Write It Down

"Just get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do with it."
- Maxwell Evarts Perkins

I read the above quote and had to laugh to myself. It made me realize that this is how I live my life, both business and personal. I can recall making a similar statement to just about anybody that I have interacted with over the last 10 years. This is how I've learned to be most effective with the thousands of ideas that occur throughout a lifetime.

It seems natural in business to have a ongoing to-do list, where it feels like for every one or two items checked off there are three or four more added. It comes as no surprise for me being in charge of operations since there are ideas in every department that can help improve my business. Sales, Marketing, Development, HR, there's always room for improvement, but how can I make sure that progress is being made - write it down. This day in age, we may not be writing it down on paper, but if it's added to an active list that you keep on your iPad, iPhone, blackberry, or as a note on your computer, then there's at least a chance that it will get the attention it needs at some point. Writing it down allows me to come back to it with a clear head, and when I'm not being interrupted from something else I'm trying to implement. I don't always know what can be done with the idea on the spot, but if I can come back to it when I can give the idea proper attention, it's amazing what can come of it.

As usual, the same concept applies in your personal life. How many ideas have you had in the past year that you haven't acted on? Is it because you thoroughly thought about it and decided that now's not the time? Likely not. Most of the time it's because they're not much more than fleeting thoughts that don't get the proper attention. I've found this recently to be most helpful while reading parenting magazines. As I prepare to be a father for the first time, I've been jotting down notes of things I think will be relevant when I have a child. I can't possibly remember six months from now what I read in a magazine, but if I "get it down on paper" then I can see what to do with it when the time comes.

If I have to give an answer on the spot, it will often be different than the answer I would give had I been able to give it more attention. Or when collaborating with others, having something to reference has helped in keeping everyone on the same page. If you have an idea in your head, it's likely to stay there unless you can act on it right away. One way to act on it immediately is to just get it down on paper.