Yes, I write things on my hand. (And my thighs. And my feet. And my tummy. Shush. You'd think I would like tattoos, but no.)
I also sometimes write things on the sweaty inside of the palm, which is just STUPID as the notes erase themselves in Louisiana's humid heat.
But lately, in an effort to be more organized (and less ink poisoned), I've made five rules for myself.
(Aside - Is ink poisoning really A THING?!? My mom says it, my husband says it, and my teachers used to say it. But, seriously, if it was A THING, I'd have an extra eyeball or something by now. At the very least, I'd grow a spare toe! Liars!!! Lying liars, the lot of them!)
Anyway...without further ado...
Rules of the Refined Jot
1. Do not write on your body (or a napkin or any other substitute writing surface). You'll lose the message or look silly.
2. If the note is about a document, it's fair game to write it on the document.
For example, if editing a rough draft or noting a telephone call about a bill, the draft or the bill is an appropriate place to jot the note.
3. If the note is time-specific, write it on your schedule in your planner.
Yes, this does mean opening your planner. Yes, opening your planner is tedious. DO IT ANYWAY! (Yes, those are shouty all caps. Not my fault - it's the ink poisoning!)
One reason to open your planner is that you need to check your schedule anyway, to make sure you don't need to move anything around in order to fit the new event. Another reason is that opening your planner, on a regular basis, is the only way to keep it relevant and reliable.
4. If the note is a task, open to the appropriate day or week and write it down.
Choice A: Open planner. Write task. Do task.
Choice B: Don't open planner. Write task on hand. Remember later about task when you see smeared ink. Open planner. Write task. Do task.
Which choice makes more sense to you?
5. If you really do not have time to jot the task on the appropriate page, at least put it on your dashboard.
Refine your jotting and you'll find that fewer things slip through the cracks. Also, ink poisoning. We can't forget about ink poisoning, right, Mom?
Etcetera.
I've always been bad about jotting down a note or phone number on a paper. Then it gets lost. I'm trying to write it in my planner. Or at least make sure the paper gets in my planner,and I can transfer it to a planner page. Still working on this one. :)
ReplyDeleteIf I don't have a notepad or dashboard pages in my planner, I always keep a few large post-it pages handy for a quick note. I totally believe in ink poisoning even though I didn't die when my brother stabbed me with a ballpoint (by accident of course).
ReplyDeleteI've never been one to write on my hand. I'm not sure why. I don't write on napkins either. Once in a while I'll write a stray note on a post-it and then put it in my planner.
ReplyDeleteI guess I've been in the habit of always writing stuff in my planner which is nearly always open and near. Having it open and near makes it really easy.
http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=25774
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who is a roofer. He finally decided to get a notebook to keep in his pocket because while at work--on a roof, of course--he'd get phone calls and write notes on a nearby board. And then shingle over it and forget about it and get a call weeks later asking why he hadn't returned the call.
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