The Perfect Workday Company

FRIENDS: Here’s a question you’ve never been asked:
How often do you have flat-head moments? You know, it’s an hour or so after a meeting and you figuratively, or literally, smack your forehead with your hand and think, “Now, what was it they said?”
The average American forgets 50% of what they hear in a meeting before the meeting ends; they forget 70% within 24 hours, and 90% within a week.
The same numbers apply for doctor’s office visits—which can have serious impacts on health.
Those statistics can make for a lot of flat-head moments.
A great way to counter information escape is with The Question Corner.
First, don’t ever go into an important in-person or online meeting, phone call, or back-and-forth text/email conversation without something to write with and something to write on. Capturing crucial information on your phone or computer or with AI can work. But, in a key study by Muller and Oppenheimer, noted in the Harvard Business Review, it shows writing to be the best way to implant information in our brains. (And, who has time to read those AI notes, anyway?!)
Next, in the upper left-hand corner of whatever you’re taking notes on simply list seven questions:
What?
Why?
Who?
Where?
When?
How?
How Much?
Why the left-hand corner? Because our culture reads left-to-right so it’s the first place our eyes go when we see almost any type of document.
And, you stack the questions. Don’t write them out on a line. When we read we don’t see/read every word. Our eyes jump what we determine to be less important words and we try to see only the words that matter. Writing the questions on a line makes them too easy to jump over.
The Question Corner is an outstanding tool for battling information escape.
And, no more flat-head moments.

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Kelly Boesch Official Music Video (AI) - Born To Start Again - 4K I came back to this old prompt as I just love the dreamy feel of it. These beautiful explorers in fantastic clothes and with gorgeous accessories look so at ...

The Question Corner
Here’s a question you’ve never been asked:
How often do you have flat-head moments? You know, it’s an hour or so after a meeting and you figuratively, or literally, smack your forehead with your hand and think, “Now, what was it they said?”
The average American forgets 50% of what they hear in a meeting before the meeting ends; they forget 70% within 24 hours, and 90% within a week.
The same numbers apply for doctor’s office visits—which can have serious impacts on health.
Those statistics can make for a lot of flat-head moments.
A great way to counter information escape is with The Question Corner.
First, don’t ever go into an important in-person or online meeting, phone call, or back-and-forth text/email conversation without something to write with and something to write on. Capturing crucial information on your phone or computer or with AI can work. But, in a key study by Muller and Oppenheimer, noted in the Harvard Business Review, it shows writing to be the best way to implant information in our brains. (And, who has time to read those AI notes, anyway?!)
Next, in the upper left-hand corner of whatever you’re taking notes on simply list seven questions:
What?
Why?
Who?
Where?
When?
How?
How Much?
Why the left-hand corner? Because our culture reads left-to-right so it’s the first place our eyes go when we see almost any type of document.
And, you stack the questions. Don’t write them out on a line. When we read we don’t see/read every word. Our eyes jump what we determine to be less important words and we try to see only the words that matter. Writing the questions on a line makes them too easy to jump over.
Here’s another important question: Why these specific words/questions? Because they point us to the crucial information in any situation or plan.
What? What is the goal? What do we need to make sure gets done? What is the one thing that, if we get it done, we’re closer to success?
Why? What is our motivation/reason? Why are we doing whatever this is in the first place?
Who? Who is involved in this? With whom do we need to connect? Who else might help us?
When? Is time an issue? Is there a timeline and/or deadline?
Where? Does location matter? Where does the event happen?
How? How will this get done? Does process matter? If we can’t get it done the usual way is there another way?
How Much? In our society, when people hear How Much? they almost always think, Money. The How Much? could be focusing on financial cost, or Time (How much time will this take?), Energy (How Much physical or mental effort will be required? Do we need help?), or Ego (Are you attempting something new that might make you a little—or, a lot—uncomfortable? How can we increase confidence?).
The Question Corner is an outstanding tool for battling information escape.
And, no more flat-head moments.

