The Trail You Come Back To

When Writing It Down Isn't Enough

Hello, and welcome to Tip Tuesday, episode 54.

Have you ever written something down so you wouldn't forget it, and then you forgot where you wrote it down?

Maybe it was on a sticky note, or the back of an envelope, or a piece of paper, or in a random notebook.

You know you wrote it down somewhere, but you just can't find it.

And suddenly, finding the thing you wrote down has become a whole new task.

I know I've done it.

And lately I've been thinking a lot about how to keep track of things when life gets really busy.

Preparing for a Busy Job

I'm getting ready for an interview for a social caseworker position, and part of my preparation has been thinking about how I would manage everything that comes with a job.

There could be several cases at the same time.

There are appointments, paperwork, court dates, follow-ups, and ride-alongs with law enforcement.

And I wouldn't always be able to be completely in charge of my own schedule.

On top of that, there are rules and laws that say certain things have to happen within a certain amount of time.

That's a lot of moving pieces.

So I've been asking myself:

How can I set myself up for success so I don't have to keep all of that information in my head?

Because I already know that it's not going to work for me if I try to remember it all.

If something is important, I need to capture it and write it down somewhere.

Creating an Action Log

So I've been creating a system that I think will work with the way my brain works.

And one piece of that system is something I'm calling an action log.

My action log will be one place where I can quickly write down things as they happen.

I will put the date, and then I'll write down what I need to remember.

Maybe I need to make an appointment.

Maybe I need to follow up with somebody.

Maybe someone gave me information that I need later.

Or maybe I was working on something, had to stop, and need to leave myself a note about where I left off.

Leaving Myself a Trail

Basically, I'm leaving myself a trail.

And when I say leave yourself a trail, I mean leaving future you enough information to quickly figure it out:

What happened?

What still needs my attention?

Where did I stop?

And that way, I don't have to rebuild the whole story from memory every time I come back to something.

Using Colors to Make Things Easier to See

And I'm planning to use colors in my action log because I love colors.

When I'm looking at a page with a lot of writing, colors make it easier for my eyes to separate the information.

It doesn't look like one big blob of words.

So for me, red will mean something needs my attention quickly and urgently.

Orange will mean it's important, but it's not as urgent.

Green will mean it needs to get done, but it's not pressing.

And blue will be for appointments and things that need to go on my calendar.

I'm also planning to use a star when I've moved something where it needs to go.

So if I write down an appointment and then put it in my calendar, I can add a star.

That way, I don't have to look at it later and wonder:

"Wait, did I put that on my calendar?"

And when something is completely done, it gets a check mark.

So I can look at the page and get a pretty quick idea of where things stand.

Creating a History

The date will also give me a history.

If someone asks me:

"When did that happen?"

or

"When did you find out about that?"

I have a place I can go back to and look.

My Bigger System

Now, this action log isn't the only thing I'm planning to use.

I will also have a spreadsheet that will give me a bigger picture of all my cases.

What can I say?

I love Excel.

I can sort things.

I can filter things.

I can do conditional formatting.

I can put formulas in there that calculate the dates for me, so I don't have to keep figuring them out myself.

Now, some of you just heard the word Excel, and you're ready to run as far away as you can, as fast as you can.

And that is absolutely okay.

Because the point of today's tip is not that you need to use my system.

My system needs to work for my brain.

Your system needs to work for your brain.

Find What Works for You

Maybe you love paper.

Maybe you want one notebook.

Maybe your phone is always with you, so keeping a running note on your phone makes more sense.

You could send yourself a text message or an email.

Maybe sticky notes work really well for you.

You could even take a picture of the note and put those pictures in one folder on your phone.

Then, as you finish things, delete the pictures you don't need anymore.

Or send a picture to yourself if that makes it easier to find later.

Maybe you don't want to write anything down at all.

Leave yourself a voice note.

There are so many ways you can do this.

The tool isn't the most important part.

The important part is finding something that works with the way your brain works.

And whatever you choose, make sure it's something you can find again.

Because writing something important on the back of an envelope isn't very helpful if three days later you're still searching the house thinking:

"Where did I put that envelope?"

Know Where You Left Off

And if you're in the middle of something and have to stop, leave yourself that little trail:

Here's where I stopped.

Here's what I already finished.

or

Here's what I need to do next.

That way, when you come back, you're not starting from scratch.

You're giving yourself a place to pick it back up.

Give Yourself Time to Tweak It

And here's something I'm reminding myself as I create my own system.

I don't actually know yet if every part of it is going to work.

I think it will, but I have to try it in real life.

Maybe I realize I need to change one of my colors.

Maybe I'll decide I don't need something I thought I needed.

Or maybe I'll discover something else that makes the whole thing easier.

And that's okay.

You don't have to get your system exactly right the first time.

Try it.

Pay attention to what works.

Notice what doesn't quite fit.

And tweak it until it makes sense to you, because every brain works differently.

Today's Tip Tuesday Challenge

So for today's Tip Tuesday, pick one place to capture the things you don't want to lose track of.

It could be a notebook, your phone, an email to yourself, a text message, a picture, a sticky note, or even a voice note.

And when you have to stop in the middle of something, leave yourself enough information to know where you stopped and what comes next.

Then try it for a little while and see what you notice.

Does it make things easier to find?

Does it help you see what still needs your attention?

Does it make it easier to come back to something after you've been interrupted?

If it works, keep it.

If part of it doesn't work, tweak it.

And if the whole thing doesn't work for you, try something else.

The goal isn't to use my system.

The goal is to create a trail that you can follow.

And if today's episode made you think of someone who is trying to keep track of a lot of moving pieces, share it with them.

Maybe it'll give them an idea they can try too.

Until Next Time

Thank you for spending a little bit of your day with me.

Until next time, I'll see you for Real Life Wednesday.

Until then, I hope today's episode helped you create a little more clarity, feel a little more calm, and have a little more confidence. 💜💚