Knowledge in Time of Need

Time sure seems to soar on by. A lot has been going on in my life since school has started. Work has also picked up quite a bit, which is great, but keeps me really busy. I continue to learn so much from my experiences in school and work.

Recently, I have taken a first-time approach (for me) on sufficient documentation. What I mean by that is keeping a record of all my expenditures, car mileage, charitable donations, income, and pretty much anything I can collect data on. Today completes the end of the first month I've been doing this and looking over all the records I've kept is quite rewarding.

I plan to take this data and put it into an Excel spreadsheet to save in the digital world. I wanted to start with paper and pen to give myself an idea of how and what to record all this data. Sometimes when I do work on the computer I can't visualize as easily my goals as I can on paper. After I get comfortable with my system is when I'll transfer everything.

My dad has told me in the past that it is important to always keep accurate and up-to-date documentation of everything. I have learned that is to be taken almost literally (and maybe completely).

As I think about that and compare that statement with my job, it makes complete sense. Accurate documentation keeps things in order and removes confusion. In fact, I have experienced this in the past few weeks at work.

Some old jobs (as far as 10 years) have had to be updated and revised. If it wasn't for documenting that information, the company I work for would have to spend extra money to back to the job site and re-record all the necessary data. Doing the work for that job took no more than about 6 hours to do, but could have easily been as much as 15 or more if the old documentation was not present.

Anyways, I try to make this blog more interactive than just "something I learned today," but this is something I have come to believe is really important. So, always keep your information properly documented. You never know you just might need it readily someday.