WEBVTT - Write notes to next time 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is for things you've just done and that

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<v Speaker 1>you'll do again, but maybe not for a while, make

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<v Speaker 1>notes to next time. These are notes to yourself about

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<v Speaker 1>what you did, what worked well, and what to do differently.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't assume you'll remember everything you won't. Better to record

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<v Speaker 1>insights while they are fresh in your mind. Lots of

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<v Speaker 1>people make notes for next time on recipes. You write

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<v Speaker 1>in the margin of a cookbook. Actually, this took more

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<v Speaker 1>like thirty five minutes, or makes a ton plan to

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<v Speaker 1>share or freeze leftovers. People make notes on the recipes

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<v Speaker 1>because they assume that they will make the recipe again,

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<v Speaker 1>but that they probably won't remember the various insights they

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<v Speaker 1>had the last time they made it. The printed recipe

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<v Speaker 1>provides a natural place for a note that will jog

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<v Speaker 1>your memory. Notes to next time can be helpful in

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<v Speaker 1>other aspects of our lives too. I write down notes

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<v Speaker 1>on the sheet music I use for singing in choir.

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<v Speaker 1>I might think I'll remember that cut off, but I won't.

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<v Speaker 1>Next rehearsal it will be gone. Best to write it in.

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<v Speaker 1>But much of life lacks an obvious instruction sheet, and

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<v Speaker 1>so our insights get lost. We wind up learning things

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<v Speaker 1>the hard way over and over again, or we just

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<v Speaker 1>ordered too many holiday cards over and over again. How

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<v Speaker 1>to avoid this create your own universal note to next

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<v Speaker 1>time about anything you do repeatedly, but fairly rarely. This

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<v Speaker 1>can just be a simple document. You keep going on

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<v Speaker 1>your computer, think broadly about what can go on there.

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<v Speaker 1>Do all your kids wind up doing the same project

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<v Speaker 1>of building a bridge out of popsicle sticks or building

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<v Speaker 1>a pinewood derby car. Note what worked and what you

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<v Speaker 1>learned from the bridges or vehicles that one. If you

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<v Speaker 1>send holiday cards, make a note of how many you ordered.

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<v Speaker 1>We need to get kids passports every few years, and

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<v Speaker 1>so we've got that list of documentation well documented. Sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>apps that seem to understand humans help us remember this

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<v Speaker 1>to some degree. My grub Hub app tells me my

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<v Speaker 1>recent restaurants and shows me what I ordered last time.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, it doesn't tell me whether I liked it,

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<v Speaker 1>so I need to make a note to myself to

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<v Speaker 1>skip the French fries from that one place. Or just

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<v Speaker 1>because I keep ordering the dragon roll doesn't mean I

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<v Speaker 1>actually like the dragon role. Notes to next time are

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<v Speaker 1>great at work too, particularly for projects or tasks that

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<v Speaker 1>you do just a time or two a year, big events, mailings,

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<v Speaker 1>and the like. Indicate the steps you followed, the colleagues

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<v Speaker 1>who are involved, the timeline, and any thoughts about doing

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<v Speaker 1>things differently. It's also a great idea to have your

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<v Speaker 1>direct reports create notes to next time for any projects

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<v Speaker 1>where they have a key role. That way they get

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<v Speaker 1>the institutional knowledge out of their heads and onto paper,

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<v Speaker 1>so you are not counting on them to remember how

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<v Speaker 1>to perform the task successfully the next time it comes up.

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<v Speaker 1>They've got notes to remind them. And if they're in

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<v Speaker 1>another role or no longer at your organization, when the

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<v Speaker 1>project rolls around again, well, you'll be able to hand

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<v Speaker 1>their successor a summary of what was done last time

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<v Speaker 1>and how to do it even better this time. Notes

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<v Speaker 1>to next time documents enable you to learn from your

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<v Speaker 1>experiences and have a process that gets better each time around.

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<v Speaker 1>So in the coming weeks at work and at home,

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<v Speaker 1>as you handle projects that will come up again in

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<v Speaker 1>the future, make your own notes to next time. You

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<v Speaker 1>will get the full benefit of everything you've learned in

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's B the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia

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<v Speaker 1>dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all

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<v Speaker 1>the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying

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<v Speaker 1>in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio.

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