PastorHacks

From (about) a year ago... Takin notes

I written about the value of the Hipster here. A Hipster is basically geek-talk for the (even geekier) "ubiquitous capture tool" of GTD. In other words, something you carry around to write things down.

I never, ever could have imagined how freeing, how stress-relieving it could possibly be to have a tool to which I could download ideas, thoughts, to-do's to, as soon as they came into my head. In that way, I freed myself from having to remember them until I could do them, thus ensuring that the whole experience of desperately trying to remember something I really needed not to forget would be minimized. And man, if you start having that happen on a regular basis, you'll see the value of this. Maybe you should try it before you get there :)

At any rate, here's a new use I've been putting the Hipster to- I take notes during meetings.

Whoa.

Okay... not the mind-blowing hack perhaps you were hoping for, but let me explain.

I don't so much take notes on what we talked about (though I do that, recording action items for myself, for the other person, reflections to record later, etc), but rather, I take notes on what we will talk about in a minute.

As I'm out and about I write things down so that I can expend fewer cycles trying to keep it in my head
until I can act on it. Why would I not do the same in the middle of meeting with someone?
In other words, while they are talking, they inevitably trigger a thought, a question, a response (actually, usually all of the above) and I have found that the best way to actually hear what they are saying and really listen, is to get that question down and forget about it until the right time to ask it.

It may seem rude at first, but trust me- do this a couple times in a meeting and you'll see the benefit to both parties. And if anyone ever gives you guff about it, just tell them "Writing down questions or thoughts for later in the conversation helps me to listen better to you now."

What other uses have you found for your "ubiquitous capture tool"?

Takin' Notes...

I written about the value of the Hipster here. A Hipster is basically geek-talk for the (even geekier) "ubiquitous capture tool" of GTD. In other words, something you carry around to write things down.

I never, ever could have imagined how freeing, how stress-relieving it could possibly be to have a tool to which I could download ideas, thoughts, to-do's to, as soon as they came into my head. In that way, I freed myself from having to remember them until I could do them, thus ensuring that the whole experience of desperately trying to remember something I really needed not to forget would be minimized. And man, if you start having that happen on a regular basis, you'll see the value of this. Maybe you should try it before you get there :)

At any rate, here's a new use I've been putting the Hipster to- I take notes during meetings.

Whoa.

Okay... not the mind-blowing hack perhaps you were hoping for, but let me explain.

I don't so much take notes on what we talked about (though I do that, recording action items for myself, for the other person, reflections to record later, etc), but rather, I take notes on what we will talk about in a minute.

As I'm out and about I write things down so that I can expend fewer cycles trying to keep it in my head
until I can act on it. Why would I not do the same in the middle of meeting with someone?
In other words, while they are talking, they inevitably trigger a thought, a question, a response (actually, usually all of the above) and I have found that the best way to actually hear what they are saying and really listen, is to get that question down and forget about it until the right time to ask it.

It may seem rude at first, but trust me- do this a couple times in a meeting and you'll see the benefit to both parties. And if anyone ever gives you guff about it, just tell them "Writing down questions or thoughts for later in the conversation helps me to listen better to you now."

What other uses have you found for your "ubiquitous capture tool"?

Just write it down...

From this month's Wired magazine, some concrete scientific (if you count a blurb in the margin of the magazine as either "concrete" or "scientific") evidence that points toward some good reasons to carry a Hipster, and to just write stuff down.

"Most brains can handle only five to nine short-term memories at once. Newer information- phone call! ice cream!- can bump a previous memory out of storage before it's committed to long-term recall. Even worse, new memories tend to merge with permanent ones, muddying the recollection of ritual activities. Michael 'Professor' Solomon, author of How to Find Lost Objects, says it's easy to accidentally substitute one routine motion for another. So look for your keys where you normally put your wallet. If that fails, check the car, the sofa cushions, the door lock, and (duh) your pocket. You're probably staring right at them."

So there you go... (how to find your keys was free!)
There's a direct correlation to when I have a pen and paper handy and write stuff down and a lessoning of stress. It's when I'm trying to keep all those bits and pieces in my head that stress rises. More things I'm trying not to forget, more things that are slipping out of my head...

I really only have to remember two things: Write it down. Process it at a set time.
For more info on this very helpful habit, check here.

The Hipster... Nano!

How to make a Hipster Nano PDA...

"We all know and love the Hipster PDA for taking notes and ideas on the fly, but sometimes you want something a little smaller and more discreet for note-taking. Enter the Hipster nano!"

Read the rest...

Other Pastorhacks related to the Hipster...

hipster hack... new people cont'd

Generally, things stay written down in my hipster PAD only long enough to get transferred to Backpack, and then they get crossed off. It's a collection device, not a reference tool.

I've tweaked that a bit tho... the one thing I leave in there?

New people's names...

When I meet someone, whether a person visiting our sunday gathering or a friend of someone I know, or I finally get the name of that barista that's been making my cuppa joe... I write it down. I have to. I'm bad that way...

Anyway, I was recording the new folks in Backpack and then taking them out of the hipster... reviewing the new folks list as part of my Friday review really helped, but...

I'd still forget some people's names when they came back! Writing them down, transferring to backpack and reviewing got me to about 60%, but still...

And then I realized, if I just leave them in there, I have return visitor's names in my back pocket as I walk around on Sunday. A quick review before everyone starts coming in, a peek as I'm writing down the name of someone I just met...

Rock on.

Update: New Person Name Hack...

I posted a few weeks back on a hack for helping to remember new people's names after a church service.

I carry my PAD, my Hipster with me everywhere (and a pen, of course). As I walk around, meeting and greeting new people, I take a minute to jot down their names either directly after talking to them, or later, after the service.

Then, first thing on Tuesday, I throw their names on Backpack...

Yesterday, I noticed five repeat visitors. And because I had looked at the list of recent visitors before we started, I nailed the name thing with all of them.

Gotta tell you, it makes me feel really good to actually be able to greet someone by name, and I think they appreciate it as well...

You really should try this :)

hipster hack- new folks

Okay- here's one I tried yesterday for the first time, and I can already tell it's going to be a regular part of my repetoire...

I carry my hipster everywhere- basically a small, leather-like notebook I buy for $1.99 (and can refill, thus making it superior to the cooler, but much more expensive Moleskine)- and that includes Sunday morning. It's in my back pocket all the time (Bonus- it rounds out my butt since my George Costanza-like wallet sits on the other cheek), with a Pilot G-2 pen clipped in my right front pocket...

Anyway, yesterday, we had an abundance of first-time visitors at our Sunday morning gathering...

I'm really, really bad with names. I mean, really bad.

I usually have to ask people to remind me of their names 8 or 9 times...

But yesterday, I had a stroke of brilliance, a flash of ingenuity...

the hipster...

So, after realizing I was cursed to never have a working Treo, I have resorted to the Hipster.

Here's mine!

I love it- when I have an idea, a note for my to-do list, anything. I just write it down. I was looking into the Moleskine, but at $1.99, you just can't beat this guy.

How about you? Are you using an analog PDA? (err... I guess it wouldn't be a PDA.. I guess mines a Personal Analog Device... A PAD!)

Send me a picture of yours or post a link...