I KNOW better than I DO. I have very good intentions. But my follow through is sometimes lacking.
Working with volunteers is about relationships, and relationships depend on communication. A volunteer is more than a tool to get a task done, so I want to engage with volunteers about “the job” and about life. I have a genuine level of care about them, and I would like to communicate that.
With each volunteer I coach, I have intentions. I want to maintain an ongoing cycle of training, empowering, and following up. I intend to know if they have energy for the next steps forward or if they need a break…or change.
Do you know what keeps me from executing these plans more than any other single hurdle? My memory. I cannot reliably remember who, what, when and where for all the people in my life. If you can relate to this limitation, I have a few simple ideas to share. Once you get these strategies rolling, they self-perpetuate.
- Block out a couple hours at the beginning of the year or quarter to plan your intentions. Use something like Outlook or Google Calendar to log the intervals and topics for your next step of action. You can’t possibly do everything you want to do without this kind of help. Tools like these simply take your strategies and intentions and puts them in front of you when it’s timely. The reminders give you the equivalent of an awesome memory! And you can give yourself the lead time you need by setting a reminder a week out…or a day out…so you can prep as needed.
- You probably have a smartphone. Use it. Everything that’s accessible at your desktop is available when you’re out and about. This seems simple, but not everyone takes advantage of this feature— even though they probably wouldn’t have to spend an extra dime to do so.
- Don’t commit to an appointment without looking at your calendar. If the calendar shows you’re free, schedule the new commitment on the spot. Your phone and your pc can talk, so what you do in the field syncs with your inner sanctum.
- Dictate notes immediately after a meeting. Your insights will no doubt be fresher if you make the note now versus later. And you avoid the risk of distractions capturing your thoughts. I prolifically use voice to text to get my thoughts out as quickly as possible. I’ve even been known to tell Siri to send an email to myself. What a great way to get a note in front your eyes later.
- Write your emails at a time that’s best for your schedule. You can delay their delivery. The delay can be an hour…or a few weeks. For example, you can write a reminder to someone about a meeting AND write your followup request for feedback all in the same sitting. Two separate emails. Two separate delivery times.
- When “current self” needs to communicate with “future self,” avoid cryptic bullet points that won’t mean anything to yourself in 3 months. I amaze myself sometimes. I’ll look back at a note that I obviously wrote to myself and wonder, “What in tarnation did I mean?”
Anything associated with a timeline will benefit from one or several of the above tools. When I boil it down, you want to remember tomorrow what you think is important today.