Do It Now

As a writer I’ve discovered that my “good ideas” have a life of about twenty seconds.  If I fail to make a note, either electronically or on paper, half a minute later I’ll only remember that I had a good idea.  I won’t remember what the good idea was.

Of course, different writers have different styles.  I understand Stephen King never writes down a new idea.  He feels that if the idea is good enough, then he will remember it.  Obviously that has worked well for him.

What I know for sure is that if I want to be certain to accomplish a given task I need to create an immediate reminder for myself.  For example, if I want to remember to take something to my office I need to put it on a specific corner of the cabinet in my bedroom.  Similarly, if I want to carry anything from my office to my home I always place it on the corner of the credenza in back of my desk.

I used to believe I didn’t need a memory jog.  Who doesn’t want to think they are perfect?  But my life is far smoother when I “do it now.”  Does anyone want to drive home to get the tickets left in a drawer rather than in a purse or wallet?

If it’s worth doing, and you can’t do it immediately, create a reminder for yourself so that you will remember to do it in the future.

I’m really glad that I wrote down the idea for this blog on Wednesday last week.

Alan