“The dullest pencil is sharper than the sharpest mind.” – Unknown
No one uses pencils anymore. But the quote still resonates: if we don’t write it down, we forget stuff.
Most of us carry a small computer in our pocket ninety percent of the time, and even an old iPhone 4 with a cracked screen is a lot more useful than a dull pencil.
A few worthwhile tactics:
- Make a google doc with training notes you can access from anywhere: write down what you did, how it felt, and something to focus on next time. The better you organize this now, the more useful it will be in the future.
- Screenshot the hourly weather whenever conditions are good at the crag. Go back and review next time you are deciding between an extra training session vs. saving skin for your project.
- Record your beta, especially if you are about to walk away from a route for a few months. Write it down and describe the holds, or better yet take photos and label them with markup. A friend of mine will take a video of the route and do voice-over commentary while zooming in on different sections of the wall.
It’s amazing what we forget, even when we think it’s important.
Most of us are carrying digital pencils. We’re sharper when we use them.
The Daily Nugget 