Fresh Start Monday #001: The Pain of not Documenting

I had my first coaching session with a new client in August.

As the 2nd session began two weeks later, I couldn't keep my mind straight. What did we talk about last time?

I have a bad habit of not recording notes.

As a young coach, that session was bittersweet. It's like having a great conversation with someone, but you can't remember their name.

A crucial part of coaching is the design and evolution of the coaching relationship. Each session builds on top of each other to achieve a goal.

I know who I want to be in this situation. It's important to me. How do I create a new behavior?

First, let's take a step back. We are quick to look for new beginnings, but goodbyes come first. Who was the old me?

Here are some old thought patterns as I hit CTRL + F on my brain:

  • Will I ever read this?

  • Will anyone ever read this? (At day job)

  • How will I ever find these notes again?

  • I'm not a rigorous note-taker. Nor will I ever be.

  • My ego says, "I don't need to take notes. I'll figure it out."

  • Why did it just take me 30 minutes to write this down?

  • I have better things to do.

  • I'll do the follow-up items. The rest doesn't matter.

  • I'm a little lazy sometimes.

As I change this behavior in September, here are the new stories I'm downloading:

  • Note-taking is a small task.

  • Remembering details will show the client how attentive I am.

  • It'll help me stand out as a coach.

  • I'm a good note-taker.

  • I can put all my clients in one folder. I can pull notes up as a transition to the next call.

  • I can do this in two minutes flat. Notes don't need to be a carbon copy of the call.

  • In my day job, it'll help coworkers catch up on the client without asking me.

Fresh Start Monday:

How do I create a new repeatable behavior that supports my new stories?

The experiment for this week comes from James Clear. He talks about the formation of habits in four steps:

  1. Cue

  2. Craving

  3. Response

  4. Reward

In this scenario:

  1. Cue: My coaching session ends

  2. Craving: I want to remember what happened

  3. Response: I write down notes

  4. Reward: A sense of completion

I'm also habit stacking. I'm taking something already happening and pairing it with a new habit. The session doesn't "end" until I finish my notes.

The experiment makes sense on paper. Let's see how it plays out.

What is the old story you're holding onto that's preventing a new behavior from sliding in?

What's the new behavior?

NewsletterKamil SkwarekDocumentation, September 2022, NotesComment