Write It Down!

How many times have you agreed to do something or someone has asked you to do something and you were so busy that you had completely forgotten about it five minutes later?  It's not uncommon.  That is why I agree with Patricia, from Laughing All the Way To Work.  She says:

When your boss asks you to do something, write it down, send yourself an e-mail reminder or put it on a sticky note   - On the Job Tips for New Admins

There are various ways that you can write it down.  Some ideas:

• sticky notes - they are easy to use and can be put in the location closest to where you need to see it.
• computer sticky notes - you can download a sticky note program (Google has a great one) that allows you to put sticky notes on your desktop
• your Outlook/email - send yourself an email with a reminder attached if there is a deadline
• a notebook - I used to keep a notebook handy and write things down and periodically throughout the day I would check through my list to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything
• a whiteboard or chalkboard - keep only the most relevant and important things on it and erase them as they are completed

Whatever you do, don't trust your memory to keep track of everything.  As an administrative assistant there are people that are depending on you so make sure that you method of remembering things is dependable!