familiar, I want to share with you two simple but very powerful secrets that I learned many years ago from a retired publisher friend of mine named Robert. Robert was one of those guys who could get more done in a day than most people could all week – and made it look like a cakewalk in the process. Admittedly, when he first introduced me to these two secrets, they seemed so ridiculously simple I almost ignored his suggestions. Looking back, however, I can happy admit that they have categorically changed my life.

Secret #1 – The seemingly random thoughts that flash in and out of the chaos are important, very important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a flickering idea that comes to you in the shower or you suddenly remember that you need to pick up a gallon of milk on your way home. According to my friend Robert, being prepared to get your thoughts down in black and white, in one central location, is one of the most overlooked, but essential keys to success. “Plain and simple,” he explained, “you are in possession of a veritable treasure chest of path-driven ideas that will often fly right by, never to be seen again, unless you position yourself at all times to capture them on paper, no matter how fleeting they might seem.” In our rush to get to all of the things that appear so much more important, it’s easy to miss the significance of all those mental fly-bys – especially the ones that seem to materialize out of nowhere.

Secret #2 – Always carry a pen and paper with you to jot things down as soon as they come your way - and avoid going high-tech on this one. Palm Pilots and voice recorders are fine, but my friend always insisted that nothing beats a good old steno pad and Papermate. Use it as a place to download ideas, jot down phone numbers, grab a good quote, or create a reminder of errands to run and things to buy. Then, at the end of the day, take a few minutes to move all these random scribblings to your PDA, your “To Do” list, your contact list or wherever you organize tasks, projects, and ideas.

Over the years I have moved back and forth with this habit and, as much as I love my techie gadgets, each time I try to replace this Power-of-Pen-to-Paper method of organizing all the craziness that clutters my brain, I realize that Robert was right – there is no substitute.

I personally like the Mead Cambridge Zippered Flip-top Steno Padfolio  http://www.shopext.com/i34BO--Mead-Cambridge-City-Zippered-Flip-top-Steno-Padfolio.html and have carried one around for years. It set me back a whole $10, but has moved me light years ahead in my goals.

Whenever I take the time to write down a thought or reminder, (many of which have led me directly to a dream or goal I would have otherwise missed,) I thank Robert for these two little gems of wisdom. It’s a habit that, if you are not yet practicing, I would highly recommend. Try it for a few weeks and maybe one day, you’ll be thanking me!

Dianne Orwig is a international fitness expert, success coach, motivational speaker, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-works-better approach.
 
For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.
 
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