Rolodexing - R - Us

So, I went to see my hair stylist, Melissa, yetserday. She recently moved from a salon that was right smack next door to my office to a really sweet place about 3 miles from my work. I like her so much I'm willing to travel the extra miles to go see her. If anyone knows me, finding the right hair stylist is right up there with finding the right doctor. And, believe me, it's been a struggle finding her this last 2+ years since we moved to Tri-Cities.

My post today is not really about Melissa but about my Rolodex.  A long, long time ago, my brother-in-law, Steve, gave me a tip that has served me so well that I try to pass it on to anyone who'll listen.  It's a simple tip and you don't have to use a Rolodex for it. You can use it in your "Contacts" on Outlook or whatever mechanism you have for saving information. I prefer using a Rolodex because I fear losing my information in a computer crash.

The Tip: If you are important in my life, I have made notes about you. At work, these kind of important notes might be things like the kind of soda you drink, or your favorite snack. I love to find out little details about people and then if I'm out at lunch time and at the 7-11 and think about it, I'll pick up a bag of your favorite chips or candy bar and secretly put them on your desk.  Or, if the boss is in a big deposition and (s)he needs a soda, I know exactly which one to grab out of the fridge. I know who likes creamer in their coffee, etc. 

I keep a big, round rolodex on my home office desk. It has all my passwords for every website I should ever visit, friends' names & addresses, their kids' names, etc.  I file everyone's card by their first name or business name because, quite frankly, I'm not good anymore at remembering everyone's last names.  The day I forget your first name, you'll know something's wrong with me.

Yesterday, my hair stylist, Melissa, texted me that she had to move my appt. from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. because her boyfried urgently needed to go to the doctor.  I'll admit I was a little miffed at first but I really love Melissa and I really needed a hi-light, so I agreed to the later time. And, the truth is, she was having an emergency. How can I be so selfish sometimes???  So, I texted her about 2 o'clock and asked her if I could bring her a mocha and/or something to eat, knowing that she probably didn't get a chance to eat because of the medical crisis involving her boyfriend. She wrote right back and said YES, she'd love a Vanilla Latte & a bagel.  She was ever so grateful as she had not eaten at all that day.  I told her half-way through my hi-light that I want my hair stylist to be well-fed and coffee'd up! She was happy for the food and I was happy to know a little something about this very important person in my life. 

So, as I was deciding to write this post today, I ran through my Rolodex and found this card "Movies to Rent". If you've never heard of any of these movies it's because they are foreign films. My friend, Dr. Daurie, who used to work at Hospice, sends me recommendations for non-Hollywood type movies. I have yet to rent any of these and I suspect the only way I'll be able to do it is by signing up for NetFlix as we hardly have any video stores open in Tri-Cities. Can't find these great films at RedBox!  I have no idea why I have it filed under the "A's". It got moved to "M's" just now.

Here is an important extra tip.  I place extra notes off to the right of the original note indicating more about that note.  Last year, I sent my daughter-in-law a gift certificate at Old Navy for her birthday. She told me at Thanksgiving time she was wearing something she bought with the certificate. Dilemma: do I get her another certificate at Old Navy or choose one of the others on my list?  Well, at least I know what she likes and I have choices.  

I hope you find something useful about this tip and if you already use this method and have a tip for me, I hope you'll share it!

love, susan