The Question Corner©
Mke Collins

Here’s a question you’ve never been asked:
How often do you have flat-head moments? You know, it’s an hour or so after a meeting and you figuratively, or literally, smack your forehead with your hand and think, “Now, what was it they said?”
The average American forgets half of what they hear in a meeting before the meeting ever ends; they forget 70% within 24 hours and 90% within a week. The same numbers apply for doctor’s office visits—which can have serious impacts on health. Those statistics can make for a lot of serious flat-head moments.
In today’s constantly changing world it’s easy to have important information slip by us; information we later need.
A great way to counter information escape is with The Question Corner©.
First, don’t ever go into an important in-person or online meeting, phone call, or back-and-forth text/email conversation without something to write with and something to write on. Capturing crucial information on your phone or computer can work, but studies show writing to be the best way to implant information in our brains.
Next, in the upper left-hand corner of whatever you’re taking notes on simply write seven questions: What? Why? Who? Where? When? How? How Much?
Why the left-hand corner? Because our culture reads left-to-right so it’s the first place our eyes go when we see almost any type of document.
And, you stack the questions. Don’t write them out in a line. When we read we don’t see/read every word. Our eyes jump what we determine to be less important words and we try to see only the words that matter. By writing the questions out in a line it’s too easy to jump over some of them.
Here’s another important question: Why these specific words/questions? Because they point us to the crucial information in any situation or plan.
What? What is the goal? What do we need to make sure gets done? What is the one thing that, if we get it done, we’re closer to success?
Why? What is our motivation/reason? Why are we doing whatever this is in the first place?
Who? Who is involved in this? With whom do we need to connect? Who else might help us?
When? Is time an issue? Is there a timeline and/or deadline?
Where? Does location matter? Where does the event happen?
How? How will this get done? Does process matter? If we can’t get it done the usual way is there another way?
How Much? In our society, when people hear How Much? they almost always think, Money. The How Much? could be focusing on financial cost or it might point to Time (How much time will this take?), Energy (How Much physical or mental effort will be required? Do we need help?), or Ego (Are you attempting something new to you that might make you a little—or, a lot—uncomfortable?).
After learning about The Question Corner© Nash General Hospital, part of the UNC Health Care System, created a pad (see below) for The Question Corner©, and a well-known, regional law firm had sticky-note pads created with the tactic printed on each sheet. Now, when a phone call comes in or their employees enter in-person or online meetings they pull out a note pad and make sure they have the important information they need.
No more flat-head moments.
END

Perfect Workday Tip: The 30 Second Secret: Before your leave for work or get started in the morning spend 30 Seconds simply cleaning/straightening a few things up. Before you leave work or stop working at end of day, spend 30 Seconds cleaning/straightening a few things up. Finally, before you go to bed at night spend 30 Seconds cleaning/straightening a few things up.

FRIENDS: Thank you to the Rotary Club of Oxford, NC for the opportunity to speak. Great bunch of folks!
https://www.facebook.com/reel/834999369381037

Our guest speaker on Thursday, December 18th, 2025 was Mike Collins, the president of The Perfect Workday Company, an organizational development company based in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. As a member of the adjunct faculty of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Collins has been a featured lecturer in the nationally-ranked Executive Master’s Program at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. He is a guest lecturer in Wake Forest University’s Master of Healthcare Leadership Program. Mike spoke about his book, “It is Never Too Late,” inspired by an awakening thought, “I believe I would like to accomplish this.” Mike said one has to make a list of things they want to do, focus on them, consider what small things one can do to get closer to that wish and reward oneself for each small step along the way and your reward will come to fruition. Though not retired, Collins was profiled in the book, Retire and Thrive: Remarkable People Share Their Creative, Productive, & Profitable Retirement Strategies. He has also been profiled in Business North Carolina magazine, and quoted in Fortune Magazine, on CBS.com and Entrepreneur.com, and in a variety of other publications and electronic media. As a writer, Mike Collins’ articles have appeared in Newsweek, American Banker, and Business North Carolina in addition to numerous local and regional business and entertainment magazines. Many thanks to Mike for sharing his time and wisdom. #rotaryinternational #rotary #rotaryclub #rotarydistrict7710

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