Collection: Time Management - #12 Jim Rohn 'Learn to Think on Paper'
[Transcript]
JIM ROHN 00:00
Next, learn to think on paper.
Some ways to think on paper; One, we've covered one, solving problems, take it out of your head and put it on paper. Another one is setting goals. Making these lists we've already started.
Here's another good way to think on paper, it's a projects book. Each person you're working with and each project you're working on, get a loose-leaf binder, and a tab, and some pieces of paper behind the tab and do a little continual summary of how it's going between you and that person and between you and that project.
I call it a project book, it is so useful to me. What's going on between you and this person when you last got together, what did you talk about? And you got a few notes there, here's what we talked about the last time we got together. Now, when you get together again, you can review that. So you'll know better what to talk about.
When the president gets ready to travel and he's going to meet some important people, guess what they bring him? All these briefing books. Right? The last time you were with Khrushchev, Kennedy is informed. Here's what he said and here's what you said, Kennedy said, oh, that's valuable. I need to remember that.
If a person is important, it's worth a little running account, you might even have a project book for your children. Here's what's happening between me and my child, we've talked about this and we've talked about this, and we've talked about this.
Next, a day-timer keeping track of all of your appointments. You know, mine is all filled with you know, when to catch an airplane and when to do a seminar, when to sit down and have a conference all the rest,
Next is a game plan, you know, if you've got a house, you know, insurance is going to come due and some other things are going to due, you just put it on a spreadsheet, make sure it's taken care of.
Key phrase, take things out of your head and put them on paper. And the key is to just experiment with different ways that helps you to do that.
Now, here's the last one thinking on paper and that's to keep a journal. One of the things I'm known for around the world – have been now for 39-40 years – is keeping a journal. Now, my journal is not a, you know, it's not necessarily a – it's not like a diary, it might be part diary.
You know, I'm flying over Ireland and I write down a few little things that impressed me; Today, I met this person, what an extraordinary event. Today, I conducted this seminar in Rome thousand people stood up and sang for me.
I've got a little bit of a diary in there, but here's what primarily your journal is for, collecting good ideas. A journal is to collect good ideas on your health, good ideas for your business, good ideas for your future, good ideas for time management.
Because I used to take notes on pieces of paper and torn off corners and backs of old envelopes and restaurant placemats. And I threw all this stuff in the drawer, it did not serve me well.
I finally learned to get a bound copy. Right? And just keep a journal, right, if I was here I had my journal, I will be taking notes, write these two days in my journal. Now, if you're caught without your journal, you just take the notes when you get back home, you put those notes in your journal, throw the paper away because we don't usually go through paper to review.
But see my journals now make up a significant part of my own library. My journals all reserved privately for my children and my grandchildren. Can you imagine what I've collected over the years? It's unbelievable.
(Source: https://youtu.be/aOWSmNcEBCc)
[YAPSS Takeaway]
Write things down, it gives you a better focus on your tasks.
Keep a journal for your good ideas and create your own library.
P.S. YAPSS.com is my journal by the way.
