Think on Paper
As an entrepreneur, you have to make dozens of decisions each and every day. Combine project management with day-to-day operations, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed with details and planning. Instead of trying to juggle projects and tasks in your head, write them out and think on paper. When your tasks are no longer clogging up your thoughts, your mind will be unclouded and free to focus on the big picture.
More than the to-do’s, you should also do your strategic thinking on paper. Write your ideas down, and watch them transform from nebulous and overwhelming, to tangible and actionable. The simple act of writing out your thoughts will help you synthesize important issues, highlight critical points, and figure out the best way forward. When you have to make an important decision, write a short memo that outlines the key points, and use it to decide the best way forward.
In addition to helping you gain clarity, thinking on paper allows you to solicit feedback from advisors and mentors. Also, you now have a written record that you can refer to in the future.
When thinking on paper, you’ll find that your perception of the business is clearer and more sophisticated, which facilitates faster and better decision making.
Get The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
