Why use old-school organisational hack?

I am sure your brain is going round in circles with the heading of my post. There she goes again – what is organisational hack and who uses that in this modern age of technology?

Well, it has been known that some of the biggest names in business use a surprisingly old-school organizational and productivity trick. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Virgin founder Richard Branson, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg all carry around notebooks by using the same old-school organizational hack (part of this post was derived from The Business Insider).  And then myself included. 

Gates and Branson have repeatedly claimed they use their notebooks to record ideas. By keeping a pen and paper handy, these two moguls are able to keep track of and remember all the inklings that come to them throughout the day. “I can’t tell you where I’d be if I hadn’t had a pen on hand to write down my ideas as soon as they came to me,” Branson wrote in a blog post.

Sandberg uses her notebook as a sort of daily planner, according to Fortune. She scribbles down to-do lists and then rips out pages once she’s hit all the items on her list. It’s a great motivator for staying on track — there’s nothing more satisfying than crossing off everything on your to-do list.

Regardless of how exactly they use their notebooks, these business leaders are all onto something. And I am tapping into it.

TED speaker Damon Brown wrote in Inc. that writing things down helps us filter our thoughts, remember ideas and insights, and articulate the abstract.

Forbes contributor Drew Hansen says that the key is to always jot down your thoughts straight away: “You think you’ll remember, but you won’t, and you’ll forfeit all the thoughts that flood you after you’ve freed your mind from remembering the initial spark.”

As a writer, I have been used to writing in a notebook and known as a notebook junkie – I even had a specific box packed with different notebooks. I now pleasure in collecting notebooks which are unique and currently sourcing ways to create The Renaissance Lady collection of Notebooks.

But in the meantime, I welcome tips of notebooks from well-wishers. Yes, it might be old-school, but it works.

What works for you?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Yours in love – The Renaissance Lady ©