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Over the last 10 years we have moved from being connected to being hyperconnected with the promise that with increased connectedness would come, among other things, increased productivity. Somehow, we’ve bought into the assumption that there exists a linear relationship between success and connectivity, but often the exact opposite is the case.
We can’t escape the hyperconnected nature of our modern world; it’s unrealistic to believe we’ll suddenly stop surfing the internet or checking our smartphones. However, turning to technology for the answer (software to block time-wasting sites from our computers, productivity apps to help us streamline our to-do-lists, or calendar apps to help us schedule our over-stuffed lives) can be band-aid solutions or sometimes even a nonessentialist trap, fooling us into believing that more – more apps, more software, more connected devices – will help us do less.
The Essentalist sees it differently; the Essentialist knows that there are times that less technology can enable us to accomplish more. This is why many of the most effective and succesful people use non-digital solutions to help them navigate this hyperconnected world. The #1 non-digital solution successful people use? A simple notebook or journal. Consider the following examples:
Sheryl Sandberg. According to Michael Helft at Fortune: “[Sheryl’s] days are a flurry of meetings that she runs with the help of a decidedly undigital spiral-bound notebook. On it, she keeps lists of discussion points and action items. She crosses them off one by one, and once every item on a page is checked, she rips the page off and moves to the next. If every item is done 10 minutes into an hour-long meeting, the meeting is over.”
Richard Branson wrote in his autobiography, “…my most essential possession is a standard-sized school notebook, which can be brought at any stationary shop on any high street across the country. I carry this everywhere and write down all the comments that are made to me by Virgin staff and anyone else I meet. I make notes of all telephone conversations and all meetings, and I draft out letters and lists of telephone calls to make....the discipline of writing everything down ensures that I have listened to people carefully.”
Oprah Winfrey has kept a handwritten journal since she was 15. She has written, “It's a wonder that I've managed to be a successful human being considering how pathetic I appeared in many of my daily musings. It's a testament to growth and grace that I've come this far…In my 40s, I got wiser. I started using journals to express my gratitude — and watched my blessings multiply. What you focus on expands.”
And just for the geeks among us, while George Lucas worked on Star Wars for 8 hours a day from a secluded writing room, according to Brett & Kate McKay, “…he also carried a pocket notebook with him at all times for taking down ideas, words, and plot angles on the go. While mixing the sound for American Graffiti with Walter Murch, Murch asked Lucas for R2, D2, meaning Reel 2, Dialogue 2. Lucas liked the sound of that phrase and jotted it down in his notebook. This little note would of course come in handy later for the naming of that now famous robot. Names like Jawa and Wookie also began as quick scribbles in Lucas’ notebook.”
Mark Twain. The McKays write, “Twain kept 40-50 pocket notebooks over four decades of his life. He often began one before embarking on a trip. He filled the notebooks with observations of people he met, thoughts on religion and politics, drawings and sketches of what he saw on his travels, potential plots for books, and even ideas for inventions (he filed 3 patents during his lifetime). Many of his entries consist of the short, witty, pithy sentences he is famous for. He felt that if he did not write such things down as they came to his mind he would quickly forget them.”
Aristotle Onassis, the legendary Greek shipping tycoon, gave this advice: "Always carry a notebook. Write everything down. When you have an idea, write it down. When you meet someone new, write down everything you know about them. That way you will know how much time they are worth. When you hear something interesting, write it down. Writing it down will make you act upon it. If you don’t write it down you will forget it. THAT is a million dollar lesson they don’t teach you in business school!"
For the last ten years I have kept a notebook with me almost everywhere I’ve gone and written in it almost every day. In case it is useful, I use mine to write down:
- Ideas
- Goals
- Quotes
- Names of people I'd like to remember
- Long lists of things I am considering doing
- Short lists of things I am actually committing to
- Notes from key meetings
- Plans for future key meetings
- Insights for upcoming keynotes
- What I need to say yes to achieve my goals
- What I need to say no to to achieve my goals
- What I am grateful for today
Without any question at all, these notebooks are my most valuable single possession.
These books are more than a collection of random lists: they enable us to connect the dots in our lives. They are more than piecemeal ideas, they provide the clues for what our highest contribution could be. They are more than a record of the past, they are a powerful tool for designing the future.
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