Why ‘Thinking on Paper’ Still Wins …

Imagine trying to do the Times crossword after being deprived of sleep for nearly three days.

That’s how I felt last week after tackling a particularly fiendish exercise in Excel.

I’m no pointy-headed geek who dreams about convoluted, mile-long codes in my sleep.

But I’m not a beginner either.

That said, the challenge on the screen in front of me was starting to look insurmountable.

With calculations spread across five sheets in one workbook, this was more than a gentle head-scratcher.

At times like this, I usually wake up my little pet boffin at ChatGPT, feed it some complimentary words and ask it to help out.

But even it got into a fearful tangle, with what I’d just chucked at it.

So, I decided to go back to square one and do what works best for me.

And that’s to get everything out of my head and down on paper by typing out a detailed description of the task at hand. And … most importantly, the desired outcome.

And you know what?

It worked even if the keyboard nearly melted in the process.

Once I’d untangled everything, the mental fog began to clear, and things started to fall into place.

The rebuild could begin.

The life lesson is profound.

It’s not until we get crystal clear on the outcome that we can properly start to work on the steps to get us there.

Until then, the plan (if there ever was one) is nothing but a tangled mess.

Many will have written out their marketing plans and goals for 2026, but if it’s still a work in progress for you, we’re here to help.

Until next week.

Alec