Write Things Down # Book " Work smarter not hearder"

Write Things Down
I have to admit that I’m not always that great at remembering things. Especially if
there is a big concept to grasp, relying just on my memory to remember everything
will not work.
It takes a lot experience and practice to master something. But especially in the
earlier stages of learning, when you are exposed to new terminologies or concepts,
there is one simple technique to make learning and remembering much easier.
This technique, combined with a low-tech solution, works perfectly, even in the fastpaced
digital world: writing things down with a pen and paper. Although I use digital
devices for note taking as well, I think that the pen/paper approach beats these newer
ways because of its simplicity.
Then again, if you prefer using a digital device for note taking, that’s fine, too. All
you have to do is to keep at least some kind of note-taking device with you where
ever you go, because you’ll never know when you need it.
The note taking habit is a timeless one, and you can use it whether there is a new
concept to master―like it’s your new colleague’s name you are trying to
remember―or virtually any piece of information you’ll have to return to later on.
If you decided to use the pen and paper approach, quite soon you may be thinking:
“Great, I have all these notes; how can I make them easily available, without having a

fear of losing them?”

The question is fair. I also have dealt with this issue on a frequent basis. The answer,
on the other hand, is pretty straightforward: turn those notes into electronic ones,
especially if you want to save them for later use.
I personally either rewrite the notes in Google Docs and save them to my Google
Drive account, so that I can access them later with my phone or with my computer.
Or, I might just take a picture of the note (for instance, if it’s a mind map) and upload
it as is to my Google Drive account.
Take a pen and paper (or another note taking device), and use it as much as necessary.
For instance, even if no one else takes notes in a meeting, you can be the exception to
this rule.
This ensures that you are more likely to remember things or more easily grasp a new
concept, because you took the effort to write down some notes.
Action Steps:
 Write down notes any time you need to remember something later on.
 Take a pen and paper (or any other note-taking device) with you in every
meeting you go to.
 Turn the important notes into electronic ones, by rewriting them or shooting a
picture of them.
 Store the notes in the cloud, for instance on Google Drive or in EverNote.
 Whatever you do during your work day, keep a note taking device easily
available.