A Watch, Pen, and Notebook

The following is a short vignette I share with junior officers to pass along some words of wisdom.

Over 20 years ago when I was a 1st Lt, there were three things that Retired US Army Colonel told me to always have on me as an officer. It was some of the best advice I received in my career and still adhere to today. As such I would like to share why it’s important to have these three simple things.

A watch.  

For practical reasons, a watch is important to inform you what time it is so you’re never late to work, appointment, or meeting. If you’re on time your late. So set it five minutes early to give you buffer time to make it to a meeting on time. Showing up a little early shows you care and are proactive. It’s embarrassing and disruptive to show up after a meeting has started, or making everyone who did show up on time, wait for you to arrive.

A watch is also a reminder that your time is finite and you should live for today and for the moment. So make the most of your day. Because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. You should plan your day to maximize your time, to accomplish the mission, take care of your airmen, decompress, eat, sleep, work out, and spend quality time with friends and family. In addition, as an intel professional a watch is symbolic to be ever watchful and alert to anticipate events so you’re not surprised.

A pen and something to write with.

You should never be without something to write with because otherwise you’ll forget your boss’ instructions . I’ve seen this occur countless times. At a minimum always have something to write with even if its one of those cheap government black pens or pencils. You may also want to watch this TED TALKS about the pen. If it inspires then get yourself something worth writing with, something you can take pride in owning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85bqT904VWA

You should write to remember. Our daily lives move faster in a cluttered and complex environment. As such, there's so much to remember and to keep track of including to do lists, calendars, bosses instructions, and subordinate concerns. Because of this volume of information we are more likely to forget something. Ideas and thoughts are fleeting, so taking the time to write, carries a warning order that this is important.  But where to write things down also matters.  

In the Information Age we write a lot. Tons of emails, Facebook posts, twittering, and chatting. But most of this is lost because of short attention spans, the chaotic and time sensitive requests for information, and a waterfall of new information constantly bombarding us. At times we can feel we're drowning in data as we have access to and write more today than ever in human history. This is why I'm a staunch proponent for journaling.  

To get a journal, open it, and start writing within it, are key actions to deliberately take time to write something important. You can use any medium to journal but I prefer an old fashioned moleskin notebook and unlike writing on a computer it feels real. Writing is also a stress reducer and if you go old fashion there'll be less strain on your eyes. As you write you'll capture key points, observations, and insights in your life and job, that one day you can refer back to. It establishes a little order in an environment perceived to be chaotic, and allows you to organize thoughts. In the future you can also share your experiences with family, your children and grandchildren who will want to read it. It's the first step in establishing your legacy and giving future generations insight into who you are. It makes you immortal. Just think about the gazillion people that are no longer on earth that didn't leave any history of themselves. As blogger Brett McKay states, a journal provides a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom from a life well lived.  

A journal will help you make decisions, just like mission planning and using a white board. When you write things down to figure out a problem (professional or personal) it helps you to develop options and identify their advantages and disadvantages. You'll have a record you can refer to when you want to remind yourself of why and how you arrived at a past decision. Which could be valuable to allow you to Remember/Reorient/Reflect/Re-center yourself. It will also help you understand how your decision making process matured over time.  

Writing in your journal during meetings also shows others that you care about what they have to say. In Afghanistan this was a technique I used to build trust between various factions to include insurgents. It signaled I valued what they had to say and I had a record of discussions. After a 1000 cups of tea I can honestly say it was worth my time. It's also useful if the meeting is boring as I can write down other things on my mind or doodle, and keeps you awake.

I hope some of you will find this useful and worthy of consideration.