December 16, 2018

On reports

Stone

The thing about reports, and which is worth baring in mind next time you’re ankle deep in writing one and full of resentment for both the task itself and the person who asked you to do it … it’s not for them, it’s for you.

Report writing – good report writing anyway – is an act of discipline and clarification. The point is the writing part, not the physical manifestation at the end. That’s not to say it isn’t about communication, or information, or even that they won’t read it. They might, and they might glean something useful and even be moved to action by it. 

The primary purpose – the one to hang onto in the dark hours – comes from writing things down.

It sorts out your thoughts, summarises and consolidates them, and makes you clearer every time this stuff comes up.

Skippy strategy: Get over the misery, write your way to clarity.

Category:
Focus