Ep. 4 Hey did you write that down?
Hey nice to meet you! I’m Desiree Jones or Dez for Short and welcome to the podcast that teaches you how to establish your network and maintain relationships both on and off your screen.
Today’s Topic? Hey, did you write that down?
Writing is another important way to collect and organize information. Writing is just as important as reading. When you write, you’re more likely to remember and retain information.
BOOK OF THE DAY!
Reading is fundamental, and it’s very important to continue to make it a habit. If you prefer audio books that’s fine, but something about the touch of a book and the flip of a page just brings solitude to the mind. So with that, today’s book I’d like to shout out first is….
Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson
Hey, did you write that down?
In the digital age we live in, with ipads and laptops, we look more at screens than paper.
We can easily type anything we need to remember so why write it on paper?
Why is writing important?
Well I’ll give you 3 reasons
Writing helps you learn.
Writing helps you earn.
Writing helps you remember.
When I was in school, I used notebooks and a cute assortment of pens and pencils in different colors for each of the classes I took. I did this in elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. So I’ve constantly developed a habit of writing that works for how I learn.
How does writing help you learn? When you write on paper, you’re creating another tool needed to understand. I’m also a visual learner. So anytime I didn’t understand something when I saw it, I would also write it down to visually look at it over and over, read what I wrote over and over again to learn what I saw visually.
How does writing help you earn? What you write down can be the foundation for what you need to earn money. Writing is another way to communicate. And what we communicate to the world can be valuable. It's another tool used to exchange emotional or monetary value. Writing sketches, writing down formulas, writing down words for poetry or even drafting ideas for books or projects.
So writing helps you learn by creating another tool needed to understand.
Writing helps you earn by starting a foundation to what you need to exchange emotional or monetary value.
Writing also helps you remember
How does writing help you remember? Well let's be honest here. How many times have you said you’ll remember something and you forget? How many times have you said oh yeah I need to get something from the store and when you get to the store you get everything but that one thing you really needed. Or what about someone's name? Someone asks if you know someone who can help or a contract but..you remember their face but not their name.
From grocery lists to the constitution, writing things down helps you remember. If you have something written down, and it’s right in front of you or at least in close proximity to you you’re even more likely to remember. Out of sight, out of mind. If you have to write down a bunch of information try to write it all in the same in a notebook or a journal. I started journaling back in 2017, so as of now I have 5 years worth of thoughts that I can reflect and look back on and remember all that I have experienced. When you write, you’re documenting a guide the foundation of what can help you learn, earn, and remember.
Writing helps you learn.
Writing helps you earn.
Writing helps you remember.
Then it all went left
So this is a segment where I talk about a situation that went terribly left but led to the right path.
So to those who may not know this about me, I used to work seasonal and part time for Home Depot. This was my first job out of college after about a year and a half of looking for a job. I just needed something to start making money cuz I was terribly broke and on my own. While at Home Depot I started off in Garden working 5am to 9am during the summer watering flowers, then about 2 months in I worked part time in garden then a few months later I worked in deliveries. Deliveries is where most contractors and trucks would pick up bulk orders so pallets of stone, mulch, marble chips all that. And some days there were orders for 50 bags of mulch or an order for 150 2 by 6 by 16s in lumber, due in the morning I would have to use a forklift or reach truck to grab it and place it where it needs to be ready to deliver for the next day.
Because I alternated between mornings and evenings I’d be the person reviewing the list of what needs to be delivered or placed the night before and have it ready by the morning. OR I’d come in, in the morning and look at what is being delivered. Some days that list can get really long so I usually write them down to make sure I have a record of what to expect. But of course… there’s always that one day when you think you got the hang of things and you’re like, I got it, I can remember it! Well one day I was with a fellow co-worker who doesn’t write things down, and I was so swamped I asked if they were able to take care of a couple of deliveries for me. I gave them the paper and went home with the expectation that everything was going to get taken care of . I got to work the next day and nothing was taken care of and delivery trucks were waiting on orders that sill haven’t been pulled. Not only that, since I gave them my paper, I didn’t have anything to look at as a reference. I was in an instant panic because at that moment I had just delayed a whole truck route because of an order I thought was already ready and wasn’t. On top of that it was one of those orders that needed multiple trips with a forklift so there was no way it was going to be delivered on time.
What did you learn?
Well one, if you write something down, write it somewhere else too. Have a copy somewhere. If I had a copy, I could’ve taken care of a lot of the deliveries quicker because I had a reference to fall back to, but instead had to start over.
Be mindful of who you ask for help. Not everyone wants to help and some people can’t even pull their own weight so just keep that in mind when trying to complete a task or an assignment. So people could care less, but that doesn’t mean you should care less.
100 Commandments of Confidence
Thou shall not let a setback or missstep in life determine who you are meant to be. While I was working at home depot, were there times where I felt like… man, my life sucks. Absolutely. Especially when you’re working an afternoon shift in garden on a hot day and someone else asks for 50 bags of mulch that you gotta hand stack in someone's truck by yourself. Yeah, it sucks, but it was only for a season. It didn’t last forever. Confidence is about not letting negative circumstances deter you from having a positive outlook on who you are. Even while lifting marble chips on a truck I knew I was still confident in myself. I was confident in getting the job done, and I was confident in being the best person I could be while doing it. A setback or a misstep could be preparation for the new. Confidence is being able to believe in yourself through any circumstance.
Follow Up Hack
When should you follow up with someone if you’ve already talked with them?
Timing is indeed everything, and knowing when to reach out is crucial. It is best to send a follow up within the first 48 hours of meeting someone. This way it leaves the conversation fresh in their mind. Provides a better opportunity for established connection. If you take too long to touch base with them, they may not respond back.
In a professional situation, the faster you follow up the more initiative it shows. They may not respond right away but they may remember better if you respond quicker compared to if you email them 2 weeks after talking to them. It also proves that you have the ability to follow up.
Outro:
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