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Warning: I spent 6 months at Detroit TechTown networking events shaking hands without ever following up the next day
After a founder I really respected called me out at a coffee shop in Corktown for never sending that LinkedIn request or email after we talked, I realized I wasted dozens of solid connections just because I thought a good handshake was enough - has anyone else found a simple system that actually works for follow-through?
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linda_wood2mo ago
The trick I found was to just send a quick text or email right there in my car before I even leave the parking lot... keeps it simple and stops me from forgetting.
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michael_bennett112mo ago
Yeah that "before you even leave" part is key. I do the same thing with grocery lists. Like I'll literally stand in the aisle at Walmart and text my wife what I grabbed so she can add stuff we're out of. It's way better than getting home and realizing I forgot the milk. The parking lot rule works for work stuff too. I'll dictate a quick email to my boss while I'm still sitting there with the AC blasting. Once I walk in the door at home all that work brain just disappears. That ten second habit saves me from sending follow ups at 2am when I finally remember.
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john_singh8d ago
Man, that's such a good point about the AC blasting thing. I do something similar where I'll sit in my car for five extra minutes and just mentally run through my day like a checklist. It sounds dumb but I'll actually say stuff out loud like "okay, I texted Sarah about Saturday, I paid that electric bill, the laundry is in the dryer" and then I can walk in the door with a clear head. My wife used to get annoyed because I'd just be sitting there staring at the steering wheel but now she gets it. The parking lot rule is basically a brain buffer zone (or whatever you wanna call it) and it works way better than the guilt spiral of remembering stuff at midnight.
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