Truth bomb: being able to find info at a moment’s notice helps us to be CALM. And who doesn’t like being calm?
Twice in recent memory (as in last Sunday), I showed up as the “info hero” in my household…and I’m not gonna lie: it felt GREAT.
I’ll share.
Exhibit A: On Sunday morning, my husband randomly asked, “Hey, do you know how to find out how much is in my ERS plan?” (As in the retirement plan from almost 15 years ago when he worked for the State of Texas?!) It’s been so long since I’d even checked, but lo and behold, I had a paper statement safely guarded in my Financial Binder! I know! So cool, right?
YAY ME!! (and yay for my Organize365™ binder, obviously!) (affiliate link)
Exhibit B: On (Academy Awards) Sunday, I really saved the day for my oldest son who now lives in Denver with his sassy white-with-ocean-blue-eyes-and-almost-no-teeth kitty named Betty.
Kids these days don’t typically have cable or even basic tv services because of all the streaming services that exist. They rarely need live feed tv. They figure it out somehow if they do need to watch something.
So, my first-born loves the Oscars. He loves movies. He loves stars and pop culture. All week we were planning a virtual watch party, starting with the glitzy red carpet pre-show. All was well and going according to plan.
But when the real show started and Jimmy Kimmel began his opening roasts, my son’s borrowed login stopped working and he was not able to see the actual Academy Awards. The 95th annual Academy Awards that he’d been looking forward to for months.
I’m on my couch in Austin with full access to the show, but my son is sweating bullets in Denver trying to figure out why he can’t also watch. My mama’s heart is breaking because if I didn’t already mention, he prepares and anticipates for this big day!
TO NOT BE ABLE TO WATCH IT LIVE?? Not acceptable.
He asked me, “Mom, do you have login info for your cable provider?” Which happens to be Spectrum. Let me assure you, until recent years, I could not have just produced that info on the spot.
But, YAY ME, I have a Trello card with that exact info on it, because when you need that info, it’s usually due to a service problem, AKA stressful moment. So, I’ve learned to stash that info in a “referral” system, using Trello.
The actual tool is not the lesson here: the lesson is I took a moment in the past and saved the info where it’s easy to grab at a future time.
I texted him the username and password, and…holding my breath…YES! EUREKA! He could watch!!
Seriously, being the info-hero is huge.
Being able to produce critical information when it’s needed is HUGE.
Logins, dates of vaccinations, pants and shoe sizes, dates of expirations on passports, and on an on!
It’s intimidating, I know. So just jump in where you are, and get yourself a password manager for starters.
Likely you have several systems going, some digital, others analog, but is it working? Is it working for YOU? I’m not here to tell you which system to use (I do have suggestions!) but please use something that works for your brain and lifestyle!
Not sure where to start?
Come join us at 12p CST Thursdays for a group “digital energy leak” beatdown! AKA Just Log In! Workshop. It’s free.
But PRICELESS.
I’d like to thank the Academy for voting for me!
