300 Seconds: What do you always forget?
The ability to multitask is an amazing gift. But even the best multitaskers need assistance.
Take 300 seconds and make a list of things you tend to forget.
- Tweeting about your bestseller list.
- Sending a blurb to IndieBound.
- Writing your weekly piece for the newsletter.
Think about your personal life, too. If your bookselling life is in order but your home life is chaotic, you’re still not in a good place because they affect each other. So add away-from-the-store items to the list as well, things like:
- Sending a check with your daughter for violin lessons.
- Picking up the dry cleaning.
- Changing the oil in your car.
Now, create some automatic reminders. You have tools for this already at your disposal: Google, Outlook, even flip phones have reminder features. When you set up the reminders, allow for an appropriate amount of lead time to perform the task on time. Recurring reminders will help you feel poised. You’ll still have to perform the task, but hopefully you’ll feel less discombobulated.
When my reminders pop up, I always have an audible-gasp moment of panic as I realize I almost forgot something. But almost forgetting feels so much better than actually forgetting.
