How do I de-clog my brain?

Have you got a few memory problems? I for one will stick my hand up and say ‘no not really’. My philosophy is that if you don’t need to remember it, why try to?  As a result, I have put processes and procedures into my business to make my life easier (and the rest of the team’s). One way I have done this is to create a “contacts sheet” where I have all the contact details of the business, whether it is our ABN, our phone number, the courier’s phone number and our account number or the mobile numbers for everyone in the team.

I always keep a copy in my diary and on my desk, and there is many a moment that I have saved time (and everyone knows that time is money) by being able to fill in a form quickly or answer a question about our bank details without having to get back to the customer.

Writing things down really helps me when my brain is whizzing round trying to solve my Mocks world domination problem – I don’t want it clogged up with bank details or phone numbers. My top tips for de-clogging your brain are:

• Keep a Post-it note pad beside your bed, write things you need to do on it then stick them on your headboard; you will wake up and see it straight away (this is my current favourite).
• Keep a whiteboard marker pen in the bathroom and write yourself notes on the mirror.
• Develop a contacts sheet for your business and share it with your team.
• Put reminders in your electronic calendar for regular things you need to do.
• Book your beautician appointments for a year in advance – I’m in for waxing every month until the end of 2009!
• Use your task manager in Outlook for your team; when you think of something for them write it on their particular task list (you can also share these task lists with the particular person).

I’d love to hear if anyone else has any good tips for de-clogging…

Lara Solomon is the founder of Mocks, mobile phone socks www.MyMocks.com and author of Brand New Day – the Highs & Lows of Starting a Small Business. Lara’s business LaRoo was the winner of the NSW Telstra Micro-Business Award in 2008.

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