“I’d be happy to; just send me an email to remind me.”

That sentence has probably saved me 100 hours over the past 2 years.  It is my standard response every time anyone (other than my boss or my mother) asks me to do something for them.

Roughly half the time, they never follow up, and I am off the hook without lifting a finger and I still garner the goodwill and social capital from being the guy who is always willing to lend a hand.

The rest of the time, I have a bright, shiny reminder in my inbox, where it stays until I have followed up, so I never have to worry about forgetting to do whatever was asked of me.

For some reason, when I suggest this strategy to students and clients, they seem shocked and astounded by the possibilities, but it seems pretty straight-forward to me.