Welcome back to Retire & RISE {{first_name}}
You know the feeling. You finally work out how to do something on your phone or computer. Maybe it's attaching a photo to an email, or getting the printer to talk to the laptop. It takes a while, but you get there.
Then a couple of months later, you need to do it again. And it's gone. You start from scratch.
I've done that more times than I'd like to admit. If there's one habit I wish I'd picked up sooner, it's this one: write the steps down. Over the years, it would have saved me a lot of time.
By the end of this, you'll:
See why forgetting how you did something is normal, not a sign you're slipping
Have a simple way to write steps so they still make sense months later
Know where to keep them so you can find them when you need them
Turn the hard part of most tech jobs into something you only do once
One I Wish I'd Done Years Ago
A quick tip from my place – the one phone setting that makes everything easier to read. No sales in it.
💡 Why the Second Time Feels Like the First
The first time you figure something out, you're paying close attention. You try things, back up, and try again. When it finally works, you're relieved, and you move on.
What you don't do is keep the path. The steps feel obvious in the moment, so it seems like you'll remember them. Most of us don't. A few weeks is plenty of time for "tap the picture, then Share, then Mail" to blur into "it was somewhere in there."
This happens to everyone, at every age. Steps you only use once in a while are the hardest kind of thing to hold on to. The fix isn't a better memory. It's a piece of paper.
🗳️ One Quick Question
Just a tap:
When you figure out how to do something on your phone or computer, do you write the steps down?
I'm just curious where you're starting from.
🛠️ How to Write Steps You'll Thank Yourself For
Harvard Health puts it simply: write things down instead of assuming you'll remember them later. The act of writing helps fix them in your mind. So you get two wins – the note itself, and the steps stick a little better too.
Here's how I'd do it.
Write it right away. Do it the minute it works, while the screen is still in front of you. Even ten minutes later, the details start to slip.
One step per line, in your own words. Write it the way you'd explain it to a friend on the phone. Use the exact words you see on the buttons, like "tap Settings" or "click Print." If something tripped you up, add a note: "the button is at the bottom, not the top."
Keep everything in one place. A small notebook beside the computer works. So does one note on your phone or computer called "How I Did It." What matters is that there's only one place to look.
Here's what a finished card might look like:
Email a photo from my iPhone
1. Open Photos and tap the picture.
2. Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up).
3. Tap Mail.
4. Type the address, add a few words, and tap the blue arrow to send.
Four lines. You won't have to work that out again.
That's the whole system. No app to learn, nothing to set up.
🌱 What Changes If You Do
The next time you need it, you open the notebook and follow your own steps. A few minutes instead of a whole afternoon. And you didn't have to wait for anyone to help.
After a while, that notebook becomes something you trust. Every page is proof that you figured something out on your own. On a day when the technology feels like it's winning, flipping through those pages is a good reminder of how much you've already learned.
If you don't, nothing bad happens. You'll work it out again, the same way you did the first time. It just costs you the same afternoon twice.
✏️ Your One Small Step
The next time you figure something out on your phone or computer, write the steps down before you close the screen. One card or one page is enough. Just one job, start to finish.
💬 One Word Back
If you'd like, hit reply and send me one word: "notebook" if you already keep one, or "starting" if you're going to try. No need to explain, and there's no wrong answer.
Talk soon,
Bob
A short piece from my place on why getting up once an hour beats one big workout – with the research behind it.
If typing has started to feel slow, or hard on the hands, Wispr Flow lets you speak instead and see your words come out clean and ready.
This link goes to my own review on my site, which includes my affiliate link. I use Wispr Flow myself every day. I am a slow typer who makes plenty of typos, and it saves me a great deal of time. There is a free version, and if you ever move to a paid plan through it, I may earn a small amount, at no extra cost to you.
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#RetireAndRise #WriteItDown #TechConfidence #LifeAfter50 #SmallSteps #SeeYouAtTheBank
