How to stay cool as a manager

You need a simple way to capture information easily

Author

Daniel Hauck
April 02, 2024

💌 246 words ⌛ 1 minute

You need a simple way to capture information at any time of the day. Regardless if the CEO is calling you or a direct report, you don't want to rely on your memory for important tasks or notes. It doesn't matter if it's digital or analog, it needs to be simple, fast, and available. Make capturing information effortless.

Why it matters: We need to handle lots of moving parts as managers. Keeping everything in your mind is a recipe for disaster - for you and everyone else. A way to capture information keeps your mind free to think. And it keeps you relaxed, as you know you can let it go from your "working memory".

Dig deeper:

  • Keep it simple and make it effortless. Use a paper notebook or any to-do app that you can always carry with you.

  • At the moment of creating your note, don't think about what's going to happen with it. Only get it out of your head.

  • Use short sentences that cover the essence of the note. You need to know what your words mean in a week.

  • Make it a ritual to go through your notes at the end of the day and process them further. Is there a note where you need to take action? Put it into the right system.

  • Keep your system simple and stick to simple lists, don't try to be fancy.

Do you already have a way to capture information rapidly? Let’s talk.

— Daniel