Stay awake for seventy-two hours and you will learn to write instructions down and work them step-by-step checking each action off AFTER you complete it.

Verbal instructions don't work well when everyone is exhausted because short-term memory evaporates and they forget the first step before you finish telling them the second. So you write instructions down and have them work the list.

Lack of food, water, stress, and pain make this problem worse.

A small notebook, typically a 3by5 flip-top, is your brain in the field. You have lists of standard SOPs, times, places, frequencies, call signs, mission priorities, notes on the route you took and shorthand reminders of alternatives. You don't rely on memory for anything of consequence.

Heck, I have to write down notes like that in regular civilian life! I do it on my cell phone. If my cell phone breaks, I'd definitely have to use old school paper.

I get irritated when I ask someone to do something important and they don't write it down. They brag how their memory is so good. What happens, of course, is the task remains undone or is done incorrectly. Then, they get irritated with me claiming that I never told them or that I told them something else.

Reminder: Using a small manual pencil sharpener on a cedar pencil produces pretty good tinder. The same sharpener can also produce tinder-quality shavings from other dry wood, especially wood with a high resin content.

i started carring a little golf pencil years ago because it reminded me of a dear friend, only later did i realize the other benefits. Now i'm never caught without.

Good call on parchment paper, Sue. Very useful stuff!

Way I learned it was to write instructions down, get head-to-head with them, read the paper to them as they read along, have them read it back to you to make sure they understand, then send them on their way with the paper in hand. Sounds silly to do this with adults but it works and people usually get used to it. Practice on the kids before you whip this out at work. People, once they get over the newness, like the personal touch. Do it that way and odds are better that the job gets done. Telling them when you will be checking on their progress, and following through, helps keep people focused.

Never heard of rite-in-the-rain paper. I'll check it out.

The SEALS got their idea of carrying a pencil from the British SAS. That was always the strategy of the lads in the UK - because a pencil was a better all-weather writing tool. And let's face it, you can always sharpen a pencil.

Nowadays I don't know if that's still true. There could be certain pens that work on damp paper just as well as a pencil.

Pete #2

I have used the rite-in-the-rain paper/notebooks for some time now and love them. I use one of the Fisher pens that utilizes a pressurized ink cartridge and find the ink generally does bled a little. I currently have the small (3 ¼” x 4 7/8”) notebook on me. The notepad has been through the wash 3 times this past month and although the cover did disintegrate after the first wash, the paper is in fine condition. Some of the writing bled a little, but everything is still very readable.

Pete

If all else fails, you can write on your skin just fine with most ballpoints. I have often done this to record basic numbers quickly, later transferring the data to real paper. The ink usually endures through at least one shower.

"Space pens" are good but keep a pencil as a backup. Pencils have advantages. One of which is line-length. Even a cheap pencil beats an expensive pen in line-length.

NOTE: Bold emphasis mine.

When I was putting together the materials for the pocket survival kits for our scouts, I agonized a bit on the type of writing instrument to include. That is, I debated on whether to use an ink pen refill to conserve space, or a pencil that could be resharpened. I ended up going with the ink pen refills because space was at a premium and the price for similarly sized pencils, though reasonable, was just out of my budget. Now I am wondering if I made the right choice.

Rite in the rain paper would have been nice too but that also is some pretty pricey stuff. I might just check out the paper Sue mentioned.